Burke Mountain Secondary School Groundwater Treatment

The Problem

This project involved a large scale excavation for a new secondary school situated on a challenging mountain slope in Coquitlam. The primary obstacle was the massive volume of highly turbid groundwater rushing toward the site at a flow rate of 1,100 GPM. Given the steep terrain and the intensity of the runoff, any failure in the water treatment system would have led to immediate site flooding and severe erosion. Such an incident would not only have halted construction but also risked significant revenue loss for the city and potential environmental violations. Precision planning and a high capacity response were critical to keeping the excavation dry and the project on schedule.

The Solutions

Nexgen engineered and deployed a high performance 1,100 GPM Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) system specifically designed to handle extreme turbidity and flow. To manage the sheer volume of water, the initial setup was scaled up to include four 20,000 gallon Weir Tanks for maximum settlement and solids separation. We integrated two specialized Injection Units to provide real time chemical conditioning, ensuring that even the most turbid mountain runoff was treated to meet strict discharge standards before leaving the site. This multi stage setup provided the redundancy and capacity needed to maintain continuous operations throughout the 12 month project duration.

The Result

The ESC system successfully managed the high velocity mountain runoff, maintaining a dry and stable excavation environment for the entire year. Despite the high risk nature of the 1,100 GPM flow, the project achieved zero dewatering related stoppages and zero environmental violations. By deploying a scaled infrastructure of Weir Tanks and injection technology, Nexgen prevented site flooding and protected the city’s revenue by ensuring construction never slowed down. Our same day response capability and robust equipment setup provided the General Contractor with total peace of mind, proving that even the most difficult terrain can be managed with the right technical strategy.