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Published by:
DEL
Communications Inc.
Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5 Toll Free: 1.866.831.4744
Journal
President DAVID LANGSTAFF
2009 Conference Information ....................................................................4
Publisher JASON STEFANIK jason@delcommunications.com Editor-in-Chief BONNIE WINTER FEDAK Editor KEN JOHNSON Advertising Sales Representatives DEBBIE ANGERS CHERYL EZINICKI ROSS JAMES DAYNA OULION MICHELLE RAIKE
Production services provided by: S.G. BENNETT MARKETING SERVICES www.sgbennett.com Art Director KATHY CABLE
In this issue
Northern Opinion – By Ron Kent................................................................6 Editor’s Notes – Ken Johnson .......................................................................8
FEATURES
LAC DE GRAS – By Ken Johnson Northern Diamond Mines – Infrastructure Fuelled by “Ice” ..............10 SNAP LAKE – By Rick Johnson Membrane Bio-Reactor Wastewater Treatment Plant at the Snap Lake Diamond Mine, N.W.T..............................................12 DIAVIK – By Ken Johnson Diavik Diamond Mine Water Management Plan ................................16 NUNAVUT – By Bob Chapple Infrastructure Obstacles to Development in Nunavut ........................20 NORMAN WELLS – By Glen Guthrie Bosworth Creek Monitoring Project Near Norman Wells, N.W.T. .....23 RANKIN INLET – By Brent Wootton & Stephanie Collins Logistics for Implementing and Operating a Remote Testing Lab in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut ...............................................................28
Layout & Design DANA JENSEN
YELLOWKNIFE – By Ron Kent and Clay Peck Residential Fuel Spills in Yellowknife, N.W.T.: The Plague of Necessity .........................................................................30
Advertising Art DERYN BOTHE
KASHECHEWAN Water and Sewer Challenges in Kashechewan, Ontario......................33
© Copyright 2009. DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher.
CCME – By Catherine Mallet & Anne Wilson CCME Strategy and the North ..............................................................37
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees. Publications mail agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5 Email: david@delcommunications.com PRINTED IN CANADA | 08.2009
CARCROSS Solid Waste Management in Carcross, Yukon .....................................40 President’s Report – Sean Austman-Kunkel ...............................................44 Executive Director’s Report – Olivia Lee .....................................................45 Index to Advertisers...................................................................................46
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT BOON, P.ENG.
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT Annual Conference, Trade Show & Workshop Cambridge Bay, Nunavut October 17, 18 and 19, 2009 The NTWWA’s Annual Conference has become the highlight of the year, not only for the Association members, but also the water and waste management sector across the north, which includes engineers, technologists, suppliers, regulators, contractors, administrators, and operators. The 2009 conference and workshop in Cambridge Bay will feature a conference with 20 exceptional technical presentations, and a day long operator workshop. The theme of the conference is " Water Ways: The Lifeline of the North.� We are planning for the 2009 Great Northern Drinking Water Challenge. In 2008, the Town of Fort Smith was the winner of the fourth annual event. TRADE SHOW The conference will feature exhibits with many products and services, and companies and product representatives who know what works in the north. CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS AND OPERATOR WORKSHOP Water Treatment Plant Operators can earn 1 Continuing Education Credit for attending the conference and the Operator Workshop on October 17. The workshop will feature "hands-on" sessions with great practical information for Operators. REGISTRATION Registration is now available, so visit www.ntwwa.com or call 867-873-4325. 4
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
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w w w . a n t h r a f i l t e r. n e t Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
5
NORTHERN OPINION
WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS IN THE FAR NORTH “Wheels within wheels" is an ancient phrase and has generally come to mean something that is not easily understood – that there is more to the situation than may appear on the surface. Originally attributed to Ezekiel, the phrase represents complexity, suggesting that one must look past the superficial to see deeper into a problem or situation or intent … like the Russian Matryoshka dolls; we open one, only to find another, and inside that, yet another and another, and so on. The phrase can also have a more sinister connotation – that there are ulterior motives behind seemingly innocuous actions, all part of a larger and less obvious plan. And so it is with a sense of both trepidation and relief that we greet the recently CCMEendorsed Canada-wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent.
6
While not yet in force for the North, it does provide some direction to compliance and sampling programs. I guess it should, since most of that northern strategy came from the North. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Just ask the people who wrote most of it – northerners. You know who they are. The number 1 outcome for the strategy is somewhat disappointing (sic) – Improve Human Health and Environmental Protection. More Wheels? Show me where in the N.W.T. or Nunavut that human health is actually compromised by a non-compliant-with-this-strategy effluent or the environment is greatly affected. Anywhere? Perhaps 35 years ago (pre-1974 GNWT Sanitation Policy) and
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Ron Kent, P.Eng. FSC Architects & Engineers Inc.
even 25 years ago, but not five years ago when all this national strategy stuff really got rolling. At least the number 2 outcome – “Harmonization” is somewhat more transparent. Harmonization means “meets the Fisheries Act” even though the actual strategy itself doesn’t. More Wheels? But what I really wanted to write about was lagoons, wetlands and engineering science. A couple of years ago I was looking for a more definitive arithmetic model to describe northern wetlands, as I was trying to figure out how to build one in Cape Dorset. I compared and contrasted the USEPA model used in Alaska, the first principals plug flow model of a support growth system, trickling filter design and the new draft of the Alberta wetland guidelines. In my analysis, they all gave about the same result. Alberta's model allowed a simplified reaction rate factor for temperature that compared favourably to the first principals plug flow model. This allowed me to apply this model and take location into consideration on a broader scale adjusting for cooler temperatures by reducing the reaction rate, just as one would in any biological or chemical reaction model. It made sense to me as a basic algebraic model, and provided an area for treatment and a potential effluent quality. There was no need for specialized knowledge of macrophyte species-specific reaction kinetics and more wheels. These advance considerations may be important on commissioning day, but after the wetland has established itself as a treatment site, I assume that the plants that want to be there, will be there. I believe most northern designers now use the Alberta model. We know that lagoons followed by wetlands, are one of the three technologies that have the capability of meeting the Fisheries Act, and just about every north of 60o community with a lagoon that can have, does have a wetland following it. I’m glad to see the wetlands work that Fleming College is doing in the Kivalliq region. Their research is important and I am looking forward to the SubWet 2.0 model. I hope it’s available for general consumption and easy to use. We have similar 10-year-old data from some of the same wetlands in the Kivalliq, showing how well they worked. It wasn’t research level data, but it gave us confidence in our designs. What upsets me the most is that recommendations I made over the years to improve these wetland were never implemented. But we knew 10, 20 and even 30 years ago that wetlands worked. For the latter date, R.N. Dawson and J.W. Grainge showed us the way in Hay River. They were at the head of all the really great minds that have worked on lagoons and wetlands, Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
NORTHERN OPINION including James J. Cameron, Archibald Pick, Robert Kowal, Dr. Gary W. Heinke, and Dr. Daniel W. Smith. This august group of engineers are without parallel and developed the science that protected our health and environment to this day and led both the Blue Book and the science that we presently use to design these systems. My question: Instead of more studies and Ottawa-based flying squads to see if lagoons and wetlands work, why don’t we simply study the models we already use to refine them? It would be nice to have more data and better studies to support the design work that has gone on, but just because we don't have it, doesn't mean that what we are doing is wrong. It is a sad fact that generally speaking there is about a two-year halflife for regulatory officers in the various boards. And I suppose, put in their place, I would be asking for more than a design as proof that something works. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? We know they work, but we can’t “prove” it – especially to the new kids on the block.
7
CITY NOTES
Editor’s Notes
Ken Johnson The fifth edition of the Journal brings a slightly different
his retirement as executive director, however, his low profile
flavour with a focus on northern diamond mines, but also a
was much deserved.
focus on water resources. I have to admit that my favourite
And finally, my “Northern Opinion” last year entitled “The
article of this edition is Glen Guthrie’s article on Bosworth
Link between Sovereignty and Infrastructure in the
Creek. This article is unique with its water resources focus,
Canadian North” appears to be timely with the current “hot”
and its focus on education.
activity associated with trying to define the submarine
Thanks to Ron Kent, who has come forward with an
extent of Canadian real estate, and the suggestion by some
opinion or three on the CCME Canada-wide strategy. We
Russians that sovereignty-related activity by Canada could
have only just begun to tackle this particular challenge. Ron
provoke a military response from Russia. Very interesting
has been noticeably absent from the NTWWA activities since
times we live in.
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9
LAC DE GRAS
NORTHERN DIAMOND MINES – INFRASTRUCTURE FUELLED BY “ICE” When Europeans first explored the tundra of the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.), 200 km south of the Arctic Circle, they called it the Barren Lands – an area of Ice Age rock and boulders with thousands of tiny blue lakes. This area is so far north, the only vegetation it supports are small trees that cling to the ground, in addition to sedge and grass, and arctic wild flowers. One of the largest lakes in the area, 350 km northeast of Yellowknife, is Lac de Gras. The Dogrib people call it Ekati, (English translation – Fat Lake) because the bits of quartz found on its shores resemble caribou fat. The land surrounding the lake is the traditional hunting ground of the Dene and the Inuit, where 350,000 caribou pass through each spring and fall.
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In 1992, this area of the N.W.T. was the focus of a swarm of prospectors and geologists in search of diamonds. These were not industrial diamonds, but the highly prized white diamonds. In October 1998, Canada's first diamond mine, Ekati, moved into production, and since then about $500 million worth of gems has been annually mined. This was just the first of several diamond mines, which now includes Diavik – also on Lac de Gras – and Snap Lake in the N.W.T., and the much smaller Jericho Mine in Nunavut. Each one of these mines, with the exception of Jericho, spent over $1 billion with initial capital investments, $5 billion in total, which represents infrastructure fuelled entirely by diamonds or “ice” to which it is also referred. By the end of 2007 the diamond mines had produced about 80 million carats with an estimated value of $9 billion. This permafrost area experiences temperatures during the winter months that may reach -54 C. The site is accessible by air and a 425-kilometre ice road, which is open for 10 to 12 weeks each year. Since construction started on the mining projects in 1996, these mines have grown into communities with populations that each peaked in excess of 700 people. Projects of this magnitude had not been undertaken north of 60 since the Canol and Alaska Highway projects of the early 1940s. Open-pit mining methods have been initially used to mine the ore, with underground mining scheduled in the future. Ore is hauled from the pits in 200tonne trucks to the process plant. Ore is processed at the Ekati Mine at a rate of between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes per
day. At the process plant, the ore is crushed, screened and washed producing a concentrate. Heavy minerals and diamonds are recovered from the concentrate using heavy media separation, and the remaining concentrate is moved by pneumatic conveyor to the final recovery plant where further diamonds will be sorted using x-ray technology. With this sorting system, the concentrate passes through an x-ray tube, under which the diamonds' luminescence triggers an air jet, which diverts the diamonds into an extraction chute. The infrastructure elements in the development of the diamond mines have included: • Mine support facilities. • Ore crushing and conveying equipment. • Stockpiling and reclaiming equipment. • Process plant. • Tailings treatment systems. • On-site run-off collection systems. • Diesel power plant. • Process and potable water supplies. • Sewage treatment and disposal. • Shops, warehoused, administration buildings. • Accommodation complex and other ancillary facilities. • Air strip roads. • Plant roads. The tailings management plan for the Ekati Mine utilizes frozen core earth dams to impound the tailings water. The frozen core material, consisting of crushed gravel and hot water was mixed in a plant facility, loaded onto haul trucks
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Ken Johnson, P.Eng., AECOM
LAC DE GRAS and placed in 300-millimetre lifts, which froze durThermosyphon serving frozen core dam at Ekati Diamond Mine.
ing a 24-hour period. Thermosyphons extend vertically through the core and beneath the base of the dam to maintain the integrity of the permafrost. Engineering on the projects required careful scheduling in order to purchase materials and equipment for transportation over the winter ice road. The ice road to Ekati and Diavik is a 400-kilometre path over a series of frozen lakes and portages from Yellowknife. Almost 11,000 truckloads of materials travelled across the ice road during the 12-week shipping window in 2007. Delivery of materials to the sites, particularly fuel, is critical to ongoing operations. Since Canada’s diamond mining industry began development in 1995 to the end of 2006, it has provided 18,000 person-years of direct employment to Canadians, including 10,500 person-years to northern and Aboriginal Canadians, and accounted for 50 per cent of the GDP for the Northwest Territories.
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
11
SNAP LAKE
MEMBRANE BIO-REACTOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AT THE SNAP LAKE DIAMOND MINE, N.W.T. Discharge from Snap Lake membrane bio-reactor sewage treatment plant.
Membrane Bio-Reactors (MBRs) are becoming increasingly mainstream in all wastewater applications, and one area where their advantages are particularly beneficial is in remote camps, such as the mine and construction camps in
Northern Canada. Sanitherm Inc. has designed and supplied packaged MBR treatment plants for most of the northern mines in Canada, ranging from Snap Lake, N.W.T., to Attawapiskat on James Bay.
Package plants for the North have some very specific requirements that are not necessarily reflected in southern installations. Just a few of the challenges include very stringent effluent-quality limits, transportability, operator availability and the climatic conditions. MBR
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plants have a number of inherent features that make them suitable for this application. Some people may think that because these camps are “way out in the middle of nowhere” the wastewater disposal doesn’t matter. In fact, the severe northern environment has very little assimilative capacity for any pollution discharges, therefore camps must minimize their waste discharge to a greater extent
12
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Rick Johnson, Sanitherm Inc.
SNAP LAKE than may be necessary in southern environments. This means not only treating the wastewater to a very high standard, but also ensuring that the plants are wellmaintained. In terms of process, an MBR is just a conventional activated sludge plant with very effective final clarifier, therefore most treatment plant operators will already be familiar with the basic operating concepts of an MBR. A typical MBR plant will consist of a fine inlet screen, followed by an aerated flow equalization tank, then an anoxic tank to provide ammonia reduction; the wastewater then flows into a Supplemental Aeration (SA) tank where the aerobic treatment begins. After the SA tank, the aerated sewage flows into the membrane tank where the solids/liquid separation occurs. The effluent from the plant is then disinfected, generally with UV disinfection. One of the design factors that affects the activated sludge design is the “solids loading” into the final clarifier. This is a function of the limit on the quantity solids that can be put into the final clarifier, while still maintaining a flow through it. These concerns do not affect the design of an MBR plant. An MBR doesn’t rely on gravity separation of the solids in a final clarifier (the MLSS or “Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids”) because the membranes provide this solids/liquid separation. If you can operate the aerobic reactor tank with a higher ratio of solids (i.e., more “bugs” per cubic metre), the plant will have more bugs in a smaller volume. A typical activated sludge plant may operate with a MLSS concentration of 3,500 mg/l or 3.5 kilograms of bugs per cubic metre, an MBR will operate at between 10,000 to 15,000 mg/l or 10 to 15 kilograms of bugs per cubic metre. More hungry mouths per cubic metre mean that you require fewer cubic metres. This makes the reactor tank much smaller, typically one-third to one-fifth of a
Snap Lake Diamond Mine membrane bio-reactor sewage treatment plant.
for over
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
NAPEG
Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. 13
SNAP LAKE regulator-sized aeration tank. The elimi-
and lots of air (high Dissolved Oxygen
site to site and not always with the care
nation of a final clarifier with an MBR also
[DO]), the Biochemical Oxygen Demand
and attention they deserve. If the wet
significantly reduces the plant size.
(BOD) will be very low, typically 1 or 2
membranes are allowed to freeze, there
What does all this theory mean in a
mg/l with equally low levels of ammo-
is a risk they will damage the membrane
practical sense? It means that because
nia. The anoxic zone of the MBR pro-
fabric and the 0.1 micron holes will
the plant is smaller, it can be built in a
duces low total nitrogen levels, and
become much larger.
smaller building; a smaller building is
alum dosing combined with the very
An MBR will use more power than a
easier to build, heat and transport. An
low TSS, may produce phosphorus lev-
conventional treatment plant. This is
MBR doesn’t rely on gravity for the
els of less than 0.5 mg/l.
due to the less-efficient aeration. Most
solids/liquid separation, but rather plas-
Now all the operator has to do is
MBRs use coarse-bubble aeration,
tic sheets with very small holes. These
ensure that he keeps the food coming
which has a lower oxygen transfer effi-
holes are less than 0.10 micron in size or
and the air on!
ciency that most fine-bubble aeration
Not everything, however, is perfect in
systems. Coarse-bubble aeration is used
100 times smaller than a human hair.
the MBR world. We’ve learned that the
in an MBR in order to optimize the mem-
The effluent coming out of an MBR is
smaller plants are subjected to operating
brane scouring to keep the membranes
clear (less than 1 NTU), very few solids
conditions that are completely contrary
clean. This is rarely a major concern, as
(2 or 3 mg/l Total Suspended Solids
to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
most camps have sufficient power and,
[TSS]), and because of the high concen-
Because of their portability, these treat-
in addition, the smaller footprint more
tration of bugs (lots of hungry mouths)
ment plants are regularly moved from
than compensates for this.
water management
smaller than bacteria, and more than
14
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
SNAP LAKE Some of the other concerns are to do with the operator and the cold. Because an MBR doesn’t have a final clarifier, the frequent monitoring of the reactor solids, the characteristics of the “floc” (coagulated solids) and other operating parameters become less important. An MBR plant must receive regular attention. The key point here is that “low maintenance” doesn’t mean “no maintenance.” One may be asked about the cold weather operation. In our experience, the camp wastewater is usually warm. The pipe runs are short and the pipes are insulated and heat-traced. As well, the packaged plant buildings are heated and insulated. This is important, because as “magic” as the MBR process is, it’s still a biological process that
depends on the bacteria and the biolo-
Experience with MBRs in northern
gy. These bugs don’t work as efficient-
applications such as the Snap Lake
ly when the water temperature is
Diamond Mine, has been quite positive,
below 10 C. In addition, the cooler
combining the attributes of small foot-
water is more viscous, lowering the
print, high-quality effluent and easier
effective through-put (flux rate) of the
operation than with conventional acti-
treated water.
vated sludge technology.
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www.BIODISK.ca Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
15
DIAVIK
DIAVIK DIAMOND MINE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN Introduction The Lac de Gras watershed is a pristine region feeding into the Coppermine River, which travels 850 kilometers to the Arctic Ocean at the community of Kugluktuk. This river is a world-class Arctic Char fishery and a traditional harvesting area for the Inuit of the Kugluktuk Region. Lac de Gras is 60 kilometres long, with an average width of 16 kilometres, and 740 kilometres of shoreline. The average depth of Lac de Gras is 12
16
metres, with a maximum depth of 56 metres. As an arctic lake, it is cold year round, with temperatures ranging from 0 C to 4 C in the winter and 4 C to 21 C in the summer. Lac de Gras freezes in October and spring breakup is in July. The average ice thickness is 1.5 metres. Typical of arctic lakes, aquatic productivity in the lake is low because of the relatively low concentrations of nutrient low-light levels during winter months with the ice cover, and low water temperatures.
The Diavik Diamond Mine is built on a large island in Lac de Gras, 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, and has been operating since 2003. To prevent run-off from the site from entering the lake, the mine was constructed with an extensive water collection and treatment system. Through a system of sumps, piping, storage ponds and reservoirs, the mine collects run-off water, which can be reused in processing or treated before being released back into Lac de Gras.
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Ken Johnson. P.Eng., AECOM
DIAVIK Plant and surface operations water management requirements include: • North Inlet Water Treatment Plant (NIWTP) and North Inlet containment and outfall. • Surface run-off and seepage pond system. • Potable water, sewage treatment, raw water and fire water. • Recycling and raw water use associated with the process plant and the Processed Kimberlite Containment (PKC) facility. North Inlet Containment and Water Treatment Plant The North Inlet Water Treatment Plant (NIWTP), North Inlet containment, and the North Inlet outfall have the fundamental objective of treating water to meet compliance requirements prior to discharge to the environment. Waters directed to the North Inlet originate from: • Pit and underground inflows. • Surface run-off from North Inlet drainage basin. • Surface run-off from disturbed areas. • Water transfers from the Pond 3.
The Diavik Diamond Mine on Lac de Gras is the headwaters of the Coppermine River, which flows past historic Bloody Falls on its way to the Arctic Ocean. Water inflows are received at the
coagulant and flocculant preparation
North Inlet and then pumped to the
equipment, four high-capacity clarifiers,
NIWTP for treatment. The North Inlet has
and four deep bed sand filters.
an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of
The filters and pH-control system have
storage. The North Inlet provides surge
not been required to achieve water
storage capacity and allows some solids
license compliance, thus the NIWTP is
to settle before water is treated at the
operated with the clarifiers on a stand-
NIWTP. The NIWTP was designed to
alone basis. The capacity of the system
remove fine solids in cold water condi-
has recently been expanded to 90,000
tions. Major system components include
m3/day, which in comparison is more
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DIAVIK
The Diavik water management system schematic shows the extensive collection, reuse and treatment processes. than four times the proposed water treatment capacity for the City of Yellowknife. Treated effluent is discharged into Lac de Gras via two submerged outfall and diffusers located 200 metres offshore at a depth of 20 metres. Surface Run-Off Management Surface run-off historically occurs over a five-month period from May to September. Run-off volumes depend on the particular weather conditions, and Diavik selected one in 100-year-return conditions for sizing surface run-off collection systems. The surface run-off collection system consists of a network of ponds that collect run-off from the North Country Rock Pile, South Plant Site (Ponds 10, 11 and 12) and the Processed Kimberlite Containment (PKC) dam toes. Pipelines are permanently installed to permit 18
transfer of waters from the collection ponds to the PKC facility. Collection ponds are designed to hold, without discharge to the environment, 100 per cent of a one in 100-year-return period freshet occurring over an eight-day period. As pond watershed surface areas will change over the life of the mine, the maximum watershed area was considered during pond design. Aircraft fuelling and de-icing is performed on the airport apron, which is sloped toward the North Inlet. Fuel or de-icing spills would be directed to the North Inlet. Pond 3, located west of the North Country Rock Pile, collects seepage from the North Country Rock Pile and can be used as temporary storage for mine water. If water quality meets discharge criteria, it may be discharged to Lac de Gras; otherwise it is transferred to the
North Inlet or the PKC facility. The pond water collection system was designed to transfer pond waters to the PKC facility. If collected run-off waters meet the water license quality limits, they may be discharged directly to Lac de Gras. Potable Water Supply and Sewage Treatment The potable water system consists of deep bed multi-media filters, polishing filters, and chlorine dosing. The raw water is supplied from the overall raw water supply system. The plant is sized to accommodate 800 persons. Raw and fire water are pumped from Lac de Gras through distribution systems servicing the south plant site. The raw water system has a design capacity of 250 m3/hour, plus standby capacity. Flow demands include the process and recovery plant, a mobile equipment wash bay,
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
DIAVIK and the potable water. The fire water system has a design capacity of 454 m3/hour plus standby capacity. The South Sewage Treatment Plant (SSTP) services the south plant site including operating facilities, the construction camp, and permanent accommodations. Sewage treatment capacity is designed to accommodate 800 persons at a design flow rate of 300 litres / person / day, for a total of 320 m3/day. The SSTP is an activated sludge system with tertiary filtration. Treated effluent is disinfected with chlorine. The WWTP discharges into the PKC system. Processed Kimberlite Containment (PKC) Facility Key objectives of the PKC facility and process water management system are to provide storage of processed kimberlite (PK), act as an equalization reservoir for supernatant water and run-off water for process plant reuse, and provide recycled water to the process plant. The process and recovery plants are both the primary consumers and suppliers of water to the PKC facility. The plants consume reclaim water and raw water for ore processing, and generate coarse (1 mm to 6 mm) and fine (less than1 mm) PK. Coarse PK is transported by truck to the coarse PKC storage area, and fine PK is transported as slurry via an insulated pipeline to the PKC facility. The process and recovery plants are designed to maximize reclaim water recovered from the PKC pond to minimize raw water use. Reclaim water is used for, essentially, all process services in the process plant. Conclusions The Diavik Diamond Mine is a unique world-class operation, with world-class water management systems. The water management demands on Diavik and the other diamond mines in the Canadian North have been high, but given the pristine nature of the environment, these demands were warranted.
The Diavik water management system uses sumps, piping, storage ponds and reservoirs.
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
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19
NUNAVUT
INFRASTRUCTURE OBSTACLES TO DEVELOPMENT IN NUNAVUT
Old landfills in and around Iqaluit remain a concern from their proximity to the community and also from the requirements to remediate each of the sites. Every community in Nunavut, no matter its size or geographical
the required setbacks from sewage and solid waste disposal
location, has pertinent infrastructure that contributes to an
sites. According to the General Sanitation Regulations of the
acceptable level of sustainability. The location of the infrastruc-
Public Health Act, Section No. 8, no development other than
ture can be a major obstacle to future development in the com-
industrial development can occur within 450 metres of a dispos-
munity, but the infrastructure alone is not the only obstacle to
al site. This regulation is enforced by the Chief Medical Officer
development. The regulations associated with the infrastructure
and the Environmental Health Officers of the Department of
can place greater restrictions that can impede development.
Health and Social Services (HSS) in each region of Nunavut.
Infrastructure, such as sewage disposal sites, solid waste dis-
Prior to 1998, Health and Social Services (HSS) would reduce
posal sites, reservoirs, water lakes, airports, snow fences and sci-
the 450-metre setback to the boundary of the disposal site, if the
entific installations, are some of the obstacles to development
site was cleaned and capped. However, since the establishment
that many Nunavut municipalities must address in selecting
of Nunavut and partly due to the high turnover rate of employ-
land for future development. The Baker Lake planning maps
ees, corporate knowledge of this flexibility that the Government
clearly depict the infrastructure and availability of land.
of Northwest Territories (GNWT) had has been lost. The new
Probably the most controversial obstacles to development are 20
employees of HSS proceed without this knowledge and folJournal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Bob Chapple, MCIP Manager of Planning, Government of Nunavut
NUNAVUT
Kugluktuk land-use plan, showing possible new development within setback limits of old waste disposal site.
lowed the Acts and Regulations. However, development has
the setbacks are more severe than in other jurisdictions, such as
already occurred or has been identified for future development
in B.C. and Alberta where the setbacks are only 300 metres.
during the GNWT era within these setbacks, in some instances.
Health and Social Services have indicated they want to review
Considering that the municipalities took over the responsibili-
the current Act and Regulations.
ties of land development in 1996, they also inherited this problem from the Territorial Government. In recent years, HSS has reduced the setbacks in communities such as Iqualuit, where land development is encroaching on old waste sites and, for others, has indicated that an application and environmental assessments will have to be submitted to reduce the setbacks (see Kugluktuk land use plan).
Infrastructure Environment Communities Facilities
Putting this controversy of the old waste disposal sites to the side, the setbacks from existing waste disposal sites are obviously major obstacles to development that must be respected to protect public health. From a planning perspective, there is no disagreement with HSS on this issue, but it should be noted that Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
4920 47th Street, Yellowknife 867.920.4555
www.dillon.ca 21
NUNAVUT Considering that a setback of a specific distance will remain
Choices will have to be made by the municipalities and the
around old waste disposal sites, closing an existing site or devel-
Government of Nunavut either to relocate the airports or to
oping a new site must be seriously evaluated before taking
develop residential lots further from the communities in areas
action. From a planning perspective, relocating a waste disposal
where development costs could be considerably higher.
site must be avoided wherever possible in order to prevent another obstacle to development. Community expansion and airports are also in constant conflict. Every community in Nunavut has an airport, which is essential for basic survival of the community. Air transportation is required for medical treatment and supplies, food, movement of people and basic essentials. However, in communities where airports are located close to the built-up area of the community,
Infrastructure provides essential services to the communities. The communities, however, are growing so rapidly, the infrastructure has now become an obstacle to development. The only solution is for the responsible departments of the infrastructure and the municipalities to work together and demonstrate some flexibility to resolve the problems. If the departments knew of the implications to municipalities, they
the airport is an obstacle to development. Airports in the North
would probably be more flexible. Long distance communication,
have similar development related limitations to the waste dis-
delays to obtain a response, and high turnover rate of municipal
posal sites; these limitations are enforced by Transport Canada.
and territorial employees, has also contributed to these issues
These limitations include the takeoff and approach trajectories
being unresolved for long periods. There has been some success
and transitions, development in proximity to the airport, and
in recent years and a better understanding of this issue on both
development in proximity of the air navigational equipment.
sides, which has lead to some optimism.
22
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
NORMAL WELLS By Glen Guthrie Communications Officer, Sahtu Renewable Resources Board
BOSWORTH CREEK MONITORING PROJECT NEAR NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. Typical vegetation and terrain around Norman Wells.
Introduction
has an average of 126 frost-free days per year. The mean daily
The Sahtu Renewable Resources Board (SRRB) is the main instru-
temperature in January is -29 C and the mean daily temperature
ment of wildlife and forest management in the Sahtu Settlement
in July is 16 C. About 195 millimetres of rain fall each year.
Area (approximately 283,000 square kilometres) surrounding Norman Wells, and is a regional co-management board that was created through the Sahtu Dene and MĂŠtis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement in 1993. The Bosworth Creek Monitoring Project (BCMP) is a high resolution, long-term study of a 125-square-kilometre watershed at Norman Wells, N.W.T. (65 degrees 18 minutes north latitude and 126 degrees 41 minutes west longitude). Norman Wells is south of the limit of continuous permafrost, however, the soil has a high ice content, is unstable and is subject to heaving. On the better drained area, black spruce, tamarack, white birch, and alder grow. Portions of the surrounding area are muskeg with mosses grasses and bushes. Norman Wells Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
23
NORMAN CITYWELLS
Students share observation as part of the Bosworth Creek monitoring project.
Winter sampling is an integral part of the Bosworth Creek monitoring project.
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The project was initiated after the SRRB received a request from local residents in 2006 for information on fish stocks in Bosworth Creek, following the removal of a weir on the creek in 2005. The weir was constructed in 1960 to create a pond needed to run a power generation station for an oil refinery. Closure of the refinery resulted in dismantling the weir by Imperial Oil Resources NWT Limited under a Reclamation and Restoration Plan. The BCMP is facilitated by the SRRB and involves local youth and community volunteers. The project has mapped the physical and chemical environment, and has recorded the occurrences of fish, benthic and terrestrial invertebrates, and birds and mammals, which has led to the creation of baseline biotic and chemical inventories. The project is now capable of broadening its investigation to include microhabitat studies, monitoring the timing, distribution and relative abundances of biotic communities, and focusing more upon issues related to climate change that appear to be affecting groundwater distribution. The project will also continue to monitor potential impacts by industry, including the effects of a flare stack on locally harvested berries. Ongoing public education opportunities include presentations, workshops, publications and affiliations with academic professionals. The BCMP has become a permanent component of Mackenzie Mountain School’s high school curriculum through the NWT Experiential Science Program. The project is currently associated with more than a dozen academic and government agencies that manage or have interests in the environment. These associations lead to unprecedented access to expertise by local youth. Working relationships with scientists from southern
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
NORMAN CITYWELLS universities, government agencies and industry is providing northern high school students with exceptional scientific career opportunities. Groundwater, Chemistry and Climate Change The BCMP is unique in several ways. First, unlike virtually all other studies, this one samples water chemistry throughout the year at specific locations, including those previously sampled by industry. This has led to the development of a temporal, geographic watersubstrate chemistry profile of the watershed and represents the state of current knowledge for the creek’s chemical environment. Any marked changes in the range of values will indicate change within the environment, either due to industrial or natural events. For example, variations in water chemistry at different times of the year are apparent and likely due to varying dependence on groundwater versus seasonal run-off. Second, the high resolution nature of this investigation has resulted in extensive mapping and photo analyses of the creek. The long-term aspect has allowed investigators to identify newly developing sources of very cold groundwater that enters the creek at five locations on the lower portion of the creek. Two explanations for this include increased groundwater volume and alterations in the substrate that created new delivery points. Finally, the BCMP is investigating the chemical nature of overflow ice. Specifically, there are two forms of overflow ice based on colour: yellow ice (occurs annually at specific locations), and blue-green ice (far more common and chemically unique). Both types of ice were treated as though they were water samples, and tested for total metals. The blue-green ice was found to
The Bosworth Creek watershed covers 125 square kilometres, mimic creek water, whereas the yellow ice consistently produced elevated levels of nearly all heavy metals including arsenic, chromium and uranium. Associations between yellow overflow and groundwater sources are under
investigation, but so far no clear relationship has been identified. Edie Lake lies at the south eastern boundary of the Bosworth Creek watershed and drains into Jackfish Lake by means of a small unnamed creek. Local
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
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NORMAN WELLS
Mentoring as part of the Bosworth Creek monitoring project.
26
knowledge and previously collected data by GNWT Department of Renewable Resources (DRR) [1993] indicate that lake chemistry has changed dramatically over the past 15 years. This lake was once considered unhealthy based on water chemistry, very low aquatic diversity, and odour. However, a reconnaissance to Edie Lake in summer 2007, revealed that previous conditions have changed and are now more favourable for aquatic life. Follow-up investigations in 2008, have confirmed these observations. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH are now well within the tolerances of “sensitive� benthic invertebrates, and the lake is now host to a significant juvenile northern pike population. As DO levels drop in this relatively small, shallow lake during winter, it is unclear whether the fish can over-winter in Edie Lake, or migrate to Jackfish Lake. Regardless, the changes in lake chemistry and biotic inhabitants indicate a dramatic redistribution and/or availability of groundwater. Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
NORMAN WELLS Next Steps Climate change is resulting in nonnative species introductions and melting permafrost throughout the North. This project is tracking these changes on a local scale through multi-disciplinary, ongoing consistent monitoring that is providing a high-resolution analogue for other northern and high-altitude southern environments. The project targets local youth comprised of approximately 55 per cent Dene and MĂŠtis and 45 per cent other ethnic origins, and includes approximately equal participation by both genders. The ultimate goal of this project is to encourage and support northern youth to pursue careers in the sciences. The BCMP has provided an avenue for Mackenzie Mountain School to undertake conservation education projects over the last two years. The demand for
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a more hands-on approach to science in the North is being answered through the efforts of GNWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE). ECE is currently developing and Experiential Science Program for Grades 10 to 12 and the BCMP can provide comprehensive resources to meet these needs. Therefore, curriculum is being developed that specifically meets the requirements of Science 30, while satisfying the needs of cutting-edge research. To this end, the project will be installing meteorological and water monitoring stations on Bosworth Creek in spring 2009. These stations will contribute to research across Canada, while providing students with hands-on opportunities to conduct actual realtime science. Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
27
RANKIN INLET
LOGISTICS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND OPERATING A REMOTE TESTING LAB IN RANKIN INLET, N.W.T. Setting up remote environmental lab in Rankin Inlet.
Obtaining regular and reliable waste-
are on direct flight paths with
water analyses is a challenge for most
Yellowknife. Communities in most of
northern communities. Water boards
Nunavut and in places such as Nunavik,
across the North require routine moni-
northern Quebec, must send their sam-
toring of wastewater treatment sys-
ples to southern laboratories. Sending
tems, and new regulations, which could
samples to Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto,
come into effect within the next five
or Montreal may appear to be a reason-
years, may even increase the monitor-
able approach to monitoring, however,
ing responsibilities of communities.
for many communities this is not a
Regional labs in the North can pro-
viable option.
vide the analytical services required for
It is very costly and logistically very
wastewater treatment monitoring. The
difficult to send samples to southern
best example in the North is Taiga
laboratories from most locations in the
Environmental
in
North. It is usually not possible for sam-
Yellowknife. This facility can serve most
ples to arrive at a southern lab during
if not all the communities in N.W.T., and
business hours on the same day the
some communities outside N.W.T. that
sample is taken. In fact, samples from
28
Laboratory
regional communities won’t even arrive during business hours at central transportation hubs such as Rankin Inlet or Iqaluit. Even if samples can be sent out on early flights and arrive at a southern airport during business hours, most air cargo services do not have delivery services that ensures samples are taken to a lab upon arrival at the airport. Asking taxi drivers to pick up samples at the terminal and take them to the lab is often the only choice available. Once the samples arrive at the lab, the in-take person may or may not process them for immediate analysis. More often than not, the samples will wait until the following day and may in fact not be processed for several days in spite of “rush� requests. Some labs have overnight analytical services and will process samples immediately, but the cost for such services is extremely high. The overall effect is that assurance of the chain of custody and the integrity of samples cannot be guaranteed. For many communities, samples cannot be delivered to labs within the time limits recommended. For Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), timing is particularly critical. Standard Methods recommends that BOD tests should be started within six hours of collection, and when this is not possible the sample should be stored at 4 C for up to 24 hours after which it should be discarded. Without regional labs, meeting such time constraints is not possible.
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Brent Wootton and Stephanie Collins Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment, Fleming College
The Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment at Fleming College, received funding from the federal government under the Inter national Polar Year program to assess the efficacy and performance of treatment wetlands in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. The research plan involved the undertaking of some 10,000 analyses in 2008, and sending water samples south was simply not an option. To accommodate the high number of analyses and to ensure high quality results, the research team established a lab in the Kivalliq region. Rankin Inlet was chosen because it is the central transportation hub in the Kivalliq, and there are flights most days to and from all the regional communities. Setting up a regional lab had its own challenges. First a space had to be located and leased with adequate lighting, ventilation, and a table space for laboratory work. A source of water is also required, but chlorinated municipal water is unsatisfactory for laboratory purposes, so some means of purifying the water is essential. In this case, a distillation unit was acquired and installed. Incubation cabinets and drying ovens for some of the tests had to be shipped well in advance as did a season’s worth of consumables. Many southern lab supply companies don’t even know how to ship to the North. It is preferable for laboratory equipment to be small, efficient, and lightweight; however there isn’t always a lot of choice in the selection of equipment. The shipping of some supplies, such as concentrated acid needed for preservation, is very challenging because of strict airline regulations. In some cases chemicals can only be sent by sealift. The shipping ordeal is not over when supplies reach the lab. All
RANKIN INLET
Water sampling for sewage wetland in Kivalliq Region. hazardous materials have to be stock-
perature, conductivity, Total Dissolved
piled and shipped south for proper dis-
Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids
posal. In the end, all of these chal-
(TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), ammo-
lenges can be overcome and it is possi-
nia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, total
ble to set up a properly equipped lab in
phosphorus, Chemical Oxygen De -
almost any community in the North.
mand (COD), BOD, E. coli, and total col-
Operating the lab is the next chal-
iforms. These tests typically do not
lenge. The technicians that ended up
require a fumehood; tests that do
working in the Kivalliq lab were south-
require a fumehood, such as measuring
ern trained. Local individuals were initially hired to assist in lab work, but the nature of the laboratory activities, and the small and sometimes warm working space did not have any appeal for long-term employment. Compounding the staffing challenges is the typically small demand for laboratory analyses in most regions. The seven communi-
TKN or the digestion of samples for metal analyses, were not attempted. Such samples were preserved and sent south. The Rankin Inlet laboratory facility successfully tested over 10,000 water samples during 2008, and many lessons were learned over the course of
ties in the Kivalliq region do not gener-
mobilizing, setting up, operating and
ate enough water-license required
shutting
monitoring to justify the full-time oper-
Regulatory agencies that require moni-
ation of a regional lab, therefore the
toring need to take northern logistical
research lab in Rankin Inlet would only
issues into account and either subsi-
operate on a seasonal basis.
dize northern analytical lab capacity or
down
the
laboratory.
The lab in Rankin Inlet was able to do
permit the monitoring of alternative
the following tests according to
parameters that can be measured in
Standard Methods protocols: pH, tem-
situ or in a regional lab.
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
29
YELLOWKNIFE
RESIDENTIAL FUEL SPILLS IN YELLOWKNIFE, N.W.T.: THE PLAGUE OF NECESSITY “Hello, Home Fuels.” “I’m out of fuel. I thought I was on computer delivery.” “Just a minute while I check. Here it is. We delivered yesterday.” “Oh ... oh no!” We are completely dependent on fossil fuels to sustain our northern way of life. Fuel oil systems heat the largest majority of homes in the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) over any other source of fuel. When working properly, fuel oil systems rarely get a second thought in our day-to-day lives. Much like toilets, these systems are designed to be largely automatic and anonymous – that is, until the system fails. Since 1998, reported fuel spills associated with residential heating oil have tripled. Fuel tank spills are increasing on two fronts. Many fuel tanks are reaching the end of their service life
YSI ProODO
and failing due to long-term corrosion and wear. We see many of these tanks that are over their 20-year service life. The fire marshal insists you change your fuel tank every 20 years for a reason. The second front is the tanks that are less than five years and failing, due to increased microbiological activity and lack of corrosion protection inside the tank. To a homeowner, a fuel spill is a devastating event in their lives affecting them for weeks, months, even years. The spill that first and foremost endangers human health and safety also contaminates our ecosystems and our aquatic reservoirs. The cost associated with a fuel spill often reaches into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Without proper insurance, families could lose everything.
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Hoskin Scientific Ltd. 30
www.hoskin.ca
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
By Ron Kent, P.Eng. & Clay Peck., CEPIT FSC Engineering Inc.
YELLOWKNIFE
Corrosion in residential fuel tank.
Incidence of residential fuel spills in Yellowknife over the past decade.
When sulphur was removed from home heating fuel several years ago, and several of the additives were changed, the toxicity of the fuel was reduced. This allowed autotrophic micro-organisms to live in the water that accumulates in the fuel tank. The
jury is out as to whether it is bacteria or funguses that are the major culprits, so we’ll just call them bugs, for now. These bugs use the tank materials as part of their metabolic processes and eat their way to daylight, usually emerging in the spring. A tank
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
31
YELLOWKNIFE
Demolition of trailer to gain access to fuel spill. with a bug hole in the bottom looks just like someone used a 1/8inch drill. Spring seems to be the worst time for spills. The water that froze at the bottom of the tank thaws and the weak area created by corrosion and bugs, lets go. Add that to the normal movement of the ground as it freezes and thaws, pulling on hard piping and you have a recipe for a spill. Spill response consists of the following steps: Stop the spill; Contain the spill; Report the spill; Remediate the site; and Obtain closure from the regulatory authority. Every fuel spill is different from the next; each spill has its own challenges and problems that make it unique. A spill will require some demolition of a trailer in order to remediate the spill area, which will likely extend underneath the trailer. Although a spill may not ultimately be preventable, there are a number of actions that may be undertaken to minimize the risk: • Check home insurance to see what and how much coverage is available in the event of a spill. • Maintain a fuel tank on a level, stable and well-drained base. • Maintain easy accessibility to a fuel tank to reduce the likelihood of spills during regular refills. • Drain water and sludge from a fuel tank on an annual basis. • Keep a fuel tank free of snow and ice, and make sure that melting snow and ice does not fall on a fuel tank. 32
Remediation activity for residential fuel spill.
Corrosion hole in residential fuel tank. • Complete regular inspections of the fuel tanks and the piping from the tank. • Check for leaks underneath the fuel tank in the spring. • Confirm that a flexible connection is used at the tank. • Confirm that piping is continuous without hidden joints or connections, and the fuel filter should be next to the fuel appliance. The fire marshal requires that above-ground tanks be replaced every 20 years. How old is yours? Practically speaking, any single-wall steel tank of any age should be replaced with a tank that is made of, or coated with, non-corrosive materials. Some of the spills have occurred in tanks that are less than three years old. Corrosion-proof tanks are available, and these often come with additional insurance – the extra cost is also cheap insurance. Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
KASHECHEWAN
WATER AND SEWER CHALLENGES IN KASHECHEWAN, ONTARIO Background Kashechewan is a Cree First Nation community of about 1,900 people, 10
Community of Kashechewan and adjacent infrastructure.
kilometres upstream from James Bay on the Albany River in northern Ontario. The community is located at 17 degrees 52 minutes north latitude and 38 degrees 81 minutes west longitude. The closest urban centre to the isolated town is Timmins, Ont., 400 kilometres to the south. The community lies on the flood plain of the Albany and many of its buildings are susceptible to flooding in the springtime. The Hudson's Bay Lowlands climate consists of long cold winters and short warm summers. Permanent ice may appear between late Novembers and
Water Supply and Treatment
Water from the Red Willow Creek
will provide cover until the end of April
The Kashechewan water treatment
flows through the intake and into a raw
or early May. The terrain and vegeta-
plant uses a surface source from Red
water intake well located on shore. From
tion are sub-arctic with a predomi-
Willow Creek. The creek feeds into the
there, the raw water passes through a
nance of open cover of stunted black
Albany River, which ultimately flows into
coarse screen to remove large debris, or
spruce and tamarack in the swamps
James Bay. The water treatment plant is
fish entering into the plant's low-lift well.
located at the mouth of Red Willow
The water treatment plant intake in Red
and peat land. The banks of the Albany River, river in-lands and tributary streams, however, are forested with heavy cover of white spruce. A new water treatment plant was built for the community in 1995 to replace an existing plant that was at
Creek. It is a conventional treatment plant with chemically assisted filtration and disinfection processes and is capable of producing approximately 1,400 cubic metres of treated water per day.
Willow Creek was positioned so that potential contamination from overflow of raw sewage from the sewage collection system into the Albany River would be minimized. Tides from James Bay influence the flow of the Albany River
the end of its design life. In October
The raw water intake for the plant is
2005, high E. coli levels were found in
a 200-millimetre-diameter pipe that
flow in the river under certain circum-
the community’s drinking water, and a
extends approximately 90-metres into
stances.
major evacuation of the community
the creek. The intake crib is located in
From the low-lift well, the water is
occurred with about 800 community
the vicinity of where the creek feeds
pumped via two low-lift pumps to the
residents airlifted to northern Ontario
into the Albany River at a depth of 4.5
clarification treatment process in the
communities.
metres.
plant. Coagulant chemical is added in
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
and, in fact, may cause some reverse
33
KASHECHEWAN The filtration system at the plant consists of two (2) sand and anthracite media gravity filters. Water from the clarifier enters into a splitter box and proportionate water enters into each filter by gravity. The filtered water is chlorinated and flows into the plant's clearwell. The clearwell is comprised of two (2) separate cells, each with a volume of approximately 280 cubic metres. Treated water from the clearwell is pumped into the distribution system via five (5) high-lift pumps. There is also one (1) fire pump for emergency services.
Schematic of Kashechewan water treatment processes.
Schematic of Kashechewan sewage treatment system. the low-lift well pump discharge pipe to aid in the settling of particulate matter in the raw water. Clarification water is pumped from the low-lift well to the plant's single clarifier. A temporary polymer feed system is set up on the clarifier. 34
Within the clarifier, the larger heavier particulate matter is allowed to settle to the bottom. The clarified effluent then flows into the plant's filtration system. Sludge at the bottom of the clarifier is discharged to the sanitary sewer.
Sewage Collection and Disposal The Kashechewan First Nation sewage collection system includes gravity sewers, three sewage lift stations and forcemains. The main lift station pumps the sewage across Red Willow Creek to the sewage treatment facility. The main lift station has an overflow to direct raw sewage to the Albany River via the overflow sewer, should the lift station fail. The sewage treatment facility is located immediately northeast of the community, on the northeast side of Red Willow Creek. The community is located on the opposite shore. The facility consists of two individual lagoons. Lagoon 1 was constructed in about 1988, with an estimated working capacity of 83,000 m3. The working capacity of cell 2, constructed in about 2000, is approximately 104,000 m3. The lagoon cells were designed to discharge on a seasonal seven-day discharge basis, including one discharge period in the spring and one in the fall of each year. Treated effluent from the discharge chamber enters a ditch that leads to East Creek. East Creek flows in a northeasterly direction for a distance of approximately eight kilometres from
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
KASHECHEWAN the sewage lagoons towards James Bay. Concerns With Water and Sewer Infrastructure A comprehensive assessment was completed after the 2005 incident as a means to document the circumstances that lead up to the contamination event, and provide a framework for action to reduce the chances of a similar incident occurring in the future. The following observations were made regarding the water system at the time of the incident: • The water treatment system had inoperative valves, pumps and feed lines, including check valves on the supply piping from the low-lift pumps; inoperative chemical metering pumps; and completely obstructed chemical feed lines. • There were no up-to-date record drawings available on-site for either the water treatment plant or water distribution system, and there was no apparent documented procedure for the disinfection of drinking water at the water treatment plant. • An insecure bypass had been installed so that raw water could be directed around the clarifier to the filters, and there were a number of potential cross-connections between treated and untreated process wastewater. • There was limited process instrumentation for monitoring the operation of the water treatment plant. The following observations were made regarding the sewage system at the time of the incident: • The overflow sewer was located adjacent to the shoreline of the Albany River, upstream of the surface drinking water supply intake within the Red Willow Creek; tidal influences
experienced in the area could poten-
increases the potential for raw
tially transport contamination along
sewage to overflow to the Albany
the shoreline of the Albany River and
River during an extended power sup-
near the drinking water intake.
ply outage.
• There was no dedicated standby
• Two of the three sewage lift stations
power supply for the sewage collec-
were non-operational. Under these
tion
conditions, if the remaining sewage
system;
this
circumstance
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
35
KASHECHEWAN lift station failed, there was the potential of an overflow of sewage Kashechewan water supply and sewage treatment systems.
to the Albany River. • The overflow sewer and associated backflow prevention device were broken; this could permit water to enter the sewage collection system, resulting in flooding of the community during high water levels in the Albany River.
Conclusions The lessons learned from Kashechewan are not unique; in fact, the elements of the Kashechewan experience have been evident in many of the communities across the North at some point in time over the past 20 years. What is unique about Kashechewan is that a series of circumstances lead to an outcome and an action that received national attention. The Kashechewan story is far from over as the federal government considers what long-term action is needed to reduce the risk of an incident like this in the future, not only in Kashechewan, but other remote northern communities.
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
CCME By Catherine Mallet and Anne Wilson Northern Research Working Group Co-Chairs
CCME STRATEGY AND THE NORTH
Arctic Bay sewage lagoon and wetland system. Wastewater treatment in the North is unique. From honey
priate for northern conditions, taking into consideration cli-
buckets and pits, to engineered lagoons and mechanical
mate, logistics, costs and capacity issues. The Far North is
plants, municipal wastewater treatment systems in northern
defined in the CCME strategy as all of the Northwest Territories
communities possess a variety of challenges.
and Nunavut, the Nunavik region of Quebec, and the
These challenges are acknowledged in the Canada-wide
Nunatsiavut region of Newfoundland and Labrador. A
Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent
Municipal Wastewater Effluent Co-ordinating Committee
(the “Strategy�- www.ccme.ca/assets/pdf/cda_wide_strate-
(MWWE CC) will monitor implementation of the strategy.
gy_mwwe_final_e.pdf ), which was signed by the Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment (CCME) in February
The Northern Research Working Group
2009. The strategy includes a five-year window of time for the
The Northern Research Working Group (NRWG) was formed
Far North to develop performance standards which are appro-
February 2007 to plan and implement the work necessary to
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
37
CCME Grise Fiord sewage lagoon – Canada’s most northern community system.
develop recommendations for appropriate northern National Performance Standards (NPS) and other related components. The NRWG is an ad hoc group co-chaired by Environment Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), and currently has a total of 52 members (17 regular members and 35 observer members).
One StopShop for All Your Water and Waste Water Needs
Regular members are from various government and regulatory agencies in the Far North; water boards, community personnel, and other interested parties also take part in this working group as either regular or observer members. The current mandate of the NRWG is to gain an understanding of municipal
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wastewater effluent and site conditions in the North in order to evaluate the environmental risks associated with MWWE discharges. The objectives of the NRWG include: • Research to identify the factors that influence lagoon and wetland performance (including the viability of using other types of systems). • Identifying whether or not NPS are appropriate for remote or northern conditions (within five years). • Establishing a process for determining site-specific effluent discharge objectives and requirements for pollutants other than CBOD, TSS and TRC, as appropriate.
38
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
CCME • Determining an appropriate app roach and methodology to conduct risk assessments. • Recommending monitoring requirements for remote or northern wastewater systems. Since 2007, the NWRG has conducted research programs, produced several reports, and compiled a review of all the wastewater systems in the Far North. Sampling programs to collect wastewater samples and information on wastewater treatment systems in communities were completed in 2007 and 2008; wastewater samples from 39 communities in the N.W.T. and NU have been tested. A report on the sampling programs and other information is available at www.mvlwb.ca/NRWG/default.aspx (password: nrwg). The sampling program and data compilation will continue in 2009. The NRWG will also work on educating communities on the importance of wastewater sampling and the reporting. Role of Environment Canada Environment Canada (EC) is responsible for taking the strategy forward via legislation. Environment Canada’s principal instrument to implement the CCME Strategy is the regulations under the Fisheries Act. The regulations will reflect the CCME Strategy for wastewater systems, including standards for secondary treatment or equivalent, risk-based implementation timelines, and monitoring and reporting requirements. At this time, the proposed EC regulations will not apply performance standards to the Far North. Wastewater systems in the North will continue “status quo” with effluent discharges and monitoring regimes being governed by the existing permits. Following research and
Sewage lagoon sampling for Northern Research Working Group – rather “buggy” conditions.
the determination of appropriate per-
What Next?
formance standards for northern condi-
Over the next five years, research and
tions, Environment Canada is planning
risk assessment work will be done to
to amend the regulations under the
identify appropriate northern perform-
Fisheries Act to include the North.
ance standards. Municipal planners and
To start the research and planning
facility owners are encouraged to plan
process, Environment Canada hosted a
ahead when upgrading or improving
workshop in March 2009. The workshop
their wastewater systems. Upcoming
was attended by scientific and regulatory representatives involved in wastewater management from across the North. The workshop discussion identified the roles of various groups and agencies, along with the elements related to the five-year strategic planning process. The session also included presentations from experts on lagoon sys-
regulations and performance standards are expected to be lower than currently regulated levels. Municipal operators are also encouraged to continue sampling wastewater effluent and receiving water bodies as required under their current permits. Sampling is necessary to help decision-makers understand the performance of wastewater treatment facilities in the North and meas-
tems and wetlands. The broad experi-
ure the environmental effects of waste-
ence of the participants was invaluable
water discharges. Working together will
in bringing out information gaps, logis-
help operators and regulators achieve a
tical challenges, the research needed,
greater understanding of the current
and what does and doesn’t work in the
wastewater treatment situation in the
North (anne.wilson@ec.gc.ca. for work-
North and help determine how it can
shop report or www.ec.gc.ca/eu-ww for
be improved to protect our northern
more general information).
environment.
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
39
CARCROSS
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CARCROSS, YUKON Burning vessel with loading doors open; note screened vents on top of vessel.
Whatever stops the garbage from burning, just do it – and do it quickly, Carcross residents told officials during a public meeting in April 2009. Government representatives and environmental scientists visited the community as part of a community tour to overhaul the territory’s solid-waste strategy. Garbage burning has persisted because it’s cheap. On average, a garbage-burning facility costs $28,500 to maintain per year. A supervised transfer facility can cost up to $100,000. Sixteen Yukon communities currently put the torch to their waste. Most employ big, hulking burning vessels; however, some communities still burn in 40
an open pit. Converting burn dumps to non-burn dumps could cost as much as $9 million, with $2 million more per year in operational costs, Carcross residents were told at the pubic meeting. There are presently 19 unincorporated communities for which Yukon Government (YG) operates solid waste facilities. The current solid waste management practices in the Yukon, dependant on the geographical area and needs of the surrounding communities, typically fall into one of the following categories: • Burial of waste in a trench. • Open trench burning and burial. • Burn vessels and burial of the ash.
• Unmanned transfer station disposal. • Manned transfer station disposal. Carcross still uses open trench burning for solid waste management. The use of burning vessels, however, has been increasing in communities across the Yukon. Burning Vessels In most instances, burning vessels were relatively new additions at the respective waste facilities. The burning vessels are constructed of large used steel fabricated underground or aboveground storage tanks that have been modified with doors and vents to accept varying capacities of waste.
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
CARCROSS The configuration of these burning vessels vary only slightly from one another, but their size differs in proportion to the volume of waste expected at the respective facility. The wastes accepted and segregated at each site are generally the same. The burning vessels are very effective in containing the wastes accepted and minimizing the litter that escapes, not to mention the reduction in scavenging from animals and birds in comparison to open trench burning. The difficulty, however, is that there are large quantities of non-burnable items (metals, mostly) that find their way into the vessel and, later must be separated from the ashes. The possibility of a propane tank, paints, or car batteries entering the vessel is also a risk (due to the unmanned nature of the sites), and
this poses a risk to the environment, as well as the health and safety of those using the facility.
birds, but overall the site is well maintained, with the majority of wastes segregated in tidy piles, despite a lack of clear signage.
Open Trench Burning Carcross has maintained the use of open trench burning as a potential means to avoid the commissioning of a burning vessel, which could delay the establishment of a transfer station for trucking waste 75 kilometres back to the Whitehorse landfill. The Carcross site is divided into operating areas – one area for domestic waste (to be burned in the trench) and the other area for construction wastes, appliances, waste metals, and hazardous waste. The domestic waste portion of the facility is untidy due to the abundance of litter scattered by wind and
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
Overall, there is no apparent operational difference between a burning trench facility, and burning vessel facility, other than litter control. Burning vessels do burn much more quickly and in a more controlled manner than in a trench. Open trench burning has greater potential to smoulder for longer periods of time, due to uneven temperatures and incomplete combustion of wastes. Transfer Stations When it comes to transfer stations, the major factor contributing to site performance is the level of staffing. Sites
41
CARCROSS that are kept tidy, have access to staff during operating hours, and access to the site, are limited to those hours only. Unmanned facilities could greatly benefit from improved waste-management practices. In principle, these sites should operate the same as the Yukon's
other transfer stations, but the absence of staff and the unlimited access to the facility has been detrimental to the operation. This combination provides no supervision, and the public has taken advantage of the consequence-free environment on a regular basis.
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General Observations The waste deposit practices are variable in the Yukon. Due to the remoteness of some residents, and the lack of some services in the territory, it is common that users store their wastes at their residences for an extended period of time, and then unload a large quantity of waste at once, temporarily overloading a site's capacity. This is particularly apparent when it comes to auto hulks, appliances, construction and demolition waste, and tires. Throughout the Yukon, the level of community volunteerism varies quite significantly. It seems that some communities are attuned to environmental and solid waste issues in the Yukon, and the others are more inclined to "keep things the way they've always been." This presents challenges when adopting a common framework for standardizing waste management approaches. More specifically, recycling tends to be less developed at unincorporated communities, since there is a lack of recycling facilities available nearby. Contractors hired to manage each facility are directly responsible for each site's relative functionality and tidiness. Each contractor is hired as a result of a tendering process, and there is often a learning curve associated with the contractors executing the waste management contracts if the contractor is new. At times, this can result in onerous micro-level management for the YG, where contractor performance has to be closely monitored, and often contracts either have to be renegotiated, cancelled, or reissued. Back in Carcross, the latest public meeting was “probably round six� in a long line of engineers and consultants sweeping through the town with promises of clean waste disposal, said
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
CARCROSS Burning vessel showing ash discharge system and trench for disposing of ash.
another resident. “Just tell us a solution is coming quickly; you’ll be more popular,” he said to government representatives. “Let’s fast track this thing, rather than just studying the crap out of it again.”
References EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd., Comprehensive Solid Waste Study for Yukon Territory Unincorporated Waste Facilities, Volume 1. April 2009 Yukon News, The Long Road to No-Burn. April 24, 2009
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
43
REPORT
President’s Report
Sean Austman-Kunkel First off, I’d like to thank everyone who
tive measure to protect the sewage
was able to make it to the 2008 annual
infrastructure from the mighty wrath of
conference, which took place in Norman
the annual break up of ice on the
Wells last November. Not only is Norman
Mackenzie River, and not a moment too
Wells a northern hub of exploration for
soon. In my opinion, this year’s break
the Sahtu region, it also happens to be
might very well have destroyed these
my hometown. So the conference was
buildings, if not for the wall.
very important to me for obvious rea-
As the conference is the NTWWA’s
sons. The annual conference and
main activity for each year, it is usually a
tradeshow is the NTWWA members’ only
very busy time for all the participants,
chance to network and share informa-
but until the 2008 conference I had no
tion with each other.
concept of how much work the confer-
We had a tour of the town water plant,
ence organization really takes. I would
as well as the lagoon and other sewage
like to thank everyone who volunteered
infrastructure. I think something very
their time to help make the 2008 confer-
unique to Norman Wells is the construc-
ence come together so well.
tion of a sea wall around the sewage lift
We were lucky enough to have Ken
station on the bank of the Mackenzie
Mattes, president of Western Canada
River. When the conference took place,
Water Association (WCW), travel to
the sea wall was still under construction.
Norman Wells to be our keynote speaker.
This project came about as a preventa-
His attendance at our conference helped
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further the NTWWA’s ongoing growth, as well as our participation as a constituent organization of the WCW. As a result of meeting Ken in person, I was invited to sit in on the WCW board meetings in January (Calgary) and May (Winnipeg). This involvement with a more established organization increases our profile as an organization on the forefront of the water issues unique to the North. Kinda like a big brother. Thank you, Ken for coming to the Great White North to share your experiences with us. As always, we had representation from all corners of our country, though mostly from the North. I am always so impressed with the level of participation we enjoy from everyone who makes the effort to travel to the conference because, as we all know, it is not an easy task to travel across the northern reaches of Canada in the cold months. For those who were unable to attend the conference, I hope they will be able to make it to the 2009 conference in Cambridge Bay. Two years ago our conference took place in Iqaluit, so the conference this year falls again to Nunavut to host. I hope you will enjoy our annual Journal, and that it has shared some information you have found valuable. It is our other method of sharing knowledge with our members and with the general public. Ken Johnson, once again, deserves our thanks for putting together all of this information and making sure its gets to all of you. Thanks to all of you for making the NTWWA what it is, and I look forward to seeing you in Cambridge Bay.
Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
REPORT
Executive Director’s Report
Olivia Lee The NTWWA is excited to be releasing its
trade show participants are what make
executive director. It has been great
fifth annual Journal publication featur-
the annual event such a success, so
experience and it is a pleasure to work
ing articles relating to the diamond
thank you for your participation.
with all of you. Every year we say good-
industry and water management. The
The winner of the 2008 Drinking
bye to dedicated board members and
release of the Journal is one of the main
Water Competition was the Town of Fort
welcome newcomers to the board, and
goals and objectives of the association
Smith and they will be looking to hold
this year is no exception. On behalf of
and we hope that you find it informative
on to that title at the upcoming confer-
the board, I thank all of the board
and enjoy the read. The 2009 NTWWA Annual Conference, Trade Show, and Operator’s Workshop will be hosted in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut from October 17 to 19. Northern waters are some of the most
ence, so all of you operators out there – don’t forget your water. The board tries to maintain diverse representation and currently consists of water treatment plant operators, consultants with expertise in the areas of water and waste, a water and waste-
members who are leaving us, for their dedication to bringing a northern perspective to the field of water and waste. To all of the new board members, thanks for volunteering your time and efforts to the board. Special thanks
pristine in the world and in order to keep
water industry representative, and gov-
are due for the efforts of president
it this way it is important that water
ernment employees. If you are interest-
Sean Austman-Kunkel, past president
management take place. Mark your cal-
ed in becoming a board member, the
Heather Scott, the Journal’s editor, Ken
endars and join us at the annual event to
opportunity is during the AGM that is
Johnson, and our administrator Pearl
share ideas and learn about what is
held following the conference each year.
Benyk.
going on with relation to water management in the North.
Thank you to the NTWWA Board of Directors for keeping me on as the
Enjoy the Journal and I will see you in Cambridge Bay.
Last year the Annual Conference, Trade Show and Operators Workshop, held in Norman Wells, N.W.T., was a suc-
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
tel 604-885-2956 www.jelcon.com 45
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS A.H. McElroy Sales & Service
9
FSC Architects & Engineers
7
AECOM
11
Hoskin Scientific Ltd.
AMEC Earth & Environmental
22
Hy-Pro Plastics Inc.
10
Jelcon Equipment Ltd.
45
Kudlik Construction Ltd.
12
Anthrafilter Media Ltd.
5
AWI (Antratech Western Inc.) Biodisk Corporation
9, 36 15
Canadian Dewatering
16
Canbar Inc.
27
Capital H20 Systems, Inc.
43
Chimo Water & Wastewater Cleartech Industries Inc.
OBC IBC
Control Microsystems / Simark Controls
41
Danmax Communication Ltd.
35
30
Lifewater Engineering Company MSS Ltd.
42 5, 31
Mueller Canada
27
NAPEGG
13
Primary Fluid Systems Inc.
IFC
Ramtech Environmental Products
14
Robins Flotech Ltd.
6
Sanitherm Inc.
26
South Baffin Holdings Ltd.
44
Dayton & Knight Ltd.
23
SRK Consulting Engineers and Scientists
14
DelcoWater
25
Stantec
42
Denso North America
17
Terminal City Iron Works Ltd.
Dillon Consulting
21
Univar Canada Ltd.
Emco Waterworks / Sandale Utility Products
38
Urecon Pre-Insulated Pipe
FloTech Pump
19
Williams Engineering Canada Inc.
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Journal of the Northern Territories Water & Waste Association 2009
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