Engineered Water Storage Reservoir
Journey was hired to design multiple Water Storage Reservoirs (WSRs) throughout Alberta, ranging in size from 100,000 m3 to 350,000 m3 in capacity. Our scope was to select a site, design the reservoir, and assemble the Water Act License application. Selecting the site included desktop reviews of regional topography and environmental features as well as performing preliminary and detailed geotechnical investigations. These geotechnical investigations collected samples of the site geology to determine whether the soil was suitable for a reservoir from a geotechnical and structural standpoint.
Finding the best site for a reservoir was a challenging part of the project. Often there are issues such as site slope, nearby wetlands, high groundwater, and weak soil which can make it difficult to find a site that is still economically viable for the Client. Some designs incorporated soil reinforcement to enable the client to use sites with higher slopes or weak soil.
Protect the Environment by Factoring in Run-off Controls, Liner System Design, and Soil Reinforcement.
To protect the environment and the fresh water being stored, a liner system was included in the design. The liners provide extra stability, eliminates erosion concerns, and protect the groundwater. Journey’s designs included WSR geometry, stockpiles, site and road access, and run-on/off controls. Journey also performed stormwater calculations to confirm the designed freeboard capacity was adequate to collect stormwater events.
The Water Act License application included information such as wildlife mitigation plans, detailing proximal water bodies, reclamation plan, summary of the design, and site description.
