Malahat Nation Water and Sewer System Upgrades Project

The Malahat Nation Water and Sewer System Upgrades Project replaces the Nation’s water and wastewater systems with two new treatment plants and a new utility network that will support 350 new homes and economic development.

Through the Chandos NAC Joint Venture, NAC leads construction on the project’s Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) team, working alongside Malahat Nation, Urban Systems Ltd. and Copcan Civil. NAC also self-performs the mechanical, electrical and controls work.

The Nation’s water and wastewater systems had reached capacity and could no longer support its growth. Water treatment relied on chlorination alone, and the aged sewage system could not adequately treat raw sewage before discharging it to a failing septic field.

In September 2024, Malahat Nation and Urban Systems selected the IPD team to begin with validation of the project’s design, budget and schedule prior to construction. NAC brought its mechanical, electrical and process expertise to collaborative design sessions with the Nation, where the team confirmed the project could be in operation by October 2026 within an agreed target cost. With validation complete , Malahat Nation secured funding through Indigenous Services Canada, and loan approval from Canada Infrastructure Bank. NAC secured long-lead process and electrical equipment, and crews mobilized to two remote sites running on temporary generator power.

Alongside the new water treatment plant and the new wastewater treatment plant, the scope includes three water wells, two lift stations, a pressure reducing valve station, more than 8 km of piping and a new access road. Where possible, new power lines follow old logging roads to avoid removing trees or disturbing culturally important areas.
The wastewater plant’s concrete sequencing batch reactor (SBR) tanks had to be watertight without a membrane liner. NAC’s experience with leak testing concrete tanks led to a single monolithic placement of almost 400 m³ for the tank walls, eliminating the cold joints that come with a traditional six-pour sequence. The reinforcing was optimized for shrinkage, and the concrete mix was revised with Xypex™. With the structures complete, NAC’s mechanical and electrical crews have installed the process equipment, piping, power distribution and controls at both plants. The work ranges from the water treatment plant’s manganese filter and chlorine dosing skids to the wastewater treatment plant’s headworks and SBR aeration grids.

When hydrogeological testing found unfavourable conditions at the wastewater treatment plant’s original discharge location, the IPD team developed a new discharge solution. The added work moved the wastewater treatment plant’s completion to early 2027.

Before and during construction, Elders Randy Daniels, Jennifer Daniels, May Sam and Scott Sam blessed the land on behalf of Malahat Nation. With NAC as Commissioning Lead, the water treatment plant was delivered on the validated schedule and within the target cost. At its formal opening on October 7, 2026, Elder May Sam blessed the new plant, and youth from Malahat’s Skills 2 Grow program and community elders turned the valve that opened the flow from the plant. The new water system now delivers clean drinking water to the Nation’s members, with storage for fire protection.
Once complete, the wastewater treatment plant will improve effluent quality to protect groundwater and the shellfish beds of the Saanich Inlet. It is designed to expand as the Nation grows.