Surge Anticipator Eliminates Pipe Breakage In Central Saanich

The District of Central Saanich is a member Municipality of the Capital Regional District (CRD) of Greater Victoria in British Columbia Canada, and is a rural residential community with a population of about 17, 000. The District has a medium sized, widely dispersed sewerage collection system, dating back to the early 1970’s that sends its sewage for treatment, by the CRD to the regional wastewater treatment plant. There is minimal storage capacity within the municipal collection system, with multiple sewage lift stations that pump sewage from these satellite stations through forcemains into the regional trunk sewer system and from there to treatment.

One of these facilities pumps sewage through a 300mm asbestos cement (AC) forcemain to a sewer siphon several kilometers away. When fluids travel such long distances, there is always the potential for pressure build ups from even the slightest changes in velocity.

When a sewer main ruptures under these circumstances it can have a significant negative impact on the environment, and presents head aches in repair and associated costs for the municipality, as well as being disruptive to the residents. This is exactly what was happening in Central Saanich due to aging infrastructure and surges from pumps stopping and power failures.