This DBM was effectively a preliminary concept plan for the greenfield site development and servicing of the process plant and camp sites at the Fort Hills Mine north of Fort McMurray AB and the upgrader site in Sturgeon County.   The DBM included everything located outside the actual process unit battery limits needed to service the bitumen processing systems. 

This involved investigating several water supply options; the North Saskatchewan River or recycled water from the Edmonton Gold Bar wastewater treatment plant or the Capital Region wastewater treatment plant.  The investigations included source assessment, raw water storage, treatment plant and process design, treated water storage, supply pipelines and routing and pumping systems.  The Upgrader wastewater streams were treated wherever feasible and directed into the raw water pond for reuse within the system.

Morrison Hershfield’s role on the team included the following components:

• Process water supply and treatment for the Sturgeon Upgrader – examined supply options from the North Saskatchewan River and recycled water from the area’s two major wastewater treatment plants
• Fire water supply and distribution systems for both sites
• Development of overall standards and specifications
• Site grading design for the upgrader
• Building architectural design for all the buildings on the upgrader site
• Design of the communication systems for both sites