CWWA National Voice for Water & Wastewater across Canada
Canadian Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA)
CWWA
National Voice for Water & Wastewater across Canada
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APRIL | 2014 |
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CWWA National Voice for Water & Wastewater across Canada
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unicipal water and wastewater utilities face a growing list of challenges – reliable water supply, watershed protection, aging infrastructure, operational costs, energy costs, environmental protection, greenhouse gases, climate change, storm water management, regulatory compliance …and the list goes on. We also know that all these challenges are connected and we cannot address each in isolation.
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As we step back to see the bigger picture, we quickly see the interconnectedness of all we do. As the Parks Department makes decisions on how they landscape and maintain public sites, they need to know how that decision will affect water consumption… that affects energy consumption …that affects our greenhouse gas emissions… that affects climate change, and so on. The same is true for the urban planner. As we approach the overriding challenge of infrastructure renewal, how many birds can we kill with one stone? In other words, what innovations can we select that will reduce costs, reduce loss, reduce energy consumption, reduce pollution etc. Utilities have accepted their role as stewards of our vital local resources and are implementing water and energy efficiency programs to not only cut costs, but to position water and wastewater plants as environmental leaders in their communities. Education campaigns and the decisions we make around metering and water pricing continue to inspire water reductions in public water
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consumption and energy use. Meanwhile, we have accepted the challenge that even more significant reductions can be found within our own operations if we can make some fundamental changes to the way we do what we do. We know that the solutions to our challenges are not going to come from federal or provincial legislation or from mandated programs but from innovative choices made at the local level. To start to address just a small piece of this puzzle the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association hosted the Canadian Energy &
Water Efficiency Conference in October 2013. The conference examined the intrinsic relationship between water and energy and featured a range of presentations examining water and energy efficiency programs, case studies and technologies. We also looked at research that has examined how these two important initiatives connect, and ways to design programs that not only save utilities money, but help position themselves as environmental leaders. We kicked off the event with “The Water Brothers�, two young 5
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CWWA
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National Voice for Water & Wastewater across Canada
advocates who are connecting with Canadians on important water issues. Our opening plenary panel set the stage for the entire conference as we heard from Mary Ann Dickenson of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, Michael Harcourt of Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow (QUEST), and Geoff Riggs of IBM who talked about how we track our changes so we can celebrate our successes. The technical sessions featured a wide range of topics and were incredibly well received. Conference delegates expressed their satisfaction on the great opportunity of networking and information sharing with their peers on current and emerging issues pertaining to renewable energy sources and water conservation in North America. A major feature of the Conference was the Tradeshow and Reception, that not only featured our exhibitors and sponsors, but also benefitted Calgary-based charity Reach Haiti. Delegates were able to walk the red carpet, be sworn in as honorary Calgarians, participate in a silent auction and
experience a unique and exciting fashion show featuring designs from Calgary based designers, and products from our exhibitors. The event raised over $5000 for Reach Haiti – money which will support access to education in the struggling country. This event was a showcase for innovation and was ‘overflowing’ with ideas and examples to spark critical national dialogue. Continuing to find connections between disparate aspects of water and wastewater treatment CWWA will be hosting the Joint Wastewater Management Conference and 49th Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research. This Conference will bring together researchers, water and wastewater utility managers and operators, private sector consultants, technology developers and providers and federal and provincial regulators to explore the latest research in these emerging issues and how we can work together to find solutions to emerging challenges in water and wastewater quality and treatment.
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