October 28, 2016, Vancouver, BC, Canada – Knight Piésold Canada won an Award of Excellence in the Natural Resources, Mining, Industry & Energy category for the Capilano Break Head Tank and Energy Recovery Facility (BHT & ERF). Specialist Hydromechanical Engineer Rob Adams received the award at the 2016 Canadian Consulting Engineering (CCE) Awards gala on October 25th, at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

Now in its 48th year, the CCE Awards, which are co-sponsored by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC) and Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine, represent the highest recognition for achievement in the country’s consulting engineering industry. “By recognizing these projects with national awards, we highlight the important contributions of engineering firms to Canadians and the huge impact they have both here at home and around the world,” said ACEC President and CEO John Gamble.

A vital link in the Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration System, Knight Piésold designed and commissioned the BHT & ERF, which is located at the terminus of a 7-km-long, gravity-driven tunnel from the Seymour-Capilano filtration plant. It dissipates excess energy in the water flowing from the filtration plant, either through pressure reducing valves or a hydroelectric turbine, before discharge into the Capilano distribution system, and recovers that energy to generate electricity. The power generated partially offsets the energy consumed by one 2,000 HP pump at the Capilano Pump Station, reducing Metro Vancouver’s total energy consumption by approximately 9,600 MWh/year. The BHT & ERF has one of the largest energy recovery turbines in a municipal treated potable water system in North America.

“It is an honour to be recognized for our work on the Capilano Break Head Tank and Energy Recovery Facility, in partnership with Metro Vancouver. This project will help reduce Metro Vancouver’s electrical power requirements, by generating clean renewable hydropower on their bulk water supply infrastructure,” said Sam Mottram, managing principal of power services. The project also received an Award of Merit in the Energy and Industry category earlier this year at the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-British Columbia (ACEC-BC) Awards for Engineering Excellence.

Photo and video courtesy of ACEC.