The City of Armstrong has filed a lawsuit against four contractors over issues with the sewage system at its new city hall, claiming faulty design and installation led to multiple sewer backups in less than a year. The city opened its new facility on March 1, 2023.

According to a civil claim filed in Vancouver Supreme Court on April 16, 2021, Vernon-based MQN Architects was contracted to design and oversee construction of the building. Structural drawings were provided by Cima Canada in September 2021. Later, Westbank’s ANR Construction was appointed as the general contractor for the project, with Chapman Mechanical hired to install the plumbing system, including the sewer lines.

The lawsuit alleges that the contractors failed to follow structural specifications regarding the slope of the sewer lines, which resulted in "bellies" in the pipes where water and debris could accumulate, leading to blockages. These issues were first discovered in April 2023, when the city experienced its first sewer backup just one month after the building opened.

A second backup followed in June 2023, prompting a plumber to investigate. The plumber discovered several problems, including bellies in the sewer line that obstructed wastewater flow. Despite efforts by ANR Construction to address the issue, including jackhammering part of the floor, backups continued through the remainder of the year, with a fifth incident occurring in January 2024.

In January 2024, after another backup, the city conducted an inspection with MQN Architects, who confirmed that the sewer line grade did not meet the original design. The city claims that the contractors failed to design, install, and inspect the sewer system properly, causing damage and additional costs related to repairs, inspections, and cleanup.

“The defendants knew, or ought to have known, that the sewage system was not adequate to handle the volume and nature of waste being discharged,” the lawsuit asserts.

The city is seeking damages, interest, and the costs incurred from investigating the issues and repairing the damages caused by the faulty sewage system. The contractors have 21 days to respond to the civil claim. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Originally reported by Brendan Shykora in Summerland Review.