Storm System/Third Avenue Pond Construction

The Squamish Helping Hands Society Under One Roof project is located at 37871 Third Avenue.

As part of the project, the existing stormwater forebay of the Third Avenue pond will be filled in and a new forebay will be constructed approximately 60 metres east. In addition, a new Oil-Grit separator will be installed upstream of the pond to capture stormwater contaminants before they enter the pond. To facilitate this work, a new storm pipe will be constructed along Main St. from the intersection of Third Avenue and Main St. to the new pond inlet.

As a result of this construction, improvements will be seen in the stormwater quality entering the Third Avenue pond and ultimately discharged into the Squamish Estuary. The District has also budgeted for and plans to investigate longer-term improvements to the Third Avenue pond in 2019.

Construction Impacts

Short-term impacts include:

• Traffic - installation of the storm sewer and Oil-Grit separator will require closure of one lane of traffic on Main Street. The traffic management plan is to have single lane alternating traffic during working hours, with steel plates utilized after hours to allow free traffic flow.  Please note, however, that there will be periodic full road closures to enable the installation of infrastructure, during which time alternative detour routes will be provided.

• Dewatering – in order to facilitate installation of the storm pipe and Oil-Grit separator, the excavation must be dewatered using localized ‘well-points’ and one or more dewatering pump(s). The pump(s) will require 24-hour operation while the trench excavation is open to draw down the water table. Anticipated impacts include background noise from the pump(s) and possible odour/visual impacts from the groundwater discharge. Recent experience in the area confirmed that while the groundwater was dark in colour and had an odour of decaying organic material, it met provincial discharge regulations. The District will coordinate testing on groundwater discharge during dewatering to ensure that it meets provincial regulations. In addition, the District and Helping Hands will coordinate works with the Contractor to minimize the impacts of work. Learn more about detwatering: Dewatering - why does it smell and is it safe?

Timeline

Construction of stormwater works began November 5 and is expected to continue through early 2019. Dewatering began the week of February 25. The District will post project updates on this project page.

Contact

We understand and appreciate that this construction project may have an unwelcome impact on you, in particular in terms of any odour. We will do our best to minimize impacts where possible, and we thank you in advance for your patience while we complete this important work.

If you have any questions or concerns on the construction, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Jon Allan, Engineering Technician, District of Squamish: 604-815-5062 or by email.

Maureen Mackell, Executive Director, Squamish Helping Hands Society: 604-390-4242 or by email.

More about the project

Under One Roof will deliver important community benefits by providing low barrier housing, centralized access to the food bank, emergency shelter and a variety of other services in collaboration with local community partners. The project, managed by the Squamish Helping Hands Society, is being funded by BC Housing and is receiving additional support from the District of Squamish. The District will be providing a long-term lease for the land as well as providing funding for associated stormwater improvements.

December 18, 2018