Environment and Sustainable Development

Protecting the future

Dessau’s goal is to balance economic development with environmental protection. Our soil, air, water, waste management and environmental assessment experts play a pivotal role in all our engineering and infrastructure construction projects. Together, we ensure that durability, sustainability and equity concerns are addressed through our work.

Our approach is to assist clients, strengthen environmental management capacities, transfer technical knowledge and engage communities in the decision-making process. This work method allows us to establish long-lasting partnerships with clients and other stakeholders.

Areas of expertise

Environmental assessment and management
Water
Waste management
Soil characterization and decontamination
Sediment management
Human and environmental risk assessment
Specialized services in human and environmental risk assessment are provided by our subsidiary, QSAR.

Air quality
Asbestos management
Acoustics and vibrations
Geographic information systems
Economic and social studies
EPC, EPCM and PPP projects

Projects

Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec – Head Office Montreal

Montreal Water Treatment Plants Montreal

Chomedey Drinking Water Production Plant Laval

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Client

Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Construction of the financial institution’s new 733,000 sq. ft. head office.

Verreault, a Dessau subsidiary, was responsible for the construction of this green building, which featured 13 above-ground floors as well as two floors above a three-lane underground highway.

The building included the following technological innovations: a double-skin curtain wall, micro climate control, and raised floors with mechanical and electrical services. Verrault also built a pedestrian passage connecting the building to a nearby metro station and several adjacent buildings.

Challenges

Build in the heart of Montreal’s business district.
Minimize impact on the underground highway below.
Coordinate work with public services and neighbouring buildings.

Prizes and Awards

2004 Award of Excellence in Steel Construction awarded by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC).

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Client

City of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Engineering, procurement, construction management.

The City of Montreal launched a major modernization and standards-compliance upgrade program for its water infrastructure – a colossal project that will take more than a decade to complete. After Dessau’s professionals conducted a number of studies, the City decided to make the Atwater, Charles-J Des Baillets and Pierrefonds water treatment plants their top priorities.

These two plants are among the largest in North America, with a combined daily output of 88 million cu. ft. of potable water.
Dessau is providing the preliminary studies, plans and specifications, project management, procurement, construction management, supervision and commissioning services.

Challenges

Maintain water production during works.
Offer a selection of technical solutions, taking into account construction and operation costs, as well as the cost of implementaing the solution in an operational plant.

Client

City of Laval, Laval, Canada

Scope of Work

Preliminary studies, design, supervision, construction management.

Dessau is working on the Chomedey filtration plant expansion and standards-compliance upgrade project. The plant's capacity will be increased from 6.4 million cu. ft./d to 8.9 million cu. ft./d, while new water treatment processes will be added. These upgrades include a coagulation step requiring chemicals at various injection points, retrofit of the

ballasted flocculation system's settling tanks, and optimization of an inter-ozonation phase using liquid oxygen. Dessau also implemented recommendations from the physical security master plan for improved access control and video surveillance of the plant.

Challenges

Maintain potable water production during work.
Execute works in an operational facility.

Turcot Interchange Montreal

Cadastre of Polluted Sites and Soil – Algeria Algiers

Micro Hydroelectric Power Plants Dominican Republic

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Client

Quebec Ministry of Transport, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Environmental study and site decontamination.

The Turcot Interchange connects several highways and roads running through Montreal. During the development exploration phase, LVM, a Dessau subsidiary, carried out a complete assessment of the site, characterized and mapped contaminated soils, and identified different decontamination

methods. Having also obtained the geotechnical engineering contract, LVM performed drilling and laboratory testing on sites where several of the structures (overpasses) were planned.

Challenges

Re-use contaminated soil as backfill for road construction works and import excavated soil from a nearby roadwork project.
Use statistical analysis to reduce the number of exploratory drilling and chemical analyses from 1,300 to 400 to characterize the Turcot Yards site (as required by the Minister of the Environment).
Develop the Turcot Yards to store construction materials from the old structures.

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Client

Sonatrach, Algiers, Algeria

Scope of Work

Assistance to the client in preparing a cadastre of polluted sites and soil.

Sonatrach is the leading oil and gas company in Africa and the Mediterranean, and the 12^th largest energy company in the world. Throughout this mandate, Dessau evaluated site inventories (areas identified by Sonatrach) and carried out preliminary characterization at 14 important oil complexes, including refineries, pipeline networks and stations.

The sites were listed according to their environmental condition and the most seriously affected were subject to more detailed characterization. A rehabilitation plan was set up, along with a site control and supervision system.

Challenges

Plan the work logistics throughout the country.
Manage a large volume of geological and hydrogeological information stemming from the varied nature of the sites.

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Client

Dominican Corporation of State Electrical Companies (Corporación dominicana de empresas eléctricas estatales), Dominican Republic

Scope of Work

Complete services related to the construction of six micro power plants with a total capacity of 28 MW and 100 km of high-voltage transmission lines.

The purpose of this project was to improve living conditions in the Dominican Republic’s rural areas where electrical service was unreliable or, in some cases, non-existent. Working in EPCM mode, Dessau carried out an environmental and social impact study and adapted work methodologies to local considerations.

One of the main recommendations of the study was to phase the work on the irrigation channels in accordance with the seasons and activities in neighbouring agricultural areas.

Challenges

Work with Dominican authorities to develop specifications for the impact study in light of a recently-enacted environmental law.
Integrate water usage into rural communities.

Environmental Rehabilitation – Port of Montreal Montreal

Valcartier Garrison Site Decontamination and Rehabilitation Valcartier

Waste Management Montreal

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Client

ESSO, Shell, Xstrata, Montreal Port Authority (Administration Portuaire de Montréal), Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Engineering and project management for the decontamination of bays in the Port of Montreal.

ESSO, Shell, Xstrata and the Montreal Port Authority joined forces to voluntarily rehabilitate the bays in Sector 103 of the Port of Montreal. This project involved dredging more than 1.8 million cu. ft. of contaminated sediment to limit their migration into the St. Lawrence River and to create a healthy environment for marine life.

Dessau carried out several different environmental studies for the project start-up, evaluated and selected the technologies to be used, and provided the engineering and supervision of decontamination works.

Challenges

Maintain port activities, including 7.7 million tonnes of crude oil and oil products per year.
Prevent hydrocarbon emissions from entering the river during the dredging works.
Minimize impact on riverside properties by controlling noise, dust and smells.
Respond to the specific needs of four clients.
Design and build a temporary platform for biological sediment treatment.

Client

Department of National Defence, Valcartier, Canada

Scope of Work

Environmental assessment, characterization and follow-up, and decontamination pilot tests.

For more than 15 years, different Dessau teams have been awarded environmental contracts at Valcartier Garrison. These included environmental assessments, inspections, characterization and follow-up. This involved creating more than 300 boreholes up to 253 feet in depth, installing more than 600 observation wells and sampling groundwater from more than 3,250 observation wells during at least 30 groundwater control campaigns.

In 2006 and 2007, Dessau also performed a one-year pilot test to evaluate the effectiveness of the multireactive barrier to treat groundwater contaminated with chlorinated compounds (TCE, DCE, VC) through abiotic (zerovalent iron) and biological (reductive dechlorination, aerobic oxydation) pathways.

Challenges

Work in a unique hydro-stratigraphic context characterized by two aquifers, one of which is located at 131 feet.
Drill boreholes and install multi-level observation wells at a significant depth.
Obtain a large number of samples from different sources.

Client

Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Preparation of a waste-management plan.

Dessau assisted CMM with the preparation of a waste-management plan to recover at least 65% of economically viable residual materials annually (glass, metals, plastics, tires, etc.). Dessau led a study including the preparation of a comprehensive report on residual materials management, analysis and assessment of the situation, a public survey, and a study on the financing of residual materials management services.

Dessau used geomatics to produce thematic maps indicating residual materials management facilities, reclamation rates by area, and origin-destination routes for the materials in question. Dessau’s team of professionals also developed and analyzed several possible scenarios for the achievement of the policy’s goals, and recommended appropriate courses of action.

Challenges

Prepare a review and assessment covering the entire area and its residual materials streams.
Prepare reclamation scenarios accounting for the particular characteristics of each stream.

LeBreton Flats – Decontamination and Development Ottawa

ESSO Site Decontamination Montreal

Honoré-Mercier Hospital Centre Saint-Hyacinthe

Client

National Capital Commission (NCC), Ottawa, Canada

Scope of Work

Engineering, procurement and construction management for the decontamination and development of 65 hectares near downtown Ottawa.

The LeBreton Flats are located in Ottawa, Canada’s national capital. The primary goal of this project was to develop and enhance this site overlooking the Outaouais River for the benefit of local residents. The 65-hectare site was decontaminated prior to

being transformed into an urban area with a mix of residential, commercial and public buildings. The project included the construction of roads, a boulevard, a bridge and related utilities.

Challenges

Ensure that traffic is not interrupted during the works.
Coordinate a large number of participants and engineering disciplines.
Carry out the project in fast-track mode to accommodate the scheduled construction of the Canadian War Museum.
Provide environmental follow-up with different levels of government.

Client

ESSO, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Multiple contracts for environmental services.

Dessau received several contracts from ESSO, including one turnkey contract for the treatment of 4.8 million cu. ft. of contaminated soil excavated from the marine terminal of ESSO’s old refinery in Montreal.

We also rehabilitated three service stations and carried out nearly 125 environmental assessments at service station sites throughout Quebec.

Challenges

Respond effectively and quickly to the client’s varied requests across a very large geographic area.

Client

Quebec Housing Corporation, CSSS Richelieu-Yamaska, Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada

Scope of Work

Mechanical, electrical and structural engineering for the expansion of the hospital and decontamination of the main pavilion.

Dessau won four awards in recognition of this project’s excellence and innovation. We were responsible for the mechanical and electrical engineering to resolve an Aspergillus problem inside the walls of the 12-storey building.

To ensure that hospital services were not interrupted during the decontamination works, Dessau professionals temporarily relocated 300 short-stay patients from the Honoré-Mercier Pavilion to another building.

We also set up trailers over a 60,000 sq. ft. radius to temporarily relocate the emergency, oncology, external clinics and food services.

In addition to the decontamination works, Dessau proceeded with an 90,000 sq. ft. expansion to accommodate other health care services, including intensive care, operating facilities, medical imaging, nuclear medicine, laboratories, sterilization services and a pharmacy. Thanks to our expertise in energy efficiency, we were able to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 43%.

Challenges

Determine a work method to ensure uninterrupted hospital services.
Fine-tune containment and contamination-protection measures.
Work at an accelerated pace over two work shifts.

Prizes and Awards

2008 ASHRAE Technology Award, in the “Health Care Facilities – Existing” category, awarded by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
2007 Canadian Consulting Engineering Award, in the “Buildings” category, awarded by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada (ACEC).
2007 Quebec Consulting Engineering Award, in the “Buildings – Mechanical/Electrical” category, awarded by the Quebec Association of Consulting Engineers (AICQ).
2007 Energia Award, in the “Existing Buildings – Institutional Sector” category, awarded by Quebec Association of Energy Management (AQME).

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