Engineering for Pipes, Permafrost and People in Inuvik, NWT

摘要

The Town of Inuvik is Canada's largest community north of the Arctic Circle, and has a unique history as the first completely "engineered" northern community. According to some, there has never been a Canadian town so "pondered, proposed, projected, planned, prepared and plotted" as East-3, which was its original site identification back in the 1950s. The notable aspects of Inuvik's townsite that continue to challenge engineers include long, very cold winters, permafrost, and great distance from sources of supply. The built environment of Inuvik must cope with the permafrost, and the extreme cold for buildings, water, sewer, roads and drainage; each of these elements requires unique design and construction considerations.The water and sewer mains that service each building are aligned along the back of each lot; the cost of these services is about $50,000 per lot or about $5,000 per metre. The service connections exit above ground from each building and resemble a large "metal centipede" as they connect to the water and sewer mains. Much of the water and sewer infrastructure is now almost 50 years old, and is at the end of its design life. A program to replace the water and sewer has been ongoing for the past 15 years, and will continue for many years into the future.