Stantec project wins first ISL Envision Award in Canada
March 3, 2015
By CCE
Grand Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant site plan. Image: Stantec.
The Grand Bend Area Wastewater Treatment Facility under construction on the shores of Lake Huron in Ontario has won an ISI Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure. This project is the first project to be verified by Envision in Canada, and the first wastewater facility to be verified by Envision in the world.
Envision is a trademarked rating system organized the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). ISI is an organization of the Zofnass School for Sustainable Infrastructure, which is part of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
According to the Envision website: “What LEED has done for building-scale sustainability, Envision aims to do for infrastructure: educate citizens and increase public awareness, provide a means to quantify sustainability in infrastructure, and facilitate the adoption of sustainable design for infrastructure.”
Envision assesses project’s sustainability in five categories in the design states. it also accredits Envision Sustainability Professionals, who are mostly civil engineers.
For the Grand Bend proejct, the municipalities of Lambton Shores and South Huron commissioned Stantec to convert one of four existing lagoons into an extended aeration mechanical treatment facility and wetland nature reserve. The facility prevents effluent discharges from adversely impacting the surface and groundwater quality and it allows for responsible community development. Stantec used the ISI Envision framework during the design.
The project’s key sustainable features include: a constructed wetland to support native wildlife species and further buffer treated effluent; a flexible design that makes the facility responsive to changing sewage flows; and reduced construction and operational costs through a focus on efficiency. The project lies within the boundaries of the original facility’s footprint to protect prime farmland and trails.
Elvio Zaghi, Stantec’s project manager, said: “Stantec is very proud of this first-ever ISI Envision verified project in Canada. The Grand Bend Area WWTF will protect the shoreline waters of Lake Huron, the area’s most important natural and recreational asset.”
To see Stantec’s press release, click here.
To find out more about Envision, click here.
