Summary

• Qualico Communities Edmonton has reached a major milestone on the Riverview sanitary lift station and force main system.
• The team’s partnership with EPCOR and the City of Edmonton enables integrated infrastructure delivery.
• Infrastructure helps protect homes and nearby waterways while supporting efficient community development.
  

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Edmonton, AB – Qualico Communities Edmonton has reached a major milestone on the Riverview sanitary lift station and force main solution, marking significant progress on critical infrastructure that will serve one of Southwest Edmonton’s fastest-growing areas.

In a wastewater system, gravity usually moves wastewater through underground pipes towards a treatment facility. But when the land is too flat, too low, or the distance is too great, a lift station is needed to pump wastewater upward and keep it moving safely toward treatment facilities.

Its function is critical because it protects homes, safeguards the nearby river system, and gives growing communities the wastewater capacity they need to develop responsibly over time.

A complex build reaches a key milestone

Construction is well underway on the lift station and force main system, with the most complex and highest-risk element now complete.

The project team has successfully sunk a concrete caisson over 20 metres into the ground, a key milestone that allows work to move ahead with the remaining station components.

To put the vertical scale into perspective, the caisson extends the equivalent of two city buses stacked on top of each other down into the earth. The caisson is a large structure with an inner diameter of 15 metres round.  It is a regional scale lift station with a level of depth and size not typically seen in standard lift station construction.

“The caisson was the biggest risk element of the project and getting the structure in place to depth allows us to move forward with confidence,” said Greg Persson, Senior Project Manager, Qualico Communities Edmonton.

Once complete, the lift station will carry wastewater from across the Riverview area, which includes The Uplands, Stillwater, and Rivers Edge communities, and move it safely toward downstream treatment facilities.

“At its core, this is about making sure wastewater ends up where it’s supposed to, and not where it shouldn’t. We’re protecting properties, we’re delivering timely regional services and we’re protecting the river system at the same time.”

Collaboration drives efficient infrastructure

The project is being delivered in close collaboration with EPCOR and the City of Edmonton, with Qualico constructing the infrastructure on the utility’s behalf.

By aligning construction with ongoing community development, the team can maintain momentum while reducing duplication and inefficiencies. The approach also reflects growing trust between partners, built through previous infrastructure delivery across the region.

“We’re building this in concert with everything else happening in the Riverview community. Trying to separate this project from the community development around it would make it far more complicated and far less efficient.”

This collaboration supports a broader shift toward right-sizing and right-timing infrastructure systems, with infrastructure delivered to meet current needs while accommodating flexibility in the design for future growth.

Rather than overbuilding upfront or retrofitting later, the system is designed to evolve alongside the Riverview community. It is built for long-term operation, with planning that considers the next 10, 20, and 30 years.

This approach also helps reduce long-term system strain by avoiding oversized infrastructure that can be inefficient to operate early on and more costly to maintain over time.

“You want systems that are sized to be ready when people first arrive and built with enough foresight to support the community as it grows, working together over time.”

Built for today and the future

Riverview spans roughly 3,500 acres and is expected to be home to about 60,000 residents at full build-out.

Initial development in the area relied on The Uplands lift station, which supported early growth over roughly a decade and accommodated about 10,000 residents. As the community expands, the new system will take over to serve the entire Riverview area.

“All of Riverview ultimately drains to this location. This is the system that supports the full build-out of the community.”

The lift station is being delivered as part of an 18- to 24-month construction timeline. Commissioning, or the ability to begin pumping wastewater, is targeted for March 2027, with full transfer to EPCOR expected in June 2027.

A foundation for responsible growth

The project demonstrates how infrastructure decisions shape long-term outcomes for communities.

By investing in regional infrastructure delivery and working collaboratively with partners, Qualico is helping ensure communities are built with reliable, resilient infrastructure systems that protect people and the environment.

From preventing sewage from entering waterways or backing up into properties, to reducing long-term maintenance risks through thoughtful design, the Riverview lift station project shows how infrastructure planning supports sustainable growth.

It is a foundational step in enabling Riverview’s future – and a clear example of collaboration, integration, and trust in action.