New Westminster - The City of New Westminster and consultants UMA Engineering Ltd. have won an Award of Excellence from the Consulting Engineers of British Columbia for the City’s Sustainable Sewer Funding Model study. The study was selected from 37 projects in five categories representing engineering excellence from across the province.

“Proper management of our infrastructure is an important part of the City’s long-term financial plan,” said Mayor Wayne Wright. “The study and this award clearly demonstrate that we are responsibly planning for the continued upkeep and maintenance of our infrastructure for the benefit of residents and businesses.”

In 2007, the City retained UMA Engineering to assist in the development of a Linear Infrastructure Deterioration Forecasting Model that will more accurately predict the useful life of the City’s wastewater collection system.

“The prediction model will greatly assist in optimizing the timing for rehabilitation of the City’s sewer and drainage infrastructure which consists of 240 km of underground pipe having an estimated replacement value of $170 million,” said Jim Lowrie, Director of Engineering Services. “City staff and UMA Engineering have put a lot of work into this project and it’s great to have that recognized.”

UMA Engineering is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm founded in Saskatchewan in 1911. UMA provides consulting, engineering and project management services in the infrastructure; earth and water; energy and facilities; and transportation market sectors.

Further information on the CEBC awards can be found at: www.cebc.org/awards.html