Water Management Structures Portfolio

Graham was awarded the contracts for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Water Management Structures (WMS) projects, all with the purpose of supporting Teck’s Swift Mine operations and to allow the operations to remain compliant with regulatory conditions. The Water Management Structures projects’ overall purpose was to capture and treat both non-contact water and mine influenced water before discharge into the Fording River.

In 2017, Graham extended an existing culvert, and constructed cast-in-place concrete impact baffle at the outlet of the culvert, the Liverpool Secondary Pond and related culverts, rock drain and riprap outflow channel to collect water from an existing rock drain and convey it to a pond system. Graham also built several kilometers of diversion ditching and access road upgrades and extensions with culverts, including placement of Armorflex matting and bituminous geomembrane (BGM).

The work in 2018 included various ponds, sumps (dams), conveyance ditches, pipelines, rock drains, and the procurement and installation of multiple precast inlet and control structures. The piping works included the fusing and installation of 6 kilometers of various-sized pipe.

In 2019, Graham continued the work from the previous year, with an additional 1.6 kilometers of piping work.

Overall scopes for all three contracts included access and haul roads and site grading, screening of all fill materials and riprap products, earthworks, rock excavation, and BGM liners for all ditching. Graham self-performed the majority of this work with the exception of the BGM scopes, aggregate screening and hydroseeding.

Of critical importance to these projects was strong environmental performance, due to the high-risk nature of the work as newly constructed structures were tied into existing pond systems, watercourses and the Fording River under strict permit requirements. Graham executed the work with no environmental incidents and superior safety performance on-site.