Eureka Weather Station & Research Base

Water & Sewer Treatment Infrastructure (2021-Present)

Commenced: 2021
Completed: In Progress
Client: Public Services and Procurement Canada (Government of Canada)

In March 2021, Nuna East Ltd. was awarded a 5-year contract at Eureka for construction and maintenance of new water and sewage treatment infrastructure. Our scope of work includes supply, delivery, construction, and commissioning of new and upgraded raw water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure systems, including construction of a new lined freshwater reservoir complete with pumphouses, pipelines, and control systems to supply and store raw water for the High Arctic Weather Station (HAWS). The existing wastewater treatment facilities will be decommissioned and replaced with a containerized wastewater treatment plant. The treatment plant and all ancillary facilities will provide for complete collection, control, treatment, and discharge of all HAWS municipal wastewater.

Materials will be delivered to site by sealift in both 2021 and 2022, with site work scheduled to occur during the June to September period of 2022 through 2024. The existing fleet from the Runway Recapitalization Project will remain on site for the duration of the new Project with final demobilization planned for September 2025. A 5-year service contract will follow the construction and commissioning of the new water and sewage infrastructure facilities, which will entail annual site visits to verify operational factors and complete any required maintenance and warranty work.

Runway Recapitalization (2015-Present)

Commenced: 2015
Completed: In Progress

The research base required rehabilitation of the existing runway and apron; construction of a new apron and roads; and replacement of all airport lighting facilities. Due to the High Arctic remoteness of the project the area is never completely free of ice, so Nuna East Ltd.’s scope of work was spread out during the spring/summer months over several seasons.

The initial planned mobilization to site occurred over 2 seasons (2015 & 2016) due to challenges with ice conditions and the Coast Guard’s ability to safely escort the cargo ship to site during the first year. Poor quality and quantity of material within the Client-specified granular borrow area resulted in the Project being moved into standby mode while an alternate source of gravel was identified. Through a series of change orders, Nuna completed 2 geotechnical investigations and in 2018 began construction of an access road to a new borrow source. This necessitated a third sealift to deliver additional fuel, equipment, and bridge to the site. Work continued during the summer of 2019 to complete the access road, followed by crushing and hauling of gravel for future airstrip rehabilitation. Runway reconstruction and lighting upgrades were completed during the 2020 and 2021 summer seasons. Additional crushing and stockpiling of granular materials for other future projects continue in 2022 and 2023 with final demobilization from the site scheduled for the fall of 2025 upon completion of additional separate contract scope.