Construction Dewatering Project in the Town of Banff
The Town of Banff is located within the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park.
Aside from the complex geology, the additional legislative and regulatory requirements of Parks Canada and the Town of Banff can make new construction, or upgrades to existing infrastructure, difficult to complete. Construction projects can be even more challenging when dewatering is required to allow excavation below the water table, for underground parkades, elevator pits, etc. Waterline has experienced hydrogeologists that can design construction dewatering programs that follow Parks Canada’s and the Town of Banff’s Construction Dewatering Plan Guide.
The shallow unconsolidated sediments within the Town of Banff are predominantly comprised of Bow River flood plain deposits characterized by fine‑grained sand alluvial material. However, high permeability sand and gravel alluvial materials exist in the northeast portion of the town which require high pumping rates to effectively dewater.
Storing the produced water in tanks on the site is not a viable option, and disposal offsite is cost prohibitive. The Town of Banff’s wastewater treatment system can only accept limited volumes of water for disposal to the sanitary system and only for a short duration. This can impede extended period construction dewatering projects. If the water quality is suitable to allow disposal to the stormwater system, this may represent a viable option for construction dewatering. A dewatering plan must be submitted to Parks Canada and the Town of Banff for review of the anticipated water quantity and quality prior to receiving a permit to discharge to the stormwater system. The town’s Planning and Engineering department is responsible for issuing the permit.
Effective construction dewatering plans for projects in the Town of Banff require several essential elements that Waterline can either provide or support, such as:
A drilling, aquifer testing, and groundwater sampling program to determine the hydraulic properties of the sediments that require dewatering and the quality of the groundwater that will be discharged to the stormwater system.
Groundwater modeling using the aquifer testing results to determine the number of dewatering wells and pumping rate required to lower the water table sufficiently to complete the excavation.
Completing the dewatering plan report that summarizes the results of the aquifer testing and groundwater sampling program. The report also includes the proposed sampling and monitoring plan during dewatering, and any proposed mitigation plans for groundwater quality exceedances of regulatory limits and any increases to the predicted dewatering volumes.
Designing, drilling, and developing the dewatering wells.
Water quality sampling and monitoring for the required parameters outlined by the dewatering plan. The groundwater samples will be submitted to an accredited laboratory for analysis.
Routine environmental and dewatering reporting to the Town of Banff and Parks Canada that includes the monitoring results and a comparison against the applicable regulatory guidelines.
Waterline has developed a strong reputation with both the Town of Banff and Parks Canada, which has resulted in numerous successful construction dewatering projects in the Town of Banff. If you are seeking an experienced physical hydrogeologist to support your construction dewatering activities in a complex geological and regulatory setting, then please contact Waterline at
1-888-542-5611 to learn more about how we can support your project.