This project involved the design and construction of a sanitary sewage lift station and wastewater forcemain suspended under a pedestrian bridge across the Bow River in Banff, Alberta. The lift station is housed within the bridge abutment and the forcemain is concealed under the bridge. The forcemain replaced aging river bottom sewer lines and included piping for a future watermain.
The project was awarded to the Structure Craft / Tritech design build team in large part due to Tritech’s approach to avoid discharge of ground water into the Bow River during construction.
Because of its location on the banks of the Bow River, the lift station’s construction was subject to the Navigable Waters Protection Act and required an innovative design approach. Tritech minimized the environmental impact on the Bow River, its footpath, and the surrounding forest by using a caisson method for constructing the submerged concrete works. Prior to construction, Tritech provided a detailed plan showing how the civil and structural components would be sequenced and completed the work with minimal environmental disruption.
The integration of the pump station into the bridge abutment, which also houses the odor control and noise abatement systems, makes it unnoticeable to dog owners who use the area directly adjacent to the bridge to let their dogs swim in the river.