The Regional Municipality of York began construction on the new Henderson Sewage Pumping Station which will be located on Yonge Street, south of Henderson Drive, in fall, 2023. The project is the outcome of a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) Study investigating a solution for redirecting wastewater from the Henderson Drive area in the Town of Aurora.
The $30 million project—which will benefit the citizens of Aurora, ON, in York Region—is partially funded by Infrastructure Canada under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund. The project started in 2021 and is near completion.
Currently, the Aurora Sewage Pumping Station is reaching overcapacity, as it transfers wastewater from the Henderson Drive Service Area in the Town of Aurora, the Town of Newmarket and parts of the Town of East Gwillimbury to the York Durham Sewage System through a gravity trunk sewer along Yonge Street.
The Henderson Sewage Pumping Station project will increase capacity for wastewater and sewage and alleviate pressure on the current wastewater system during cases of extreme wet weather, while also offering interim infrastructure solutions to provide servicing capacity to support growth in the Towns of Aurora, East Gwillimbury and Newmarket.
Construction is outlined in a three-phase strategy. First is the construction of a new 1,200 mm concrete sewer along Henderson Drive built using a trenchless technology referred to as microtunnelling. Then Twin 300 mm PVC forcemain sewers were built on Yonge Street from the Henderson Sewage Pumping Station to south of Elderberry Trail and Hunters Glen Road, using open-cut construction. Now in the commissioning phase, completion of the entire project is on the horizon.
Jose Manalo P.Eng., PMP, Project Manager, Capital Planning and Delivery, Public Works, highlights the Caisson construction technique for constructing the wet well. “The 22-metre deep wet well used a caisson construction technique which involves excavating material inside the caisson shaft; excavation from inside the caisson coupled with downward force, due to self-weight, allows the caisson to sink downwards in a controlled fashion,” he says.
“Each section of wall is constructed at ground level and then progressively sinks under its own weight as the ground inside the shaft is excavated,” says Manalo. “This was the first time York Region utilized this technique for building a pumping station wet well.”
The project also includes the Tamarac Park restoration and customer services. This Restoration work was scheduled until after the Henderson Sewage Pumping Station construction was complete to ensure no interruption or damage to restoration work. Tamarac Park restoration is now complete and the park entrance provides an opportunity for residents to connect with nature.
“The Henderson Sewage Pumping Station supports York Region’s Regional Official Plan and 2023 to 2027 Strategic Plan commitments to enhance services for communities and drive environmental stewardship,” says Manalo. “Not only does the project make efficient use of infrastructure, support growth and provide water and wastewater servicing for residents, it will also help increase resiliency and capacity of our water and wastewater systems.”
“By building the Henderson Sewage Pumping Station in the Town of Aurora, York Region has addressed capacity constraints due to the harsh effects of climate change and severe weather events, as part of York Region’s Climate Change Action Plan,” says Manalo.
In alignment with York Region’s long term environmental stewardship strategy, the Henderson Project will help continue York Region’s focus on the need to protect and sustain the natural and built environment and reduce ecological impact.
For more information, please visit www.york.ca/waterconstruction
