Seine Riverbank Stabilization at the Branch 1 Aqueduct

The Branch 1 Aqueduct is a critical component of the City of Winnipeg’s water supply system as it transports 40% of the City’s drinking water. Recent undesirable riverbank movements near where the Aqueduct crosses the Seine River threatened the integrity of this important, 100-year-old infrastructure.

KGS was tasked with stabilizing the riverbank while protecting the Aqueduct and keeping it operational throughout construction. We applied an extensive design evaluation process, a full-scale field testing program, a ground-breaking instrumentation monitoring program, and a highly prescriptive construction methodology to manage risk at each stage of construction.

This comprehensive approach to design, construction and monitoring required more intensive engineering but reduced the construction timeline by one full year and resulted in significant project cost savings for the City of Winnipeg. The riverbank stabilization works were successfully completed during the winter of 2018 followed by revegetation works, which have left the site in better condition than before construction for the community to enjoy for years to come.