Milliken Reservoir and Pumping Station

Markham, Ontario

Client

City of Toronto

Consultant

Associated Engineering (ONT.) Ltd.

Project Completion Date

April, 2012

Type of Contract

Lump Sum

Capital Cost

$94,100,000

Project Description

The facility is owned by the City of Toronto and is located on the grounds of Milliken Mills Park in Markham.

The water in the reservoir is pumped to the facility from Lake Ontario and serves both York Region and the City of Toronto. The expansion is required to maintain existing pressure while serving additional housing for increased population moving to the Metropolitan Toronto area. The plan also anticipates future need based on projected growth patterns.

The project will be a traditional reservoir mound with a flat top, about the size of one-and-a-half soccer fields, over a holding tank consisting of a steel-reinforced concrete chamber.

The expansion is part of an overall upgrade of the Toronto and York Region water supply system. An expansion of the city’s Dufferin Reservoir is also in the works, with a proposed schedule slightly ahead of the Milliken project. The Dufferin expansion project doesn’t include a pumping station.

Expansion of the Milliken Reservoir is considered beneficial to the entire region, so the project wasn’t considered a controversial issue. The biggest concern surrounding the development was the replacement of a series of soccer fields and baseball diamonds currently located on the reservoir grounds.