Valley View

The Opportunity

Valley View is a multi-phase project located in south Langford, off Happy Valley Road. The development included 165 single-family lots, a townhouse site and the A.T.(TOM) Gordon Memorial Field park.

The Approach

Valley View is a multi-phase project located in south Langford, off Happy Valley Road. The development included 165 single-family lots, a townhouse site and the A.T.(TOM) Gordon Memorial Field park.

Westbrook Consulting was responsible for design and construction inspection services for all civil engineering aspects of the project, including roadways, sanitary sewer, water, and storm water management. Westbrook also acted as a central point of communication amongst all of the other consultants involved with the project.

The first phase of the project, at the western portion of the site, was the most challenging, as it included a crossing of the environmentally sensitive Bilston Creek.  The design and construction of a site specific drainage system was required to protect the existing flows in Bilston Creek from contamination from the proposed subdivision.

A corrugated steel multi-plate arch culvert was used for the Bilston Creek crossing and the installation of the culvert was carried out under the guidance of a local Aquatic Ecologist with full Fisheries approval. The creek was temporarily dammed with a small bypass flume passing the residual flow through the construction area during construction.

Elsewhere, an existing ephemeral watercourse was enhanced by constructing a series of storm water management ponds to provide storage for flows entering the site from the south, as well as from the new single family lots. The design and construction of the ponds was a multi-discipline effort with a storm water management specialist, aquatic ecologist and landscape architect all providing assistance to the detailed design, construction and planting program.

The main road through the first phase featured flat curbs with roadside cobble lined swales to capture the runoff. As the runoff collects in the swales it is allowed to dissipate into the soil or overflow into a large neighbourhood storm water infiltration gallery located near the proposed park.

The individual lots in Phase 1 either drained to the pond system or else the runoff is allowed to dissipate into the ground with the neighbourhood storm water infiltration gallery taking any excess runoff.

The storm water management system resulted in storm water being addressed onsite with no direct outlet to Bilston Creek.

The Phase 1 storm water management system was put to the test during the unusually severe winter of 2006 / 2007 without incident.

Subsequent phases have seen the construction of additional storm water management ponds and piped catch basin systems as construction has proceeded.

In total six phases have been constructed over a period of 13 years from 2004 to 2017.

Key Personnel: Mike Wignall; Bruce Crawshaw; Phil Cerrer; Kevin Hossack