INNOVATION-May-June-2020

NEW ONLINE ACCESS TO PROVINCIAL AQUIFER INFORMATION A team of hydrogeologists for the Government of BC undertook an initiative to improve access to government groundwater and aquifer information. The project involved developing scripts to automate the retrieval, clean-up, analysis, and display of relevant groundwater data from several databases across multiple ministries. In the first phase of the project, aquifer fact sheets were autogenerated for almost all of the 1,230 provincially mapped aquifers. The second phase of the project focused on developing an interactive web-based tool to summarize information. The Aquifer Search tool was initially launched in the spring of 2019, within the Provincial Groundwater Wells and Aquifers (GWELLS) application (found at apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/gwells/aquifers ). Additional enhancements are currently underway. The streamlined access to groundwater information will help

government staff and consultants better assess and manage the groundwater resources of the province. Participants: Andarge Baye, P.Geo., Amy Sloma, P.Eng., Jessica, Doyle, P.Geo., Shirley Wang, P.Geo., Michele Lepitre, P.Geo., Julie-Ann Ishikawa, P.Geo.

CENTERM EXPANSION PROJECT AND SOUTH SHORE ACCESS PROJECT The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in partnership with DP World and design-build contractor Centennial Expansion Partners (a joint-venture partnership comprising Dragados, Fraser River Pile and Dredge, and Jacob Bros Construction), is making improvements to the Centerm marine container terminal and its associated roadways, to help meet anticipated near-term demand for container trade through the Port of Vancouver. The project involves infilling to expand the terminal footprint by 15 percent and reconfiguring the terminal to achieve 60 percent more throughput. Roadway upgrades include building an overpass over rail tracks and ensuring rail and port traffic is unimpeded during construction. The terminal will remain operational throughout construction. The project team is building for LEED and Envision Gold sustainability certification. For example, the team will reuse dredged materials from the seabed as infill for the expansion. Owner: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Participants: Gilles Assier, Gord Ruffo, P. Eng., Neil Snowball, P. Eng., Jennifer Johnston, P. Eng., Shane Gilbertson, P. Eng., John Ma, P. Eng.

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