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Aeration Hall Building of The Edmonton Composting Facility
Aeration Hall Building of The Edmonton Composting Facility
Executive Summary
The Aeration Hall Building of the Edmonton Composting Facility (ECF) was temporarily
closed on October 26, 2017, following proactive and escalating investigations into
ongoing structural issues.
2. Conduct a structural review and scan of the Aeration Hall Building in the spring
of 2018 to assess any deterioration of the structure and determine if the ECF is
Report
The Aeration Hall Building of the Edmonton Composting Facility (ECF) was temporarily
closed on October 26, 2017, following proactive and escalating investigations into
ongoing structural issues.
The ECF was purpose-built as the largest co-composter in North America by TransAlta
in the late 1990’s and started operation in 2000. The entire complex is roughly the size
of eight football fields, three of which is the Aeration Hall Building. The building was
designed for a 30-year life span and it is Administration's understanding that
maintenance was performed by the waste services contractor at regular intervals.
TransAlta announced the sale of the facility shortly after the start of production. City
Council approved the purchase in May and the City assumed ownership of the ECF in
June 2001.
In August 2017, Administration initiated the development of the long-term strategy for
the ECF building and technology. A consulting team has been contracted to support
the development of a strategic direction for the long term plan for the ECF, considering
the age of the equipment and building, possible changes in the amount and type of
organic waste collected, possible changes to regulations, and technological
developments. The consultant’s report is expected in July 2018.
2. Assess any potential further deterioration of the structure over the past 2017/18
winter and determine if the Aeration Hall Building is in suitable condition for
seasonal occupancy (spring to fall). Based on the result of the structural
assessment, either reopen the ECF in spring 2018 or initiate planning for the
demolition of the Aeration Hall Building.
The following short-term mitigation options to keep snow from accumulating on the
roof were investigated. None of these options were recommended due to safety
concerns and high costs:
3) Demolition; the removal of the pre-engineered building would eliminate the risk
completely. Consideration must be given to maintain the North Download
building (NDL), attached to the main pre-engineered building and required for
the operation of the new Anaerobic Digester Facility.
4. External structural steel support structure - This option would consist in erecting
a pre-engineered shell over the current structure to provide protection against
external live load implications, such as snow accumulation.
Infrastructure Strategy
Administration has recently updated its Infrastructure Strategy, which, at the time of
writing this report, is scheduled to be presented to Executive Committee on March 12,
2018 (CR_5401).
The strategy will help to ensure that maintenance activities, renewal or rehabilitation
activities, replacement activities, disposal activities, and growth or enhancement
activities are aligned with the City’s goals and public demand for services. It will also
provide guidance on the development of risk/cost/value decision making processes,
and stress the importance of integration across asset types and organizational units,
and the value of sustained, measured asset assessment programs.
to treat the risk before it impacts on customers and other stakeholders. Two types of
assessments will be employed: (i) low-cost annual visual inspections; and (ii)
specialized, higher cost, inspections done every four to five years. The outcome of
these assessments will provide sufficient detail to clearly define the work required to
address identified deficiencies; and contributes to the development and
implementation of a remedial strategy. These approaches contribute to a better regime
of asset health monitoring and as a consequence allow the corporation to proactively
address emerging asset risks before it impacts city operations and our customers.
Legal Implications
Attachments
1. Legal Implications - PRIVATE
2. Additional Information - PRIVATE