Josephine Sanitary Forcemain Replacement

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Start: June 1, 2026

End: September, 2026

The Josephine Forcemain Replacement project is a critically required upgrade to our sanitary collection infrastructure.

The Josephine Sanitary pump station is located at the intersection of Josephine Street and River Road. It's primary function is to pump collected sanitary wastewater under the Somass River and to the Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The existing pipeline, built in 1970, has reached the end of its useful life and could potentially fail at any time. Replacing the forcemain now helps ensure we avoid a high-risk environmental release. The replacement pipeline will be constructed with HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) fused pipe, which carries an expected life of 100 years.

The Josephine Forcemain Replacement project requires crews to drill down approximately 20 meters and then bore underneath the river, before emerging approximately 850m to the west at the wastewater treatment facility access road. This work will begin June 1, 2026 between the hours of 7 a.m.-7p.m., Monday-Saturday, and is expected to be completed in the fall.

This forcemain is located in an environmentally and archaeologically sensitive area. These factors were considered when selecting the least disruptive design for the forcemain replacement and have been reviewed by the permitting authorities.

The City and its selected contractor have engaged environmental and archaeological professionals to review the design, obtain permitting, provide management plans, and monitor construction. Tseshaht First Nation and Hupacasath First Nation will both be invited to monitor construction from both an environmental and archaeological perspective.


Construction Impacts:

  • The work will be taking place at the corner of Josephine and River Road at the image above.
  • Drilling and boring work may produce noise in the surrounding area.
  • Traffic disruptions are not expected on Josephine Street or River Road.

Project Benefits:

  • This is a critically required upgrade to our sanitary collection infrastructure.
  • Replacing the forcemain now helps ensure we avoid a high-risk environmental release.
  • The replacement pipeline will be constructed with HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) fused pipe, which carries an expected life of 100 years.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a forcemain?

A forcemain is a pressurized sewer pipe that conveys wastewater from a pump to a discharge point, allowing flow where gravity alone is insufficient.

As wastewater is collected throughout the sanitary system in the city, it is funnelled via gravity to these forcemains which then move ("force") waste material through a pipeline located 20 meters below the Somass River, to the City's sewage treatment area.

Didn't we already replace the forcemain?

Josephine is one of two forcemains in the sanitary infrastructure built beneath the city of Port Alberni. The other forcemain is beneath Argyle Street, and was replaced in 2021.

Where is Port Alberni's Sewage treatment facility located?

Post Alberni uses a lagoon as its sewage treatment technology. It is located near Lagoon A Beach and Somass Estuary Viewpoint on the east side of the Somass River.

Who can I contact for further information?

Brandon Donais, Project Manager City of Port Alberni
brandon_donais@portalberni.ca(External link)
250-720-2834

Start: June 1, 2026

End: September, 2026

The Josephine Forcemain Replacement project is a critically required upgrade to our sanitary collection infrastructure.

The Josephine Sanitary pump station is located at the intersection of Josephine Street and River Road. It's primary function is to pump collected sanitary wastewater under the Somass River and to the Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The existing pipeline, built in 1970, has reached the end of its useful life and could potentially fail at any time. Replacing the forcemain now helps ensure we avoid a high-risk environmental release. The replacement pipeline will be constructed with HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) fused pipe, which carries an expected life of 100 years.

The Josephine Forcemain Replacement project requires crews to drill down approximately 20 meters and then bore underneath the river, before emerging approximately 850m to the west at the wastewater treatment facility access road. This work will begin June 1, 2026 between the hours of 7 a.m.-7p.m., Monday-Saturday, and is expected to be completed in the fall.

This forcemain is located in an environmentally and archaeologically sensitive area. These factors were considered when selecting the least disruptive design for the forcemain replacement and have been reviewed by the permitting authorities.

The City and its selected contractor have engaged environmental and archaeological professionals to review the design, obtain permitting, provide management plans, and monitor construction. Tseshaht First Nation and Hupacasath First Nation will both be invited to monitor construction from both an environmental and archaeological perspective.


Construction Impacts:

  • The work will be taking place at the corner of Josephine and River Road at the image above.
  • Drilling and boring work may produce noise in the surrounding area.
  • Traffic disruptions are not expected on Josephine Street or River Road.

Project Benefits:

  • This is a critically required upgrade to our sanitary collection infrastructure.
  • Replacing the forcemain now helps ensure we avoid a high-risk environmental release.
  • The replacement pipeline will be constructed with HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) fused pipe, which carries an expected life of 100 years.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a forcemain?

A forcemain is a pressurized sewer pipe that conveys wastewater from a pump to a discharge point, allowing flow where gravity alone is insufficient.

As wastewater is collected throughout the sanitary system in the city, it is funnelled via gravity to these forcemains which then move ("force") waste material through a pipeline located 20 meters below the Somass River, to the City's sewage treatment area.

Didn't we already replace the forcemain?

Josephine is one of two forcemains in the sanitary infrastructure built beneath the city of Port Alberni. The other forcemain is beneath Argyle Street, and was replaced in 2021.

Where is Port Alberni's Sewage treatment facility located?

Post Alberni uses a lagoon as its sewage treatment technology. It is located near Lagoon A Beach and Somass Estuary Viewpoint on the east side of the Somass River.

Who can I contact for further information?

Brandon Donais, Project Manager City of Port Alberni
brandon_donais@portalberni.ca(External link)
250-720-2834

Page last updated: 28 May 2026, 03:53 PM