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Councillors allege costly waste-water planning errors

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 09/9/2009 12:32 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 09/9/2009 12:32 PM | Updates

WINNIPEG - A private engineering firm contracted to design a component of the waste-water upgrades to the North End Water Pollution Control Centre made a $2.1 million planning mistake – but the incident was kept quiet due to litigation concerns.

Mayor Sam Katz and several members of executive policy committee revealed this morning that a an error took place during upgrades to the North End sewage treatment plant, which are part of the city’s larger, ongoing $1.8-billion wastewater upgrade.

This overrun, which took place more in the spring of 2008, came in addition to design errors at the West End Water Pollution Control Centre that helped the cost of that project balloon from $26 million to $47 million.

The North End plant error came to light during an EPC discussion about city spending on consultants. Several councilors, most notably Mike O’Shaughnessy (Old Kildonan) are upset that firms that commit errors continue to receive city engineering contracts worth up to $500,000.

The city has recouped the cost of the North End error from the firm and is still negotiating over the earlier West End error, officials said. Negotiations are preferable to legal action, Katz said.

Part of the rationale for the city’s decision to create a new stand-alone utility to oversee water-and-sewer services was to bring private engineering firms into the fold so as to reduce the likelihood of future errors, Katz and chief administrative officer Glen Laubenstein have said.

The city spends millions a year on private engineering consultants, with most of the work spent by the water and waste and public works departments.

History

Updated on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 12:32 PM CDT:
Clarifies detail in lede

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