2025 Pipeline Rehabilitation Academy

March 5-6, 2025
Mississauga, ON
Mississauga Grand Banquet Center

The Pipeline Rehabilitation Academy experts will present a two-day course that is designed to equip attendees with knowledge related to asset management, condition assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground pipelines. This Academy takes place March 5th and 6th, 2025 at the Mississauga Grand Banquet Centre in Mississauga, ON.

Attendees will get the chance to earn CEUs from the Engineering Institute of Canada while learning about the most up-to-date advancement and new technologies available to repair and rehabilitate the aging infrastructure.

Registration Rates

  • Full Academy Access (both days)
  • Breakfast, Lunch and Coffee Breaks (both days)
  • Networking Reception on March 5 with Appetizers and Refreshments
  • CEUs from the Engineering Institute of Canada (by request)

CUIIC Member Rate

$950 CAD

Municipal Rate

$500 CAD

Non-Member Rate

$1250 CAD

Agenda

Wednesday

Mar 5

Thursday

Mar 6

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Breakfast

All attendees are invited to a catered breakfast, included with registration.

8:00 a.m.

Introduction

George Bontus, P.Eng., Director of Engineering, Insituform Technologies and Dr. Alireza Bayat, Director, CUIIC

Course overview, welcome attendees and speakers for the day.

8:15 a.m.

The History of Utilities and the Presentation for Sustainability in Utility Management

David O’Sullivan, President, PW Trenchless Construction

A journey through the history of sewer and water systems, from 2500 BC to the present day, highlighting their critical role in the advancement of civilization. This presentation will explore the importance of maintaining these essential systems and the need for sustainable practices in their management.

David O’Sullivan completed his engineering from 1974 to 78 in Ireland before coming straight to Canada. He worked in the consulting engineering business for 7 years before switching to the contracting industry in 1986. He has worked in the utility industry since 1986 and was instrumental in introducing microtunneling, large diameter HDD, sliplining and pipe bursting into the British Columbia marketplace in the last 20 years. He now is president of a leading trenchless company in Western Canada, completing numerous pipe rehabilitation programs for various government bodies.

He was a founding director of both the NASTT NORTH WEST Chapter and the NASTT-BC Chapter and has been a leading member of these organizations in promoting the use and educational benefits of trenchless construction.

In 2007 David, with 2 other fellow directors started the development of the link between Carbon reductions to trenchless construction. This was adopted by BC in 2019, under the CARIB program.

8:45 a.m.

Bearspaw South Feedermain Failure, Repair, Rehabilitation, and Lesson Learned

Zulfiqar Khowaja, Senior Project Engineer, The City of Calgary - Utilities Delivery - Infrastructure Services

On June 6, 2024, over 1.5 million residents of Calgary faced Stage 4 water restrictions due to a critical failure in the Bearspaw South Feedermain (BSFM), a vital water transmission line. The break, detected on June 5, 2024, caused significant pressure drops and surface water leakage. Immediate response efforts led to the replacement of the damaged section by June 16. Electromagnetic inspections by Pure Technologies identified five distressed sections requiring urgent repairs, while a forensic investigation by Associated Engineering provided insights into the failure.

The repair process was divided into phases: Phase A, completed between June 14 and June 27, addressed five segments of the prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP), leading to the lifting of indoor water restrictions on July 2 and a reduction of outdoor restrictions on July 6. Phase B, conducted from August 26 to September 22, and additional repairs from October 16 to November 26, targeted further distressed sections.

Comprehensive inspections revealed 239 distressed pipes, necessitating a proactive repair approach to prevent future failures. This presentation discusses the City of Calgary’s methodology for repairing the distressed pipes, the unique challenges encountered, the high-level forensic results, and the strategies for rehabilitating this critical infrastructure.

Zulfiqar Ali Khowaja, M.Eng., P.Eng. is a Senior Project Engineer at The City of Calgary – Infrastructure Services – Utilities Delivery. With over 24 years of experience, he specializes in civil design, project management, planning and scheduling, cost control, project execution, site supervision, material testing, construction management, rehabilitation, and procurement. His expertise includes managing deep utility infrastructure projects using both traditional open-cut installation and trenchless technologies like micro tunneling, HDD, and pilot auger boring.

Since joining The City of Calgary in May 2014, Zulfiqar has managed complex capital infrastructure initiatives, including underground utilities, flood mitigation, and sanitary system upgrades. His recent projects include the Nose Creek Sanitary Sewer Trunk and Bearspaw South Feedermain Repair. Additionally, he has served as a Director at the North American Society for Trenchless Technologies NW Chapter and Chair at the Calgary Section.

10:00 a.m.

Coffee / Networking Break

Grab a coffee and network with attendees.

10:15 a.m.

Municipal / Owner Panel Discussion

Group Panel

Nicholas Gan, Manager, Engineering Condition Assessment & Rehabilitation, Region of Peel
Ashley Rammeloo, Director, Water Wastewater & Stormwater, City of London
Adam Hurst, Project Manager, The Regional Municipality of Durham
Matthew Coleman, Senior Project Manager, City of Toronto
Zulfiqar Khowaja, Senior Project Engineer, The City of Calgary

This panel will explore the practices and processes involved in selecting rehabilitation methods for infrastructure. Key topics will include concerns, safety limits, and considerations that guide decision-making in municipal and owner-led projects.

12:00 p.m.

Lunch / Networking Break

Enjoy a catered lunch, included with registration.

1:00 p.m.

Overview of Select Rehabilitation Technologies and Associated Work

George Bontus, Director of Engineering, Insituform Technologies; David O’Sullivan, President, PW Trenchless Construction; Aidan Logan, Sales Business Development, IMC Distributors; Jason Bunston, General Manager, Cooper Pump & Power; Scott Cullum, Chief Executive Officer, Uni-Jet

This session will provide an overview of various rehabilitation technologies and the associated work required for each. It will cover topics such as CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe), sliplining, pipe bursting, manhole rehabilitation, bypass systems, and cleaning techniques. The presentation will discuss the applications, benefits, and key considerations for each technology, highlighting how these methods can effectively address infrastructure challenges and contribute to sustainable rehabilitation efforts.

3:00 p.m.

Coffee / Networking Break

Grab a coffee and network with attendees.

3:15 p.m.

Interactive Quiz

Take part in the live interactive quiz and see how your answers rank amongst the other attendees.

3:30 p.m.

Typical Design Approach and Details Required from Owners

Dr. Mark Knight, Professor, University of Waterloo

This session will focus on the typical design approach for selecting rehabilitation methods, outlining the key details required from owners to make informed decisions. It will explore how to assess various factors such as the condition of the infrastructure, environmental impact, budget constraints, and long-term sustainability. Additionally, the session will cover the steps involved in selecting the most appropriate rehabilitation method.

4:30 p.m.

Closing Discussion / Interactive Quiz

This session will conclude with a wrap-up of key discussions, summarizing the essential takeaways and insights shared throughout the day. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in an interactive quiz to reinforce the concepts covered and test their understanding of the material. This interactive session aims to foster a deeper understanding of the topics discussed, while also allowing for any final questions or clarifications.

4:45 p.m.

Networking Reception

Join us for an engaging Networking Reception including refreshments and appetizers. An ideal setting to connect and build valuable relationships. The Networking Reception is included with registration.

See you on Day 2 (March 6, 2025)!

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Breakfast

All attendees are invited to a catered breakfast, included with registration.

8:00 a.m.

Recap of Day 1: Questions and Concerns from Attendees

Moderator

The Day 1 Recap will reflect on the topics covered and assess whether the questions and concerns raised by attendees were addressed. This session will provide a summary of key insights, highlight significant discussions, and identify any areas that may require further exploration or follow-up. Attendees will also have an opportunity to share feedback and additional questions to guide the conversations for the remainder of the event.

8:15 a.m.

Safety in Trenchless Rehabilitation: General Practices and Styrene-Related Developments

Dennis Pivin, Director Health, Safety and Environmental, NASSCO

This session will explore essential safety practices in trenchless rehabilitation, emphasizing the importance of protecting workers, the public, and the environment. It will include a specific focus on recent developments and considerations related to styrene use, addressing potential risks, regulatory updates, and best practices for mitigation. Attendees will gain insights into creating safer work environments while ensuring compliance with industry standards.

9:00 a.m.

Failure Modes and Condition Assessment for Gravity Pipes

Chris Macey, Americas and Global Technical Practice Lead, AECOM and Chris Mitchell, Asset Management Specialist & Project Manager, AECOM

10:15 a.m.

Coffee / Networking Break

Grab a coffee and network with attendees.

10:30 a.m.

Interactive Quiz

Take part in the live interactive quiz and see how your answers rank amongst the other attendees.

10:45 a.m.

Failure Modes and Condition Assessment for Pressure Pipes

Mark Webb, Discipline Lead - Pipeline Design and Condition Assessment, AECOM

Pressure pipe (water and force mains) condition assessments are considerably more complex than gravity sewer pipe condition assessments. Internal visual classification methods alone are often inadequate to assess overall failure probability and seldom convenient to acquire due to the lack of redundancy and difficulty in dewatering pressure pipe systems (especially force mains). Pressure pipes require a thorough understanding of both internal and external deterioration processes. The load-resistance capacity of the pipe also needs to be assessed versus the applied loads to fully put any observed internal and external deterioration into proper context.

While there are a wide variety of emerging tools to conduct more advanced condition assessment, the cost to ascertain physical condition with certainty can be considerable and has inherent risk in itself in the deployment of invasive tools.

Therefore, the overall process must be one that not only fully understands the science of material degradation and the various means of detecting or inferring deterioration by indirect and direct assessment methods; but also, one that fully understands risk and economics, so that the appropriate level of condition assessment can be carried out on the right portion of the pipeline at the right time. This approach to condition assessment is commonly referred to as both risk-based and phased (staged) condition assessment and is generally accepted as the most appropriate model for pressure pipe assessment.

Dr. Webb has thirty years experience in soil-structure interaction and non-linear finite element analysis. His specific focus is the structural design, analysis, installation, inspection, and rehabilitation of large diameter gravity and pressure pipelines, force mains, large-span metal and reinforced concrete culverts, and cut-and-cover tunnels.

He has inspected over 2,500 kilometers of high-pressure transmission mains using leading condition assessment technologies, performed countless internal pipeline inspections on all pipe materials, and designed hundreds of miles of buried pipelines.

He serves on various committees and is the vice-chair of AWWA M81 “Rehabilitation of Large-Diameter Water Mains”.

12:00 p.m.

Lunch / Networking Break

Enjoy a catered lunch, included with registration.

1:00 p.m.

Pressure SIPP Update

Dr. Mark Knight, Professor, University of Waterloo

1:30 p.m.

Alternatives Analysis to Selecting a Rehabilitation Solution for Wastewater Applications

Robert Cichocki, Municipal Engineering Specialist, AECOM

The selection of a preferred rehabilitation alternative for wastewater applications requires a comprehensive evaluation of various factors, including overall lifecycle cost estimates, technical performance, constructability considerations, and social disruptions. The analysis should aim to identify the most suitable solution through a structured and objective process. This presentation focuses on a systematic approach to determine options and compare alternatives, employing a weighted scoring system that assesses each rehabilitation technology against defined criteria and normalizes the score by an estimated cost. This approach incorporates scoring rubrics, supplier data, and subject matter expert interpretation. In collaboration with the relevant stakeholders, technologies should be selected for the weighted scoring evaluation based on must haves (i.e. pass/fail criteria). The scored evaluation framework includes key criteria related to technical design performance, constructability, societal impacts, and cost considerations. The alternative analysis process involves collecting and summarizing supplier information, developing evaluation rubrics and relative weights, scoring alternatives relative to one another, and normalizing scores by cost.

Dr. Robert Cichocki is passionate about sustainable engineered infrastructure solutions and integrates his academic foundation into engineering consulting services for asset management planning, condition assessment, and rehabilitation solutions across Canada. Over the last eight years, Robert has focused on developing certainty and confidence in the quality and longevity of water and wastewater pipeline solutions. During his Doctoral research at Queen’s University, Robert set out to uncover the structural mechanics of deteriorating and rehabilitated pipes that carry potable, waste, and stormwater. As a consultant, Robert serves as a design lead and technical specialist on asset management planning, condition assessment, and rehabilitation projects for pressure and gravity pipe projects.

2:30 p.m.

Coffee / Networking Break

Grab a coffee and network with attendees.

2:45 p.m.

Interactive Quiz

Take part in the live interactive quiz and see how your answers rank amongst the other attendees.

3:15 p.m.

CIPP Quality Assurance Paradox

Tony Araujo, Vice President – Business Development, Paragon Systems Testing

3:45 p.m.

Open Mic Discussion

Moderator

This session offers attendees a unique opportunity to have their questions answered directly by a panel of designers, installers, owners, and QA/QC professionals. Engage in meaningful discussions, gain valuable insights, and address any concerns related to design, installation, ownership, and quality assurance in trenchless rehabilitation projects.

4:15 p.m.

Closing Remarks

Dr. Alireza Bayat, Director, CUIIC

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