A C$600 million filtration system will pump Capilano water to the Seymour reservoir plant through twin 7.6 km-long 3.5 m-diameter tunnels beneath Grouse Mountain and Mount Fromme. The project represents the largest such system in Canada and is set for approval by the Greater Vancouver Regional District. The project would include a 15-hectare water filtration plant near Rice Lake in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. It would be equipped to handle 1.8 billion litres of water a day flowing from the Seymour and Capilano reservoirs. Capilano water would be pumped to the Seymour plant through the tunnel. On its gravity return through a second tunnel to Capilano, the water would create up to 1.8 megawatts of electricity. Project construction would begin this summer and continue into mid-2007. The tunnels will be dug by a TBM in bedrock 50-200 metres below the surface. A rail or conveyor system will transport the excavated rock to the surface. Cost of the project is estimated at up to C$600 million, including C$254 million for the filtration plant, C$149 million for the tunnels, C$72 million for the pumping station and infrastructure, C$85 million in indirect costs and C$40 million for inflation. Read E-News Weekly 19/2002, 22/2002 & 23/2002. Visit www.gvrd.bc.ca 18/03.The Greater Vancouver Regional District has prequalified eight companies or JVs for building the Capilano-Seymour water scheme. They are: Bilfinger Berger; Frontier Kemper / Aecon; Guy F. Atkinson; Insituform Technologies; J. F. Shea Construction; Kenny Construction; McNally / Obayashi; and Kiewit / Traylor. The tender package will be issued by the end of April. Contract award targeted at end of July. The project includes the 185 m-deep 12 m-diameter Seymour shaft, the two 270 m-deep 4 m-diameter Capilano shafts and two 7.2 km parallel tunnels in deep rock 160 to 640 m below the surface, approximately 3.7 m in diameter. Two simultaneous drives with a TBM in each tunnel. Support with bolts, shotcrete, mesh and steel arches depending on ground conditions. Mucking-out method is the contractor's choice. Tunnelling cost estimated at CAD100 million. Read E-News Weekly 9/2004, 23/2002, 22/2002 & 19/2002. Visit www.gvrd.bc.ca 18/04.The three bidders for the Capilano-Seymour project are Kiewit with CAD237.5 million, Frontier Kemper / Aecon / J.F. Shea with CAD186.2 million and Bilfinger Berger / Fru-Con with CAD99.6 million. Tenders are currently under review. The project includes the 185 m-deep 12 m-diameter Seymour shaft, the two 270 m-deep 4 m-diameter Capilano shafts and two 7.2 km parallel tunnels in deep rock 160 to 640 m below the surface, approximately 3.7 m in diameter, to be driven by two TBMs. Subscribe to E-News Weekly 31/2004, 9/2004, 23/2002, 22/2002 & 19/2002. Visit www.gvrd.bc.ca 35/04.The Capilano-Seymour project has been awarded on 31st August to Bilfinger Berger and its American subsidiary Fru-Con for CAD99.6 million. It includes the 185 m-deep 12 m-diameter Seymour shaft, the two 270 m-deep 4 m-diameter Capilano shafts and two 7.2 km parallel tunnels in deep rock 160 to 640 m below the surface, approximately 3.7 m in diameter, to be driven by two TBMs. Visit www.gvrd.bc.ca/gvrdtenders/TenderDetails.aspx?tenderId=228&tender, www.bilfinger.de and www.frucon.com 37/04.The twin 7.1 km-long, 3.8 m-diameter Capilano-Seymour tunnels were originally awarded to Bilfinger Berger Canada Inc in August, 2004. The contract was terminated in May, 2008 and is currently the subject of legal dispute over differing ground conditions which caused safety concerns. Metro Vancouver recently asked three prequalified joint ventures to resubmit proposals by 23.01.2009. They are: McNally/Obayashi/Procon; Frontier Kemper/J F Shea/Aecon; and Dragados/SELI/Schiavoni. For more history and background visit tunnelbuilder archive ca/25 and www.metrovancouver.org/services/constructionprojects/water/pages/seymourcapilano.aspx. 08/09.