Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine (ESEMAG) June 2003 by Environmental Science and Engineering Magazine

June 2003

Environmentaf cience

WWW.esemag.com

Engineering Covering Canada's multi-billion dollar environmental protection Industry since 1988

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'fiasco mutates, into Low Bid EffiB innovative approach for water treaimenf^lant residues saves miiiiohs D.O. technology critical for wastewater treatmec^pperatiori _ Disinfection research gets t^ tiillirig at spring conferences ' WEAO claims land appliedhie^lids free from SARS virus Using geosynthetics for landfill remediation

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ISSN-0835-605X

June/July 2003 Vol.16 No.3, issuedJuly, 2003

isolm\qn PROCEDU^^tS

ES(SÂŁ invites articles (approx. 1000 words) on water, wastewater, hazardous waste treatment and other environmental protection top

IN PROGRESS

ics. if you are interested in submitting an article for consideration, please contact Steve Davey at steve@esemag.com. Please note that Environmental Science & Engineering Publications Inc. reserves the right to edit ail submissions without notice.

NO EHW Page 54

Contents FEATURES

Sea King fiasco mutates into Low Bid Ethos - Editorial comment by Tom Davey 12

Hamilton waterworks conference breaks ail attendance records

Ontario Environmental Tradeshow attracts over 2,000 visitors

DO technology critical for wastewater treatment operation

Barrie chooses Horizontal Directional Drilling for new watermain project

Business opportunities for Canadians in the post-war Arab Gulf

Life-Cycle Costing - a new book for pump purchasers

Toronto saves $10 million by using an innovative approach to manage water treatment plant residues

I T Ml

DEPARTMENTS Environmental News

Feedback

Datepad

Ad Index

Professional Cards

Classifieds

Toxic moulds under the microscope

Literature Reviews

Photoionization detectors play a key role in Haz-Mat action planning

Product Showcase

Disinfection Digest

Do accredited laboratories perform better?

Reviewing the other, more difficult FOB wastes

Particuiate emissions brought under control at BG plywood plant

Disinfection research gets top billing at spring conferences

Spills - need to know versus nice to know

Cover: A Sea King helicopter sits in Morris Lake, near Shearwater, N,S., during a

48 52

Biofiiter controls odour at Hamilton WWTP

Advanced industrial vacuum systems protect workers and the environment

WEAD claims land applied biosolids free from SARS virus

New drainage project improves Lake St. Glair water quality

4 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

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Editorial

Sea Kings mutate into a Low Bid Ethos A comedy/drama coming to a budget near you

The Sea King helicopter fiasco

should become the benchmark to measure the true financial and other costs of the Low Bid

crashes

Sea

Kings which were designed to seek out and destroy sub

Ethos (LBE) in environmental pro

marines as well as

curement decisions. LBE describes

search and rescue

any procurement process in which

operations. By their very nature, helicopters are complex, intri

engineering or scientific design pro posals are rated on lowest price ten ders, rather than quality, experience or reputation when proposed environ mental treatment plants are being ten

cate

machines

which have to take

dered. I once asked a purchaser; "If

off on a variety of

you were contemplating a vasectomy, would you shop aroundfor a low price surgeon, or would you seek profession al expertise and reputation?" Wincing at my hypothesis, he retreated behind his high school Shakespeare, saying: "This could be the unkindest cut of all," but he conceded that the answer was painfldly obvious.

operations, includ

In 1993, Prime Minister Chretien

ing the heaving decks of ships in heavy seas, to seek-and-rescue shipwrecked crews in atrocious weather conditions.

As anyone with an older car knows,

repair costs escalate exponentially as optimum mechanical life-span dates

mission. Earlier, in 1999, a Sea King had to sit out NATO exercises because

of mechanical failures. These aging helicopters have a litany of embarrass

It has been estimated that it now could take 30 hours of maintenance on

ing breakdowns. Our air crews are not Kamikaze pilots. They should be deco rated for repeatedly performing dan gerous rescue missions in such antique aircraft. Modern helicopters are

Sea Kings for every operational hour

necessities, not luxuries. Besides our

in the air. While this sounds like an

military commitments, we have the longest coastlines in the world where

are passed.

quickly scrapped a contract signed by the previous Conservative government to buy EM-101 military helicopters from Agusta-Westland. "Canada does

exaggeration, it is one I have not seen challenged. In a car, this would mean

not need Cadillac aircraft," he said. To

that a five hour drive from Ottawa to

cious conditions and turbulent seas are

rescind the original contract cost

Toronto could require 150 hours of

Canadians some $500 million not to

maintenance - a total of 300 hours for

commonplace. Now the Federal government is

have helicopters. To these substantial costs must be added the growing and immense costs of maintaining 40 year

a return trip. Were the high mainte nance costs of aging, complex machines like military helicopters ever factored into the already costly $500 million cancellation of the original contract? Remember, they were required for search and destroy mis sions - not to be destroyed while searching.

belatedly reviewing its process of buy ing a new fleet of helicopters, and new situations are now being debated. Should the government buy threeengined EM-IOI helicopters from Agusta-Westland, with their complex electronic equipment already in place or does it adopt a split procurement

The most recent evidence of this farcical situation was when the

other hi-tech equipment are installed by another company? The original hel icopter selection has three engines and is therefore better able to cope if an engine fails. It is also able to operate in the Arctic and has de-icing capabilities

old aircraft which are often older than

the crews that fly them. The bravery of our air crews - and the ingenuity of maintenance engineers to keep them flying - are redolent ofJunk Yard Wars, rather than military operations. Ten crew members have been killed in

Canadian destroyer, HMCS Iroquois set out for the Persian Gulf. Its Sea

King took off, faltered, then crashed By Tom Davey, Editor

back, damaging the helicopter, the destroyer and Canada's international reputation. It reportedly cost about $150,000 to ship another Sea King to the Iroquois in order to complete its

shipwrecks requiring rescue in atro

approach whereby the electronics and

on its rotor blades.

Defence Minister John McCallum

said, after consultations, he came to the continued overleaf...

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 7

Environmental Science

& Engineering Editor & Publisher

TOM DAVEY

E-mail: tom@esemag.com Managing Editor SANDRA DAVEY E-mail: sandra@esemag.com Sales Director

PENNY DAVEY

E-mail: penny@esemag.com Sales Representative DENISE SIMPSON E-mail: denlse@esemag.com Circulation Manager VIRGINIA MEYER E-mail: virglnla@esemag.com Design & Production CAROL SHELTON E-mail: carol@esemag.com

Editorial Comment conclusion: "It's more efficient to pro ceed with a single contract rather than two...because with a single contract there's less risk and therefore likely to be a lower cost." It appeared that, at last, a sensible procurement approach was emerging from Disneyland on the Rideau. Then deja vu loomed like Marley's Ghost, haunting Scrooge. As part of the initial procurement process discussions, Ottawa talked of awarding the contract on the basis of lowest-cost

President

STEVE DAVEY

E-mail: steve@esemag.com

Technical Advisory Board Jim Bishop Beak International Inc.

Bill Borlase, P.Eng. City of Winnipeg George V. Crawford, P.Eng., M.A.Sc. CH2M HILL Canada Limited

Rod Holme, P.Eng. Earth Tech Canada Inc. Dr. Robert C. Landine

ADI Systems Inc. Peter Laughton, M.Eng., P.Eng., DEE R.V. Anderson Associates

Barry Loescher, Ph.D. Philip Analytical Stanley Mason, P.Eng. Marie Meunier

John Meunier Inc. / USFilter

compliance. As Talleyrand said of the Bourbons, after they regained the French Throne following the revolu tion: "They have learned nothingl" As ES&E has frequently noted, the Low Bid Ethos has been extremely costly both in environmental deteriora tion and massive waste of money in governments of all levels, municipal, regional, provincial and federal. Well-

Readers include consulting engineers, industrial plant managers and engineers, key provincial and federal environmental officials, water and wastewater plant operators and contractors. information contained in ES&E has been compiled from sources believed to be correct. ES&E cannot be respon sible for the accuracy of articles or other editorial matter. Although the information contained in this magazine is believed to be correct, no responsibility is assumed. Articles in this magazine are intended to provide informa tion rather than give legal or other professional advice. IVs acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada fl/iagazlne Eund, toward our editorial costs.

Canadian Publications Mail Sales Second Class Mail

Product Agreement No.40065446 Registration No.7750

" w

one year.

Ail advertising space orders, copy, art

work,film, proofs, etc.,should be sent to: Environmental Science & Engineering, 220 Industrial Pkwy. S., Unit 30, Aurora, Ontario, Canada, L4G 31/6, Tel:(905)7274666, Pax:(905) 841-7271, Web site: www.esemag. com

This film could

It appeared that at last, a sensible procurement approach was emerging

tion and other costs, not to mention the

Ghost, haunting

from Disneyland on the Rideau.Then deja vu loomed like Marley's

pain and suffering of many residents losses in

real estate

values.

Moreover, the legal costs are far from over. For a fraction of this huge sum, there could have been hydrological inspections by consultants, upgraded disinfection equipment, laboratory analyses, systematic water mains inspection, swabbing and regular replacement programs and, finally, regular operator training courses. Lowest Cost Compliance is a new term for me but it has the same sinister

ring as the Low Bid Ethos. As the fabled Hollywood director. Otto Preminger once pleaded with his staff: "Don't try to save me any more money - /can't afford it." Canada too, cannot afford a mindset based on price instead of quality. This gives me an idea to recoup some of the losses incurred over the

Printed in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without written permission of the publisher. Yearly subscription rates: Canada $45.00 for one year (plus $3.15 GST). USA $45.00(US)for

action and drama.

either be an eloquent conclusion to the procurement debate, or a comedy like the Monty Python films. Perhaps both.

designed environmental projects usu ally last for decades while effectively protecting public health, the environ ment and the public purse. The Walkerton drinking tragedy has already topped $64 million - and still counting - on Environmental Inquiry Commissions, legal fees, compensa

and Environmental Science & Engineering Is a bi-monthly business publication of Environmental Science & Engineering Publications Inc. An all Canadian publica tion, ES&E provides authoritative editorial coverage of Canada's municipal and Industrial environmental control systems and drinking water treatment and distribution.

may have to be filmed as a series. The movie could be dramatically interwoven with actual film clips of our crews braving mountainous seas to pluck people from sinking ships in hel icopters, with voice-overs, smugly talking about cutting costs. This would be a drama needing no special effects. Existing TV archives already have some gripping footage of helicopter rescues from shipwrecks which match the finest of Hollywood fiction in

helicopter contract fiasco. We could make a serious documentary film of the Sea King epic, beginning with the PM's proud announcement: "We don't need Cadillacs." The documentary could depict the contract signing and subsequent cancellation, followed by actual and protracted replacement costs of the Sea Kings. However, there are so many absurdities involved, it

8 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

Scrooge. Moreover, like the original split-pro curement discussions, it could even be

a dual purpose film, serving as both comedy and tragedy, giving taxpayers the illusion of getting two benefits for the price of one, a fiscal illusion to be sure, yet one which might be pleasing to procurement accountants.

Actors could capture the self-satis fied smirks in Parliament when the

original "money-saving" contract can cellation was announced, followed by the looks of consternation as the

tragedy unfolded over a decade like a reoccurring decimal. Ample supplies ofred ink will be needed by set design ers during shooting - the Feds probably are already getting high volume dis counts on the stuff. Much more foolish is infrastructure

neglect, which, unlike crashing heli copters, is out of sight and therefore out of public scrutiny. If our neglected water and wastewater infrastructure

had a fraction of the same exposure and media coverage as the Sea Kings fiasco, public outrage would resonate across Canada. â&#x2013;

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FEEDBACK Hi Tom,

Dear Tom,

Many thanks for ensuring I received a recent copy of your mag...looks great and healthy...

I wonder if you would remember me? I used to work for

Cheers,

Roger Davies,McLuhan & Davies Communications,Inc.

quite a bit of that development over a five year period about 1965 to 1970. I remember you came out to look at something one day - it might have been a footbridge we put

Steve,

over a watercourse in the industrial area.

ES&E is one of my most thoroughly read magazines. Keep the good work coming, it's great!

Anyway it is good to see that there are a few of us from those days still alive and working! Here I am over 70 now and still managing a small consulting firm in Hay River, NWT! Too busy to retire and looking for someone to take over so I can at least get a holiday! Enjoy your magazine and find it keeps me up to date and informed of what's happening in the "east". Glad to see that someone else thinks as I do about global warming living up here one can be warm one winter and cold the

Mark Reed, Utility Officer/Fire Co-ordinator, Manning,Alberta Hi Tom,

I enjoy your magazine and your editorials. However, I have to disagree with your statement that Halifax has a long tra dition of implementing environmental initiatives. They were certainly not leaders in treating domestic sewage; in

Knox Martin Kretch in Bramalea and was responsible for

next!

fact, is it all being treated today? Ross Williams, P. Eng.

Regards, Chris Robinson, P.Eng.

Hello,

Dear Mr.Tom Davey and Mr. Steve Davey, I have been a longtime reader and admirer of ES&E.

I was very pleased to see that one of the pictures attached to my article,"Testing the effects of exposure fires on dou ble walled above ground tanks", ES&E May 2003 issue, appeared on the cover page of your magazine. Colours were excellent. Your graphics department did a great job. Sincerely, Gordana Nikolic, P. Eng. Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada,Toronto

Although it doesn't cover my field specifically, I always find something in each issue which is interesting to me. I am a professor at McGill University, and my specialty is volcanology and the study of active volcanoes. One of my interests in this field is volcanic gas and how volcanoes

degas and emit gases to the atmosphere. In a sense, volca noes are natural smokestacks, emitting significant

amounts of CO2, SO2, HCl, HF, and other gases to the atmosphere. I currently have an NSERC Strategic grant to develop new remote sensing tools to measure gases emitted from volcanoes and from industrial sources such as smelters,

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Water

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Could Kyoto be an embryonic Godzilla? Damn Right! Great editorial. I totally agree. Veso Sobot, P.Eng.

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Drinking Water

Hamilton waterworks conference breaks all attendance records

While SARS, and other international

tensions

caused a deep downturn in tourism and other eco

nomic activities, the 84th OWWA/ OMWA/OWWEA' conference drew

some 1,000 attendees with over 120 exhibition booths. This was a record

number for an organization which can trace its origins to a meeting in St. Louis in 1871.

The sheer range of this show in Hamilton, Ontario, was a challenge for the organizers. The meeting was opened by OWWA Chair Tim Lotimer and OMWA Chair Susan Crosby. Following the opening ceremonies, the AWWA's Award of Merit was pre sented to Justice Deimis R. O'Cormor,

in recognition of his work in handling the Walkerton Inquiry. Last year Tom Davey was the first Canadian to win

From left to right: Dick Beck with Rosemary MacLennan, 2nd Vice President and winner of the OMWA's Don Black Award, Max Christie, Past President and

Jim Cralg, former Executive Director, OMWA.

this award. Senator Tom Daschle, then

Majority House Leader of the US Senate, won this award three years ago so it is a worthy international recogni tion for Justice O'Connor.The fact that

the AWWA, the world's largest and

future," he said. He noted that, in recent weeks, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment

realities of the incident and the suffer

um on permits to take water for uses

ing of the people involved in the tragedy. Doug Barnes, Assistant Deputy Minister, Integrated Environmental Planning Division, Ministry of the Environment, spoke to a packed hall

on the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. The MOE had also proposed improvements to the Water Taking and Transfer Regulation

on the "multi-barrier approach", an

approach that identifies what's needed to reduce risks to public health at every stage ofthe system, from source to tap.

Tim Lotimer (above) addressing the conference and Doug Barnes (below) speaking on the Multi-Barrier Approach to a crowded auditorium.

ing our drinking water sources for the

oldest international organization devoted to drinking water protection, honoured Justice O'Cormor, is a trib ute to his in-depth research and under standing of the many complex legal

"There are three major components in the source to tap approach, source water protection, drinking water treat ment and distribution systems. Somce protection is particularly important for small systems and private supplies that rely on water from wells. Protection of their groundwater sources is the only barrier in their drinking water systems. "Source water protection means; Preventing contamination and reduc ing the need for treatment, taking pos itive steps to manage potential sources of contaminants and engaging in longterm planning with respect to protect

had announced a six-months moratori where the water leaves the watershed

to ensure that Ontario continues to

have tough environmental protection through its permitting process and tougher rules for water well construc tion and decommissioning, and higher performance standards for well techni cians. The amendments to the Wells

Regulation (O.Reg. 903) will make Ontario a leading jurisdiction in North America for well construction, he stressed. It includes $600,000 in new funding for Sir Sandford Fleming College to support training costs for those who construct wells. He

moved on to the

Nutrient

Management Act and Ontario's ongo ing groundwater studies. The Nutrient Management Act, Barnes said, deals with a single and very important issue as agriculture

' Ontario Water Works Association/Ontario Municipal Water Association/Ontario Water Works Equipment Association.

12 Environmental Science & Engineering,}ur\e 2003

Drinking Water plays an important role in the econom ic and social fabric of Ontario. But

along with important benefits, small and large-scale agricultural operations present risks - particularly from nonpoint sources of pollution. Passed on June 27, 2002, The

Nutrient Management Act will play an important role in the protection of Ontario's drinking water resources. It will provide clear, consistent standards for agricultural practices that can impact on the environment, especially as they relate to land-applied materials containing nutrients. The act will bring about a comprehensive, province-wide approach that protects water, the envi ronment and the well-being ofcommu

[ j:nN Marlay Price (left), then AWWA President-Elect presents the Norman J. Howard Award to Michael Murray (right), Commissioner of Transportation and Environmental Services, Region of Waterioo, and the George W. Fuller Award pin to Pat Lachmaniuk (right). Manager, Drinking Water, Wastewater Watershed Standards Section, Ontario MOE.

nities in rural Ontario and it will also

incorporate standards and best prac tices to protect the environment and ensure the long-term competitiveness

of Ontario's agri-food industry. Mr. Barnes stressed that the MOE

was working to establish partnerships with organizations in the agricultural sector. "Collaboratively, we are creat ing a regulatory framework that will build credibility - both within and out-

side the sector."

Turning to groundwater studies, he

said: "Knowledge of water supplies is vital to effective source water protection." By April 2003, provincial invest ment in studies by municipalities and conservation authorities totalled $19

million, enabling them to continue groundwater study coverage and to map wellhead protection areas in all

communities that rely on groundwater, and to map sensitive groundwater areas across all of southern Ontario.

With this additional funding, con servation authorities, municipalities and other partners are conducting stud ies that will produce information criti cal to watershed-based source protec tion planning. continued overleaf...

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June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 13

Drinking Water

Three AWWA Presidents in attendance: Rod Hoime, Earth Tech

Canada, Marlay Price (now 2003-2004 AWWA President) and

Steve

Bonk, the 6th Canadian AWWA President. On the benefits of source protec tion, he noted that the work of Justice

O'Connor clearly reveals the benefits of a sound source water protection regime. "Certainly, the most important rea

son is the protection of public health and safety. But protecting source water

also has economic and environmental

benefits. It also has other important benefits including: maintaining public confidence and preserving our water supply for future generations," he stressed.

"Preventing source water contamina tion is almost always cheaper than treating it or replacing an existing drinking water supply. Once a water source is contaminated, it can be diffi cult, expensive or even impossible to replace or reclaim it. Some ground water contamination is beyond the capabilities of current remediation technology. "Cleaner water entering treatment plants will minimize operating costs, reduce the degree of treatment required as well as the quantity of chemicals used during treatment, and minimize the creation of treatment by products. As mentioned earlier, source protection is particularly important for private wells. Advisory Committee on Watershedbased Source Protection Planning "The Advisory Committee mem bers were selected based on their

expertise and their ability to contribute to a comprehensive vision for the province. I'd like to take this opportu nity to recognize Tim Lotimer of the

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Drinking Water served on the Committee and made a

significant contribution to its work. One of the Committee's primary goals was to ensure that the framework was consistent with the recommendations

related to source protection made in Part Two of Justice O'Connor's Report. It's a goal that I believe was achieved," said Mr. Barnes.

The Advisory Committee started by identifying key principles that must underlie Ontario's source protection planning efforts. These principles

palities that will give them the ability to manage high-risk activities in the short and long term; new responsibili ties for conservation authorities as they take on a new role in co-ordinating the development of source water protec tion plans; and it underlines the impor tance of involving First Nations in source protection planning.

future water needs; a fate of contami nants model, including an assessment of future pollutant loadings and cumu lative impacts; and maps that identify areas of high, medium and low vulner ability and sensitive water resources. The plans will identify where source protection issues exist in the planning area, such as: direct threats to the safety of drinking water; contami nated sites that need priority action;

In addition to

and potential water allocation problems.

include:

focused on the process of source pro tection planning, the Advisory Committee made some high-level rec ommendations on next steps and plan implementation. Specifically, the report calls on the province to engage

on the process of source protection planning,the

• Sustainability, recognizing that our water resource is finite; • Taking a precautionary approach

Advisory Committee made high-level recommenda

that uses the best available science so

that it is as comprehensive as possible; • Recognizing that there is shared responsibility and stewardship over our water resources, even as the Ministry of the Environment takes on ultimate responsibility for ensuring source water protection; • Requiring open discussion and opportunities for stakeholders and the public to provide meaningful input. It calls for new powers for munici

In addition to recommendations

recommendations focused

in further consultation on how to

tions on next steps and plan implementation. The Committee has gone into some detail regarding the content of the ini tial source protection plans. The plans will have to contain technical informa

tion such as: a water budget, including

implement som^ce protection plarming, including how to pay for it; establish a technical committee to develop a made-in-Ontario process for identify ing and prioritizing threats to our drinking water sources and implement new watershed-based source protec tion legislation after additional consul tation has taken place. ■

VICE PRESIDENT-TECHNOLOGY WATER TREATMENT

SANITHERM EMOINEERINO LIMITED Package Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants Worldwide

Manufacturers and Suppliers of Water and Wastewater

MS Filter Inc. supplies package drinking water treatment plants for small communities in Canada and the United States. Due to sales growth, we require a VICE PRESIDENT TECHNOLOGY to manage the development of existing prod ucts and grow the company into new products and markets.

Products and Processes

Sanitherm Engineering has developed a worldwide reputation for quality equipment and service over 57 years. Our package plants are found in South Korea, Indonesia, Russia, Peru and throughout North America. We design, build, install and/or operate plants, and represent over 20 premier manufacturers in Canada, the USA, and Europe. We supply extended aeration,RBC and SBR package plants, static tube aeration, odour control, disinfection,

air stripping towers, membrane technology and more.

Package water and wastewater treatment i

The VICE PRESIDENT ^ TECHNOLOGY will take respon sibility for all aspects of our Multi-Stage Filter product includ ing quality, cost engineering, research and manufacturing. The VICE PRESIDENT - TECHNOLOGY will also have project responsibility with a team of designers, project managers and service technologists. The VICE PRESIDENT-TECHNOL OGY will be part of a team evaluating new technologies and markets to grow the company. The ideal candidate is a Professional Engineer in civil, chemical or environmental engineering with 10-20 years of experience in the engineer ing of water technologies. MS Filter Inc. offers a competitive salary and benefits, along with an employee profit sharing program and an opportunity for professional achievement in a rapidly growing company. Please send replies to

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HEAD OFFICE, NORTH VANCOUVER,BC,CANADA Tel:(604)986-9168 Fax:(604)986-5377

E-mail: saneng@sanitherm.com

For more information, circie reply card No. 163 (See page 25)

17665 Leslie St., Suite 47, Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 3E3 Fax:(905) 853-8807 rabernethy@msfilter.com For more information, circie reply card No. 110 (See page 25)

John J.R. Murray,President ofCH2M HILL in Canada is pleased to weleome five experienced water and wastewater treatment specialists to our Water Business Group's offices in Calgaty, Vancouver, and Toronto. Bringing with them a wealth of experience, these professionals enhance our ability to provide responsive, costeffective services to meet our clients' increasingly specialized needs.

CH2M HILL is one of Canada's largest multi-disciplinary engineering firms, with more than 400 employees in 11 offices across the country, including recently opened offices in Victoria, and Kamloops, British Columbia, and Edmonton, Alberta. Water and wastewater treatment has been a core business for the firm for more than 80 years.

Kim Fries, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. A senior process engineer in the Water Business Group, Kim has close to 25 years of experience in municipal wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal, having led or participated in wastewater treatment plant design for more than 75 communities in Westem Canada, the Caribbean, and the Far East. Working out of CH2M HILL s

{ Calgary office, Kim is the lead process engineer on the Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

John Mills, P. Eng. John brings over 30 years of experience in Ontario's water and wastewater treatment plants to his new role as a senior project manager in our Toronto office. He has also worked for the Ontario Ministry of Environment, where he was responsible for delivering municipal and industrial abatement programs, approvals, and technical review. John will be working with CH2M HILL's drinking water treatment group and will be a member of the project team for the Region of Peel's Lakeview Water Treatment Plant expansion.

J. Warren Switzer, P.Eng., Vice President Warren is a senior project manager with 25 years of progressive experience exclusively on water and wastewater treatment projects. He has successfully managed some of the largest and most complex wastewater treatment

projects in Canada. Warren is based in our Calgary office, where he is the project manager for the conceptual and functional design for the City of Calgary's new Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Barry Rabinowitz, Ph.D., P.Eng. Barry is a senior environmental engineer with more than 25 years of experience in municipal wastewater collection and treatment. Barry has been responsible for the process design of more than 25 wastewater treatment plants in Westem Canada and internationally. Barry is based in Vancouver, where he is also an Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Engineering Program at the University of British Columbia.

Brett Young, P.Eng., MBA Brett joins CH2M HILL's Calgary office as a project manager with a strong background in project leadership in the water business in westem Canada and intemationally. In addition to his role as Deputy Project Manager for the Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Brett will be exploring oppoitunities in the areas of asset management and altemative project delivery.

CH2MHILL Responsible Solutions for a Sustainable Future'" www.ch2mhillcanada.com

For more information, circie reply card No. 111 (See page 25)

Conference Review

Ontario Environmental Tradeshow and Conference

is largest ever,attracting over 2,000 visitors By Steve Davey,Environmental Science & Engineering

The 2003 Ontario Environmen tal Tradeshow and Conference

was the largest ever with some 2,000 people attending at the Toronto Congress Centre in May. This annual event is produced by Environmental Science & Engineering magazine and Canadian Environmen tal Regulation & Compliance News. It was a unique environmental education and training opportunity for: • Environmental managers and co ordinators

• Environmental and engineering con sultants

• Government officers and policy

The environmental mock trial was a

makers

• Professional engineers • Plant managers, hazardous materials supervisors, and engineers • Envirorunental la'wyers • Environmental health and safety pro

learning as well as an entertaining experience for delegates who have to be concerned with legal as well as complex technical aspects of their

fessionals

The Toronto Chapter of the Instrumentation Society of America held its own tradeshow adjacent to the

• Dangerous materials shippers and supervisors

work.

• Environmental auditors

Ontario Environmental Tradeshow.

• Spills and emergency response

The two events were quite separate, apart from a courtesy admission to both shows, a bonus for busy environ mental professionals. Environmental Science & Engi

teams

• Workplace environmental and health and safety committee members • Municipal officials and officers Three brand new courses included:

EH&S Due Diligence, Building a Greenhouse Gas Management System and Anatomy of a Prosecution Learning the Lessons in a Mock Trial.

neering and Canadian Environmental Regulation & Compliance News have plans to hold their 2004 Conference and

Tradeshow

the

Toronto

Congress Centre in May, 2004. ■

The Ontario Environmental Tradeshow held in conjunction with the Environmental Management, Compliance & Engineering conference and workshops and the Toronto ISA Tradeshow

Jim Bishop

Ron Neilson

The tradeshow showed a 25% increase in booths with

high leveis of satisfaction among exhibitors and atten dees alike.

:: .;Cif

Barry Spiegei

John Willms

Marina Markarian, student-at-law (left) and Aaron Detlor, lawyer at Power Budd LLP (right) presided over

Delegates crowded all sessions. 18 Environmental Sdence & Engineering,June 2003

a mock trial.

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W-r Mark your calendar for the most powerful water quality event of the year! WEFTEC offers the most comprehensive technical program, designed to provide the tools necessary to deal with the challenges associated with ensuring the highest water quality standards possible! Hot topics include: Residuals & Blosolids, Collection Systems, Plant Operations & Treatment, Membrane Technologies, Water Reuse & Recycling!

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Wastewater Treatment

Dissolved Oxygen technology is critical component in wastewater treatment By Dr. Russell Young, Dr.John Woodward and Michael J. Rousey, Hach Company

Dissolved Oxygen(DO)is one of the most critical measure ments in a wastewater treat

ment plant. Aerobic bacteria require dissolved oxygen to live. Historically, plant operators in North America have used hand-held

DO analyzers to periodically check aeration tank dissolved oxygen levels. Hand-held DO instruments will only provide a snapshot ofthe DO in an aer ation tank. They cannot detect when more air is required to handle a heavier biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

that has the potential to kill the aerobic bacteria, possibly causing the plant to violate National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

on site if power savings are to be attained. Similarly, during reduced loads caused by storm water inflows or colder temperatures, in the absence of

Hand-held DO instruments cannot

automatic DO measurement, too much air can be used, wasting valuable ener gy and causing sludge bulking prob

be used to control oxygen supply. For instance, at low BOD levels typically experienced during night-time hours, the amount of dissolved oxygen required to maintain proper bacterial activity is less than that required dur ing peak daytime hours. If a hand-held instrument is used, the reduction of air supply must be initiated by an operator

lems.

With rising power costs and the requirement that wastewater treatment plants meet more stringent NPDES permit requirements, hand-held DO instruments coupled with human inter vention, have proven to be an ineffec-

Process Controls and Instrumentation - SOLUTIONS Problems with Hypo or Low Flow Dosing???

* Aiidos Primus 208 Pius3 degassing dosing head with automatic degassing solves the fundamental problem of low volume hypochiorite pumping. The dosing head is available up to a capacity of 6.2 i/h. The system also incorporates a device for calibration while in opera tion. Circle reply card No. 170

GUARD-IP"... •••• a new low-cost autodiaier with

flexible features for dependable Alarm Autodiaiing and Remote Monitoring. GUARD-IT delivers the functionality you need, and it's backed by RACO's reputation for dependability, quality, serv ice, and factory support. Circle reply card No. 172

VhiM tw wl»r twhooteo

The Royce Model 7011A Suspended Solids Analyzer... with the appropriate sensor, provides reiiabie, continuous measurements in waste treatment processes, rivers and iakes. These systems are the most advanced Suspended Solids Analyzers

in the measurement of industrial and munic

ipal sewers. Advantages of the flume

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include:

• Simple to use In Situ Calibration •Auto-Coiour Compensation (Model 73A) •Auto-Ambient Light Compensation (Model 72A) • Menu Driven Text Help-Screens • Programmable Cleaning (Ail sensors) Circle reply card No. 171

Summa Product Division

The Palmer-Bowlus Flume... designed for measuring flows in sewer pipelines and open round channels. Devel oped by Harold Palmer and Fred Bowius of the Los Angeles County Sanitation District during the mid-1930's, the flume has grown to become one of the principal flumes used

• Ease of installation

• Good for temporary or portable installations • Ready adaption to circular channels • Multiple flume configurations •• Circle reply card No. 173

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20 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

For more Information, circle reply card No. 113(See page 25)

Wastewater Treatment tive control mechanism for the opera tion of aeration basins. Proper control of aeration tank DO requires the use of continuous DO analyzers. Properly maintained on-line DO analyzers, used in conjunction with blowers using vari able frequency drives, and plant inte grated control systems (SCADA or PLC), can reduce plant power costs by up to 25%. Two dissolved oxygen technologies have been used in wastewater treat

ment facilities for over 40 years; unfor tunately both have had many problems. Galvanic technology consists of an anode and cathode made from differ

ent metals; both of these are immersed in an electrolyte solution and covered with an oxygen permeable membrane. When these dissimilar metals are

immersed in the electrolyte a sponta neous voltage occurs between the anode and cathode. As oxygen perme ates the

membrane, the cathode

reduces the oxygen. This then creates a potential across the electrodes that is equal to the amount of dissolved oxy gen in the system. The voltage is con verted from a milliamp current and then converted in the instrument to an

mg/1 or ppm reading. Some galvanic systems do not use any membranes. These systems have had problems with low DO applications as well as

time and costs. The system is based on luminescent technology. A sensor is coated with a luminescent material;

blue light from an LED strikes the sen sor causing the luminescent material to become exited. As the exited material

relaxes, a red light is emitted. This light is measured by a photo detector. As oxygen molecules come into con tact with the luminescent dye, its lumi nescence is quenched, and the amount of light given off by the sensor is reduced. The higher the oxygen con tent the less luminescence is observed.

What does this technological break through do for plant operations per sonnel?

Elimination of the anode,

cathode and electrolyte means that there can be no poisoning of the sen sors. This now provides a means of consistently measuring oxygen content in an aeration basin so that it will not

be affected by the interferences that cause traditional DO sensor technolo

gies to give erroneous readings. The life of the sensors is consider

ably longer than the life of traditional sensor technologies. There are no membranes or electrolyte solutions that need replacement. In fact, the only replacement part of the system is an inexpensive sensor cap. The cap is easily cleaned and is made of a plastic material that will not break and is not

rous sulfate, ferric chloride and alu minum sulfate. Any chemical that pro duces an electrical charge can interfere with effective readings. The second dissolved oxygen sys

easily scratched. As this system is self-calibrating, no time-consuming calibrations are required. Frequent cleanings are not required as the sys tem will produce accurate DO readings even with inorganic build-up on the

tem

sensor.

with wastewater chemicals such as fer

that

has

been

used

Poloragraphic DO sensor. This system also uses an anode and cathode; how ever, it does not create a spontaneous voltage. Poloragraphic systems supply constant electrical voltage across the anode and cathode, and oxygen is reduced as the current supplied to the

Unlike other luminescent DO tech

nologies, the HachLDO^M does not require that the system be sent back to the factory for calibration and sensor replacement. The system will provide consistent DO readings, and it is easy to use and maintain. In conjunction

cathode is increased. The amount of

with the Hach SCI00™ controller, this

electricity required to reduce the oxy

technology represents a very efficient method of operating and controlling plant blowers and aeration systems.

gen at the cathode is equivalent to the DO present in the system. These systems have had problems due to time-intensive maintenance

problems caused by the cleaning ofthe electrodes and the degree of stretch manually applied to membranes used with the older systems. Today a new technology has been developed that does not require an anode, cathode or electrolyte. This

system greatly reduces maintenance

Russell M. Young, Ph.D., Director of Advanced Technology (Research),

Simple ■ By keeping ground and surface water out of your sanitary system. Cretex seais biock clear water at tfie manfioie chimney frame, where much of it enters. A smaii investment

can yield big dividends: •significantly reduce infiitration and infiow

• protect file environment(and protect yourself from regulatory exposure) by eliminating sys tem surcharging and bypassing into rivers and lakes

• reduce sewer backup in basements

• increase effective system capacity to facilitate municipal growth

A lot to ask from an inexpensive rubber seal that takes only one manhour to install? That's what most of our

customers thought, too, until they got the whole story. Call or e-mail us (info@cr0texs0als.com) and get it for yourself, and you'll be a believer, too. Cretex Specialty Products 2002 South West Avenue

Waukesha,WI«53189

(800)345-3764 www.cretexseais.com

Dr. John R. Woodward, Sensor

Technologist, and Mike Rousey, Product Manager, Wastewater Products, are with Hach Company.

For more information contact Hach Company at 800-227-4224. Circle reply card No. 114

Trenchless Technology

Barrie's first Horizontal

Existing 400 mm O.D. Watermain

Directional Drilling project completed

Dunlop Street

NewNmlve and Chamber

HERITAQE PARK

in 2002 Government Dock

By RJ.Forward,City of Barrie and

.AN

ill ,

Norman Sandberg,AInley Group

In early 2002, the City of Barrie, Ontario, in co-opera

New Hydrant and wive

KEMPENFELT BAY

tion with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE), determined that, under certain conditions, the water output(106 Lps)from Eleritage Well No. 14 had insufficient chlorine contact time. To rectify the problem, the City concluded that a new 1040-metre transmission main to provide the required chlorine contact time was

New Hydrant arxi Valve

New Hydrant and Valve

New Hydrant

required, along with a 622-metre distribution watermain, complete with six new fire hydrants. The MOE required that the new transmission main be in service by December

artd valve

New Valve and Box

PARK

Well No 15

31,2002.

The project site is in the heart of Barrie along the shore of Kempenfelt Bay. The alignment was to be within the abandoned railroad right-of-way in the vicinity of Lakeshore Drive. An existing 1200 mm diameter sanitary sewer, fibre-optic cables and various other utilities are buried beneath Lakeshore Drive, parallel to the proposed watermains. The project presented considerable challenges since the alignment is immediately adjacent to a marina and waterfront beach/park and also required three creek cross ings. Part of an old corduroy road was discovered beneath the abandoned railroad right-of-way. This road may be a remnant of an important link in the supply route from York (now Toronto) to the former British naval base at Penetanguishene. The naval base helped protect Canada from invading American forces during the war of 1812. A geotechnical investigation, undertaken by PetoMacCallum Limited, of Barrie, revealed a significantly high water table along the proposed route. Groundwater or wet cave was noted in the boreholes at depths of 0.3 to 2.4 metres. The soils comprise sand fill over discontinuous but extensive layers of peat/organics over a major basal sand component. Organic deposits of peat or marl were encoun tered along the majority of the proposed alignment - rang ing in thickness from less than 1 metre to 4.5 metres and extending down to depths of 4 to 10 metres. The completed geotechnical report predicted long-term settlement of up to 500 nun if conventional trenching and backfill methods were used. To support the watermain and provide the greatest assurance against settlement of the pipe, the report suggested that a piled foundation system and continuous grade beam would be necessary. Following the geotechnical investigation, the Ainley Group was retained to analyze the cost-effectiveness of conventional design, the requirements for dewatering, opti mum trench support and watermain structural support (pile and grade beam). Consideration was also to be given to a submarine crossing beneath Kempenfelt Bay - but only on 22 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

Existing 500mm Ola. Pressure Main

New Hydrant Valve

VlClOOc

T s

New Hydrant

and Service Connecticns

and Valve

Legend: Swab Padltty/ solabon Valve

Transmission Main â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Distribution Main

and Chamber

a conceptual basis.

Approximately 70% of the transmission main and almost 100% of the distribution main and fire hydrant loca tions lay within an area of deep organic deposits. The Ainley Group determined that these site conditions indicat ed horizontal directional drilling (HDD) with HPDE pipe was a construction method worth considering; however, this method was unfamiliar to the City of Barrie, and HDPE pipe was not on its approved material list. Nevertheless, the draft pre-design report addressed four construction alternatives.

The Ainley Group assisted City staff in learning more about the HDD process in general and the use of HDPE pipe, arranging an HDPE pipe fusing demonstration in the City works yard for City design, inspection and mainte nance staff; organizing site visits to ongoing HDD projects; attendance at an HDD seminar(hosted by the Centre for the Advancement of Trenchless Technology); and addressing numerous questions and concerns expressed by City staff. The above helped to familiarize City staff with the ben efits(and limitations) of HDD. The project was tendered in

September, 2002, with HDD as the primary construction method and conventional open-cut as an acceptable alterna tive in certain identified areas of suitable soils.

The project was awarded to Rexco Limited of Gadshill, Ontario, in mid-September 2002, at a tendered price of $1,400,000. For more information, circle reply card No. 160

MORE! BRING ME MORE!

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municipal and industrial sludge wasting rate, and the costs that go with it - processing, storage, hauling and disposal, can now be dramatically reduced. With out proven Cannibal process,

waste activated organic sludge can be virtually eliminated. Brookville, Ohio WWTP is one ofsev eralplants which is benefitingfrom this innovative new technolo^.

Capital and operating costs can be reduced 20-40%, with guar anteed results in both new and retrofit applications.

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For more information, circle reply card No. 116 (See page 25)

oVlVENDI Environnement company

Middle East

Post-war Arab Gulf: business

opportunities for Canadian engineers By Les Kuczynski,P.Eng.,Environmental Expert,Sultanate of Oman

Many Canadian engineering

businesses have recently become increasingly con cerned about the potential negative fallout of Canada staying out of the war with Iraq. It has become apparent that the United States plans to retain control over post-war rebuilding of Iraq and give priority to American companies. According to an article published March 23, 2003, in the New York Times, initial contracts are potentially worth more than US $I billion, with more deals to follow. Some estimates

predict that it may cost over US $25 billion just to repair the Iraqi oil export installations electric power system. The potential to develop long-term business is enormous and many of the largest and most politically connected engineering companies in the US have been invited, or are getting ready, to take part in this emerging market. On the surface, it seems Canadians will be shut out of this market but in

confusing; it also requires time and patience. It is helpful if one has some knowledge and understanding of Islam and the role it plays in business and family. For Muslims, Islam provides a complete way of life, their laws, morality and forms of worship. In Islamic societies, the spiritual and tem poral world are not separated and rules for man's behaviour are clearly laid down in the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith). Muslims see their religion as an integral part of their life without making a distinction between religious and secular laws, morality or politics. The role of the family is only sec ond in importance to religion in the life of Arab Gulf people. The Quran lays out clearly the role of the family members: the husband as provider and protector, and wife/mother as homemaker and protector of children. In general, Arabs would always give pri ority to the family and the family responsibilities over any business

reality this is not the case; the market is just too big to be handled by US companies only without subcontract ing significant parts of the projects to experienced third party specialists. Also, by turning their attention to the big contracts in Iraq, many companies

cessfully complete projects in the Arab Gulf Region, a knowledge ofthe Arab way of doing business is crucial. Government ministries are the largest

would have to reduce their efforts to

source of contracts in the Arab Gulf

acquire engineering contracts in other Arah Gulf countries, creating new opportunities for Canadian engineers to step into. This applies especially to environmental engineering services, where demand is fuelled by a rapidly growing awareness among Arab gov ernments of the environmental prob lems created by past oil and gas explo ration practices, industrialization and growing populations. As a result, demand for high quality environmental engineering services should continu ously increase, providing good oppor tunities for Canadian engineers. Conducting business in the Arab Gulf can be sometimes frustrating and

affairs.

For any Canadian engineer who wants to secure new contracts and suc

and winning projects is not an easy task. Just like in Canada there is lots

of competition for contracts from both competent and incompetent businesses in the same field of expertise. With shrinking oil revenues and growing needs, governments are price con scious and usually award the contracts to a low bidder.

Ministries usually put the projects to tender, with larger projects going through a central tendering committee and smaller projects through internal tendering offices. The Ministries want

all potential bidders to be "prequalified" and this requires that a company or its local partner be registered with

24 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

the client beforehand.

Tender documents are usually writ ten in English and include the general terms, conditions, special terms, and technical specifications of the project. Often a tender contains a list of equip ment with some items that appear to be only remotely related to the project but which are nevertheless important to the client. This usually happens because internal budgets are often

inflexible and cannot respond in a timely marmer to the changing needs of departments. It is crucial to understand the needs of the client and this sometimes

requires a number of face-to-face meetings between the engineer writing the proposal and the technical staff of the Ministry. A good local partner may

help in gathering the necessary infor mation but over-reliance on a third

party may lead to a misunderstanding of the requirements of the project. The tender documents usually require that the proposals be submitted in two separate envelopes, one contain ing a technical and the other a com mercial proposal. The evaluation com mittee will usually first evaluate the technical proposals and then consider the commercial offer. The part of the

proposal containing the comprehen sive training program for local min istry staff in the company's Canadian offices or a university, and knowledge transfer would usually seriously influ ence the ranking of the bid and award ing of the contract. The company should build into its commercial proposals some provision for extras (i.e. work or equipment) that may be requested at no additional cost to the client or a discount in prices. It is important to remember that bargain ing is a way of life in the Gulf region, and one can and is expected to bargain for almost everything (hotel rooms, taxi rides, accommodations, speeding tickets, etc). Therefore, it is essential continued overleaf...

iii^— AD INDEX Company

Page

Company

Page

ADI Systems American Concrete Pipe Association

51 11

Anthrafilter

MacViro

Aquablast Associated Engineering Association of Ontario Land Surveyors Baycor Fibre Tech

63 54 34 63

Metcon Sales & Engineering

MS Filter

CABAL

Can-Am Instruments

Card

KAESER Compressors KSB Pumps

14 10

MSU Mississauga

ONEIA

Parkson

PHIX - Green Turtle Technologies

Cancoppas

RMS Enviro Solv

CH2M HILL

RV Anderson

Chlorinators

Sanitherm Engineering

Comstock Canada

Stantec

Con Cast Pipe

Stormceptor

ConTech - PCB Containment Technology

Summa

Cretex

Trimax Residuals

Tri-Phase Environmental

Davis Controls

Denso

Troy-Ontor

Fluorescent Lamp Recyclers Gorman-Rupp

41 3

Urecon

USFilter

Greatario

USFilter

38-39

Hach

Hayward Gordon Hydro International Hydro-Logic Environmental International Water Supply ITT Flygt

42 14 63 63 9

Vanderbeken Enterprises Vector Process Equipment

John Meunier/USFilter

JWC Environmental

64 40

Waterloo Barrier

Waterra

WEF

Wilfley Weber

Zenon

FOR QUICK RESPONSE, FAX BACK TO (905)841-7271 FREE Information Service for Readers

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□ Other: Please be specific

circle the appropriate numbers below. Please mail or fax (905) 841-7271. Your request will be forwarded to the manufacturer. 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134

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236

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June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 25

Middle East dealing with a local supplier, consult ant or government official, one may

that a Canadian engineer working in the Gulf bargain with his local partners or the local Ministry for the best deal he can get. It is necessary to gain a thorough knowledge of the country and regula tions governing engineering contracts. This may include environmental laws, legal and tax regimes, manpower and labour regulations, and an understand ing of"how things get done" to avoid getting stuck in "red tape". It is diffi

think that he/she understands what was

said, but the message is almost always more complex than one may think. He/she should also consider that the

specification writer might have some specific technical standards (British, EU, etc.) or some company's product in mind at the time the tender was pre pared. These communication and understanding problems are common especially when the company is nego tiating with an English speaking gov ernment official or partner educated in

cult to obtain accurate scientific and

technical data about the region. Also, there is little accurate business data

about the region which business peo ple would find useful in helping them to make a decision. Experienced engi neers who have worked in the region for a few years leam to fish for neces sary data by sifting through rumours and newspaper information, and by confirming them through a number of sources.

In addition to the above, a Canadian

engineer working in any Arab Gulf country will always face the challenge of clarity of communication. While

countries other than Canada or U.S.A.

The review process for submitted proposals and negotiations usually takes much longer than the similar process in Canada. Often a company is requested to prepare a presentation to explain details of its proposal or visualize the proposed approach. The Ministry expects to see immediate action once the negotiations are com plete and the contract is signed. Payments are usually late and rarely follow the schedules specified in the

tender documents.

Upon completion of the contract, the company should request a comple tion certificate from the customer.

This certificate is important to protect the engineer from future claims other than warranty issues, ensure no prob lems leaving the country and provide a list of completed projects for further proposals to other clients. The Arab Gulf countries are a chal

lenging but excellent place to conduct business and raise a family. Their gov ernments are open for new ideas and modern technologies, and have the financial ability to pay for quality services. Canadian engineers and com panies conducting business in the Gulf will find their Arab partners very pro fessional, hospitable and friendly. For the past six years, Les Kuczynski has been employed as an environmen tal expertfor the Ministry ofRegional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources, in the Sultanate of Oman. E-mail: kuczynle@omantel. net.om.

R.V. Anderson Associates Limited APPOINTMENTS

OUR COMPANY

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Associate-Director: Zoran Filinov joined

R.V. Anderson Associates Limited

Growth In the firm's environment

RVA in 1988, and was appointed an

has been engaged in the provision of engineering, operations and

and Infrastructure business has

associate and shareholder in 1993. Zoran

created new employment

management services since 1948. The organization comprises

opportunities for professional engineers and technologists with

environmental and Infrastructure

transportation and urban

experience in design and project management for one or more of municipal, civil, environmental and transportation. Positions are

is a registered professional engineer in Ontario, and has 18 years of experience on water, wastewater, transportation and urban development infrastructure projects.

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providing professional services to the public and private sectors in Canada, and internationally.

Information: www.rvanderson.com

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26 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

Shareholder: Gary Holowach joined RVA In 2000, and was appointed an associate in 2002. He is a registered professional

engineer in Ontario, with a Bachelor of Engineering from Concordia University. Gary is based in the firm's Ottawa office, and has over 20 years of experience on municipal, transportation, urban development and environmental projects.

For more information, circle reply card No. 117 (See page 25)

Biosolids

Public to participate in Biosoiids Research Summit

The Water Environment Summit will be held in Alexandria,

dence that the part 503 rules have failed to protect public health, it did recommend that U.S. EPA update the scientific basis of regulations govern ing biosolids, improve knowledge of chemicals and pathogens, and evaluate

Virginia. WERF, and its co-sponsor

concerns about health effects and

the U.S. Environmental Protection

exposure.

Research Foundation will host a national Biosolids Research

Summit July 28-30, 2003, that will involve public participation. The

Agency will take the first steps in identifying needs and conducting research to address the controversy surrounding land application of

mittee

Institute.

years, with the aim of ensuring that sewage sludge and biosolids manage ment practices protect public health

Ellen Harrison said,"WERF is pio neering an opportunity for construc tive dialogue about research needs and appears to be taking seriously the con cerns we have." She previously raised concerns about the safety of biosolids recycling. "I corrunend them for that and I hope the Summit will lead to more comprehensive research that includes greater foeus on our con cerns. Many concerned citizens fear

ects valued at more than $18 million.

other

biosolids. In response to one of the core recommendations of the NRG

report, public participation will be a key part of the Summit. The Summit will bring together a wide variety of stakeholders - including critics of the biosolids industry - to create a research agenda that addresses questions about the land application of biosolids. Biosolids are the organic matter that remains at the end of the waste-

water treatment process after being broken down by bacteria and other organisms. An estimated 6.9 million tons of biosolids were generated in 1998, about 41 percent of which was applied to agricultural land as fertiliz ers and soil amendments, according to U.S. EPA. Although the NRG report found no documented scientific evi

The Biosolids Research Summit

and the environment. The summit will

focus on research needs, as opposed to policy. The multi-day workshop will include 45-60 invited attendees.

"Those who study public policy conflicts - like biosolids/sewage

sludge management - have found that, rather than engaging in 'dueling sci ence,' it is more productive for both sides to work together on the science,"

fear being 'co-opted.'It will be critical

said Ned Beecher, a researcher on a

to see the extent to which WERF

WERF project on biosolids public per ception. "Together, the two sides will

comes through on really listening to and implementing re-commendations." WERF has recently conducted sev eral research projects aimed at under standing how to effectively work with the public, and use the public as a resource for improving decisions, developing public support, and ensur ing cost-efficient public initiatives in biosolids, water reuse, and environ mental management. In addition to the invited partici pants, interested observers will have an opportunity to attend and provide com

determine research needs and establish

a research process that is credible for everyone." WERF has formed a steering com mittee of five individuals to define the

ACTUATORS • Electric

Robert

research for the next five or more

biosolids research. WERF's biosolids

The Summit will focus on a July 2002 report from the National Research Council (NRG) of the National Academy of Sciences, and on related

include

will identify and prioritize biosolids

will ensure balanced and fair consider

ation of all perspectives regarding research includes more than 40 proj

issues

members

Olexsey, Ph.D., U.S. EPA (NRMRL); James Stahl, WERF board member, Los Angeles Gounty Sanitation Districts; Anthony Pilawski, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Joan Rose, Ph.D., Michigan State University; and Ellen Harrison, Gomell Waste Management

WERF expects that public input

biosolids.

scientific

goals of the Summit and to provide oversight to ensure balance, objectivi ty, focus on scientific issues, and the accomplishment of goals. The steering committee will also help develop mechanisms for implementing the resulting research agenda. The com

auma

that this effort is no more than PR and

• Pneumatic

ments

• Hydraulic

Summit. Information on how to regis

at the

Biosolids

Research

ter as an observer will be available at

• Manual Gears

www.werf.org, as will regular updates

• Complete Valve Automation

on the Summit.

1-888-835-3045 TROY-ONTOR J Inc.

Fax:1-888-835-2847

E-mail: troy-ontor@troy-ontor.ca

For the full text of the NRC report, Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices (July 2002), go to http://books.nap.edu/books/03090 84865/html/ index.html.

For more information,

circle reply card No. 118(See page 25)

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 27

Enersave, and in 1998 the Hydraulic Institute in America became involved.

Subsequently all these organisations started to work together. Gunnar Hovstadius has been work

ing in the area of LCC with the U.S. Department of Energy since the mid 1990s. He suggests that the key factors (purchase price, energy cost, service and maintenance and lost production costs) will differ between applications, and that, certainly in the case of pumps, it's the system that determines which is the most important in each case.

Interest is growing in the concept of

life-cycle costing (LCC). How ever, implementing it as a realworld approach to purchasing industrial products usually requires a lot of 'system's knowledge' and the capacity to convince even non-techni cal members of the purchasing organi zation. A new book applying the con cept to pumps has been produced with the international co-operation of lead ing bodies in the pump industry. LCC is based on the idea that the

capital equipment which has the cheapest purchase price, is not always the cheapest to run and maintain. In other words, attempting to save money by buying, at the outset, on price alone can later prove to be an expensive mis take.(A closely related concept is the 'total cost of ownership'.) The three key elements of LCC are usually as follows; first, the purchase price of the equipment; second, the cost of the energy it consumes over its service life; and third, the service and maintenance expended on it over its service life.

It should be emphasised that the costs arising from lost production (if failure ofthe product in question caus es system downtime) can potentially dwarf all these other LCC cost ele

ments. Where this is the case, it's essential to design the system in such a way as to minimise these risks. Any residual value (e.g. trade-in, or second-hand value) should be includ ed, as well as a comprehensive review of how the proposed new equipment fits into the existing system, and what cost savings can be made there too.

The Institutional Route

Gunnar Hovstadius, Technology Director at ITT Fluid Technology and a specialist in this area explains that: "Current interest in energy efficiency dates back to the period 1994-95, when the American Department of Energy's Motor Challenge Program established contacts within the pump industry in order to explore possible improve ments in pumping systems." The Department's involvement followed the passing of the Energy Policy Act, in 1992, which aimed to seek and define ways to reduce the nation's use of energy. Amongst other actions, it set minimum requirements for energy efficiency in electric motors, and allowed a five-year period for industry to comply with its requirements. A logical next step was to investi gate how energy could be saved by reducing the demand from equipment driven by those electric motors. Paul Scheihing of the Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technology suggests that this is where the greater savings can be made. According to Scheihing, "some 25 per cent of potential energy savings can be achieved by improving efficiencies in the motors alone, whereas the remain ing 75 per cent can be realised by opti mising the system as a whole." Following up this point, in 1999 the Best Practices Programme was estab lished to look at equipment driven by electric motors, e.g. pumps. Two years earlier, in 1997, Europump - the association of European pump manufacturers - had started an energy-saving campaign called

28 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

"Bringing in American industry in the form of the Hydraulic Institute shifted the emphasis towards mainte nance costs, whereas the high cost of energy in Europe - due to relatively high tax levels - makes Europeans much more aware of the energy com ponent," he claims. The 'Bidding' Model Hovstadius points out that, tradi tionally, the purchasing of industrial equipment such as pumps follows a 'bidding process' model, where manu facturers compete to provide the basic product at the lowest initial cost. "In some ways it can be argued that this has been institutionalised, for example where governments require public organisations to go to competitive ten der and buy the lowest cost product. With the growing interest in LCC, there's discussion in the USA that

Federal mandates to buy the lowest cost product should be complemented by a requirement to buy equipment which is in the highest 25 per cent regarding energy efficiency. Other aspects of LCC could also be used. The idea here is not that the bidding process should disappear, but that the criteria on which it is based should be

shifted toward the LCC concept." The Organisational Dimension Another element in the traditional, business-to-business bidding process is what can be called the 'organisation al dimension'; very often the people responsible for buying and/or paying for the equipment are not involved in, or even responsible for, operating the equipment and paying for its opera tional costs. Those buying the equip ment may have a fixed budget. They will probably, therefore, be less con cerned with the long-term operating cost of the equipment, than completing the purchase without going over bud-

Pumping Economics get. Equipment is often bought by contraetors who aren't going to be running the system once it's been designed and built. Consequently, there's little incen tive for them to pay higher prices for more efficient equipment. In order to overcome this organisational irra tionality, the future operators of the system are going to have to demand and specify optimally efficient equip ment.

In an effort to escape from this sort of dysfunctionality - at least as far as the pump industry is concerned - an authoritative book has been produced. This will function as a manual for

designing pump systems according to the principle of life-cycle costing. The book, some 200 pages long, has been

work in practice. "If you look at main tenance in a pulp and paper plant, pur chasing pumps which are corrosion resistant obviously increases the pur chase price, but is much more eco nomical in the long run. Large savings in operating costs are possible by pay ing more attention to energy and main tenance costs. A recent study at a US paper mill indicated that implementa

tion ofa number ofenergy saving proj ects could triple the plant's operating income. Maintenance and energy sav ings usually go hand in hand. "In the case of wastewater pump ing, cost savings of up to 40 per cent are possible," he claims. "The general problem with such systems is that they

produced with the co-operation of Europump, the Hydraulic Institute in America, and the U.S. Department of Energy. The energy directorate of EU

are grossly oversized in terms of aver age flow rates. People put in large pumps in order to deal with peak demands. One aspect of this is friction losses. If you double the flow rate the

has also taken an informed interest in

friction losses will increase four-fold."

its production, and, in addition, the vast majority of pump manufacturers participated.

The simple answer is to install smaller pumps, in addition to large pumps, in the pumping system. These will deal with the average, low flow

Hovstadius, who has been intimate

ly involved in the book's production, states that "our point is that the con cept of life-cycle costing is a much more sophistieated - and ultimately realistic - way of buying industrial products like pumps. This approach is making a breakthrough, with, for example, many articles appearing in the trade press." Practical Examples Hovstadius offers some concrete

examples of how life-cycle costing can

rate - with consequent lower friction losses - and the large pumps will be on stand-by for exceptional flows. "Of course you have to pay for the smaller pumps, but looking at the life-cycle costing of the system, you are going to save money in terms of energy and maintenance by doing this," says Hovstadius.

"The emphasis on the system is very important," Hovstadius stresses. "There is a suggestion in the EU that

pumps should be labelled according to their efficiency. But this might take the focus away from the system; the level of efficiency comes not from the pump, but from the system in which it is working." Variable Speed Pumps Another technology which is mak ing life-cycle costing easier to imple ment is variable speed control for pumps. Traditionally a pump is usually working at full speed and is then throt tled back to deliver the desired flow

rate. Hovstadius says, "this is the equivalent of somebody driving down a motorway with their foot constantly flat on the accelerator, while control ling the speed of the car with the brakes. It's a very wasteful way to use energy. In such systems, variable speed control offers great potential for ener gy saving compared to flow control by throttling." "Many ofthese principles and ideas around the LCC concept are fairly well understood by engineers, and the peo ple who directly operate the equip ment," says Hovstadius. "The real challenge is to bring these concepts to other people within the organisation, for example, financial officers and general managers who need to be given a sense of how life-cycle costing can work in the real world. Then we

can overcome the organisational divi sions between those who have the pur chasing budgets and those responsible for the operating costs." Life-Cycle Costing is available on line at www.pumps.org. ■

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June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 29

Water Treatment

Innovative approach for residue management facilities saves $10 million for the City of Toronto By Abhay Tadwalkar,P. Eng., City of Toronto

The R.C. Harris Filtration Plant

is the largest water filtration plant in the City of Toronto. Located in the Beaches neigh bourhood in the east of the City, the plant has a rated production capacity of 950 million litres per day (ML/d) with an average production of 650 ML/d.

Filter backwash wastewater

and settled sludges from the sedimen tation tanks are currently discharged into Lake Ontario without treatment.

In August 1999, Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed residue management facilities was completed. The preferred alternative at that time was to provide equalization tanks and a pumping station in pre dominantly underground structures at the Harris Plant site. The residue

would then be pumped through a new 24-inch (600 mm) pipeline to a dedi cated treatment facility to be con structed at the Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant (ABTP), located approximately 5.5 km from the site.

In January 2002, CH2M HILL Canada Limited was engaged to carry out pre-design for the facilities based on this concept. As the consultants became involved in the details of the

pre-design study, they reviewed vari ous design and installation configura tions with the City's project team.They

believed that the full on-site treatment

option was preferrable to the partial on-site treatment, both technically and financially. In an ambitious attempt, Toronto Water Supply staff determined that the new approach merited a change in project direction and reopened the EA in September 2002. Compared to the previous EA that took well over 24 months, the EA Addendum was com pleted in record time (less than two months). The new concept involved

Gara^ Bays No.3 &4

• No impact on the architecture or heritage features of the site, as all structures will be buried.

full on-site treatment of the residues in

• Construction of a new 24-inch (600 mm)pipeline from the Harris plant to ABTP will be eliminated resulting in an estimated saving of almost $10 mil lion for the City.

completely underground facilities at

• Construction of additional facilities

the R.C. Harris site. Some of the benefits of the new

approach are as follows:

new pipeline is not necessary. • Avoids the difficulties and costs

associated with public consultation/ mitigation for the pipeline from Harris to the ABTP.

at the ABTP eliminated.

• Additional potential savings in cost, time, easements, etc., by elimination of the pipeline along the beachfront. • No impact on the ABTP process, its treatment capacity or the biosolids

• No disruption to other areas (e.g. along Queen Street or beaches) since

• No need for further consultation

30 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

program.

Water Treatment with

the

ABTP

Neighbourhood

Manitouwadge fined for failing to report

Liaison Committee.

• Full control of the residue treatment

process with the R.C. Harris staff.

• Significant savings in energy (oper ating cost) costs as the process utilizes gravity rather than pumping of the process streams.

• Savings in staffing costs. The new facility design provides that, under normal conditions, process waste flows will be sent to one of ten

underchlorinated water

The Township of Manitouwadge in Ontario has been fined $15,000 - plus vic tim fine surcharge - for failing to report unchlorinated water entering the drinking water distribution system for the Community of Manitouwadge. The fine was assessed after the Township pleaded guilty to one count under Regulation 459/00, involving the failure to report low chlorine residual levels in a test sample. The offense occurred on July 7 and 8, 2001, when a chlorine feed pump failed, causing unchlorinated water to enter the distribution system. Regulation 459/00 requires immediate notification to the Ministry of the Environment when a free residual level of chlorine is below the required level.

equalization/decant tanks. The tank supernatant is decanted to an effluent tank, where it can be dechlorinated and

monitored prior to discharge to Lake Ontario. Settled sludge in the decant tanks drains by gravity to a sludge equalization tank. It is then pumped into a splitter box which can distribute the flow uniformly to four clarifierthickeners. Under normal operation, it is expected that three of the thickeners will be used to receive settled sludge for thickening, and that the fourth unit will serve as a storage/concentrator for supply to the two centrifuges. Two screw type conveyors and four

technologies

Two new portables at special prices only until August 31, 2003 -Waterproof

-Built in data logging -Real time clock

dump boxes on rail tracks are provided

-Rechargeable batteries

-L^rge^_backlit graphicol display j

to facilitate removal of the cake for

final disposal. Centrate from dewater-

ing will be returned to the sludge equalization tank.

All facilities will be completely buried within the slope between the filter building and the south service building. No new superstructures or modifications to the existing structures will be required. The dewatered sludge cake will be removed through the existing garage doors. This layout will have no impact on the existing con

' 1

tours of the site.

Local groups congratulated the City and the consultants for their expertise, and understanding of the neighbour hood concerns. The ABTP - Neigh bourhood Liaison Committee highly

: 1 ©0

®%«99.00

commended the City for its solution

with "zero-impact to the ABTP" citing "exemplary precedent" with the new approach. It is anticipated that the detailed design for the project will be complet ed in 2003 followed by construction of the facilities by 2005.

Abhay Tadwalkar is Operational Support Manager, City ofToronto Water Supply. E-mail: abhay_tadwalkar@toronto.ca.

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Indoor Air Quality

Toxic moulds under the

Stachybotrys sp. Species of Fusarium and Trichoderma are also reported to produce Trichothecenes. In addition to Trichothecenes, several other "myco toxins" - toxic metabolites of fungi are reported to be produced by various fungi. Some of the most potent mycotox ins, which have been shown to be car

microscope By Lalitha Burra,Ph.D.,CIH, Gemini Laboratories Inc.

Toxic mould? Or should the

question be "is mould toxic?" Although mould has been around for ages, the past few years have seen a surge of information

cinogenic to humans and animals by way of ingestion, are aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A,produced by Aspergillus species. The most documented case of pathogenecity due to mycotoxins is the case of Turkey X disease where thou sands of turkeys died due to ingestion of aflatoxin-contaminated peanut meal. It is also thought that deaths of thousands of people in the former

eonditions.

accepted. This is of great relevance in hospitals and other indoor environ ments with susceptible individuals. Unhealthy indoor environments can also be a result of infestation by vari ous fungi like different species of Aspergillus, in addition to Stachy botrys. Some of the most cormnon species

diversity in their distribution. Some of these moulds have a potential to pro duce toxins called "mycotoxins", certain

nosocomial infections, has been well

were reported to

under

associated

with toxins pro duced by species

and outdoor envirorunents with a vast

under

winter

left

the public has been a challenge to the scien tific community. Moulds, or in microbi ological terms, the fungi, are ubiquitous organisms and hun dreds of species of different genera of fungi have been identified in indoor

"Toxic

mould" and "Black mould" are terms

loosely used to describe Stachybotrys which may be one of several fungal speeies present in indoor environ ments.

There are some studies that have

snow. These deaths

were caused by ingestion of eontaminated grain

useful information to

health has been a subject of discussion and controversy. Severe symptoms due to inhalation are usually associated with agricultural workers where high concentrations of organic dusts includ ing bacteria, fungi and endotoxins are involved. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other allergic responses and respiratory diseases have also been reported in farming communities. assessed the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and ear infections in daycare facilities and museums with sig nificant moisture and mould problems. While controversy continues in rela tion to the role of fungi in human health, it is mostly related to the sever ity of health effects. That moulds can be allergenic in several people and that they can be pathogenic to immune compromised populations, causing

USSR at the end of World War II

which, while contribut ing to some needed awareness, also cre ated panic in the general public. To provide factual and

indoor air and their role in human

Fusarium.

Stachybotrys was implicated in 1931 in Europe and Russia as the cause

of fatal haemorrhage

of mould found in indoor air are

disease in horses. Several

Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Epicoccum, etc. Fungal spores are present in all indoor environments and several building

horses were killed due to inges tion of hay infected with Stachybotrys and other fungi. Recent studies from India attribute "Kodo" millet poison ing in humans to the ingestion of mil let seed infected with Aspergillus tamari and Aspergillusflavus. Although the pathogenecity of moulds and mycotoxins in human and animal health has been well document

ed in exposures by ingestion, similar conclusions by inhalation are yet to be arrived at. The importance of fungi in

materials are nutritional sources for

their propagation in the presence of moisture. Moisture is the single most important contributing factor in the propagation and spread of moulds. Results from studies conducted by CDC's (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Health Hazard Evaluation program indicate that there were relationships between reports of

Stachybotrys has received signifi cant notoriety due to its recent implica tion in pulmonary haemorrhage in infants in Cleveland, Ohio. Although subsequent evaluations have failed to conclude Stachybotrys as the causal agent in the death of children, the pres ence of this fungus in indoor environ ments still causes panic in the occu pants.

Stachybotrys produces a group of toxins belonging to a chemical catego ry called Trichothecenes. This group of toxins is, however, not restricted to

Stachybotrys sp.(inset) and areas in a home that are mould infested.

32 EnvironmentalScience & Engineering,June 2003

Indoor Air Quality work-related respiratory disease and

ALTECH Wins GLOBE Award for Technology innovation

visual assessment of water and mould

damage. Yet another difficult aspect of inter preting the role of moulds in human health is the difference in the sensitiv

ity and predisposition of individuals to mould allergens; this has contributed to the lack of any standards or accept able exposure limits. Whether individ uals are sensitive or not, visible mould is at the very least unhygienic and unsanitary and should be eliminated immediately. If not eliminated, moulds spread and will eventually reduce the quality of breathing air due to the release of spores, and there is a possi bility of occupants being sensitized to fungal spores. Since "high" levels of any type of mould can be harmful to some people, it is essential that all efforts be made to

prevent fungal amplification. In most cases, normal routine maintenance and good housekeeping practices will pre vent fungal amplification indoors. In addition to maintaining sanitary and hygienic living conditions, simple pre ventive measures like maintaining rel ative humidity below 60%, immediate repairs of any water leaks, and main taining air-conditioning systems with no leaks and dust, help reduce indoor mould levels in breathing air. Visible mould growth should be eliminated as soon as possible and, depending on the extent of repairs required, the process might range from mere cleaning with bleach to profes sional remediation and rebuilding. It is recommended that proper protection and containment measures be taken

ALTECH Technology Systems Ine. reeeived the Award for Technology Innovation and Application, for installations of its innovative new multi-pollu tant REITHER air scrubber technology. This patented variable-venturi wet scrubber has been applied by ALTECH to handle challenging air pollution eontrol issues involving particulates, styrene and other VOCs, H2S and sulphur dioxide.

Alex Keen,President and CEO, was thrilled that the ALTECH team received

the award, considering the strong list of finalists. He said, "it's an unexpected honour to be chosen from a field that includes IBM,Enbridge, DuPont Canada and many others." Contact: www.globe.ca.

Tri-Phase Environmental

Tri-PbaseEnvlronmental Inc.

Inc.(TPEI) is a Canadian waste management and environmental remediation

company Incorporated under the laws of Ontario.

TPEI operates across Canada offering a full line of on-slte services to

private, public, and crown corporations. TPEI has built a national reputation of quality, service and safe, cost effective solutions. TPEI Is committed to

environmental quality, coupled with safety compli ance. We handle all of our

projects skillfully and efficiently with minimum disruption to our customers and communities.

Tel: (905) 279-4906 Fax:(905) 279-0381 www.trlphaseenvlronmental.com

*. Asbestos and mold removal

during the process. Improper handling of contaminated material and insuffi

• Demolition

cient containment will contribute to

• PCB management, cieanup, packaging, transportation and disposai

the spread of mould to uncontaminated areas. The most important step is to identify and repair all moisture sources before proceeding to remediation pro tocols. It is also strongly recommend ed to use proper Personal Protection Equipment(PPE), including use of N95 disposable respirators and that sen sitive individuals are protected. Whether it is just preliminary test ing or extensive surveys or remedia tion, involve trained and/or accredited

professionals who will provide unbi ased and comprehensive evaluation of the problem. For more information, circle repiy card No. 121

• Transformers retrofill and retrofit • Site remediation

• Industrial services/

power washing • Confined space entry • Underground storage tank removal

• Decommissioning For more information, circle reply card No. 122 (See page 25)

Haz-Mat Response

The PID's role in First Response team focuses first on the gross hazard and then precisely directs the response, containment, and clean-up based on this information.

A First Responder's initial concern is choosing the proper personal protective equipment(PPE). The level of protection will largely depend on the level of airborne

By Dave Kuiawa, Industrial Scientific Corporation

When a Hazardous Materials (Haz-Mat)

contaminants and the hazard(s) they pose. Generally, this is determined by checking the shipping manifest or hazard placard to determine what compound could potentially be present. If the product poses a health risk the team needs to prepare for the worst by outfitting the monitoring crew with supplied air and the appropriate level protective suit. At this point, the monitoring can begin with the goal of determining if this potential hazard is a reality. This is accomplished by using a Photolonization Detector (PID) to monitor the ambient air (downwind) for parts per mil lion(ppm)concentrations of total hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds(VOCs)to quantify the danger.

semi-truck on the side of a highway or a derailed tank car along a deserted stretch of track, these "First Responders"

Once the situational PPE has been determined, HazMat Teams need to determine if leaking materials are toxic or benign. Then the wind direction and speed are reviewed more precisely and hydrocarbons are once again monitored using a PID to determine a safe distance from the scene to establish a control perimeter. This ensures

need to approach each event in a calculated marmer. The

that non-protected personnel are not put in harm's way.

Response Team arrives on the scene of an acci dent, there are many unknowns. Whether the potential hazard originates from an overturned

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With more than 750 members,The Association of Ontario Land Surveyors continues to grow. 34 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

For more information, circle reply card No. 123 (See page 25)

Haz-Mat Response Perimeter monitoring needs to be performed continuously as the wind can change, along with the volatility of the leaking product. With the hazard potential defined and the perimeter monitored continuously, the next step is to contain the product. This is to be done at the source and anywhere the product may have traveled. Stopping the leak at the source may be as simple as turning a shut-off valve or as tricky as plugging a hole on the side of a tank. If the source carmot be stopped, then the product must be plugged to pre vent further migration of the product and sorbent material can be used to wick up product that may have escaped the dike. Understanding that sorbent material involves cost,

once again the FID can be used to determine if the solution on the road next to the scene is a

volatile fluid or harmless liquid. Once containment is achieved, the next step is the clean-up of the hazardous materials. This phase of the response also requires hydrocarbon monitoring to determine if clothing has become contaminated in the process of responding to the Haz-Mat call. Monitoring the total hydrocarbons outgassing from bunker gear can provide a clear picture as to the level of decontamination that is necessary.

Finally, if a spill reaches the soil, remediation teams

will need to monitor the ground and water sources for hydrocarbons to determine the level of encapsulation and/or remediation necessary. This action is generally left to the Environmental Officials and contracted remediation

teams. In most instances, the First Responders will be questioned as to spill and migration patterns. Using the FID to monitor any reduction in concentrations over a distance will better prepare the First Responder to accurately respond to this line of questioning. Each of these gas monitoring situations can be accurately addressed through the use of a Fhotolonization Detector. FIDs are gas moni tors that read parts per million(ppm)or sub-ppm lev els of hydrocarbons and are ideal when the explosive hazard of a compound is outweighed by its toxicity. In the world of Haz-Mat response the speed and accu racy at which hazards are quantified is of utmost impor tance. The FID technology combines flexibility and preci sion to provide the First Responder with one gas monitor ing tool that can be an integral part of hazard assessment, on scene, from arrival to departure.

Dave Kuiawa is Sales Manager, North America,for Industrial Scientific Corporation. E-mail: dkuiawa@indsci. com

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pumps • filters • tubing • www.waterra.com • bailers • water level sensors For more Information, circle reply card No. 124 (See page 25)

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 35

Laboratory Accreditation

Do accredited laboratories perform better? By Andrew Morris and Rick Wilson, 1997 Study (1994-1996)

Canadian Association for

Parameter

Environmental Analytical Laboratories

Do accredited environmental

2001 Study (1997-2000)

Pairs of Late

Data Pairs

Pairs of Labs

Data Pairs 96

Biochemcial Oxvgen Demand (BOD) Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

144

162

Choride(CL)

Dissolved Iron (DFE)

Fecal Colifonns(FCOL)

laboratories actually per

form better?

The Canadian

Association

for

Table 1. Number of laboratories meeting criteria for specific parameters.

Environ

mental Analytical Laboratories (CABAL) attempted to answer this question in a 1997 article entitled "Laboratory Accreditation; Proof of

samples. The same five parameters used in the 1997 study were examined again for the follow-up: biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended

Performance for Environmental Labs"

solids, chloride, dissolved iron, and

{Canadian Chemical News, September 1997). Since we now have data from additional years of performance test ing (PT) studies, we have repeated the original study. CALAL is committed to working with the laboratory community and

fecal conforms. Laboratories which

their clients to achieve and demon

strate the value of implementing the highest quality standards in Canadian

participated in the proficiency testing studies were required to analyze four samples of different concentrations for each parameter, from which CALAL

determined an overall score through statistical analysis. The maximum score is 100, a pass is a 70, and approximately 5% of the results are expected to be considered unsatisfac

environmental laboratories. To this end CALAL and the Standards Council of

11 Accredited (1997) § Non-Accredited (1997)

Canada (SCC) jointly deliver an accreditation program for environmen tal laboratories in Canada.

■14

tory due to statistical treatment of the data. The total data set examined here

includes 12 proficiency testing stud ies: the 1997 study examined data for six studies between 1994 and 1996, and the 2001 study examined data between 1997 and 1999. For each

study, the same nmnber of accredited and non-accredited labs were selected

for each parameter (by random selec tion if the entire data set was not used). Within each study (periods 1994-1996 and 1997-1999), the same labs were used to avoid the 'learning curve' □ Accredited (2001)

■Non-Accredited (2001)

The accreditation program is based on ISO/ILC 17025 General Require ments for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. Labor

atory performance for many accredited parameters is evaluated through interlaboratory proficiency testing, and lab oratory capability is assessed every two years by a laboratory site assess ment covering the lab's quality system and its technical capabilities for the specific tests. By mid 2001, more than 120 enviromnental labs were participating in the joint SCC/CALAL accreditation program, representing about 38 per cent of all labs accredited by the SCC for all areas of testing. Another 160 to 170 labs are involved in only the profi ciency testing, making a total of 270 to 280 labs in CALAL's proficiency test ing (PT) program. Our 2001 study As with the 1997 study, we have compared the PT performance of accredited labs from the joint SCC/CALAL program with the per

CAEAL Parameters

Figure 1. Comparison of mean scores, 1997 & 2001. 1 Accredited (1997) I Non-Accredited (1997)

□ Accredited (2001) ■ Non-Accredited (2001)

70%

60%

54%53o^

» 50%

E e

07 40% <a

t 30%-|— 20%

10%

DFE CAEAL Parameters

formance of non-accredited labs that

received identical proficiency testing

Figure 2. Comparison of perfect scores, 1997 & 2001.

36 Environmental Science & Engineering, June 2003

Laboratory Accreditation improved analytical techniques due to accu mulated experience in the program, and 2) a tendency by non-accredited labs to seek

□ Accredited (2001) ■ Non-Accredited (2001)

D Accredited (1997) ■ Non-Accredited (1997)

accreditation.

At study conclusion, accredited labs aver

aged approximately 6.72 years participation and non-accredited, 4.23 years - a difference of almost 2.5 years. Further, a 1.1% improvement on an already high (91 out of 6% 6%

DFE CAEAL Parameters

Figure 3. Comparison of unsatisfactory scores, 1997 & 2001. Pairs of

Parameter

2001 Study (1997-1999) Labs Seeking

Labs

Biochemcial Oxygen Demand (BOD) Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Qiorlde (CL) Dissolved Iron (DFE) Fecal Conforms (FOOL)

Accreditation

32%

23%

38%

44% 34%

16 13 16

TOTAL

Tabie 2. Number and % of non-accredited tabs that sought accreditation in 2000 or 2001.

influence of labs that had just joined the program, but a lab used in the 1997 study was not necessarily used in the fol low-up. The number of labs that met the criteria varies by

100) average mean score and almost seven years of participation would suggest that accredited labs appear well along the Team ing curve', having firmly established, timetested analytical techniques. Non-accredited labs, on the other hand, appear to have grad ually moved up the curve to the point where some labs either felt ready for accreditation or were required to pursue accreditation under new provincial requirements. To this end, it appears that, on average, over 33% of non-accredited labs eventually sought accreditation in either 2000 or 2001 (see Table 2). Lab motivation to seek accred itation is beyond the scope of this paper, but certainly a shift toward accreditation by nonaccredited labs appears to be one influence on our study results. For more information, circle reply card No.159

parameter (see Table 1). In total, 528 sets of results were

used in the 1997 study and 462 in the 2001 study. It should be noted that, in researching the 2001 study, additional parameters were considered and examined. The data set for these parameters was determined to be unsatis factory and therefore not included in this paper but may be reconsidered during subsequent studies. Results

The performance of accredited and non-accredited labs has been compared by using three measures: (1) the aver

age score, (2) the number of labs which achieved perfect

scores of 100, and (3) the number of labs which id not

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achieve satisfactory scores of at least 70 out of 100. The results of these comparisons for each parameter are shown in Figures 1 to 3. Conclusions

Similar to results found in the 1997 study, accredited labs achieved higher mean scores (92% versus 87% for the entire data set), a greater number of perfect scores (46% of accredited labs versus 36% of non-accredited labs) and fewer unsatisfactory scores (3% of accredited labs versus 17% of non-accredited labs) on proficiency testing samples over a three-year period. The pattern of results was very consistent; the same conclusion applied to each of the five parameters as well as to the total data set in each study. In each study, accredited labs outperformed non-accred ited labs in all three measures. Between studies, the aver age mean score improved for both types of labs (1.1% by accredited versus 4.8% by non-accredited). The marked improvement of non-accredited labs between studies deserves comment and can be explained in two ways: 1)

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Hazardous Wastes

Reviewing the other,more difficult,PCB wastes updates scheduled for the near future, we anticipate phase-out dates that will eventually eliminate all stored and inuse PCBs. High-risk areas will be

By Christopher Nielsen, T.Harris Environmental

Management Inc.

Environmental professionals are

familiar with the standard polychlorinated biphenyls projects associated with site assess

ments and remediation projects. Fluorescent light fixtures and HID lamps, along with their associated PCB-containing capacitors, have been collected, stored, and disposed of for many years. Treatment of stored PCB waste has become almost routine, with Swan Hills, Alberta, being the main option for high level PCBs and new facilities, such as Fluorescent Lamp Recyclers, coming on line for treat ment of electrical equipment. We are now moving into the next

phase of the PCB master plan. With both federal and provincial regulatory ACLAE

addressed first, with an apparent goal being eventual elimination of all PCB-

eontaining materials. In anticipation of the new regulations, local Ontario Ministry of Environment officials are already reluctant to approve any new PCB storage facilities. With the majority of the "easy" PCBs out of the way, attention is beginning to focus on the more diffi cult and lesser-known PCB-eontaining products. Ongoing efforts of contrac tors, consultants, and informed proper ty managers and building owners have led to removal or cleaning of many ground level transformers, light bal lasts and stored waste inventories. Items such as Askarel-filled trans

formers, located in 20-plus storey mechanical penthouses or below-grade areas, require extensive site work. Some transformers may be easily

Laboratory Training Services

CAEAL

accessible with the assistance of cranes

and hoists. Accessibility to penthouse or below-grade units is potentially complicated by burdensome crane costs. Employing skilled workers to physically dismantle the transformers during off-hours and then removing the pieces through a freight elevator best address these scenarios. Unfor

tunately, this method may result in sev eral-fold increases in the cost of dis

posal, over the more easily accessible units. Another item of concern that does not receive the attention it deserves is

high voltage cable. A typical cable consists of a copper wire core wrapped in PCB oil-impregnated paper. The

paper is surrounded by lead that is ulti mately covered by a rubber or plastic sheath, thus the name Paper Insulated Lead Cable or PILC.

PCBs in the paper layer tend to migrate to either splices or termina tions in the cable.

This situation is

complicated somewhat by the tenden-

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The Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories Suite 300, 265 Carting Ave., Ottawa, Ontario KIS 2E1 Tel:(613)233-5300 Fax:(613) 233-5501 E-Mail: ngravel@caeal.ca

pleased to announce the launch of Vector Process Equipment Inc.. The company represents quality equipment manufac turers, Including Bird Machine Company and Chem Systems Inc. The Bird Humboldt CENTRIPRESS® highsolids centrifuge offers state-of-the-art sludge dewaterlng. Chem Systems Inc. Is a leading supplier of polymer and custom designed chemical feed systems. Contact: Andre Osborne,(416)5274396 or Dale Sanchez,(905) 979-8660, e-mail: info@vectorprocess.com

Left to right: Dale Sanchez; Evan Stirling, Bird Machine Company; Garry O'Donneii, Chem Systems inc.; Charlie Ehne, Bird Machine Company; and Andre Osborne.

For more information, circie repiy card No. 164 (See page 25)

Hazardous Wastes cy of the migration to be inconsistent, leading to uneven distribution within the paper layer. There is currently no standard for effectively determining

cant problem. These materials, com monly tested for and found to contain asbestos, are rarely tested for PCB

PCB concentration in the cable. If the

of friable asbestos-containing materi als in the late 1970s, extensive quanti

situation is suspected and identified, then treatment, including separation, segregation, and destruction, can be accomplished relatively easily. Recent investigations have identi fied another common item that is gen erally overlooked when it comes to PCB investigations. Black tarpaper items historically found in various common construction designs may contain concentrations of PCBs well

above the 50 parts per million (ppm) criteria in current legislation. Levels of60 to 80 ppm have been identified in common tarpaper applied during con struction of foundations and concrete

structures. These types of materials may be present in various roofing and vapour barrier applications as well. Of the various known and potential

construction applications, the presence of black, PCB-containing tarpaper lay ers in cellulose cold water pipe and drainpipe insulation poses a signifi

content. Since the abolition of the use

ties of this material have been removed

and disposed of. It has been handled and disposed of as general waste if no asbestos was present, and if asbestos was found, it was double bagged in 6 mil polyethylene bags and placed in asbestos landfills. Although asbestos is harmless when bagged and buried,

treated as PCB waste and disposed of as such. Separation of the PCB layer is an option but would likely not be costeffective. However, even if the tarpa per contains 100 ppm of PCBs, the paper is only about 10% of the entire insulation. Using this logic, the insula tion would contain only about 10 ppm of PCBs. It is questionable from an environmental economics perspective, whether this is a wise use of our

How should these offending materi als be addressed in the future? If you incinerate asbestos-containing, PCBsaturated paper, you are left with a pile of extremely friable asbestos dust. It is arguably better to address the asbestos

resources. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Ministry officials would agree with this line of thinking. Ultimately, more surprises will like ly arise during the next few years. The much anticipated updated legislation from either the federal or provincial government, or both, will kick-start the process of PCB disposal and facilitate standard operating procedures with respect to previously atypical scenar ios. Hopefully, any judgments on the part of the Ministries and the PCB handling industry will err on the side

the same cannot be said for PCBs.

Burial of PCB-containing materials is far from a proper PCB destruction method using high-temperature incin eration.

at the incinerator than let the PCBs

of conscientious environmental stew

enter the enviromnent. If the pipe insu

ardship and, in the long run, everyone

lation material is found to not contain

will win.

asbestos, the entire insulation could be

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Air Pollution

Particulate emissions

brought under control at British Columbia

plywood plant New duct work ties separate dryer stacks into one main duct that feeds into the new precipitator.

The skies are clearer around the

Weldwood of Canada plywood operation located at Williams Lake, British Columbia, thanks

to the successful installation of a new

pollution control device at the facility. Prior to the $2.8 million capital improvement project, emissions from the plant's three veneer dryers went directly into the atmosphere through nine separate stacks. The emissions

when the B.C. Ministry of Environ ment(since changed to the Ministry of Water, Land and Air) officials ap proached the company with concerns about the amount of particulate released into the atmosphere. "We knew we had to do something" says Glen Hewitt, Chief Executive at the plywood plant. "The emissions averaged 240 milligrams of particulate per cubic metre. The Ministry of

often contributed to a blue haze in the

Environment advised us that our new

sky above the industrial area northeast

permit level would be 115 milligrams per cubic metre. We then developed a five-year plan and set our target at 50 milligrams per cubic metre."

of town.

A plan to improve the situation began to develop as far back as 1997,

After several years of research, planning, and seeking approval for capital expenditures at a time when Weldwood also went through two cor porate ownership changes, construc tion

a new

Wet Electrostatic

Precipitator (WES?) began late in 2001 and was completed in June 2002. Western Pneumatics manufactured the

precipitator which was supplied by Geoenergy International Corporation of Kent, Washington, who went out of business just as Weldwood's project was completed. Weldwood hired Western Pneumatics Environmental

Services of Uplands, California, who

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42 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

6660 Campobello Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 2L9 www.haywardgordon.com/gresco Phone: 905-567-6116 gresco@haywardgordon.com Fax: 905-567-1706 For more information, circle reply card No. 135 (See page 25)

Air Pollution quickly stepped into the picture and has since provided spare parts, techni cal advice and ongoing inspections for

intensity electrical field on the saw tooth discs. This electrical zapping causes the fine particulate to adhere to

Weldwood.

the walls of the tubes. The tubes are

The upgrade begins on the roof of the 25 year old plywood plant.

then flushed every 90 minutes with (US) 500 gallons of hot water, which removes the fine particulate. What's left of the particulate now has the consistency of tar, and flows into a special 125 cubic foot catchment

Additional ducts were first installed to

channel all the discharge from the nine stacks into one giant duct, which leads straight into the precipitator for pro cessing. The veneer dryer discharge is cleaned up in two separate processes.

First of all, some (US) 800 gallons of water per minute are circulated by spray nozzles through a quench duct. This cools the discharge over a dis tance of 75-100 feet, and the water

flows by gravity into a separator, where the particulate is removed. The water is fully recyclable. The fine particulate and remaining water flow into the WESP for the sec

ond phase of the process. The mixture is forced into a series of tubes, each of which contains a number of probes fit ted with sawtooth discs. Some 50,000 volts of electricity are sent down the probes, which forms a corona or high-

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tank or tote about the size of a small

dumpster. It takes about three days for the tote to fill up. This tar-like sub stance is then dripped into the plant's hog fuel boilers and burned at a slow rate so as not to reproduce any noncompliant discharge. It takes about three hours to drip in the contents of one tote into the hog boilers. To even a casual observer, this high-tech cleaning combination of water and electricity has noticeable results. Scanning the sky on a sunny day, the discharge from the precepitator's gleaming new 55-foot stack is pri marily water vapour, with a very low level of particulate. It comes out at

"We've brought the emissions down below 37 milligrams per cubic metre," says Hewitt. "The performance guar antee ofthe equipment was easily met." Weldwood's state-of-the-art precip itator differs from older versions in

several significant areas, points out Hewitt, who knows of at least three older models around B.C. that are at

least five years old. He notes that, "one difference is in the tubing at the top, to which the par ticulate adheres. In the older versions, a pH balance or control is required with chemicals to keep that tubing clean. In our system, we use a hot water flush and no chemicals. Also in

the older units, all those probes in the tubes were normally connected to one transformer and it was not a high fre quency transformer. In the new model, that field is divided in half. There are

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Ontario Conference papers Contact: www.weao.org

Utilizing High Resolution Redox (Oxidation Reduction Potential) to automatically control the chlorination process at the main Sudbury Wastewater Treatment Plant

The City of Greater Sudbury owns and operates the main Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located on Kelley Lake Road. The City was interested in automating the chlorination process to eliminate the need for manual adjustments of the gas chlorinator. After unsuccessfully attempting automation by flow pacing and by using an amperometric analyzer, a High Resolution Redox (HRR) controller, as manufactured by US Filter/Stranco, was installed as part of a lengthy trial. The HRR rmit controls the chlorination process by measur ing the Oxidation Reduction Potential(ORP)of the wastewater, which is a direct measure of the current oxidant demand of the system. Through the use of a proprietary control algorithm designed specifically for wastewater applications, the HRR unit was able to automatically con trol chlorine feed to meet demand.

Over a 112-day period under HRR control, 4040 kg less

chlorine was used to disinfect the wastewater as compared to the same period in 2001, while remaining in compliance with respect to E-Coli limits. The reduction in chlorine consumption can be attributed to the elimination of chlo rine overfeed associated with manual control of the chlori

nation process. Max J. Rao, P.Eng., Indachem Inc., Christine Thibeault, Sudbury Wastewater Treatment Plant, and J.P. (Paul) Graham, P.Eng., City of Greater Sudbury. For more information, see article in ES&E, March 2003, page 48. Development of a UV evaluation methodology and application for review of a UV retrofit at the Windsor Plant

Ultraviolet(UV)irradiation has been used for disinfect ing effluent from secondary wastewater treatment plants throughout North America since the 1980s. Most of these applications are for suspended growth type secondary and tertiary effluents; however, application to primary effluent, fixed film secondary processes and lagoon systems follow a similar design approach. It was recognized that there was a need for a document to provide up to date information on the various UV treat ment technologies available in Canada and to provide a means to evaluate system needs and costs for both retrofit and new installations.

In order to fill this need, the City of Windsor, the Government of Canada, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment

and

the

Federation

Canadian

Municipalities funded the development of a UV Guidance Manual for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in Canada.

An example application of the UV Guidance Manual was made by review ing a potential retrofit of the existing UV system at the Windsor Little River Pollution Control Plant (LRPCP). The plant was expanded and upgraded in 1988, including the addition of UV dis infection facilities. The review indicat

ed that, although newer UV technology is available, replacement ofthe existing UV system at this time is not warranted based on expected O&M cost savings. Mike Newbigging and Andre Schnell, Hydromantis, Inc., Kit Woods, City of Windsor, and Harold Horneck, Stantec

Consulting. A review of peracetlc acid as a disin fecting agent for municipal wastewaters

Operator accesses the control system at the Sudbury Wastewater

This paper presents a literature review of peracetic acid(PAA)research and usage as it relates to disinfection of municipal wastewaters. PAA is a strong

Treatment Plant.

disinfectant and its use as a disinfectant

44 Environmental Science & Engineering,iune 2003

Disinfection DIGEST for wastewater effluents has been investigated since the 1980s. Much research has been carried out in recent years on PAA and this has resulted in a greater understanding of the mode of action, decomposition and disinfection by products, the dosage and contact time requirements, and the various factors affecting PAA performance (e.g. pH, temperature, BOD, etc.). The desirable aspects of PAA for wastewater disinfec tion include its ease ofimplementation, its broad spectrum of disinfection capabilities, and the absence of toxic or

To provide a comprehensive approach, bench-scale tests were undertaken using both annular reactors (ARs) and cast-iron pipe loops. W.J. Bayless, R.C. Andrews, Drinking Water Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, J. Eisnor and G.A. Gagnon, Department of Civil Engineering, Dalhousie University.

organic content in the effluent and its high cost. The cost of PAA is approximately four to five times the cost of sodium hypochlorite.

UV disinfection of water containing chlorine and natu ral organic matter (humic acids) - will it produce disin fection by-products that will support biofilm growth in a distribution system? Is there a downside to the application ofUV disinfection of surface waters in relation to distribution system water quality and biofilm? Research to date suggests that UV

Tim Constantine, CH2M HILL Canada Limited, Mehmet Kitis and Fred Soroushian, CH2M HILL.

does not produce significant by-products or significantly increase disinfection by-products after chlorination. A few

mutagenic residuals or by-products. Major disadvantages associated with PAA disinfection are the increases of

The effect of particle-association on the disinfection of MS-2 coliphage using nltraviolet light The ability of ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect alum floe-associated MS-2 coliphage was evaluated. Bench experiments were conducted in which MS-2, a viral surro gate, was either coagulated with kaolin clay particles or

aggregated into viral clumps prior to UV exposure. Both conditions were intended to represent particle sizes, viral aggregates, and turbidities encountered in drinking water treatment. A third condition, consisting of MS-2 in clear, phosphate buffer solution, served as a control for compar ison. The results of this bench study suggest that enmeshment within floe particles and aggregation into viral clumps serve to protect viruses from UV disinfection. Up to a 1.1-log reduction in MS-2 inactivation was observed due to these factors.

Michael Templeton, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Robert C. Andrews, Ron Hofmann, University of Toronto, and G. Elliott Whitby, Suntec Environmental.

questions remain, one of which is, will UV disinfection in the presence of a chlorine-residual catalyze oxidation of natural organic matter to produce by-products that will pro mote bacterial growth in a distribution system? The current research will investigate this question and provide invalu able information to water treatment plants considering the use of UV, in the presence or absence of a chlorine-residual from application in upstream processes. Sandra S. Latorre, Drinking Water Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Robert C. Andrews, University of Toronto and Graham Gagnon, Dalhousie University.

REGAL" CHLORINATORS

27ft.rsQuality Quality • Dependability • Savings f.

2003 Ontario Waterworks Association

Conference Papers Contact; www.owwa.org

An evaluation of disinfection by-product formation and corrosion under simulated distribution systems The formation of trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) from the use of chlorine-based

For over 27 years REGAL has been producing quality chlorinators. Our dependable, fast service saves in repairs, maintenance and down time. We stand behind our product with our excellent warranty and technical assistance. Diane

Haskett

disinfectants is of concern to treatment facilities due to the

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associated toxicological effects and strengthening of disin fection regulations. To minimize the formation of these disinfection by-products (DBPs) treatment facilities may consider alternate disinfectants, chlorine dioxide (primary) or chloramines (secondary). However, the impacts on dis tribution system water quality from switching to an alter native disinfectant are not clearly understood, nor are the relationships between corrosion and DBF formation. This project was undertaken to evaluate the formation of DBPs when using simulated cast iron distribution sys tem conditions and chlorine, chloramines or chlorine diox ide. As there is very little information in the literature con cerning the impacts of chlorine dioxide, chlorine and chlo ramines were examined to provide a comparative baseline.

information

President

to DISINFECT

Drinking Water/Wastewater Irrigation • Sanitary Sewage • Pools Processing Water for Poultry, Meat, Fruits and Vegetables, Wine, Beer and Sodas, Pharmaceuticals, etc.

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The PERFECT Solution To Your Chlorination Needs For more information, circle reply card No. 145 (See page 25)

ability of top management to the responsibility and response capability of the site-specific operating teams, time

critical

issues

should

addressed to help prevent a routine spill or release from turning into a major event that destroys a company, an industry and impacts international trade.

1"; -*«« i •"■

.3»*^pi8w?''Sraafe;<;._i

S•

-^.S- V

By Cliff Holland, President, Spill Management Inc.

Top management can no longer

give lip service to environmen tal programs. In Canada, a petroleum company was found guilty of not demonstrating due dili gence in protecting the environment based on the company's level of sophistication. The Court of Appeal felt that the company had the sophisti cation to test and determine potential impacts to the environment rather than rely on supplied information from the material safety data sheet (MSDS) and the capability of their

Multi-disciplined, trained workers and an internal response team are the best defence and do more to prevent the escalation of an event in the first

few minutes than any outside agency or response service can do when they arrive at the scene. Experience has shown benchmark times that demon

strate the value of in-house capability and the Time Critical Period for gain ing control of a spill or release are as follows: • First 15 seconds • One to two minutes

water treatment systems, etc.

• 10 to 15 minutes

Top management needs to know and act upon issues that increase spill prevention, level of preparedness, and response capability, as well as the scales of impact that could result in charges under the Environmental Protection Act. Business upsets or interruption and the nightmare of busi ness recovery may expand far beyond turning on the process and getting the people back on the job. Today, share

• One half hour to one hour

holder and customer confidence are

• Two hours.

Companies that can gain control of a spill or release as soon as

possible have a better chance of handling the

reaching far beyond the boundaries of the corporate doors as we are now see ing with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Toronto and the

event as a routine

incident

Mad Cow disease in Alberta.

spilled and reacts to cause an evacua

Companies that can gain control of a spill or release as soon as possible have a better chance of handling the

tion or a fuel tank leaks into a water

event as a routine incident. Those that

way and causes an adverse effect, both events require prevention and pre paredness measures to be in place to counteract the consequences of an ini tial release or spill.

are still trying to gain control of an event at or beyond the two-hour mark are now facing a situation that has most likely escalated into an emer gency. From the authority and account

Time critical issues

Whether 10 ml of nitric acid is

46 Environmental Science & Engineering, June 2003

Who's in charge? Depending on the nature and scale of the impact, the fire department (the lead agency) is now going to be in charge of the site, a state of emergency may be declared, evacuation of the neighbourhood could occur, various government agencies will be enforcing their concerns, contractor and special ty services will spare no effort to bring the situation to its conclusion, and the news media, internet and videographers will distribute information to all who demand it and anyone who will listen. Spills and releases that can be handled as a routine incident keep the organization in charge. Response capability (competency vs. confidence) Competent responders show a high level of capability based on their hands-on knowledge, experience and training. They have first-hand know ledge of the varying conditions, con trols, etc., required to handle critical situations. Confident responders tend to rely on the written word to maintain control of conditions that they don't truly understand. Each response group needs to understand that all responders will have different levels of competen cy depending on the situation. Internal response teams and volunteer fire departments are examples of teams made up of workers with diversified skills and backgrounds. Highly skilled and competent responders come from within their own industry, from the chemical companies, and rail compa nies, etc. Industry needs to develop internal capability to handle their spills and releases. Build competency into your

system and determine the need for support services of competent contrac tors as well as educate emergency services about what, where, when, why, and how their services may be required. Golden rules for response a) Never assume - Responders need to clear their minds of all distractions and

focus on every possible aspect that can

Emergency Response bring an event to a safe and successful conclusion. Industry-specific and product-specific responders will most likely have the highest level of know ledge to assess the risk and hazards, as well as determine supplies, equipment and support services required at the scene to help prevent conditions from taking a turn for the worst. b) Suit up for toxicity by protecting the entry routes of the body. Once respon ders have blocked out chemical or bio-

hazard contaminates from entering the body, the focus can now switch to being mindful of physical dangers that could harm the body. These physical dangers or impacts are fire, explosion that could kill, or corrosive and biolog ical properties that could eat through or permeate the suit, etc., and other physical dangers that could affect your safety on site. c) Work clean to pre vent chemical reac tions that could

result in the gen eration of heat, fires, explo sions, toxic gases etc., that could turn

they work and handle spills. The indus trial team may think the fire depart ment is using overkill by choosing encapsulating suits with supplied air to handle the same situation. Who's

right? Both groups may be right based on their level of first-hand knowledge, experience and training. Both groups need to communicate to find a com

mon ground with agreed procedures. There are three basic phases that responders need to be aware of: Phase I - Initial Response - This is best described as a routine event where

responders can perform response activities with what they are wearing or basic protective equipment. For example, for a sulphuric acid spill, responders may be able to respond with minimal protection up to one kilometre away, and build a containment area long before the acid or acid

manageable disaster.

d) Do not respond into a spill area (hot zone) to patch, repair, open, transfer or handle undamaged, or damaged goods, leaking or stressed vessels, con tainers, tanks, packages and other spilled products without first;

• Knowing, understanding and respecting the physical, chemical and biological properties of the spilled product as well as potential by-prod ucts and unwanted reactions.

• Determining the integrity of con tainers, stability of products involved and potential for adverse conditions occurring. • Sizing-up or assessing the situation to develop Initial Entry Procedures that will provide safe entry and exit during the event and allow work to be carried out safely and systematically. Response phases Levels of personal protection, type of response activities, safe distances will vary at spill sites. Fire depart ments may think that competent indus trial teams look scary with the way

Conclusion

Industrial sites need to consider

having trained workers and an internal response team for site-specific spills and releases. They have first-hand knowledge of the chemical solutions used on site. During an event, in-house personnel know the plant layout, dan ger, access points, etc., better than any responder coming to the site. Personnel at the site have a vested

interest in identifying potential spills and releases that impact the organiza tion's ability to conduct business.

vapour affects the area.

Phase

Initial Entry (Critical) Responders will best iden

tify this phase

situation into a

to handle this major event for less than $5,000. Phase III - Site Remediation (clean up) - This phase covers the routine clean-up of the site. Workers must be mindful that reactions may occur caus ing the activation of Phase I Initial Response or Phase II Initial Entry for worker safety.

if their hearts start

beat

faster, or they

For more information, contact e-mail: spillman@on.aibn.com.

The voice of Ontario's Environment Business Join the Ontario Environment

Industry Association ONEIA

know from first hand

information

that the situation is

critical or dangerous. At this point in time all activities

Our purpose is to strengthen the economic healtii of environmental businesses in

Ontario, work with governments and industry for a sustainable future, and to

should be restricted to Phase I level of

stimulate international environment!

response. All the site safety, proper protective equipment and required support services must be in place before work begins. Phase II requires that all duties and activities must be executed with rigid discipline. Plans must be focused on site safety, work procedures, safe dis tances, buddy systems, retreat routes, rescue procedures and control countermeasures. All levels of responders

business opportunities.

need to know that criteria for this

phase will vary according to a response organization's level of expert ise and the competency level of indi viduals on the team. In one case, the

risk of a hydrochloric acid tank releas ing its contents could have created a need for $80,000-$100,000 of response equipment and training. The

internal response team plus the staff on site developed preventative measures

Dedicated to ensuring the success of Ontario's environment business

Membership benefits Include: • Excellcnl relationship with Ontario's Ministiy of the Environment, foreign consulates and public stakeholder groups • increiLscd member business opportunities through networking and other event.s • Advocates of sound environmental policy and forms regulatoty initiatives • Liaison for off-shore partnerships

with Ontario industiy business

ONE'A.

To learn more,contact Oneia at info@oneia.ca or call(416)531.7884 Visit us online at:

www.oneia.ca

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 47

Wastewater that the main pumphouse and the asso ciated influent conveyance channels, located upstream of the existing headworks facility, contributed a signifi

Biofilter lets nature take Its course at Woodward Avenue WWTP

cant volume of odorous air to the head-

By Dan Chauvin,C.E.T., Jim Joyce,P.E.,Joe Uglevlch,RE. and Frank Burford,REng.

The Woodward Avenue Waste-

water Treatment Plant(WWTP)

is owned by the City of Hamilton, and treats waste-

tation of an odour control system, with the added challenge of undertaking this significant construction activity with minimal impact on treatment

works facility at theWoodward WWTP. The main pumphouse and headworks facilities are hydraulically and pneumatically connected because there is a common air space between them through the enclosed conveyence channels. Therefore, as wastewater is conveyed downstream, so are the odours and air from the pumphouse

water from the Ontario communities of

processes.

wet well. The odours are then released

Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Glanbrook and Ancaster, with a combined popula tion of approximately 380,000. Hamilton has quite an extensive and complex wastewater system including 2300 km of sanitary sewers and 600 km of combined sewers, which can convey up to four times the average day flow to the Woodward WWTP dur ing wet weather conditions. Treatment is by a conventional activated sludge treatment system with an average day design flow rate of409 ML/d and peak design of 614 ML/d. The plant, operated and maintained under contract by American Water Services Canada Corp., has undergone a number of upgrades that include the

Originally, it was envisioned that a single odour control system would be

into the headworks facility (Figure 11). Without intervention, this phenom enon was expected also to occur fol lowing the commissioning of the new headworks facility. Any odour control

used to treat the air from the head-

works facility. However, field investi gations and odour sampling indicated

ir/iuent Purp Poteitbl Odotr Releese From ExhaiBt Vertiator

and a retrofit of the existing secondary

New Cormectii^ Bar Screen

Cortduit

(Typ.) ^

New Biofiter

for Channel

ToQrt

Chamber(Typ.)

Existing Comectirg

Room ExhaiBt

CondiA

□Id Parsfaii

Flume Location - Room Exhaust

HycfauSc Jtmp (T>p. 2Channe6)

New Hea(3wcrks

Facility Carbon

—►

Scritber

AHU

Figure 1-1

Aifiow Directton

Air Handing Unt

Woodward Avenue WWTP: raw wastewater pumping station and headworks wastewater and airfiow schematic.

FROMObOR

Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action

Plan(HHRAP),specifically the reduc

POTABLE OR REUSE WATER

- IRRKaATlON SYSTEM

Figure 2-1

(NTERNAL SOAKER HOSE OPTIONAL)

tion of combined sewer overflows

HEAOER PIPE

(CSO),it was determined that the final design capacity ofthe headworks facil ity would need to match the 1350

CRUSHED STON OR GRAVEL

ML/d capacity of the main pumphouse to treat wet weather flows historically bypassed from the WWTP. The Headworks Replacement Project incorporated new equipment for screening and grit removal, provid ed redundancy in case of equipment

PERFORATED

DISTRBUTION LATERALS

-CHIPPED BARK

OR MILCH COYER (optionsJ)

breakdown and matched the rated flow

capacity for the main pumphouse. An important design requirement for the new facility was the implemen

wastewater Fkw Dre<abn

—

clarifiers.

Most recently, the City retained AWS to undertake upgrades to the WWTP headworks facility in an effort to address operational and hydraulic restrictions. Upon reviewing commit ments the City had made to address the

Weii From

AHU

installation of a fine bubble aeration

system, construction of a waste acti vated sludge (WAS)system, construc tion of additional primary clarifiers

Ar Enters Wet

orOtherOpenlog

Supply

POLYETHYLENE LEACHATE LINER

DRANAGE TRENCH OR

PIPNGTOTREATtvENT

MATERIAL

Typical biofilter schematic.

48 Environmental Sdence & Engineering, June 2003

WFT. BULK MATERIAL

Wastewater employed at the new headworks build

ing would have limited overall impact as the more significant odour source was found to be upstream.

Because the air at the

operating level is less odorous and better con

ditioned (by the make up/supply air system),car bon fouling potential and maintenance frequency was significantly reduced.

works facility to provide the most cost effective and efficient treatment; and, • Minimize air requiring treatment from the headworks building proper, by containing odours in the channels. This allows for a lower air exchange rate to be utilized at the operating (building) level, thereby lowering the costs (operating and capital) and size

segregated so that the high concentra tion, high humidity airstream would be treated by a 5,000 cfrn inground biofil ter. The air from the operating (build ing) level, residuals containers, and covered screw conveyors in the headworks facility would be treated in a 15,300 cfm single bed carbon adsor ber. Because the air at the operating

of dedicated odour control and the

level is less odorous and better condi

heated supply/makeup air system.

tioned (by the makeup/supply air syscontinued overleaf...

Accordingly, the airstreams were

Basin & cofferdam rentals to 12 feet

Turnkey installation you can trust!

One solution was to block the air

from the pumphouse wet well from entering the influent conveyence chan nel. However, this would have resulted

moving

the

odour

problem

upstream. So, an odour control system would have been required at the main pumphouse to treat air emissions from the wet well plus a second at the headworks facility to control odours gener

Portadam® enviro-friendly holding basins can be instailed over irregular, unprepared land contours for most liquids.

ated in the influent channel and the headworks.

An evaluation of the existing natu ral airflow and ventilation dynamics within the influent pumping station and wastewater conveyance channels was conducted in order to understand

the magnitude of the situation. It was determined that it was possi ble to treat the air from the main

pumphouse, wastewater conveyance channels and the new headworks facil

ity influent chaimels in a centralized

odour control system by extracting air from the influent conveyence channels into a biofilter. Additionally, the oper ating level (building) air from the headworks facility would be treated in a second odour control system (carbon scrubber). This approach would accomplish the following objectives: • Treat multiple existing odour sources (raw wastewater pumphouse, connecting conduits and headworks influent channels) in a single new odour control system constructed as part of the headworks replacement project; • Minimize odour transmission from

the wastewater chaimels to the operat ing (building) levels;

Portadam cofferdam systems install under existing spans, eliminating need for structure removal. Dry riverbed exposed for bridgework, trenches, pipeline intakes, low dam head

rehabilitation and construction. Shown during dynamiting. • Install on concrete, bedrock & sediment, uneven or inclined. Civil preparation not normally required. Area left undisturbed.

• Rental systems are in stock for installation anywhere, in any configuration, to any length. In 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12-foot heights. R.M.S. ENVIRO SOLV INC.

Tel: (800)563-1093 Fax:(800)666-0550

info@rmsenvlro.com www.rmsenviro.com

• Separate the airstreams in the headFor more information, circle reply card No. 147 (See page 25)

Wastewater

klWoodward Avenue WWTP biofilter (left) and headworks carbon scrubber (right). tern), carbon fouling potential and maintenance frequency were signifi cantly reduced. The biofilter was centrally located between the two influent conveyence channels, occupying an area of the plant site which had limited use for any other type of process. Biofilters, sometimes called Soil Bed Filters or Compost Filters, are an innovative alternative to physical/

chemical foul air treatment that has

become increasingly popular in recent years. When odorous air passes through a biofilter, gases are adsorbed onto media particles and absorbed into

the moist, biologically active water/media boundary layer surrounding media particles. Once this occurs, bio logical degradation of the absorbed odour compounds occurs and only clean, odour-free air is released from

the biofilter. Essentially, the biofilter allows nature to do the "dirty work". Biofilters act as efficient biological reactors, where a thriving microbial population exists. In order to support microorganisms effectively, an optimal choice of media and moisture content

is critical.

The odorous air provides

the food source for the bacteria in the

media. As such, the foul air is provid ed continuously to assure biological growth and maintenance. Interrupt ions in the air/food source would cause

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be a lack of"food" for the biofilter. The Woodward WWTP biofilter

installation includes a pipe network of perforated pipe through which the odorous air is distributed (Figure 2-1). The perforated pipe is below the media and surrounded by granular material. The granular material helps to distrib ute the odorous air throughout the area of the biofilter. Above the piping and granular material are the filter media. A membrane is typically used to sepa rate the media and the underlying granular material to prevent the migra tion of finer media into the granular material.

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stress and possible death of the microorganisms. Because the WWTP operates continuously, there will never

For more information, circle reply card No. 148 (See page 25)

Extensive research has been per formed to determine an optimum biofilter media. Several media types have been successfully utilized, includ ing: compost, peat, soil, wood chips, and various mixtures of these materi

als. Compost "overs", a product gen erated from screening compost and generally discarded, are an excellent source of biofilter media.

These

"overs" were utilized in the construc tion of the biofilter at the Woodward

Wastewater Avenue WWTP. Generally, the local climate conditions, local availability, and economy dictate the media mix

ACIDIC WASTEWATER

KEEP IT IN NEUTRAL

ture.

The biofiltcr was provided with an underdrain system to remove rainwater and excess irrigation water. Many installations include a mist or spray system to humidify the inlet air, as well as an external or internal irrigation system to improve media moisture content, promote biological activity, prevent media drying and cracking, and flush the decomposed odour resid uals from the media. External irriga tion consists of pop-up type spray irri gation systems, permanent arcsprayers, or irrigation hoses. Internal irrigation typically consists of soaker hoses embedded within the biofiltcr media. The biofiltcr at the WWTP

utilizes treated plant effluent water for irrigation, providing both moisture and nutrients for the microrganisms. The biofiltcr is virtually mainte nance free. During dry summer months, the irrigation system must be activated to maintain the moisture

level in the media. Over the years, the media break down and must be period ically removed and replaced with new

PURE, SIMPLE, INNOVATIVE FLOW-THROUGH ACIDIC WASTEWATER

NEUTRALIZING SYSTEM

Eliminates conventional feed tanks, metering pumps, mixers, etc. • Completely safe for personnel and the environment ^ • Trouble-free operation and low maintenance , • Dramatically reduces capital and operating costs

PHIKf by GREEN TURTLE TECHNOLOGIES > U '

For more Information or a free-wastewater analysis visit www.phix.ca

-y

TEL 416.966.9400 INFO LINE 1.877.966,9444 EMAIL info@phix.ca

For more information, circle reply card No. 150(See page 25)

material. The spent media are non hazardous and can be used as shrub

mulch or re-composted. The odour control systems at the WWTP Headworks Replacement were commissioned in the spring of 2003. Microrganisms are now busy treating the foul odours from the front end of

the plant and doing it for free. For more information, circle reply card No. 149

Dan Chauvin is the Manager, Water Quality with the City ofHamilton. Jim Joyce is the President of Odor and Corrosion Technology Consultants (OCTC) and the principal author of the Manual ofPractice No. 22, Odor Control in

Wastewater

Treatment

Plants, jointly published by WEF and ASCE. Joe Uglevich is a Project Manager with OCTC, responsible for the odour control aspects of the Woodward Avenue WWTP Headworks

Project. Frank Burford is a Senior Project Manager with AWS Engineers & Planners Corp. For more information, circle reply card No. 151 (See page 25)

Vacuum Technology

Vacuum systems can protect workers while Improving product quality ' â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Advanced industrial vacuum

cleaning systems which are integrated into production and processing systems are paying dividends by increasing pro ductivity, improving safety and pro tecting workers' health. Today's industrial vacuum cleaning systems, which are capable of picking up material as heavy as bowling balls or as fine as mist, are now far more sophisticated than their brethren, the common shop vacuum. These power ful and sophisticated vacuum cleaning systems, often custom designed for specific applications but also available pre-engineered, are becoming an inte gral part of industrial processes for reclamation of production material, maintaining and cleaning critical pro duction equipment to reduce down time, and extraordinary "housekeep ing" such as removal of hazardous waste or material too heavy to be han dled safely by human labour. In fact, for many manufacturers and processors, industrial vacuum cleaners are now being completely integrated into production and process systems and are quickly becoming a key com ponent of critical strategic issues that range from productivity to environ mental safety and worker health. A surprising number of companies still use ordinary "shop" vacuums pur chased from the local building supply. Even when used for ordinary house keeping functions, these throwaway vacuums are expensive to operate, noisy and inefficient. Of course, the proper selection of an industrial vacuum cleaning system is based primarily on the application. In some cases small air and electric

powered drum-style units will suffice, while others require large electric and

diesel powered units for multiple uses and filtration systems capable of cap turing particles that are invisible to the naked eye. Some applications require sophisti cated

customized

vacuum

cleaner

installations. For other applications, compact, off-the-shelf vacuum sys tems are perfectly adequate when replacing crude or unnecessarily haz ardous cleaning methods, such as the use of compressed air hoses for blow ing debris. "The users of industrial vacuum

pletely removing hazardous materials and even everyday dust from the work place. Vacuum systems must have appropriate power, in many instances capable of picking up heavy produc tion residue, returning such material to the production process. At the same time, vacuum systems should be designed so that noise hazards are min imized, either by dampening system noise or configuring the system to minimize worker exposure to high noise levels. In most cases, these safe

ty issues are best addressed by a col

cleaning systems may assume they need a custom, one-of-a-kind solution when their application acmally calls for a pre-engineered product," says David Kennedy, Sales Manager for the Industrial Vacuum Systems division of

laborative effort between the industrial

Vac-U-Max, Belleville, NJ. "In other

facturing equipment. However, accord ing to Kennedy, it is not uncommon for

words, most applications require stan dard equipment that offers the option capabilities to best fit their applica

customer and highly experienced ven dors.

Industrial vacuum cleaning systems are also frequently used as a means to clean machine tools and other manu

manufacturers to incur thousands of

hours of downtime each year using

tion."

manual or other outmoded methods to

According to Kennedy, industrial hygiene is an important function that requires effective vacuum cleaning systems. There are increasing concerns among workers, labour unions and OSHA about the quality of the plant environment. For example, in the glass, brick and cement industries and where sand is extensively used, silicosis(a lung disease caused by continued

clean machine tools and automated

inhalation of the dust of siliceous min

production equipment. He cites a man ufacturer of jet engines as a good example of where productivity gains and capital equipment savings are dra matic.

"The company uses a $3 million water]et cutting machine tool in its manufacturing operations. It used to take a full back-breaking week to remove the wet abrasive, using shov

erals and characterized by progressive

els. We were able to reduce the clean

fibrosis and a chronic shortness of

up time to less than two days with our vacuum cleaning equipment, enabling the company to pick up substantial operating time and produce more engine parts, and avoid any back injuries". In many instances, the bene fits of a correctly chosen vacuum cleaning system include productivity and safety.

breath) is a threat that can be alleviat ed through the use of vacuum cleaning systems with HBPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration, instead of shoveling, sweeping or blowing the dust around the plant. In addition, vacuum cleaner filtra tion systems must be capable of com

52 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

Vacuum Technology Kennedy mentions pharmaceutical applications as an example where product recovery is vital, since many pharmaceuticals are worth hundreds of dollars an ounce. "At the same time, you want to make sure you recover the material safely; you certainly don't want powerful pharmaceuticals blow ing around in the air and affecting operators," he adds. Golden Grain, a member of the PepsiCo company under the Quaker Oats division in Chicago, uses five Vac-U-Max systems for sanitation and cleaning in its pasta processing area and packaging department. The sys tems are standard pre-engineered mod els, but were customized to provide the use of up to 20 pick-up points from one central vacuum producer. "We are trying to get away from using compressed air to clean devices and components," says Joe Thomas, Technical Services Manager. "When you use compressed air hoses to clean equipment, you don't have control of the debris."

Thomas says the Golden Grain application requires a vacuum cleaning

system rigorous enough for continuous cleaning in a 24/7 operation. Techneglas provides television glass to the world's leading television tube manufacturers, including RCA, Sony, Toshiba, Philips, Panasonic, Samsung and Daewoo. The Pittston, Pennsylvania plant produces over 10 million glass panels per year, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With a manufacturing operation that is in con stant motion, the company scheduled time-eonsuming manual cleanings of iron oxide dust and glass shard accu mulation when production permitted. From a health, safety and quality per spective,Techneglas had to find a solu tion for more frequent, automatic removal of these materials that didn't

depend on a shop being down to com plete the work. "We're in a very competitive busi ness, yet manufacturing plant appear ances can make a noticeable difference

to eustomers," says Mark Perlis, Hot End Maintenanee Specialist at the Pittston plant. "With the variety of weights and sizes of waste material ranging from 2-inch pieces of glass

down to fine silica and iron oxide dust

- we wanted a system that could clean up that spillage. We also wanted to send the hazardous waste into drums

for disposal, and recover the larger pieces of glass so they could be remelted and reused."

Perlis says it was critical that the eleaning system would not exhaust iron oxide dust into the air, since even a small amount of the red dust on a

glass TV panel could ruin the product. To accomplish this, Techneglas pur chased a Vac-U-Max continuous-duty vacuum cleaner with the capacity to pick up and filter up to six tons of material per hour. An HEPA filter, which is rated 99.97% efficient down

to 0.3 micron particle size, successful ly prevents iron dust from contaminat ing production, and the vacuum sys tem cleans production tables and con veyors at various points in the plant on a continuous basis, solving the waste problem without slowing production.

For more information, contact Vac-UMax, E-mail: info@vac-u-max.com.

STORMWATER? NO PROBLEM

Knowledge Based For the Environment

The Hycor'® ROMAG Stormwater Screen is a fine bar screen designed specifically for combined sewer, sanitary sewer

Stantec

ovemows and storm sewer outfalls. It is available in various

configurations, and can handle flows from 219 to 4381+ L/s (5 to 100+ MGD.) The solids and floatables retained by the ROMAG are diverted to the wastewater treatment plant to eliminate solids handling at the screen site. The ROMAG is self-activating, self-cleaning, flexible, safe, automatic and energy efficient. It is an economical method of handling stormwater,and is ideal for remote locations. Parkson Canada 9045 C6te-de-Liesse Suite 201

PARKSON CORPORATION

www.parkson.com

Dorval,QC H9P2M9 Tel.: 514-636-8712

Offkes oaoss NorlhAmerica In Canada call

Ontario (519)579-4410 Manitoba (204)489-5900 SaskatchaAran (306)757-3581 Alberta pSO)917-7000 British Columbia (604) 597-0422 Arizona • Nevada •CaFilbmia • Utah Colorado• North Carolina • South Carolina

Virginia • Georgia•Tennessee

stantec.conn

Fax:514-636-9718 AN AXEL JOHNSON INC.COMPANY

canada@parkson.com

For more information, circie reply card No. 167 (See page 25)

For more information, circle reply card No. 152 (See page 25)

No ENTRY

ISOLM^

Biosolids not affected by SARS virus

procedures

IN PROGRESS

Government regulated treatment of biosolids eliminates all Coronavirus before any land applications occur

TheCoronavirus that has been implicated as the like

the facts and is unfounded.

ly cause of SARS cannot be passed to humans or animals through the spreading of biosolids as fertil izer by farmers. So says the Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO) which disputes the posi tion taken by the Sierra Club of Canada that there is a pos sible link between the land application of biosolids and the spreading of the virus that causes SARS. The Sierra Club has used information related to wastewater and has tried to

apply that information to biosolids. This is a distortion of "Any link between SARS and biosolids is erroneous and based on speculation, not science," said Tony Petrucci, WEAO President, in a news release May 26, 2003. Even if the virus is present in wastewater, it will not sur vive in the waste stream due to the level of biological treat ment and destruction that occurs in the wastewater treat

ment facility. Further, the vigorous and long retention time within the biosolids treatment process is designed to destroy pathogenic and objectionable materials. The Water Environment Research Foundation

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(WERF) is currently conducting a study on the Fate of Emerging Pathogens in Biosolids and has found that human viruses, such as the Coronavirus, have their micro-

bial concentration reduced by 90% of the initial detected level within

hours of being anaerobically digest ed. SARS has not been found in

biosolids, and should not be found

after such high rates of treatment. In

Canada,

wastewater

processed in government regulated treatment plants. Wastewater is treated in process tanks for several days before solids are transferred to digesters where they are further treated for a minimum 15 days to produce biosolids. After this period, these treated biosolids are applied on agricultural land safely as fertil izer under guidelines written by the Ministries of Health, Envirorunent, and Agriculture and Food.

For more information, circle reply card No. 168(See page 25)

Water Resources,Water, iSiaiS

Wastewater & Solid Waste

wwvy.ae.ca

• Burnaby

• Kelowna

• Calgary

• Edmonton ASSOCIATED

Lethbridge

• Regina

• Saskatoon

• Toronto

54 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

• St. Catharines

ENGINEERING

For more information, circle reply card No. 153 (See page 25)

Biosolids and SARS The Sierra Club is basing its claims on a statement made by Hong Kong's health secretary, Dr. Yeoh Engkiong, that wastewater may be responsible for SARS infecting residents of a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong. Yet, public health officials in Hong Kong traced the outbreak at the complex to a 33-year old man from Guangdong province in China, where the original outbreak began. The man visited his brother in the apart ment complex. The building has many small apartments. "The close person-to-person contact in these residences and in public areas such as elevators contributed to the spread of the infection," said Dr. Eng-kiong. In a CTV News story, some scientists believe that the outbreak in a Hong Kong apartment complex was as a result of leaky wastewater pipes. When asked if a similar situation could happen at home. Dr. Donald Low, Microbiologist in-chief at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital reviewed the data and states that, "no, that was a very unusual circumstance, and the structural defects that were

found in the apartment complex with a cross contamina tion of the sewage pipes with water and in drain pipes was really unusual". Furthermore, Dr. Low suggests that the virus could survive in diarrhea for up to four days. Other scientists also suggest that the Coronavirus associated with SARS is not known to survive longer than three to four days. Dr. Syed Sattar, a noted professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa, agrees that transfer of the virus that

causes SARS through wastewater is unlikely. Dr. Sattar suggests that, "even if the Coronavirus was found to

be excreted in feces, it may not survive in the waste stream, since the dilution factor in the sewage system is expect ed to be immense and the Coronavirus

is most likely to lose its infectivity quite rapidly in the waste stream and Tony Petrucci in the sewage treatment process itself". Furthermore, Dr. Sattar believes that the pattern of spread of SARS seen thus far does not support its spread from the feces of infected individuals.

Other experts support Dr. Sattar's position, that it is unlikely that SARS would be spread through wastewater in North America, as it has done in Hong Kong. "In North America, we have the best sanitary systems anywhere, and we have great public health here," said Barbara Robinson-Dunn, Technical Director of Microbiology at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan."One of the keys to public health is (prop er handling of) bodily waste." "I find it unfortunate that an organization with the stature of the Sierra Club would take advantage of the SARS crisis and make negative statements against the beneficial use of biosolids on agricultural land without first consulting with water and wastewater treatment pro fessionals, scientists and the medical community," said Tony Petrucci. ■

Eric A.D. MacDonald, President and Chief Executive Officer of MacViro Consultants Inc. is pleased and excited to announce the following appointments and promotions to the senior management: Anita Smith, P.Eng. - Anita has joined MacViro as

Brian Barber, P.Eng. - As Partner, Director

Executive Vice President. Her extensive experience in the waterworks industry across North America will greatly enhance MacViro's expertise and capabilities for Innovation

and Practice Leader, Brian has successfully devel oped the reputation of MacViro in the field of Municipal Infrastructure. His extensive technical abilities and talent for managing human resources has Improved the quality of the services offered by MacViro and the reputation and growth of the Company. Acknowledging his Invaluable contribu tion, Brian has been appointed to Vice President effective Immediately.

In the environmental con

sulting Industry. In addition to applying her considerable technical talents, Anita also takes on a corporate role to provide leadership In busi ness development, recruit and mentor additional topquality talent, and provide support to the firm's experi enced staff, all of which will assist with growing the busi ness and securing the future of the Company. Anita stated "I had nearly 20 years of out standing experience In my previous employment, and now look forward to a very challenging and exciting phase In my consulting engineering career."

Stan Holden, P.Eng. - in recognition of Stan's many years of invaluable contribution to MacViro's success as a Partner, Director and Practice Leader in the planning, design and con struction management of municipal Infrastruc ture, Stan has been appointed to the position of Vice President, effective Immediately.

These appointments form an essential part of the foundation for the next stage in the growth of the company.

AAa^r

iro

MacViro Consultants Inc. is a multi-discipline consulting engineering services company, creating

environmental and energy solutions for clients in the public and private sectors. MacViro Consultants Inc. • Tel:(905) 475-7270• Fax:(905) 475-5994• Web site: www.macviro.com

For more information, circle reply card No. 154 (See page 25)

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 55

Stormwater Management

New drainage project Improves water quality of International waterway

Political pressure to address these deficiencies led to a solution known as

By Robin Woodbury, Premarc Corporation, Michigan

Lake St. Clair's Metropolitan

Beach in Macomb County, Michigan was closed most of the summer of 1994 due to per sistent readings of high levels of Escherichia Coliform (E. Coli). Al though the cause ofthe B. Coli was not conclusively identified, it had been alleged that some of this pollution could be attributed to Combined Sewer

Overflow(CSO)coming from the Red Run Drain. The Federal Clean Water Act of

the George W. Kuhn Drainage Improvements Projects. Through the cooperative effort between the Oakland County Drain Commissioner and the 14 communities that now make

up the George W. Kuhn Drainage District, a mutually agreeable program was developed to upgrade the RTF to improve the water quality of the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair.

Contract One of the new drainage improvement project dealt specifically with removing and rerouting storm water inflow from the Twelve Towns

RTF, thus reducing the frequency of overflow of sewage to the Red Run Drain. The new system was designed to intercept existing combined flows

1977 mandates that all discharges of pollutants into the waters ofthe United States must be authorized by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimi nation System (NPDES) permit. The Southeastern Oakland County Sewer District System (SOCSDS) Twelve Towns Retention/Treatment Facility (RTF)was originally authorized to dis charge treated combined sewer over flows(CSOs) into the Red Run Drain, a tributary of the Clinton River that flows to Lake St. Clair, an internation al waterway. This 2.2 mile-long RTF was one of the first CSO control proj

from a 60-inch and 72-inch line that

ects constructed in the US. When com

Drain.

pleted in 1973, it was considered stateof-the-art.

Time, however, revealed many defi ciencies. While the storage volume of the facility approaches the standards now accepted by the Michigan Department of Envirorunental Quality (MDEQ),the configuration was insuf ficient to protect the environment. Rainfall events that exceed 1/2 to 3/4

inches in depth can generate large overflow volumes. Due to the mixing of sanitary and storm water, this dis charge is inevitably contaminated with human, commercial and industrial wastes. The CSOs that are discharged

previously discharged directly into the retention treatment facility without benefit of pre-treatment. The new sys tem rerouted flow to a point upstream for future connection to the treatment

facility proposed as a part of Contract Four.

Construction of Contract One, started in October of 2000, was com

pleted in July of2002.The project con sisted of the installation of two new

storm drains that run parallel to the RTF. These two parallel drains are known as the North Drain and South Construction of the North Drain

included installation of approximately 9,600 linear feet of main line pipe ranging in size from 78-inch to 126inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe (RCP). Construction of the South Drain included approximately 8,100 linear feet ranging in size from 66-inch to 126-inch diameter RCR

Numerous impediments were encountered during construction of the new drains. Additional time and ener

gy was spent snaking the pipe around utilities so that services were not dis

from the Twelve Towns RTF were

rupted. To limit impact on local traffic, construction through the road cross ings was performed during weekends.

thought to have contributed to the high levels of E. Coli found at Metropolitan

ties was crucial around a recreation

Beach.

facility known as the Red Oaks Wave

Coordination of construction activi

56 Environmental Science & Engineering,iune 2003

Pool. While the North Drain followed

the property line of the wave pool complex, the South Drain went direct ly through the facility's parking lots. Work on this portion ofthe project was completed during fall and winter to ensure the opening of the complex in the spring. Due to lack of space, and fear of damaging the existing RTF, soils from the excavation of the new storm lines

could not be placed on or near the RTF. A solution to the temporary storage and disposal of excavated. soils was found at the Red Oaks Golf Course

where construction was to proceed through the facility. When the newly restored Red Oaks Golf Course opens in the spring of 2004, golfers will face a new and more challenging course constructed with the spoils ofthe Kuhn Drainage Improvements Projects. Public concern arose, however, over

the soils that were being excavated since a portion of the golf course cov ered an area that was once used as a

landfill and incinerator. In conjunction with the MDEQ, the Oakland County Drain Office, held numerous public meetings informing and educating the public on the monitoring and dust sup pression programs which were in use during this portion of the project. Forty-two major storm drains were disconnected from the RTF and recon nected to the North and South Drains.

Storms and flooding of the construc tion site were a major coneem for the contraetor, so a warning system was established that sounded an alarm

when rainstorms were approaching. This allowed time to get people out of the RTF before the storm.

Improvements to the Twelve Towns RTF included 15 projects under five separate contracts. All of the projects were incorporated into the facility's NPDES permit. The estimated project cost for these 15 projects is nearly $144 million (US). For more information, circle reply card No. 161

Literature Review For information on advertising in this section call ES&E at (905) 727-4666

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Ohmart Vega Vegapuls OhmartA'ega services offers a complete line of Radar Levei Gauges, making the best use of radar technoiogy, with optimai soiutions for their levei and speciaity measurement applications. Puls 40 is a high frequency radar for use in smaii process connec tions. Puls 50 uses larger anten nas, and operates at a lower fre quency. Puls 56HT is a high tem perature, high pressure unit. Puis 81 is a 4-wire device designed for difficuit process conditions. Metcon Sales & Engineering Circle reply card No. 200

SULATED,«

• Thermocabie® heat-trace cable and related accessories

• Portafoam® Paks

• Engineering and computer design assistance

• District heating and cooling systems • LOGSTOR pre-insuiated flexible pipe (in coils) Visit www.urecon.com Urecon

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Engineering Guide now available!

The CON/SPAN Engineering Guide is a valuable tool with ail the nec

EVITA' ANALYTICAL METERS

essary information to consider the CON/SPAN System for many dif ferent design applications. Filled with numerous figures and charts, the Engineering Guide provides a reference of design parameters,

engineering.guide

standard detail illustrations, and

reactors of diffuser modules and

Available in binder or CD Rom for

outlet measurement of oxygen, ammonium phosphate and nitrate

mat.

to monitor and document treat

design

methodologies.

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Depend on

New pipe design manual

Hach's new 2003 Product for

Analysis Catalog Hach Company's new catalog includes GLI on-line electrochemi

cal

and design aids needed to assist engineers in preparing efficient and cost-effective drainage soiutions for sanitary sewer, storm drain and culvert applications.

other accessories. To view these

products and for more information, contact Waterra to obtain the new

2003/04 edition of the Waterra

Products Catalogue which is cur rently available. Gall (905) 238-

waten^.:

5242 or email us at waterra@idirect.com.

Waterra

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new

227-4224 or 970-669-3050.

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the

Hach Company Circle reply card No. 205

ACPA

New Waterra products catalogue now available Waterra's product line has grown considerably to include pumps, fil ters, water level and hydrocarbon detection equipment, bailers and

instrumentation,

OptiQuant SVi^" Sludge Volume Analyzer and the AutoCAT'^ 9000 Automatic Chlorine Titrator. Easy to use 'quick reference guides' make finding your solution easier. New process flow diagrams give you the tools to understand your process. Order a copy now at www.hach.com/pfa or call 1-800-

the most current technical data

Gliers

ment quality. Davis Controls Ltd.

The 13th edition of the Concrete

pipe, is now available from the American Concrete Pipe Associ ation. The 536-page design man ual has been updated to provide

9.45 um

from(^co^s

Circle reply card No. 203

Pipe Design Manual for engineers who select the type, size and strength requirements of concrete

2005/0A

Danfoss analytical meters Danfoss EVITA in situ analytical meters ensure optimum process control, resulting in increased plant capacity, cleaner effluent, less sludge production and dramatical ly reduced energy consumption. Applications include: nutrient measurement in sewage system, oxygen profile measurement in the

limited

CON/SPAN Canada

CATALOGUE

Urecon pre-lnsuiated pipe Urecon has been supplying preinsuiated pipe to the HVAC, munic ipal and industrial sectors for over 30 years. • U.I.P® factory insulated piping systems

Pumps and mixers

Submersible pumps & mixers ITT Flygt's new 36 page brochure states that they are the world's largest manufacturer of sub mersible pumps and mixers. Extensive research in fluid dynam ics and over 50 years experience with submersibies, enable ITT Flygt to provide customers with designs for pumping and mixing applications, an extensive range of products, and software programs to help customers with design and systems engineering. ITT Flygt Circle reply card No. 207

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 57

- w

:v^

oduct and Service Showcase Prevent asphalt cracking

Engineering services

Pli

If you were plan ning to rout and seal your asphalt joints after they fail, think

Comstock

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about

the

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costs of repairing what you've already done.

Comstock Canada Ltd.

has been providing general contractor, multi-trade and design/build construc

Providing the complete spectrum of services needed to plan, design and

tion services to the Canadian water

construct water and wastewater infra

and wastewater sectors for almost 100

structure including: Traditional engi neering, design and construction, design/build, SCADA/real time con

years. Located in most major centres across Canada, Comstock will provide the solution to your needs.

trol, and structured wetlands/recre ational water quality,

Comstock Canada Ltd.

Denso North America Inc.

Circle reply card No. 208

JetMix^

Circle reply card No. 209

Circle reply card No. 210

New 5100 and 5150

ACTIFLO® package plants

slurry pumps ITT

Flygt

launched

The JetMix Vortex Mixing System can be used in biosolids storage where solids suspension is important. Benefits of using the JetMix system include: Intermittent operation saves 60-90% in power consumption; expen sive tank cleanout and scheduled main

tenance not required; easily installed in existing tanks; multiple tank mixing using a central pump house. JetMix was a recipient of a 1997 Innovative Technology Award from the Water Environment Federation.

Greatario Engineered Storage Systems Circle reply card No. 211

Sediment flusher

environments.

.lohn Meunier/USFilter

Circle reply card No. 213

Dissolved oxygen analyzer

Moving-bed bio-reactor

A high specification dis solved oxygen analyzer offering advanced func tionality, simple opera tion, and reliability in

and maintenance cost than other meth

ods, the HYDROVEXSFT is designed

wave which will sediments

and

debris to a sump at the end of the tank. John Meunier/USFiltcr

Circle reply card No. 214

The

The Actiflo® package plants are designed to treat a wide range of appli cations: drinking water, industrial process water, primary and tertiary waste treatment. By efficiently remov ing turbidity, color, suspended solids, metals, TOC,taste and odor, the process ensures that the water it produces is of the highest quality. Though the systems are very compact, they offer compara ble performances to systems built on a larger scale. Comes complete with all the necessary monitoring equipment,

Circle reply card No. 212

retention

flush away the

pumps have the lat est ITT Flygt tech nology incorporated, ensuring high effi ciency, reliability and a long working life, according to the company. Visit www.ittflygt.ca. 1 1 I Flygt

tanks. Of considerably lower capital

to tip automatically with no external energy. The total water content of the HYDROVEX SFT is released instantly in the chamber, creating a powerful high velocity

has

its

generation of slurry pumps. They are designed specifical ly to handle the most abrasive slurries, in a wide spectrum of tough industrial

The HYDROVEX' SFT is designed to clean the sediments, grit and debris out of CSO/SSO/Stormwater

with Denso Road Products.

American Water Services

zt.

Denso

instatement tape is a polymer modified bituminous strip that is cold applied and designed to seal the joints between asphalt, concrete and steel, the first time. Re-instatement tape seals around catch basins, manholes, utility cuts and next to concrete curbs prior to paving. Do it right the first time

harsh environments.

• Unique oxygen sensors.

Parkson's Geo-Reactor™ is an attached

• Sensor life indicator.

growth, moving-bed bio-reactor. Its patented media supports biological growth, and its random movement aer ates the wastewater in unique ways. The net result is increased DO,

• Comprehensive diagnostics facility with in-built software protection ensures security and confidence in operation. • Salinity and atmospheric pressure correction capability as a standard. • Water-Wash option prevents fouling of the oxygen sensor. • 1P66/NEMA4X - reliable operation in demanding enviromnents. Mctcon Sales & Engineering Circle reply card No. 215

58 EnvironmentalScienceSt Engineering,June 2003

increased contact time of the mixed

liquor with the biology, thinner and more active biofilm, and improved mixing in the tank. Geo-Reactors offer efficient BOD reduction and nitrifica

tion can easily be accomplished. Parkson

Circle reply card No. 216

Product and Service Showcase control, hazardous

Package water and wastewater plants

materials removal

Adapted to Your Needs

SARS - infectious disease

Environmental Preparedness Assessments

Restoration Environmental Contractors

the experts in the

^ removal of asbestos, mold/mould

and

fungus, SARS-infec-

Features:

• location-specific observations,

tion disease control,

lead paint, lead dust and heavy metals, UFFI, plant clean ing, demolition, restoration, fires and water damage, wet abrasive sandblast ing, air monitoring testing, surveys, assessments, audits and consulting,

We supply Package Water and Sewage Treatment Plants worldwide.

The

• recommendations for action. Benefits:

Circle reply card No. 217

Package Wastewater Plant concept is a low cost, odourless plant, achieving a high degree oftreatment. It is econom ical, easy to install and operate, reli able, fulfills regulatory requirements and is ideal for any location unable to connect to municipal sewer systems. Sanitherm Engineering Ltd. Circle reply card No. 218

• review issues by group, • supplement reports, • excellent planning tool. Senior consultant. Cliff Holland has over 20 years of hands-on experience at responding to and training for large and small volume spills. Spill Management Inc. Circle reply card No. 219

Oil/Water

Small drinking water systems

Membrane Bioreactor(MBR)

bircFbat/rodent feces removal - histo-

plasmosis. Restoration Environmental Contractors

interface sensor

ZFNON's ZeeWeed®

MBR produces terti ary quality effluent and simplifies waste-

The Waterra HS-1 Oil/Water Interface Sensor is now even more sensitive.

The HS-1 probe uses unique ultrason ic technology that makes it very robust and easy to clean. A new electrode configuration now makes the probe even more accu

rate.

Waterra

O i 1/Wa t e r Interface Water

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tapes are still the lightest and most portable on the market today. Waterra

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water treatment. The

proven

system

places conventional

ZFNON's new Modular Drinking Water(MDW)system has been specif ically designed to overcome the chal lenges faced by small communities of 50 to 5,000 people. The system is based on the patented ZeeWeed® membrane technology incorporated in large treatment plants. This ultrafiltration system is cost-effective, easy-touse, and requires only minimal super vision, while consistently producing high quality water.

Proven in hundreds of installations, ZeeWeed® MBR is ideal for municipal and industrial applications of all sizes from < 10,000 GPD to > 10 MOD.

ZENON Environmental Inc.

filtration and combines clarification,

aeration and sludge digestion into one, simpler and smaller process step. The modular system can be easily expand ed in a "just in time" manner to match surrounding community growth, reducing front-end development costs.

Circle reply card No. 222

Circle reply card No. 221

'it' "

HDPE pipe in-service report

Concrete Pipe Handbook

Design/build wastewater treatment systems

The American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) has released a

report on the condition of HDPF pipe in-service in six states in the U.S. The

report, prepared by Wiss, Janney, Flstner Associates, Inc., Northbrook, IL., reviews the performance associated

with large diameter HDPF culvert and ==

cross drains. The 64

page report includes tables, graphs and 45 full-colour photographs. For a copy of the report, contact the ACPA Resource Centre, 800-290-2272. Nonmember cost: $18.00 (U.S.) ps&h. American Concrete Pipe Association Circle reply card No. 223

The latest edition of the Concrete Pipe Handbook, a comprehensive collection of theories, formulas and aids for

designing concrete pipe systems, is available from the American Concrete

Pipe Association. Now in its fifth printing, the handbook has been updat ed to include information on Standard

Installation using Indirect Design.

American Concrete Pipe Assoc. Circle reply card No. 224

On-site biological anaerobic and aero bic wastewater treatment systems for industrial processors with highstrength wastes. Technologies range from low-rate to ultra-high-rate anaero bic and include the proprietary ADISBR along with conventional aerobic treatment. Pilot studies are performed when treatability is uncertain. Every treatment train is custom-designed according to your needs. More infor mation can be found at www.adisystems.ca. ADI Systems Circle reply card No. 225

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 59

nd Service Showcase For all your storage needs

Acid wastewater

Inlet Stormceptor® system

neutralizing system

The Inlet Stormceptor

PHIX is an environmental

System employs the same principles of operation as the well-

ly-friendly system that adjusts the pH of acidic wastewater

known In-line Inter-

within regulatory limits without constant operator

streams

'.M ceptors. Developed to

attention. The innovation is

a flow-through reactor design that ensures all wastewaier comes into contact with the PHIX Media. This creates a more effec

tive and efficient neutralization process, and can be used in continuous or batch flows. The media will neutralize acid

wastewater without the use of metering pumps controlled by pH sensors. PHIX Division -

Green Turtle Technologies Circle reply card No. 226

treat run-off from an

The MegaDome is a versatile, costefficient structure that adapts to the expanding storage needs of your grow

area of up to 0.30 ha, the Inlet Stormceptor has inherited the inter

ing business. Hamois' versatile struc tures are pre-engineered to meet local building codes and are designed with high side walls for maximum storage capacity and accessibility. • Corrosion resistant

• PowerShield™ tough • Door options

nal by-pass function, ensuring that all sedi ment and oil removed from stormwater

run-offremains trapped within the stor age chamber, even during peak flows. There are currently more than 4,500 units installed throughout North America. Stormceptor Canada Inc.

Harnois Industries Inc.

Series Stormoeptor system

Circle reply card No. 227

Circle reply card No. 228

Waterloo Biofilter®

Gas chlorinators

The Regal Gas Chlorinator is a

direct cylinder mounted, allvacuum system

Waterloo Biofilters are efficient, modu

in which chlo

rine gas is drawn through

Inline and Inlet Stormceptor systems.

lar trickling filters for residential and communal sewage wastewaters, and landfill leachate. Patented, lightweight, synthetic filter media optimize physical properties for microbial attachment and

The system receives flow from a single inlet pipe and splits it into two distinct

modular design for communal use is

Developed for the treatment of larger catchment areas, the new Series

Stormceptor system employs the same operating principles as the well-known

water retention. The self-contained

streams, which are treated in two sepa

now

rate treatment chambers before recom-

40,000L/d ISO shipping container units - ready to plug in on-site. They have long-term robustness, low maintenance, remote monitoring, and need a small space. Waterloo Biofilter Systems Circle reply card No. 230

bining into a single outlet pipe. It effectively doubles the treatment area of the inline system. Stormceptor Canada Inc. Circle reply card No. 229

available

20,000L/d

and

the unit with vacuum creat

ed by the flow of water through the ejector. If the vac uum line breaks or is damaged, the gas shuts off automatically. The systems feature reusable filters that remove

impurities, while permitting flow rates up to 500 Ibs./day. Chlorinators Incorporated

Circle reply card No. 231

Site monitoring over cellphone

Automated septage receiving station

Solids handling pumps

The Honey Monster™ helps to make Honey truck receiving areas clean, san itary and efficient. It is an easy-toinstall modular sy

Because Gorman-

Rupp T Series™ pumps are selfpriming, they can be mounted high and dry at floor level, with only

stem that removes

inorganic solids from wastewater,

the

washes and dewaters the solids and

decreases volume by grinding them up. Rags, plastics, sticks & other solids are quickly shredded by the powerful Muffin Monster® grinder. This protects pumps and prevents clogging. The fully automated system can unload a truck in 5-15 minutes and requires no plant per sonnel to operate.

ProTalk Cv2 combines alarm reporting and cellphone operation into one com pact package. Count on getting quick and reliable alarm status reports. Site monitoring features include: analog inputs; digital inputs; totalizers; timers. Site controls include: emergency shut down; pumps; lights; and heaters.

JWC Environmental

Can-Am Instruments

Circle reply card No. 232

60 EnvironmentalScience & Engineering,June 2003

Circle reply card No. 233

suction

line

down in the liquid. Service or maintenance can be per formed quickly and simply with com mon hand tools and without having to pull the pump. There are no long drive shafts to install and align, no hoists or

cranes required, and never any need for service persoimel to enter the sump. Gorman-Rupp

Circle reply card No. 234

Product and Service Showcase New pump doubles impeller and wearplate life

Asbestos and mold abatement

Basin rentals to 12 feet

Tri-Phase Environmental Inc.'s remedi

Turnkey installed anywhere

al service is used to help clients develop

Canada Ltd., has intro duced the Super T Series™ of self-prim ing centrifugal pumps.

the most appropriate and cost-effective remedial action plan; securing permits, ensuring site specific Health and Safety com pliance, and providing expert

Gorman-Rupp

Based on the T Series

solids-handling trash pumps, the new Super T Series is said to double impeller and wearplate life to decrease downtime and keep the pump operating at maxi mum efficiency. External shimless wearplate adjustment for easy mainte

retail and institutional sectors.

• Supply and install insulation/finishes.

Vehicle hitch mount

Metering and control systems

on one side of the

entry, which means

• Decontamination

toxic

mold

www.rmsenviro.com

Tri-Phase Environmental Inc.

RMS Enviro Solv Inc.

Circle reply card No. 236

Circle reply card No. 237

cals

sodium

metering and control systems of chem icals for water treatment in manufac

Etron Profi electronics with stroke fre

turing and industrial processes. Emec offers a wide range of metering pumps,

quency control, it is possible to reduce the dosing flow down to approx. 0.05 1/h while retaining accuracy. Accurate dosing of very small capacities with a new double diaphragm system. Reliable dosing of gassing chemicals with automatic deaeration via a prim ing chamber. Precise dosing ofconcenirated liquids due to accurate calibra tion while in operation.

Emec Sri is a leader in the field of

control instruments, electrodes, sen sors, mixers, tanks and accessories for

mation.

Performance Fluid Equipment Inc.

Summa Products Division

Circle reply card No. 239

Circle reply card No. 240

Remote communications and data collection

Omega-paKT blowers

with DO measurement.

Unlike some other sys tems, this technology has no anode, cathode, electrolyte solution or membrane. This means no poisoning of the anode by H2S, no electrolyte to replace or membranes to install. In addition, no physical calibration is required. Never return the sensor to the factory for calibration. The sensor measurement cap is replaced approxi mately once per year. A new calibration code is keyed into the SC 100 con troller. When preferred, the calibration can be verified and adjusted.

such

hypochlorite is capable of dosing amounts from 0.3 1/h up to 5.2 1/h. In connection with the

structures.

DO measurement

The ALLDOS Primus 208

Plus3 system dosing pump for gassing chemi

and chains or other

Hach EDO™ solves typi cal problems associated

New pump solves old problem

the whole metering and control process. Visit our website at www.performancequip.com or e-mail info@ performancequip.com for more infor

TS Group (Ontario) Circle reply Card No. 238

crete, bedrock or sediment, uneven or inclined. No civil preparation required. Area undisturbed when complete. Plarmed and emergency mobilization. Call (800) 563-1093, 24/7 or

amplification.

are open and free of potential hazards such as tripod leg ■

the other three sides

tions for most fluids. Install on con

finishes in the industrial, commercial,

nance of the clearance between the

your vehicle or can be attached using a bumper mounted bracket. It is set up

cost-effective, installation and envirofriendly. Custom liners with connec

remediation. Services include:

• Asbestos removal and encapsulation of mechanical insulation systems sprayed fireproofing and architectural

impeller and wearplate results in the dramatic increase in impeller and wearplate life of the Super T Series pump. Gorman-Rupp Circle reply card No. 235

One of the many options in our modu lar UCL Saftey Systems, the vehicle hitch mount provides a novel way to limit tripping hazards when working around a confined space entry. The unit uses either existing hitch systems on

Portadam® temporary basin and cof ferdam systems are tough, reliable,

KAESER

Reliability,

cost-

The Hach Sigma

effectiveness

1000

wireless

maximum perform

modem

provides

ance are some of the innovative

remote communi cations and data

collection via GSM

digital wireless technology allow ing for remote monitoring of Sigma 900 series Open Channel flow meters

and the 900 MAX sampler. Sigma 1000 allows for real-time data collec

and

■

our

features KAESER

Omega-paKT blow ers. They are engineered to deliver optimum operating efficiency and a lifetime of trouble-free performance. From piston ring seals and cylindrical

roller bearings to one-piece rotors, our blowers provide a combination of rugged dependability and lower noise

tion and quick identification of prob lems in the field. Operators can collect flow, level, velocity, water quality and sampling data remotely, anytime.

levels. Our equipment features an industry-leading 24-month warranty plus 24-hour emergency part replace

www.hach.com.

ment guarantee.

Hach Company Circle reply card No. 241

Hach Company Circle reply card No. 242

Kaescr Compressors Circle reply card No. 243

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 61

oduct and Service Showcase

Sludge level detectors

Updated concrete pipe

The Aysix BinMinder provides superi or performance for all water and wastewater clarifiers and thickeners. Single

software

and multi-channel systems offer instal lation flexibility and low cost. Highly reliable ultrasonic frequencies, self cleaning sensors and advanced echo analysis ensure

Double containment and leak detection

IPEX double containment systems include: Guardian PVC and CPVC sys

tems, the Encase™ polypropylene sys tem, CustomGuard™ FRP and metal

systems and Centra-Guard™ leak detection. At the heart of this patented

Circle reply card No. 244

The American Concrete Pipe Association has updated its popular concrete pipe detention system design software to incorporate metric units. Called "DASH", the program includes design tools for hydraulics, volume cal culation and storm water/sanitary sewer design, plus ACPA's PipePac software. Cost: $45.00 (non-members), plus shipping and handling. To order, call (800) 290-ACPA (2272.) American Concrete Pipe Association Circle reply card No. 245

Magnetic Flowmeters

Dissolved oxygen systems

reliable accurate

urements

and meas

interface posi tion and charac

teristics. If top performance is the question, than the Aysix BinMinder is the only reliable answer! Cancoppas

system is its electrofusion fitting and heavy-gauge resistance wire molded into the socket. The result: reduction of

installation time, the

ability to hydro and re-do (if necessary) any carrier welds before enclosure and

high quality bubbletight joints available. IPEX

Circle reply card No. 246

Three-speed circulator Grundfos recently introduced the

Maintaining

proper

concentration of dis

solved oxygen in a wastewater

treatment

UPS15-58 FC made with cast iron

idi

The MAGFLO* Magnetic Flowmeters from Danfoss are easy to install, com mission, service and highly depend able. They offer simplicity that saves you money for years to come. The

plant is necessary to keep micro-organisms alive and allow breakdown of organic waste. An opti mal level of dissolved oxygen in the process helps ensure optimum biologi cal activity will continue to take place. Using a Danfoss BVITA® OXY system

MAGFLO is available with either

to control aeration will offer these ben

Neoprene, EPDM or Composite Elastomer, along with AISI 316 Ti electrodes, a user-friendly operator nology.

efits. Maintaining a proper concentra tion of dissolved oxygen can reduce plant energy costs by as much as 50%. Proper control increases plant capacity and process efficiency.

Davis Controls Ltd.

interface and SENSORPROM tech

Circle reply card No. 248

Cofferdam rentals to 12 feet

Vortex flow path and flat bottom grit chamber

Portadam® temporary cofferdam and basin systems are tough, reliable, costeffective,

Smith

Loveless' PISTA®

Grit

removal

friendly vs. sheet piling,

with better per-

HHRHt

features such as a

Grundfos

Ji Pulsafe der,A Unitof

Sodium Hypochlorite metering » IDEX Corporation in troduces

daily flows. Its bottom

chamber

floor

design distin guishes it from other

circular

1093 24/7 orwww.rmsenviro.com

chamber sys tems, which feature sloped bottom floor designs, according to the compa ny. www.smithandloveless.com.

RiVlS Enviro Solv Inc.

Smith & Loveless

the

Pulsar

HypoPump*, explicitly designed to meter the

effi-

flat

formance and y more value-added

"removable" integrated check valve, and 3-speed operation which reduces noise and power consumption.

La. full range of concen-

, ciencies over a ^ wide range of

unsecured water inflat

able dams and high turbidity earthen berms. Install on concrete, bedrock or sediment, uneven or inclined. No civil preparation required. Area undisturbed when complete. Planned and emer gency mobilization. Call (800) 563-

UP15-42F Brute

to maintain grit

enviro-

to the company. This new pump improves on the

Chamber utilizes forced vortex action

installation and

Circle reply card No. 249

Circle reply card No. 247

Turnkey installed anywhere

housing and check valve. This new product will eliminate over a dozen competitive models helping to lower and streamline inventories, according

t> trations

Sodium

I Hypochlorite and its p vapors associated with heat and degradation of composition. The HypoPump features a patented design that allows pressurized process fluid to cyclically flush liquid through the pump's discharge check system while maintaining high performance and chemical dosing accuracy. Visit www.pulsa.com. Indachem

Circle reply card No. 250 62 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

Circle reply card No. 251

Circle reply card No. 252

Environmental NEWS ZENON wins 2003

Ontario Consulting

Stockholm industry Water

Engineers fund $250,000

Award

Water Quality Research Scholarship

ZENON Environmental Inc. will

receive the Stockholm Industry Water Award for its commitment to creating technologies that help to solve global water problems. "I anticipate that the ZeeWeedÂŽ membrane technology will not only have a major impact on future tech nologies globally, but it will also open new avenues in handling water scarci ty problems and implementing sustain able water strategies focusing on re use, re-cycle and closing material cycles," affirmed Bjom Rosen, Chair man of the Nominating Committee. The award, given by the Stockholm Water Foundation in co-operation with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and World Business

Council

for

Sustainable

Development, recognizes ZENON's membrane concept, which allows for a low-energy vacuum pressure, similar to human body membranes. The ZeeWeed membrane removes

pathogenic microorganisms not elimi nated by conventional water treatment and is regarded as a valuable contribu tion towards safeguarding potable water supplies. The ZeeWeed mem branes resemble strands of spaghetti sweeping in the treatment tank. When bundled together, these floating fibres use a low vacuum pressure, which effectively pulls purified water through the membrane and within the

Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) has announced a $250,000.00 Water Quality Research Scholarship to support university-led research for the

uate student research positions over the next three years. All universities in Ontario are eligi ble to apply. Students receiving the scholarships must be eirrolled in a graduate program at an accredited engineering faculty. Eligible areas of research include contaminant detec

protection and treatment of drinking

tion and treatment, source water pro tection, and economics of drinking

water across Ontario.

water infrastructure.

This first-of-its-kind program rec ognizes the need for practical solutions in water quality research. This scholar ship program will fund up to six grad

For further information, contact John Gamble, President, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, at 416-620-

CORP.

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Sponge Jet Cleaning For more Information, circle reply card No. 138(See page 25)

BAY COR FIBRE TEGH Inc. 576 Elgin St., Unit D Brantford, Ontario

- Max performance/easy optimizobie fine screening - Sludge thickening: typ. WAS 0.5-1 to 6-8%+ & more - Master difficult municipal/food/industrial tasks - Flexible control strategies; totally enclosed units - Largest capacity/unit models/most std. features

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hollow fibres out of the tank.

Developed in 1992, the process was initially created to treat industrial wastewater. The first municipal drink ing water application came later in 1996. Today, ZENON has more than 300 ZeeWeed plants worldwide and

"Anti-Surge/Anti-Shock"

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10-YEAR WARRANTY NO flushing ports

Air Release/Vacuum Break Valves for Sewage & Water HYDRO-LOGIC ENVIRONMENTAL

devotes its activities to the manufac

762 Upper James St., Suite 250 Hamilton, Ontario L9C 3A2

ture and sale of its proprietary technol ogy.

Fax: 905-777-8678

Phone; 905-777-9494

info@hydroiogic.ca

www.hydroiogic.ca

For more information, circle reply card No. 140(See page 25)

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Circle reply card No. 137

Tel:(705)733-0111, Fax:(705)721-0138 E-mail: iws@iws.ca. Web site: www.iws.ca

For more Information, circle reply card No. 141 (See page 25)

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 63

Environmental NEWS excellence in engineering and irmova-

Ainley Group president

tion, for which Ontario's consulting engineers are justifiably renowned, severely constrained, if not eroded, by

to lead CEO Terry Hardy, P.Eng., President and Chief

price competition. Engineering excel

Executive Officer of

lence and innovation is an investment

the Ainley Group, was elected Chair of

the Consulting Eng ineers

of Ontario

(CEO) at its Annual General Meeting in Alliston, Ontario on Terry Hardy May 23. Following his election, Mr. Hardy stressed his com mitment to the recognition and advancement of consulting engineers as professional, value-added service providers rather than price-based com modities.

Mr. Hardy noted in an interview following the AGM,"for more than a century, Ontario's consulting engineers have provided an invaluable contribu tion to the province as a whole and its tax-paying population in particular. However, the past decade has seen the

in quality, reliability and safety, so it is clearly not in the public's best interest to select engineering services on the basis of low-bid prices."

Biosolids application discontinued in Switzerland

Use of sewage sludge as fertilizer is being phased out in Switzerland. As of May 1, 2003, sludge has to be inciner ated in an environmentally-friendly manner. The prohibition will be intro duced gradually, first affecting the cul tivation of animal feed and vegetables. A phasing-in period has been specified for other crops. The agricultural industry has now rejected the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer, out of concern for the irre-

versible damage that may be caused to the soil, the health risks, and a possible reduction in quality of foodstuffs. So the Federal Council has prohibited the

use of sewage sludge, even though this interrupts a food chain which appears logical. While the prohibition came into force on May 1 for forage and vegeta bles, it will not be applicable for other applications of fertilizer rmtil 2006. Cantons will be allowed to delay the deadline rmtil autumn 2008 at the lat est.

Very small sewage plants in remote regions are excluded from the legisla tion, because, in these cases, the

sludge generally contains fewer dan gerous substances, and the cost involved in transporting them to larger plants would be disproportionate. Today, 60% of sewage sludge is already treated as waste. In 2006, the rest will have to be incinerated - that is, about 80,000 tormes per year.

New zero tolerance for bacteria in Alberta

Digester Cleaning,Dewatering,Dredging,Disposal Complete Services

Residuals an American Water Services"company

800-465-21 15 www.trimaxenv.comlwww.amerlcanwaterservlces.com For more information, circie repiy card No. 142(See page 25)

PIERALISI Dewatering Centrifuges 30,000+ installed worldwide! cost-effective, energy-efficient, quiet 10 year bowl warranty; from 5 usgpm up! also Screw Conveyors & Polymer Mixing Systems

Vanderbeken Enterprises Ltd. 15525 Cliff Avenue, White Rock B.C. V4B 1V8 toll free: 1-877-DRY-CAKE

fax: 604-535-2283

info@drycake.com

www.drycake.com

For more information, circie reply card No. 143(See page 25)

Wilfley Weber,Inc. Denver, CO Phone: 303-770-2664 Fax: 303-889-7305

Web: www.wilfleyweber.com E-mail: wiIfleyweb@aol.com

Wilfley Weber provides high quality diffused aeration systems for municipal and industrial applications. Fine bubble, coarse bubble & static tube systems. Fine bubble difflisers with 10+ years life expectancy in municipal wastewater. Systems designed for high efficiency resulting in lower operational costs. For more information, circle reply card No. 144(See page 25) 64 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

drinking water The Alberta government is improving drinking water quality with a new zero-tolerance standard for bacteria,

and a plan to tackle toxic blue-green algae blooms. The presence of even one E. Coll Bacterium would be unacceptable as of May 1. Until then, water treatment plants were allowed to have less than 10 total coliform bacteria per 100 millilitres before taking action. But because some of the bacteria are pres

ent in soil, not just feces. Health Canada introduced a new guideline, last year, saying it would be better to test for the presence or absence of E. coli, a sure sign of fecal contamina tion. The government is also plarming on being quicker to test for toxins which can be released into water by blue green algae blooms. The plan for reacting to blue green algae might be completed by fall, said Pat Lang, program manager for Alberta Environments's drinking water branch. Right now, some ideas for dealing with blooms include providing test kits to water system operators, along with instructions on how to avoid causing the algae to release the toxin.

Environmental NEWS

Turnkey water project saves time, money for City of Vaudreuil-Dorion USFilter's John Meunier Products is

installing a turnkey water treatment plant expansion for the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. The ap proximately $800,000 project increas es plant capacity from 12,000 mVd (3.2 million gallons/day [mgd]) to 19,000 mVd (5 mgd). Construction began in November 2002 and start-up was scheduled for April 2003. The project includes an Actiflo® ballasted clarification process with a capacity of 12,000 mVd (3.2 mgd) for

regional affiliates remain highly active,

Board made the appropriate decision,

particularly the Ontario Environment

given the circumstances." He further noted,"there is still a need for a nation

Industry Association (ONEIA). In a statement, ONEIA Chairman,

al voice for our industry and we will be

Skip Willis said: "We are sorry to see the demise of the national organiza

tions and companies across the coun

tion, but we are confident that the

try."

A&A

in contact with like-minded associa

MEMBER

environmental SERVICES INC. Environmental Consultants www.aandaenv.com/

ENVIRONMEWIAL Assessment Associetum

Soil, Groundwater & Air Studies, Investigations Burlington -f St. Catharines ♦ Woodstock -f North Bay -f KIrkland Lake -f Timmins -f Thunder Bay-f Winnipeg Dr. George Duncan, President (705) 567 4996 Fax:(705)568 8368

pretreatment, and four Dusenflo® filter

cells for final treatment. The process is being installed within the footprint ofa decommissioned clarifier.

Dusenflo filters are gravity-flow sand media filters which are especially effective for removal of Giardia and

Cryptosporidium cysts. John Meunier Products is also sup plying all tanks and mechanical equip ment for the Actiflo process and filters as well as replacement chain baskets for an existing intake screen. USFilter is also providing instrumentation and controls for the new treatment process. Contact: gchatel@jolmmeunier.com

NB town gets funding for two Infrastructure projects

Ainlev

Four decades of excellence in infrastructure

planning &' engineering BARRIE

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(705)726-3371 (613)966-4243 (705)445-3451

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ENGINEERS PLANNERS

Creating eiualUy Solutions Together

R.V. Anderson Associates Limited

engineering^ operations management

environment infrastructure

Toronto: 416.497.8600

E-maii: toronto@rvanderson.com

Fax: 416.497.0342

www.rvanderson.com

The Town of Bouctouche will

receive an investment of $358,295 for its water and sewer infrastructure from the Canada-New Brunswick Infra

Welland

Ottawa

Sudbury

Moncton

Fredericton

Charlottetown

London

Bombay, India

structure Program.

As a result of the funding announcement, residents will benefit from the construction of a new wet well at the Mills Street lift station to

Environmental Science & Engineering

address increased flows, and the exten

introduce your new staff to the industry! ES&E reaches over 19,000 water, wastewater and environmental

sion of the existing municipal sewer

protection professionals across Canada.

system to 29 new residences in the Desroches Subdivision. This armoun-

cement brings the total approved infra structure projects to 60.

Call us at:(905) 727-4666 for special rates

National association

ceases operation After 12 years of operation, the Canadian Environment Industry Association (CEIA) closed its doors and has gone into receivership. This does not reflect on the industry itself, which, the CEIA Board of Directors noted, is thriving. The Association's

C.C. TATHAM & ASSOCIATES LTD. CONSULTING ENGINEERS - SITE PLANNERS - LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

Specialists in a comprehensive range of Environmental and Municipal Engineering Colllngwood Tel.(70S)444.2S6S EMail; lnfo(Scctatham.csm

Orltlia Tel.(705) 325*1753

Bracebrldge Tel.(705) 645*7756 Web: www.cctatham.com

June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 65

Environmental NEWS OUR EXPERWE TO YOUR SERVICE

(Sln€e I98S)

CLAMEX

Providing DREDCINC AND DEWATERIN6 for INDUSTRIAL and MUNICIPAL TREATMENT PLANT, HAZARDOUS WASTE REDUCTION for the REFINERY and PETROCHEMICAL

ENVIRONNEMENTi CONTACT I

PHONE I (418) 837-1444

|oel Deichenei, Vice-president

PAX t(418)837-7723

E-Mail t clgmex^qc.aira.com

Web liie • www.clamex.qc.ca

AD! and Tonka Equipment sign license agreement ADI International Inc., Fredericton, New Brunswick and Tonka Equipment

Company of Plymouth, Minnesota, have signed a license and marketing agreement which gives Tonka the right to use ADI's MEDIA G2® arsenic

30 YEARS DREDGING

Consolidated

HIGH SPEED CENTRIFUGES HIGH VOLUME PUMPING-HDPE PIPE

removal adsorption technology in the design and manufacture of water treat ment systems.

MEDIA G2 is a patented filter

(New)- Geo Tube dewatering

media used for the removal of arsenic

Competent and Complete Services

from drinking water. It has been used for over four years in various coun tries, including the United States and Canada, reducing arsenic to less than two parts per billion. The two companies have agreed to

Lagoons, Digesters, Ponds, Lakes, Marinas, Waste Reduction,

Giroux

Municipal & Industrial

Tel:(506) 684-5821, Fax;(506) 684-1915, Tel:(705) 235-5531, www.glrouxlnc.com

combine their marketing efforts, water Toronto • Ottawa

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ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION

Vancouver • Victoria

Specializing in:

• Drainage Planning

• Wafer & Wastewafer Systems

• Hydro-technical Services

• Industrial Treatment

• Environmental Impact

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• Stormwater Management

• Environmental Planning

Fax: (416)441-4131

treatment expertise, and systems for the municipal market in selected states.

Contact: e-mail elw(gadi.ca

Corporate Office: 133 Wynford Drive Tel: (416)441-4111

BC introduces incentives

and penalties to improve environmental protection Innovative

FUNGI & BACTERIA ID & ENUMERATION

TOTAL SPORE COUNTS (AIR-O-CELL, BURKARD, ALLERGENCO)

V V

INDOOR ALLERGEN TESTING SEWAGE CONTAMINATION IN BUILDINGS

new

techniques that en courage environ mentally responsi

7 MATERIALS, PARTICLE & DUST CHARACTERIZATION

ble behavior and

EULL PARTICLE IDENTIFICATION & SIZING

DUST MITES / MOTH SCALES & ARTHROPOD FRAGMENTS

ASBESTOS / LEAD / METALS / SILICA / CHEMISTRY

EMSL Analytical, Inc. participates in the AIHA EMPATprogram

www.emsl.com

107 Haddon Avenue, Westmont, NJ USA 08108

1-800-220-3675

strengthen envi ronmental protec tion are among the improvements in cluded in the new Environmental

www.gapenviromic.com

GAP

EnviroMicrobial Services a division of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates

Drinking Water Contamination Source Detection

Indoor Air Quality Services

Cryptosporidiutv & Giardia Microscopic Particulate Analysis Disinfection Efficacy Testing

1020 Hargrieve Road, London, Ontario N6E 1P5 Telephone: (519) 681 -0571 • Fax: (519) 681 -7150

Gartner Lee Specialists in Ecological Sciences, Geosciences, Environmental Hanning & Engineering

For more information call 905.477.8400

or visit www.gartnerlee.com

British Columbia | Alberta 1 Yukon | Northwest Territories | Ontario [ Quebec 66 Environmental Science & Engineering, June 2003

Minister Joyce Murray

Management Act introduced recently by Water, Land and Air Protection Minister Joyce Murray. A key aspect of the new act, which replaces the 23-

year-old Waste Management Act, is the adoption of new, leading-edge environ

mental management practices that are used successfolly in a number of other jurisdictions. These practices allow the province to better address the cumula tive impacts of pollution, penalize vio lators more swiftly and encourage enviromnentally responsible behaviour through innovative, new incentives. The act will also allow government

to focus more effectively on activities that pose the most significant risk to the environment. The former Waste

Management Act compelled govern ment to treat all activities - from car

Environmental NEWS Geomatrix Cansultant:s Engineers, Geologists,and Environmental Scientists

washes to pulp mills - in a similar fash • Design of Water/Wastewater/Air Treatment Systems • Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Studies • Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14000) ' Utility Minimization Audits (Energy, Water, Wastesj• Remedial Designs/Remedial

ion, by requiring that staff issue per mits in almost all cases. In future,

high-risk operations will require a site-

Actions •Phase l/ii Environmental Site Assessments • Soii/Groundwater

specific permit; medium-risk activities

or operations will be covered by provincewide codes of practice and low-risk operations will operate under a general prohibition against causing environmental harm. Consistent with this risk-based

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approach, government has also intro duced an improved system for the

clean up of contaminated lands as part of the new act. The previous system was widely criticized for being slow, cumbersome and complicated. Although it was designed to deal with the most contaminated and highestrisk sites in the province, it also cap tured lands that posed little or no risk

Consulting Engineers 210 Sheldon Drive, Cambridge, Ontario, NIT 1A8 Tel; (519)624-7223 Fax:(519)624-7224 1685 Main Street West, Suite 302, Hamilton, Ontario, LOS 1G5 Tel:(905) 522-0012 Fax:(905) 522-0031

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to human health or the environment.

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effect to the environment.

In 2001, as part of a proactive edu cation and inspection program of metal plating companies in Edmonton, termed Operation Metal Plate, Alberta Environment investigators found the company had been improperly storing hazardous waste on its Edmonton site.

Following the inspections, 16 tonnes of cyanide waste were removed from the

site, the equivalent of 320 kilograms of cyanide. Operation Metal Plate, a six-month cooperative effort between Alberta Environment and the City of Edmonton, began in October 2000 when education packages were distrib

uted to plating businesses outlining the environmental responsibilities of plat ing companies when handling and storing

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• Design and supervision of groundwater exploration programs

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• New municipal well design • Assessment of groundwater/surface water interaction

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June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 67

Environmental NEWS Marshall Macklin

Alberta undertakes

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The first phase of the review is expected to cost $750,000 and be com pleted by December 15. A copy of the Request for Proposal is avaiiabie online at www.gov.ab.ca/env. A copy of the draft Water for Life: Alberta's

Strategy for Sustainabiiity is avaiiabie

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at www.waterforiife.gov.ab.ca

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68 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

Environmental NEWS

"A leader in providing innovative automation solutions to our customers."

a list of qualified consultants who will identify opportunities for pollution prevention and energy efficiency. Priority will be placed on the reduction

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energy conservation. After the initial assessment, consultants will develop costs and benefits for the pollution prevention options. The one-year, $170,000 program is a pilot for a long-term initiative that could

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enforcement Professional Engineers Ontario(PEG), the licensing body for professional

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Odour & VOC issues Is all we do.

Our experts operate an In-house 8 person olfactometry lab and specialize In: • Assessments - odour sampling, odour panel evaluations, dispersion modelling & impact analysis • Community Odour Surveys • Liaison with Communities & Regulatory Agencies ' Development of Odour Impact Mitigation Strategies • Technology Selection, Applications & Pilot Trials • Design & Implementation of Odour Abatement Systems • System Performance & Compliance Tests

3425 Semenyl< Court, Suite 200, MIssissauga, Ontario, L5C 4P9 Tel: (905) 277-1110 • Fax:(905)277-1112 • www.zorix.on.ca June 2003, Environmental Science & Engineering 69

Environmental NEWS

Submarine targets leaks In huge US water tunnel Talk about advanced

technology! unmanned rine

was

An subma

lowered

into the region's biggest water tunnel to search for major leaks in the New

York City water supply system. Fitted with sensors and cameras, experts hope the sub will locate breaks in the Delaware Aqueduct that could be leaking as much as 1.2 billion(US) gallons of water each month. The aqueduct carries about 890 million gallons each day from reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains - about 70 percent of the supply for the city and parts of Westchester and Putnam counties.

The submarine, called Ulysses and built at the Woods Hole Oceano-

graphic Institution in Massachusetts, cost(US)$2.4 million. Officials with New York City's Department of Environmental Protect ion said the sub was required because they feared the aqueduct could be so fragile that only the water pressure is preventing a collapse. The 8.5 foot long submarine is equipped with sonar to keep it from striking the walls of the 13.5-foot-wide aqueduct.

York Region fined $16,000

lish an additional monitoring program for the Ansnorveldt system to monitor the raw water sources. These offenses occurred between

October 30 and November 30, 2001. The Region has since carried out the ordered work.

Association is a non-profit organiza tion composed of manufacturers of concrete pipe and related conveyance products. With headquarters in Irving, Texas, ACPA has more than 135 mem

ber companies worldwide. Contact: (972) 506-7216.

The fourth charge involves the Region's failure to comply with a Provincial Officer's Order for the

Financial assistance

water treatment system in Schomberg. The Court heard that the Region failed

available for NB manure

to submit a report detailing the results of a hydrogeological study for the Schomberg water treatment system which was a requirement of the Schomberg system's Permit to Take

The New Brunswick Department of

Water.

storage facilities the Lnviromnent and Local Govern

ment recently aimounced that funding is available again this year to assist livestock operators construct new, or renovate existing manure storage facil ities.

John Munro named new ACPA Chairman John G. Munro, president of Munro Concrete Products, Ltd., Barrie, Ontario, has been named the new chairman of the board of the American

Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA). Munro assumed the chairmanship at ACPA's 95th annual convention in

Bonita Springs, Florida, March 10-12, 2003.

Munro succeeds Raymond L. Rhees, central region president of Oldcastle Precast, Inc., Littleton, Colorado. Munro will serve as ACPA

chairman through the Association's fiscal year ending March 31, 2004. The American Concrete Pipe

The aim of the $400,000 Manure Stewardship Program is to encourage the construction of manure storage structures that improve farmers' ability to manage manure using sound envi ronmental practices. Financial assis tance of up to 50 per cent of the total cost of a project, to a maximum of $50,000, will be available to livestock

producers whose projects qualify. Projects that could be eligible for funding include the construction, expansion or upgrading for non-earthen manure storage structures on exist

ing livestock operations, and the engi neering costs associated with such projects. To be eligible, farmers must complete and submit a manure nutrient management plan for their farm.

In two water offense cases

Ontario's Regional Municipality of York has been fined $16,000 after pleading guilty to four violations of the Ontario Water Resources Act(OWRA) at water distribution and treatment sys tems serving Ansnorveldt and Schomberg. A victim fine surcharge was added to the fine.

The Region was fined $4,000 on each of four counts under section

107(2)ofthe OWRA.Three ofthe four charges involve the Region's failure to comply with a Provincial Officer's Order for the water distribution system in Ansnorveldt. The Court heard that

the Region failed to carry out the fol lowing work by the ordered dates: sub mit a consultant's report to the ministry detailing whether two wells in the Ansnorveldt system complied with Regulation 903, made under the OWRA; apply to have the Ansnorveldt system properly classified; and estab

DATEPAD August 31-September 5, 2003. 16th Ozone World Congress, Las 'Vegas, Nevada. Contact: Margit Istok, International Ozone Association, Tel:(203)3483542,Fax:(203)967-4845, L-mail: mistok@int-ozone-assoc.org. September 11-12,2003. XP-SWMM,Edmonton,Alberta. Detailed training in the analysis and design of complex stormwater and wastewater drainage sys tems. Attendees present at this workshop will gain expertise in the use of soft ware for modelling various types of open and closed conduit systems. www.xpsoftware.com. October 12-15, 2003. WLFTLC.03, 76th annual technical and educational

conference of the Water Environment Federation, Los Angeles, California. For event details contact: Tel: 800-666-0206, E-mail: confinfo@wef.org. Web site: www.weftec.org.

November 27-28, 2003. XP-SWMM, Montreal, Quebec. Detailed training in the analysis and design of complex stormwater and wastewater drainage sys tems. Attendees present at this workshop will gain expertise in the use of soft ware for modelling various types of open and closed conduit systems. www.xpsoftware.com.

70 Environmental Science & Engineering,June 2003

\ At Con Cast Pipe, we're revved up about everything we hove to offer to you. We accelerated the future of the precast concrete industry with our new manufacturing facility, Ontario Concrete Products. So now in addition to our Con Cost Pipe plant, we've shifted our production and service capabilities into overdrive.

Product delivery is just as speedy and close at hand. We've established five new service depots across Ontario with instock inventories of our superior products. Talk to Con Cost Pipe. When it comes to providing you with the highest level of service, it's fair to soy we're driven. For more information, circle reply card No. 169(See page 25)

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