Discovery Ridge Lift Station Improvement Project
Background
The Discovery Ridge Sanitary Lift Station was built in 2000 and provides an essential wastewater service for the Discovery Ridge community.
The lift station is now approaching the end of its intended service life. Many of its critical mechanical, electrical, and control components are aging and require renewal to ensure the facility continues to operate safely, reliably, and in compliance with current codes and standards.
The facility will be updated to meet all current building codes, ensuring residents continue to receive long-term, dependable sanitary service that serves to protect the surrounding environment.
Lift Station improvements
A key objective of this project is to improve the reliability of the lift station and reduce the risk of equipment failure that could affect service reliability.
The project includes replacing and expanding the existing lift station building, upgrading safety features by creating a larger and safer working area for operations staff, relocating electrical equipment and improving some paved surfaces within the fenced lift station area.
The facility will be updated to meet all current building codes, ensuring residents continue to receive long-term, dependable sanitary service that serves to protect the surrounding environment. The lift station design will focus on ensuring the lift station area integrates cohesively within the park space and residents will be given the opportunity to choose between three different designs.
The existing lift station will be replaced with a larger, more resilient structure. The footprint of the fenced lift station will be expanding eight meters to the west to allow vehicles to turn safely around the lift station and not impede the nearby pathway and pedestrians.
The increased height and larger footprint are necessary to accommodate new integrated equipment required to improve operations. These upgrades include systems such as an odour control unit to prevent the release of odours, and a backup generator with a silencer to reduce noise during operation.
By updating the lift station now, it will ensure the facility continues to move wastewater reliably and securely, while meeting regulatory and operational requirements thereby minimizing future service disruptions due to aging infrastructure.
Images showing the existing lift station and the proposed future design.
Note: Refinements may still be made to the design based on operational requirements.
Land use change
To upgrade the lift station and add an essential utility building, there needs to be a change to the land use designation. A small area (Area B on the map) will be redesignated to allow the work to move forward.
Area A the largest portion on the map will remain an environmental reserve. The proposal will be shared with the community for feedback before going to City Council for a decision next spring.
Additional information
Note: The proposed land use change means future upgrades and changes would only apply to a portion of an already disturbed area noted as Area B.
The land surrounding the fenced-in lift station area Area A would remain as an environmental reserve.
Community engagement
Community engagement on the project took place from July 23 to August 28, 2026.
The engagement was intended to provide residents and interested parties with information about the project scope, the need for lift station upgrades, the land use change, the anticipated project timeline, and the proposed exterior design options. Participants were invited to review three design options and share their feedback.
The feedback gathered will help inform refinements to the exterior appearance of the refurbished building, taking into consideration technical, safety, operational and regulatory requirements that will continue to guide final design decisions.
Overall, participants preferred a design that would feel natural, understated and compatible with Griffith Woods and the surrounding Discovery Ridge community. Option 2 was the strongest fit for those priorities because of its warmer materials and natural appearance. You can learn more about the feedback from the public engagement period on the engage page or read the detailed What We Heard Report.