New Water Treatment Plant Work on Schedule
Fredericton (January 28 2008) - The first large pieces of process equipment arrived today at the City's new water treatment plant currently under construction on Waterloo Row.
The three nine-meter long pressure vessels, which serve as part of the water filtration process, arrived this week by truck from Pureflow Filtration, a California-based company. They were unloaded at the construction site by a large crane, and will be put in place inside the future walls next week .
"Because of their size, these large blue tanks must be installed inside the building prior to it being closed up," said Councillor Tony Whalen, Chair of the City's Public Safety and Environment Committee. "Access to the interior of the building must also be maintained to allow the installation of a large lime silo, expected to be delivered in a few weeks."
Work on the $8-million water treatment plant project has been continuing throughout the winter despite the recent cold and snowy weather. The general contractor, Springhill Construction, has completed the main foundation work, and continues to organize work of their subcontractors while keeping the worksite free of snow.
The white steel frame is being erected by the subcontractor, Tek Steel. Structural steel normally arrives at a construction site with either red or grey oxide primer, and any further coatings are applied after walls and ceiling are fully assembled. For this project, the architect chose to have a white primer applied, followed by another white coat of paint, both applied by the steel fabricator. Two coats applied prior to the erection of the steel ensure all surfaces are coated to protect against corrosion. Prepainting also makes coverage with future coats of paint easier.
Construction of the water treatment plant is a major project of the City's Water & Sewer Division. To date, the construction of the building has involved an Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Process, a location study, designing the building and landscaping, designing the water treatment process, the construction of a deep engineered pad for the building, and installation of piping on the site.
Future work will include the completion of the building, installation of other significant process equipment and piping, and the installation of piping from the Queen Square wells to the site and back to the Morell Park water transmission line. Expectations remain that the building will be producing drinking water before the end of 2008.
In the meantime, the major activity now under way includes the construction of exterior masonry walls by Goodine Masonry, with Springhill Construction installing and maintaining the enclosures required to provide the heating and protection of this activity.
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Media Contact: John White, Communications, City of Fredericton 506-460-2227
