Cockburn and Calrossie Sewer Relief Works
KGS Group partnered with the City of Winnipeg to study, design and implement district‑wide drainage improvements in neighbourhoods prone to annual flooding. This project was a complex, large-scale undertaking in a densely urbanized center that includes major businesses, residential homes, regional streets, and the primary rail line that bisects the City. KGS led a large team to take the project from initial concepts to practical implementation.
We developed a regional hydraulic/hydrologic model of three adjacent drainage areas and created an evaluation criterion to objectively select the drainage improvement option that considered stakeholder needs, constructability issues, future City projects and cost.
Due to the potential public impact of this project, public engagement was paramount. A public engagement strategy was developed and open houses were organized to gather public input. Once the preferred option was selected, KGS oversaw the construction of the drainage improvements. Tunneling and trenchless technologies were used to limit disruption within this dense urban community.
Project Highlights
- Development of a regional hydraulic/hydrologic model for three drainage areas
- Alternatives evaluation using stakeholder needs, constructability, future projects and costs
- First large diameter micro-tunnelling project in Manitoba (2,700 mm dia. tunnel)
- Tunneling and trenchless installations under regional streets and the primary rail line to minimize disruption
- Preparation of Geotechnical Baseline Report, a first-time application in Manitoba
- Risk sharing construction contract strategies to reduce capital costs
- Redevelopment of a historic rail yard into a storm retention basin and new public park space
Newton Force Main River Crossing
KGS Group and Associated Engineering designed and oversaw the construction of a new, 466 meter river crossing installed trenchlessly 40 meters below grade to replace the failing Newton Force Main River Crossing. This vital piece of infrastructure supports the wastewater flows from the entire Hawthorne sewer district in Winnipeg. Under dry weather conditions, the Newton Force Main River Crossing transports over 2.3 million litres of wastewater daily under the Red River.
The existing crossing was installed along the river bottom in 1978 and was connected to lands that have become densely urbanized, which limited solutions. An alternate alignment was developed to both reroute the force main and install it safely within the bedrock strata below the river.
The result is a durable, long‑term asset that improves system resilience and safeguards the environment and the community.
Project Highlights
- 466 meter river crossing installed trenchlessly, 40 meters below grade
- Horizontal directional drilling with horizontal and vertical curves – a first in Manitoba
- 780 meters of new force main on an alternate alignment in bedrock below the river
- Replaces 1978 river‑bottom crossing which lowers environmental risk and maintenance needs
Birds Hill Lake Improvements
KGS Group, with Scatliff + Miller + Murray, delivered a $4.2 million program to expand Birds Hill Provincial Park’s lake and beachfront and modernize supporting infrastructure improving the public’s experience at one of Manitoba’s most popular recreational destinations. KGS Group rehabilitated the lake bed to improve water quality and added roughly one‑third more lake and beach-front area.
To support the lake expansion, several elements of the park’s infrastructure were also improved with the goal of increasing the reliability, safety and efficiency of existing systems. Improvements included expanding and repairing the active transportation network, upgrading dated sewage systems, improving the east and west parking lots as well as repurposing existing assets to serve new, innovative functions within the park.
Our multidisciplinary team provided integrated design and construction support, coordinating work within an active, high‑use park to protect visitors, maintain access and deliver efficient sequencing. The result is a larger, cleaner lake, safer and more reliable park systems, and amenities that better serve hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Project Highlights
- Multidisciplinary design and landscape architecture and construction support
- Roughly 33% more lake and beach-front area, east and west parking lots improved, active transportation routes expanded and repaired, sewage systems upgraded
- Lake‑bed rehabilitation to improve water quality
- Increased capacity and accessibility, higher reliability, safety, and efficiency, enhanced visitor experience for hundreds of thousands annually
Gillam Subdivision Passive Groundwater Drainage Project
The “Crayola” subdivision in Gillam sits on soil that retains a high groundwater table. Over time, seasonal freezing and elevated groundwater led to disturbance of several structure foundations. To address this persistent issue, KGS Group leveraged the timing of a planned sewer and water infrastructure renewal to design and implement a simple, robust groundwater drainage system.
By using common trench excavation, engineered drainage piping and readily available backfill, the installation of the groundwater drainage system was simplified and optimized. Because there are no moving parts, continuous drainage of groundwater occurs passively by gravity.
Designed within the new sewer and water corridors, the system simplifies future maintenance and construction, while providing easy access points for the interconnection of foundation drainage systems throughout the subdivision.
Project Highlights
- Excavated common trenches within new sewer and water corridors to integrate groundwater drainage
- Installed engineered drainage piping to collect and convey groundwater
- Placed readily available backfill to promote free drainage and protect piping
- Eliminated mechanical components – no pumps or moving parts
- Established future tie‑in locations to enable interconnection of foundation drains across the subdivision