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Award honours work on Nanaimo reservoir

NANAIMO – The facility was recognized with an excellence award at the 26th annual Awards for Engineering Excellence.

Nanaimo's $11.2-million reservoir and energy-recovery facility has taken a No.1 spot in this year's Awards for Engineering Excellence.

The reservoir on Nanaimo Lakes Road has captured an engineering excellence award in the energy and industry category of the 26th annual Awards for Engineering Excellence. The award, presented by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies B.C., honours the best in consulting engineering.

Nanaimo's No. 1 reservoir was developed by Burnaby-based Associated Engineering, which included a number of innovations in the design, from the ability to capture energy from water to a geo-exchange heating and cooling system.

Sean Bolongaro, division manager of water for Associated Engineering, said the company is “really pleased” to get the award. He also gives credit to Nanaimo city employees Bill Sims, manager of water resources, and Scott Pamminger, water resources technologist, for moving the project forward and providing innovation along the way.

“The thing that's key about [the award] is it's an award from your peers. This is a reflection of our industry on ourselves,” he said.

The reservoir went online last year, becoming what B.C. Hydro called one of the first in the province to recover energy through water. Turbines were expected to generate 900 megawatts of hydro-electricity for the grid and produce $70,000 a year in revenue for the City of Nanaimo.