The sanitary sewer installation and alignment through the Lazo Hill area of the Comox Valley Sewer Conveyance Project have changed – and the Comox Valley Regional District wants to share details about the revision and its impact to the community.
The CVRD had been pursuing a tunneling methodology for the sewer transmission main installation through Lazo Hill that involved horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Through collaboration with HDD designers and contractors, as part of the Design-Build procurement, several significant challenges with tunneling have been identified and the CVRD has determined that the construction risks are too high to proceed as planned.
As a result, the sewer forcemain will be installed using traditional trenching rather than tunneling, which is consistent with the rest of the route. Geotechnical and environmental analysis on trenched route options from atop Lazo Hill to the Comox Valley Water Pollution Control Centre (treatment plant) have been completed and the alignment along Lazo Road and Brent Road (Lazo-Brent Route) has been evaluated as the preferred route option. Further due diligence is required along the Lazo-Brent Route to confirm viability, while the alignment along Morland Road and crossing the Lazo Marsh will serve as an alternate route, if required.
“This is the most complex undertaking in the CVRD’s history and after careful consideration and detailed technical analysis, we are prepared to move forward,” said Doug Hillian, Chair of the Sewage Commission. “This project will make a big difference in the safety of our sewer infrastructure - a change that is critically needed to prevent an environmental disaster in our community.”
The alignment revision will not result in adjustment to the construction start date, forecasted to commence spring 2024. Prior to construction, the CVRD will engage with the community in the fall regarding a traffic management strategy planning session. In early 2024, a series of public open houses will be offered to present the construction schedule and traffic plans.
An update about the trenched route and next steps for the construction of the Comox Valley Sewer Conveyance Project will be presented to the community June 26:
JOIN US
Online ZOOM Webinar
Monday, June 26, 2023
7 to 8 pm
Register www.engagecomoxvalley.ca/conveyanceproject
The Comox Valley Sewer Conveyance Project is a multi-year construction project that will replace the pipes and upgrade the pump stations that move more than 14,000 cubic metres of raw sewage each day to the sewage treatment plant on Brent Road. The project will address the environmental risks of the current pipeline location within the foreshore of the Comox estuary and the intertidal zone along the Willemar Bluffs.
For more information and to follow the Comox Valley Sewer Conveyance project, visit the webpage at www.engagecomoxvalley.ca/conveyanceproject
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities operating on the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of the land. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on providing sustainable services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.
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Media contact:
Mary Lee
Communications and Engagement Specialist
Tel: 250-898-3726