Dalewood Water Reclamation Facility

The Dalewood Water Reclamation Facility in St. Thomas is Ontario’s first municipal wastewater project delivered through a Progressive Design-Build model. NAC is leading design and construction of the new plant with its engineering partners, J.L. Richards & Associates Limited and WSP Canada Inc.

The Dalewood Water Reclamation Facility is being built on a greenfield site to serve a growing region and the new Yarmouth Yards Industrial Park, including the PowerCo battery cell manufacturing plant, as well as future growth in the City of St. Thomas and nearby communities. It will open at 5 MLD and is designed to expand to a rated capacity of 50 MLD, with provision for future expansion of up to 200MLD and with reclaimed water directed to Kettle Creek through a new 1,650 mm outfall. A nutrient recovery facility, with process design by Lystek under NAC’s contract, will use two thermal hydrolysis trains, with provision for a future train, to convert biosolids into LysteGro fertilizer and generate renewable biogas.

NAC and its design partners joined the City before design was complete, bringing construction expertise to scope, budget and schedule decisions at the 30%, 60% and Guaranteed Maximum Price milestones. When it became clear that some original expectations would exceed the available budget, the project team addressed the pressure early through phasing, modular options and scope refinements.

This collaboration has moved the project forward quickly. Design development took nearly half the time typical for comparable projects. When the start of the design phase was delayed by about four months, NAC redirected resources to early works planning, procurement preparation and constructability reviews while design continued. Construction began in October 2025, less than a year after proposal submission, recovering about six months in the construction schedule and keeping the project on track for its completion target.

Early works began with site grading, temporary ponds, bulk excavation and perimeter berms, followed by the storage and workshop buildings, which are now nearing completion. With the Guaranteed Maximum Price executed in March 2026, NAC procured concrete, rebar, piles and long-lead mechanical and electrical equipment and completed ground improvements for the major tank foundations. Construction of the main tankage is now underway, with design and construction continuing in parallel and completion anticipated in February 2030.