Determining the Best Path for Upgrading Wastewater Facilities – Two Case Studies

The City of Calgary and Metro Vancouver conducted separate but similar planning studies on upgrading and expanding their wastewater infrastructure to meet population growth and other requirements. The studied service areas both involved two wastewater treatment plants located within the same catchment. The decision and timeline to upgrade or expand either or both plants, along with the associated conveyance systems, required careful consideration of financial and noneconomic factors. A structured decision-making approach was used in both studies to facilitate the evaluation of wastewater servicing options. With input from various project stakeholders, a unique servicing strategy was developed in each case using results from a multi-objective decision analysis.