Whistler upgraded the southern water system to address a series of legacy challenges in their drinking water system. These included reduced water quality due to manganese in the water, low pH causing elevated copper corrosion, limited system redundancy and compliance complications with the BC Environmental Assessment Act. To address these issues, a new pump station and treatment facility were needed. This required a reconfiguration of the bulk water transmission water system, replacing and reconfiguring ground water wells, constructing new high lift pumping facility and adding a pH correction treatment system.

The reconfiguration of the transmission system required a series of complex water network tie-ins which introduced elevated risks to the safe and reliable supply of potable water to the public. The upgrades required isolating primary ground water sources concurrent with shutdowns to reservoir supplies and trunk watermains. These sources contribute a significant portion of Whistler’s water supply, about 10% during typical conditions and up to 25% in the summer. This temporary reduction in resilience coincided with one of the largest mountain bike festivals in the world, which brings up to 10,000 visitors to the community, alongside heightened forest fire conditions. For Whistler, the reduction in the ability to provide safe and reliable water during these critical conditions was an unacceptable risk and required an innovative approach to construction planning.

The project team leveraged the power of collaborative 4D construction phasing, linking colour-coded 3D models to the commissioning schedule to provide a powerful step-by-step visual tool. This helped the owner, operators, contractor and engineers visually assess the risks to the safe supply of drinking water and implement protective measures to offset any risks to public health.

4D construction phasing combines 3D models with schedule data. This is used to create dynamic data driven visualizations of the construction lifecycle. This integration helps multiple project members, including designers, managers, stakeholders, and the scheduling team, visualize construction sequencing, identify potential issues early, and improve planning and coordination. Rather than looking at thousands of lines in a complex schedule, a short time-lapse video of the construction staging was created. This allowed the team to pinpoint issues and visualize different scenarios before construction began on site.

The project team took a collaborative approach which incorporated input from all stakeholders involved in the work – from the crew in the trenches to Whistler’s management. This information was incorporated into the individual staging plans identifying respective risks, mitigation measures, timelines and public outreach requirements. Each step was accompanied by a 3D visualization of the work linked to a colour coded schedule identifying each construction trade required on site at the time. The result was more efficient, cost-effective delivery, and with enhanced safety.

This collaborative process identified several conditions where Whistler would have a reduction in water supply resilience and experience elevated risks with the supply of drinking water during the construction. To offset this elevated risk and maintain system resilience, additional protective measures were added to the project to minimize the risk to public health, maintain environmental protection and protect the reputation of British Columbia as a tourist destination.