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Having safe, reliable utility services is a critical part of day-today life in the community.
The existing Duggan sanitary tunnel provides service to neighbourhoods in southwest Edmonton and has been identified for replacement. This will see construction of a new sanitary tunnel to service neighbourhoods from Steinhauer up to Bonnie Doon.
The alignment of the new tunnel is along 111 Street from Saddleback Road/29A Avenue, east along 34 Avenue, and then north on 106 Street to north of L.Y. Cairns School.
EPCOR is aware of consistent sewer odour issues in several neighbourhoods along the alignment of the Duggan Tunnel, particularly in Steinhauer. This project is part of EPCOR’s Corrosion and Odour Reduction Strategy (CORe). The strategy aims to understand and mitigate sewer odour issues and will result in significantly reduced sewer odour city-wide by 2031. With completion of the new tunnel, we expect the major cause of how odour is formed and pushed out into the communities to be notably diminished.
The majority of the work will be underground using a tunnel boring machine (TBM). However, there will be multiple worksites (shaft locations) along the tunnel alignment to allow the TBM to be lowered underground to excavate, turn corners, and be removed when tunneling is complete.
The Duggan sanitary sewer line services neighbourhoods in southwest Edmonton, from Steinhauer up to Bonnie Doon. Construction on the new Duggan Tunnel began in March 2023 and is expected to be completed by Summer 2025.
The Duggan tunnel sanitary sewer moves wastewater from south Edmonton to the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. The existing sewer is approximately 30 metres deep and was originally built by hand.
The new tunnel has been identified for replacement due to poor condition and to help address odour in the area. The existing Duggan sanitary tunnel services the Edmonton region highlighted on the map:
How are we helping with odour in your neighbourhood
EPCOR is aware of consistent sewer odour issues in several neighbourhoods along the alignment of the Duggan Tunnel, particularly in Steinhauer. This project is part of EPCOR’s Corrosion and Odour Reduction Strategy (CORe). The strategy aims to understand and mitigate sewer odour issues and will result in significantly reduced sewer odour city-wide by 2031. With completion of the new tunnel, we expect the major cause of how odour is formed and pushed out into the communities to be notably diminished.
The existing Duggan tunnel serves as both a sanitary and storage tunnel and is just over three kilometers long. This means that sanitary flows are stored in the tunnel during wet weather events.
The existing Duggan tunnel has various shifts in depth along the alignment. When built in the 1960s, crews didn’t have the equipment or technology to easily tunnel through the existing sand layer, so they had to tunnel above it or below it. This variation in depth increases the movement of the sanitary flow (up and down), which increases the amount of odour generated. The new tunnel will flow by gravity (not up and down), which will reduce the amount of odour pushed out into the communities.
How odour develops in the existing Duggan tunnel:
Other ways we are helping with odour
Sometimes, creating a change in one area can increase sewer odours in another. This is why EPCOR has a city-wide strategy and why the work must occur in a specific sequence.
Some steps have already begun, allowing for better access to infrastructure to inspect lines and investigate odour issues:
Residents are encouraged to report an issue any time an odour is overly strong by calling EPCOR Trouble at 780-412-4500. This helps us to track the odour to look for patterns and potential solutions.
Construction began in March 2023 with completion anticipated by Summer 2025.
While we always do our best to plan construction and abide by construction timelines communicated to the public, unexpected events can potentially occur which may delay the schedule. Some of these factors are:
Ground conditions and boulders
Geotechnical investigations have been completed along the alignment and we anticipate that the ground conditions are favourable for tunneling. However, there is a risk the tunnel boring machine (TBM) could encounter harder soil, boulders or soupy sand, which could slow down progress.
Extreme weather
Extreme weather, including severe cold, heavy rains, high winds and lightning make working unsafe. During these conditions, the site will be shut down.
Relocation of existing utilities
The start date of the project is dependent on relocation of the utilities, including a water main relocation at Worksite #5. There may be some disruption to local services; however, more information will be provided before the work starts.
This project is broken down geographically into five zones which follow the alignment of the new tunnel:
Three worksite locations will support the construction process, with timelines as follows:
Please note, impacts may change based on City of Edmonton Traffic approvals. Advanced notification will be provided to residents and businesses in the local area before work begins.
Worksite 1A
Worksite 1B
Worksite 1A
Worksite 1A
Worksite 2
Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
During tunneling, the tunnel boring machine will be running 24/7 at Worksite #2.
Trucks and equipment will access all the worksites from 111 Street. Temporary lanes closures may be in effect.
Two worksite locations will support the construction process, with timelines as follows:
Please note, impacts may change based on City of Edmonton Traffic approvals. Advanced notification will be provided to residents and businesses in the local area before work begins.
Worksite 3
Worksite 4
Worksite 4
Worksite 3
Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During tunneling, the tunnel boring machine will be running 24/7 at Worksite #3.
Trucks and equipment will access all the worksites from 34 Avenue. Temporary lane closures may be in effect.
Two worksite locations will support the construction process, with timelines as follows:
Please note, impacts may change based on City of Edmonton Traffic approvals. Advanced notification will be provided to residents and businesses in the local area before work begins.
Worksite 5
Worksites 5 & 6
Worksite 5
Worksites 5 & 6
Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During tunneling, the tunnel boring machine will be running 24/7 at Worksite #5.
Trucks and equipment will access all the worksites from 106 Street. Temporary lane closures may be in effect. No hauling will occur during school drop off and pick up times.
Four worksite locations will support the construction process, with timelines as follows:
Worksites 7 & 8
Worksites 9 & 10
Please note, impacts may change based on City of Edmonton Traffic approvals. Advanced notification will be provided to residents and businesses in the local area before work begins.
Worksites 7 & 8
Worksites 9
Worksite 10
Worksite 7
Worksite 9
Worksites 7 & 8
Worksites 7 & 8
Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During tunneling, the tunnel boring machine will be running 24/7 at Worksite #7 and #8.
Worksites 9 & 10
Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Worksites 7 & 8
Trucks and equipment will access the worksites from 106 Street and 40 Avenue. Additional temporary lane closures may be in effect. Hauling activity will not be performed during student pick-up and drop off times as identified by DS MacKenzie Junior High and St. Augustine.
Worksites 9 & 10
Trucks and equipment will access all the worksites from 106 Street. Temporary lane closures may be in effect.
Three worksite locations will support the construction process, with timelines as follows:
Please note, impacts may change based on City of Edmonton Traffic approvals. Advanced notification will be provided to residents and businesses in the local area before work begins.
Worksite 11
Worksite 12
Worksite 13
Worksite 12
Typical hours of work will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. If required, these hours may be extended, and construction may occur on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During tunneling, the tunnel boring machine will be running 24/7 at Worksite #11.
Trucks and equipment will access all the worksites from 106 Street and 104A Street. Temporary lanes closures may be in effect during these times.
Tunnel Boring Machine
We'll be using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at during this project. The tunneling process occurs underground using a TBM; however, shafts are required at the start and end points.
During tunneling, it may appear not much work is occurring; however, this is being done underground.
A machine used to excavate tunnels by breaking the surrounding soil/earth/rock to create a large diameter tunnel. Pipe is then laid behind the tunnel as it is excavated underground.
Example of a micro-tunnel boring machine (TBM) used during construction.
The TBM being used for this project is 4.5 metres in length, weighs approximately 30 tonnes and is 2.7 metres in diameter.
It is anticipated that the TBM will progress, on average, at a speed of about ten metres per day in the expected conditions. Please note, timelines are estimates and may change on construction and soil conditions.
The TBM operates under a pressure system to move forward. This is facilitated by the use of a slurry (water and material mixture) to lubricate the pipes and reduce friction. When tunneling stops, the slurry may harden and cause the TBM to be unable to be pushed forward. As a result, 24/7 operations are required during the tunnel period of construction. 24/7 work will occur at worksites #2, #3, #5, #7, #8 and #11.
A slurry separation machine is a large piece of equipment (approximately two stories tall) used to mange soil removal. The machine separates the solids from slurry, so that the water can be recycled back to the TBM. The machine operates 24-hours-a-day while the TBM is tunneling. Noise mitigation panels will be used to dampen the noise generated by the machine. This machine will be on site at worksites #2, #3, #5, #7, #8 and #11.
Example of a slurry separation machine used onsite during tunneling activities.
Questions?
Your questions are important to us.
Contact EPCOR
Phone: 780-509-8080
Email: epcordrainage@epcor.com