The Burloak Water Purification Plant (WPP) Intake project, undertaken for the Region of Halton using a design-build approach, has been awarded OPWA’s 2009 Project of the Year Award in the structures category greater than $10 Million.

While the OPWA Project of the Year Award rewards excellence in the management of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant/engineer, and the contractor, the award is particularly relevant in this case, where a public private partnership – often used to foster more open collaboration between team members – allowed the project team to implement technical innovations and to achieve cost and schedule savings.

Innovations include the use of an intermediate riser shaft to connect the tunnel to the marine pipeline, and the use of Hydro-Pull Technology to connect the marine pipeline segments, which is the first application of its kind in Canada. The alternative bid proposed by the design-build team was $6.4 million under the base bid, $850K under the approved budget, and was completed in November 2008 - well within the schedule stipulated by the owner.

For more information on the award program and other winners, please visit www.opwa.ca