Design & Production MIGUEL AGAWIN miguel@esemag.com
Circulation BRIAN GILLETT ese@mysubscription.ca
TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Archis Ambulkar, OCT Water Quality Academy
Gary Burrows, City of London
Patrick Coleman, Stantec
Bill De Angelis, Metrolinx
Mohammed Elenany, Urban Systems
William Fernandes, City of Toronto
Marie Meunier, John Meunier Inc., Québec
Tony Petrucci, Black & Veatch
Environmental Science & Engineering is a bi‑monthly business publication of Environmental Science & Engineering Publications Inc. An all Canadian publication, ES&E provides authoritative editorial coverage of Canada’s municipal and industrial environmental control systems and drinking water treatment and distribution.
Readers include consulting engineers, industrial plant managers and engineers, key municipal, 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 responsible for the accuracy of articles or other editorial matter. Articles in this magazine are intended to provide information rather than give legal or other professional advice.
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WEFTEC’24 marks 35 years since the ground shook in San Francisco
WEFTEC’24 will be held in New Orleans, October 5-9. Thirty-five years ago, in 1989, the lure of WEFTEC in San Francisco resulted in hundreds of Canadian consultants, municipal officials, operators and equipment suppliers converging at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, which had been designated the “Canadian” hotel and hosted the annual Great Canadian Icebreaker.
Everyone knew of California’s earthquake threats, but they were one of those things which lurked remotely in the subconscious. It was a vague possibility some time in the future, but not even remotely connected with the reality of attending WEFTEC.
However, after three highly successful days, the unthinkable happened at 5:04 pm — an earthquake reaching 6.9 on the Richter scale. All of us there will forever remember our own reactions. I was taking in the sights at the famed Fisherman’s Wharf, when the gift shop I was in began to shake. After running outside, I found the road shaking violently from side to side, but the mainly low-rise buildings in that area were spared the massive damage taller buildings suffered.
After it happened, I could not help thinking that this earthquake could easily have wiped out a substantial proportion of Canadian wastewater treatment expertise, with so many professionals concentrated in one hotel. Luckily for us all, it was unscathed except for a few cracks.
The rest of WEFTEC’89 was of course cancelled and, as we set out to fly home, T-shirts — quite artistically done in black, orange and white — were already on sale, bearing the slogan “I survived the ’89 Earthquake”. Clearly the American entrepreneurial spirit had survived one of nature’s deadliest blows and the city had begun its task of rebuilding normal life.
Fittingly, this issue of ES&E Magazine features an article on the effect of Canada’s new National Building Code (NBCC) on water and wastewater structure survivability, in the event of an earthquake. (see page 24). Canada experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, but most don’t cause damage. The new NBCC dictates that water and wastewater treatment buildings be designed to survive severe quakes should they occur.
Over 21,000 water professionals are expected to attend WEFTEC’24. The 37th annual Canadian Icebreaker will be held Sunday, October 6, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Saddle Bar. For more information, visit: www.weao.org.
With over 800 exhibitors, the tradeshow will showcase the latest innovations, technologies, and solutions in water quality management.
This year, Tanja Rauch-Williams, chief innovation
The earthquake during WEFTEC’89 brought a spirit of camaraderie to the darkened hotel, where Canadian delegates enjoyed drinks by candlelight. Left to right: Ed Pikovnik, ENV Treatment Systems Inc.; Dave Fenton; and Steve Davey, Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine.
officer for Metro Water Recovery in Denver, Colorado, will be the Master Lecturer. Her presentation, which will take place on October 7, will focus on ways to foster better collaboration and understanding among people working in different areas and weave that together with technologies she has worked on that are driving regulations toward sustainability and energy recovery.
WEFTEC’24 technical sessions will offer the latest innovations and insights. The full line-up and schedule of traditional technical sessions (classroom-style learning) and interactive technical sessions (panels, debates, trivia, and facilitated discussions) are available to review on the event’s website, www.weftec.org.
Several Canadian teams are set to compete at the annual Operations Challenge, which is a showcase of excellence in wastewater treatment. Skilled teams of professionals compete in a series of timed events that simulate real-world challenges faced in the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities.
Six technical tours are also available during WEFTEC’24. These include: the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Power Complex, the Abita Brewing Company, Drainage Pumping Station #6, Living with Water in the Pontchartrain Basin, and Green Infrastructure.
If you are attending WEFTEC, be sure to visit ES&E Magazine’s booth at the Ontario Government Pavilion, to say hello and pick up our latest issue. (Booth #3361)
For more information on WEFTEC, visit: www.weftec.org
Steve Davey is the editor and publisher of ES&E Magazine. Please email any comments you may have to steve@esemag.com
Repair work progresses on the water feeder main hotspots and the installation of new pipe sections gets underway. Crews install reinforcing steel and pour concrete to cure before removing the formwork and backfilling the repair.
Without quick thinking and action, we would have been in a much different situation during the initial stages of our response.
While the process of paving over underground repairs and refilling the feeder main line brought a collective sigh of relief in Calgary, critical water quality tests loomed as workers focused on the finish line in the dwindling days of June.
The more than three-week ordeal of repairing the nearly 50-year-old, 11 kilometre-long, two-metre diameter feeder main was a significant challenge for Calgary’s Water Services Director, Nancy Mackay, her team, and other municipal departments, not to mention the city’s 1.6 million residents.
Repairing a critical Calgary feeder main line after a catastrophic failure
By David Nesseth
“There were times we thought our water supply was going to reach critical levels, but our team was able to make adjustments to keep the water flowing,” Mackay told ES&E Magazine . “Without their quick thinking and action, we would have been in a much different situation during the initial stages of our response.”
Since the Bearspaw South feeder main burst its concrete casting on June 5, many indelible images have emerged. Workers were seriously injured during welding; a local fire highlighted the importance of water conservation; residents filled recycling bins with rainwater during a heatwave; repair crews rescued residents from a capsized raft; and robots revealed more issues deeper in the pipe than officials could see themselves.
Calgary’s experience has also put a spotlight on partnerships. Seeing photos of a section of pipe with “Good Luck,
Photo courtesy of the City of Calgary
Calgary!” written on it by the San Diego County Water Authority was a moment that resonated well beyond people in the water and infrastructure sectors.
“We were fortunate to be able to collaborate with an extensive network of colleagues within and outside of the City of Calgary to respond, adjust and repair our water system in ways we hadn’t even considered prior to this event,” Mackay said.
As the original scene unfolded, huge quantities of water flooded the streets and a nearby park from the damaged feeder main, a critical transmission line that supplies roughly 60% of the city’s treated water supply. Mackay says crews first uncovered the pipe to expose the break, then pumped out the remaining water before they could formulate a repair plan. Later, a portion of the pipe was transported off site for additional failure analysis.
Within a few days, crews successfully cut into the pipe to remove damaged portions. Meanwhile, the Glenmore Water Treatment plant was working overtime, as the entire distribution network is connected, and more water usage in one area means less in another, said Mackay. The feeder main typically supplies water to Calgary from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant.
Local officials often expressed the need not to rush the repair. They described the process as “complex” and “delicate”. With all the hours invested, however, it was a huge ask to make it through completely unscathed. Repair work was temporarily halted overnight on June 12, after a municipal employee and a contractor working on a welding repair suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
“This incident is a reminder that while we are committed to this critical work, it can also be dangerous. It is more important that we do it safely and not just fast,” Calgary CAO David Duckworth reminded citizens following an inspection by Occupational Health and Safety Alberta.
Then, just as the initial site of the feeder main break was repaired, timelines were again pushed back after five additional “hotspot” breaks were discovered via robot inspection. Calgary officials said they made the “prudent decision” to fix the new locations of concern
along the line “while the pipe is bare and dry” as they didn’t want to create a risk of another major rupture and potential impacts to public safety.
The discovery of the new hotspots pushed local officials to declare a State
of Local Emergency to allow for more coordination of action, the ability to access additional resources, and begin a more “aggressive approach” for a repair estimated to ultimately cost tens of millions of dollars.
While Calgarians were asked to cut back on showers and laundry, the municipality itself also worked to reduce water usage. Fleet wash bays were closed, swimming pools closed, and decorative water features and fountains were shut off, all with the hope of maintaining usage around 480 megalitres per day. The penalty for an offence under the Water Utility Bylaw was $3,000, and while a number of tickets were issued, the city, by and large, views the conservation efforts as a success story.
By June 12, one week into the crisis, new sections of pipe were sandblasted and epoxied before being completely disinfected and lowered into place. Next came welding the new pipe into place, as well as welding the metal ring that goes around it to connect it to the existing pipe. Once completed, crews could apply protective coating to prevent corrosion.
Around the halfway point of repairs, Calgary Infrastructure Services General Manager Michael Thompson began to address larger questions swirling around
continued overleaf…
the city’s overall infrastructure status. He suggested that a third-party review, due by October, would “shed further light”. The review would include specific actions to improve raw water supply resilience moving forward. It would also assess the city’s response to the crisis and inform how it manages future emergency events.
The pipe that failed is a prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) wrapped with high-tensile steel wires. It consists of 7.3 metre segments of pipe, each one with a steel wire that coils around it approximately 350 times.
It is also at the end of its life span. Many experts who observed the Calgary break suggested that these wires, particularly when manufactured prior to the 1980s, can become brittle over time, even breaking before any signs of visible leakage.
“Although the rate of PCCP failure is very low, the structural performance of the pipe is still an important issue considering that the failure mode of PCCP is usually sudden and that the consequence of failure can be catastrophic,”
states a 2021 study led by the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research.
During the second week of July, Calgary’s Priorities and Investment Director, Francois Bouchart, told media that new concerns arose following “snaps” in the reinforcing wires along other portions of the pipe network. While he said it wasn’t reason to believe another failure could be imminent, the situation would need to be monitored going forward. At the time of writing this article, teams were designing a fibre optic system that will be added to the feeder main to improve monitoring of the pipe.
Understanding exactly why the break occurred, however, would have to wait, as crews continued to work around the clock. By June 20, Calgary began supplying the city’s construction industry with non-potable water so it could get back to work during the busy building season.
Then, just as more and more residents grew frustrated with adjusting their daily routines to conserve water, a seri-
HYDRAFORCE
ous two-alarm fire at a 48-unit, four-storey complex broke out on June 23, punctuating the need to maintain a buffer in the city’s water levels. Officials said the response created a noticeable impact on water levels available from the South Glenmore Reservoir.
The Glenmore Water Treatment Plant worked at full capacity during the 26-day water feeder main incident. Critical maintenance on pumps and chemical processes at the Glenmore plant would have to wait until feeder main repairs were fully completed, local officials said.
Just days after the fire, water crews had yet another surprise. Three city crew members were packing up along the banks of the Bow River after flushing work near the Shaganappi pump station, when they saw a raft capsize. It had been carrying a large group of people 350 metres upstream before it struck a bridge pillar. Crew members, who were already wearing lifejackets, “jumped into action”, city officials said.
continued overleaf…
In the early days of the crisis on June 8, crews assess the damage and start the repair process for the feeder main.
Photo courtesy of the City of Calgary
One member called 911 immediately, while two others tossed ropes to the capsized rafters. Only one person in the water was able to grab a rope. One of the water crew members jumped into the water to guide two others to safety. A crew member dialing 911 put the phone down and jumped into the water to rescue two more people, and the remaining occupants of the raft were able to make it to the riverbanks on their own, city officials announced in a statement.
With feeder main repairs completed, and a successful fill, flush, test, and stabilization of the water distribution system, water began flowing to Calgary homes and businesses from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, as indoor water restrictions were slowly lifted.
“As we prepare to flush and test, we know there are risks involved. We’re aware there is a higher chance of another rupture during this phase and
this happens with any pipe you’d refill,” announced Thompson.
To help further manage the risk, the water team also used acoustic monitors that could potentially indicate more wire breaks. Sensors are being used to detect pressure spikes as well.
With the feeder main filled, crews moved on to flushing the pipe. Water could be released through fire hydrants and dechlorinated before reaching the river. This water was sampled by Alberta Health Services. Crews then reintroduced pressure to the pipe slowly and carefully in preparation for flushing.
To support bringing on more pressure and flow to the feeder main, crews utilized a high-resolution, electromagnetic and ultrasonic pipe inspection tool called PipeDiver for large diameter pipe inspections. It operates while the pipe is in service, providing a pipe wall condition assessment and identifying any
wire breaks in the pipe and pinpointing distressed spots.
Stabilizing the water distribution system required crews to use a phased approach to turn on a series of pumps, Calgary officials explained. Turning on the pumps brought the feeder main into operation for the first time since the feeder main crisis began. The work also included opening valves, as well as flushing and adjusting pumps throughout the system.
“Our operations, engineering and consulting team came up with innovative ways to adjust how to move water in our system that kept our reservoirs at a level where we could continue to provide clean, safe drinking water and fire protection across our entire city,” Mackay said.
While indoor restrictions were being lifted stage by stage, the system was still recovering, so Calgarians were encouraged to be mindful of water conservation. Outdoor restrictions lingered even as the city welcomed tens of thousands of tourists for the Calgary Stampede and entered a challenging heat wave that saw temperatures soar beyond 35°C.
“Following the good news that water testing results meet and exceed water quality standards allows our teams to move onto the next step in the restoration of service,” Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) Chief Sue Henry told a daily press briefing, just prior to stabilizing the system. “We are now focused on stabilizing Calgary’s more than 5,000 kms of water pipe and the system that supports it. While we’re not quite out of the woods yet, we’re getting closer and will continue keeping Calgarians updated as things progress.”
By July 6, Calgary began closing its residential water pick-up locations and reducing commercial pickup locations. Life was slowly returning to normal for Calgarians. But for many involved with the city’s infrastructure team, the need for intense monitoring is expected to continue into the foreseeable future, as local officials assess what they learned from the crisis and attempt to create more resilience throughout the entire water network.
“We still have teams ready to respond 24/7,” Mackay said.
David Nesseth is with ES&E Magazine. Email: david@esemag.com
By June 20, repair crews reach the halfway mark of cutting and removing the existing damaged pipe. Photo courtesy of the City of Calgary
Repair milestone graphic. Courtesy of the City of Calgary
Associated Engineering was pleased to provide technical advice and field support to the City of Calgary during the Bearspaw South Feedermain break.
Thank you to The City’s staff; our subconsultants, Thurber Engineering, Corrpro Canada, Tronnes Geomatics and Accurata Inc.; and The City’s contractors, Volker Stevin, Whissell, and LBCO for their response, collaborative efforts, technical expertise, and dedication to bring this critical piece of infrastructure back in service.
Nova Scotia and Alberta communities set for wastewater upgrades
By ES&E Staff
While officials in the City of Cold Lake, Alberta, prepare contracts to have shovels in the ground this summer for a new $34-million wastewater treatment plant, municipal leaders in Nova Scotia’s Victoria County are considering whether new provincial wastewater funding will lead residents to connect to a proposed main sewage line.
A survey will be going out to gauge interest from Ingonish property owners living in the water catchment area whether they’d be interested in connecting to the proposed main sewage line. While the council has not made a decision as to the scope of the proposed project, the main sewage collector line could potentially run from Cape Breton Highlands Park boundary, through Ingonish Beach and Ingonish Harbour to the marina.
The new infrastructure for Nova Scotia’s Ingonish Beach area in Victoria County will extend to the community of Ingonish Harbour and collect wastewater from the Cape Breton Highlands National Park property and Keltic Lodge.
Nova Scotia is investing more than $7.35 million in the project, with an additional $7.35 million coming from the municipality of Victoria County. The wastewater project is part of the Municipal Capital Growth Program, a $102-million investment in projects across Nova Scotia. Under the program, Nova Scotia is also investing $3.1 million in water infrastructure projects for the Town of Bridgewater, including new screening equipment for its wastewater treatment plant to improve the plant’s efficiency and overall treatment capacity. Additionally, the province is funding design work and upgrades needed for the electrical, mechanical and structural systems at the Town of Yartmouth’s wastewater treatment plant to improve environmental performance
and increase capacity.
In Alberta, the Cold Lake Regional Utilities Commission has awarded a contract to build a new wastewater treatment plant that will include upgraded technology to ensure that the effluent discharge from the city’s wastewater treatment facility will meet all federal and provincial regulatory requirements.
The new $34-million plant will use much of the existing plant’s infrastructure and take significantly less to operate and maintain compared to other wastewater treatment processes. It will use a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR).
At the same time, aeration is used to keep media suspended in the wastewater, allowing the biofilm to do its job as efficiently as possible. The biofilm treats the water, lowering the biochemical oxygen demand, and breaking down other harmful chemicals in the process. This technology was chosen for its effectiveness and because it could be implemented in a cost-effective manner, local officials said.
The MBBR process was tested in a
cold climate pilot project to ensure its ability to meet more stringent environmental regulations surrounding the discharge of effluent. The results of the pilot project are now being used by other cities across Canada in similar climate zones.
The treated effluent will be released into the Beaver River, which already comes with a high organic load upstream.
“Wastewater treatment is one of those things that does not often grab headlines until things go very wrong,” Cold Lake Regional Utilities Commission Chair Ryan Bailey announced. “This project will modernize our treatment process to bring us well within compliance, despite a very challenging set of circumstances.”
The contract for the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant was awarded to Sure-Form Contracting Ltd. and is expected to be completed within two years.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
The contract for the construction of the new Cold Lake (pictured) wastewater treatment plant was awarded to Sure-Form Contracting Ltd. and is expected to be completed within two years.
Photo Credit: Derrick C. Goode, Wikimedia Commons
Metro Vancouver approves regional cost-sharing plan for the $3.8B North Shore WWTP
By ES&E Staff
Metro Vancouver’s board of directors has adopted a plan to distribute the costs of building the new wastewater treatment plant in North Vancouver across the entire region, with the North Shore Sewerage Area carrying most of the load for decades.
After several unsuccessful votes at a special meeting, a majority of board directors agreed that the North Shore Sewerage Area would cover 37% of the additional costs. The new cost-sharing plan means that households in the North Shore Sewerage area, one of four areas in Metro Vancouver, avoided bearing the proposed additional $725 annual charge on their sewer rates.
Under the newly-approved allocation model, households in the North Shore Sewerage Area will pay $590 per year for 30 years.
The budget for the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant has surged from $700 million to $3.8 billion in recent years as local officials faced a series of cost overruns and other challenges from terminating a contract with Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP, which includes an ongoing lawsuit.
To cover the remaining costs, here are how the other three sewerage areas in Metro Vancouver will be impacted:
• Vancouver Sewerage Area households will pay $150 annually.
• Fraser Sewerage Area households will pay $90 annually.
• Lulu Island Sewerage Area households will pay $80 annually.
The costs for the North Shore will be phased in over five years, and the costs for the Vancouver, Fraser, and Lulu Island sewerage areas will be phased in over one year.
North Shore residents make up 7% of
While the North Shore project had initially been planned for completion in 2020, that date has now moved all the way to 2030,
Metro Vancouver officials announced.
Architectural rendering pictured.
Credit: Metro Vancouver
the region’s population. The new treatment plant will serve over 300,000 resi-
dents and businesses in the area.
Many directors have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the project. When first announced, the provincial and federal governments provided $405 million in joint funding. However, in late March, North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson stated that no additional federal funding would be forthcoming.
In late 2023, Metro Vancouver formed a task force to review all available options for completing the troubled North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
U.S. water groups head to court over PFAS rule
By ES&E Staff
Two major U.S. water associations say they want a court to verify whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) constructed its PFAS regulation according to the “letter and spirit” of the Safe Drinking Water Act
Further analysis of the PFAS threshold would also give the EPA an opportunity to revisit any components of the rule that “fell short”, according to the American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.
At the heart of the complaint is the EPA’s use of a novel “hazard index” in place of a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for mixtures of certain PFAS, as well as the issuing of a preliminary determination to regulate certain PFAS simultaneously with the proposed rule.
While the groups say they are supportive of developing regulatory standards in this instance, both actions also vastly underestimate the nationwide costs of PFAS compliance,
When it comes to the financial cost of treating PFAS in drinking water, the groups suggest that the actual annualized national cost of adhering to the new EPA rule would be three times higher than the agency’s estimate of $1.5 billion. Photo Credit: Day Of Victory Stu, stock.adobe.com
while failing to achieve the desired public health outcomes, the groups stated.
“Scientific process matters, especially when it will set precedent for how EPA develops future drinking water regulations,” the associations announced in a joint statement that speaks to the alleged flaws in the EPA’s underlying analyses.
On April 26, the EPA published the national primary drinking water regulation for PFAS, which includes drinking water standards for six PFAS and establishes monitoring and public notification requirements for water systems. The agency ultimately maintained its proposal of 4 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), the lowest concentration most laboratories can reliably detect. However, the EPA also set a non-enforceable healthbased goal, or maximum contaminant level goal, of zero.
The associations warn that the Safe Drinking Water Act does not give the EPA authority to use a hazard index as an MCL. “The hazard index for the mixture of four PFAS in the new rule is a novel approach where the MCL is based on a sum of the ratios of four observed PFAS concentrations and each PFAS’s respective ‘health-based water concentration,’” the AWWA states.
The AWWA continues that the EPA should “consider withdrawing and re-proposing” drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS given the “recurring issues” with the underlying analyses. It says that if the agency should finalize drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS based on the current proposal, drinking water standards of 10 ppt, each, would be more appropriate.
When it comes to the financial cost of treating PFAS in drinking water, the groups suggest that the actual annualized national cost of adhering to the new EPA rule would be three times higher than the agency’s estimate of $1.5 billion.
The cost estimate is based on PFAS removal technologies such as granular activated carbon filtration, ion exchange filtration, and membrane filtration.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
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Series of federal drinking water guideline consultations set to begin this fall
By ES&E Staff
At least four new public consultations for water quality are on track to begin in fall 2024, ranging from arsenic to haloacetic acids, as well as trihalomethanes and radiological parameters.
Water quality experts from Health Canada’s Water and Air Quality Bureau shared the update as part of the Window on Ottawa webinar series hosted by the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA).
Anne Vézina, a senior science advisor in Health Canada’s Water and Air Quality Bureau, noted some considerations to revise the 2006 arsenic guidelines based on new science that explores additional health risks for humans, particularly a number of cancers.
“We alluded to it in the previous guideline, but we’ve gotten a lot more information on how arsenic can accumulate in the distribution system and be released back into the water and end up at the tap,” noted Vézina.
The arsenic guideline currently has a maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 10 micrograms per litre based on
Credit: africastudio, stock.adobe.com
treatment achievability. The health-based value is 0.3 micrograms per litre.
The Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water (CDW) approved a draft report update for arsenic in February that is expected to circulate for consultation in the fall.
France Lemieux, head of the Materials and Treatment Section in Health Canada’s Water and Air Quality Bureau, noted that an update is expected in the fall for radiological parameters. The current guideline was published in 2009 with a reference level of 0.1 millisieverts. The upcoming document considers a new reference level based on more recent international assessments of human health to explore uranium, lead, radium, and other radionuclides.
“We’ll be looking at sources of natural origins that weren’t really previously addressed in the previous version of the radiological parameter guidelines,” explained Lemieux.
Trihalomethanes may also be explored in a public consultation this fall, potentially updating the 2009 MAC of 100 micrograms per litre. Lemieux said the department took into consideration a more refined risk assessment approach, benchmark and dose modeling to create less uncertainty in terms of an approach.
The current haloacetic acids (HAAs) guideline dates back to 2008, with a MAC of 80 micrograms per litre.
“One of the limiting factors was the technological limitation with reducing individual HAA levels while maintaining effective disinfection,” explained Lemieux. “That was a challenge for the jurisdictions to deal with.”
Health Canada officials said they also expect guideline updates on corrosion control in early 2025, which aims in part to clarify building owner responsibility. Updates are also expected for fluoride, which has had a lot of new science emerge since the 1.5 milligrams per litre guideline was established in 2010.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
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Machine learning software offers a proactive path to water infrastructure resilience
By Greg Johnston
Earlier this year, a sewage pipe failure led to 135 million litres of untreated sewage spilling into Winnipeg’s Red River. In June, a catastrophic water main break in Calgary led to a state of emergency and a month of water usage restrictions.
Citing Canada’s Infrastructure Report Card 2019, Tricia Stadnyk, a professor in civil engineering at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Hydrological Modelling, has repeatedly stressed that about 30% of the water infrastructure in Canada is at or near the end of its service life.
It is very labour intensive to expose and examine buried infrastructure. Therefore, monitoring critical water infrastructure with a single time-series data management system that solves the common problem of consolidating disparate data sources while enacting labour-saving automation is a worthwhile and achievable goal for water system monitoring programs. The system should include the following procedures:
• Photo data channels can store years of images for comparison purposes. Adding a camera data channel allows viewing of camera images alongside level and velocity data to gauge the operational efficiency of the site over time.
• Identify and track cracks and structural damage through inflow and infiltration (I&I) analysis from sensor data, then prioritize maintenance as required.
• Investigate unusual site activity. Set alarms based on incoming sensor data. Use a photo data channel to easily identify the source of an infrastructure issue.
• Identify sensor anomalies and problems using machine learning algorithms. A confirmation of bad sensor data can assist in making the decision to replace
infinitii flowworks forecast algorithm.
monitoring equipment before false readings lead to false assumptions about the true state of the infrastructure being monitored
• Run models using incoming sensor data using machine learning or other advanced statistical methods to make predictions about where a problem is likely to occur. Compare mechanical model data with the statistical model and incoming sensor data to better understand how the system is operating.
Time-series data monitoring significantly enhances the ability of water infrastructure operators to proactively create priority maps for future maintenance work, predict problem areas, and in so doing reduce the time and associated expense required for data analysis. Here are four examples:
The Region of Peel in Ontario, provides water and wastewater services to 1.5 million residents and over 175,000 businesses. It has commissioned a multi-year flow and rainfall data delivery project initiated by infinitii ai’s engi-
neering integration partner SCG Flowmetrix. The project involves installing 350 sensors throughout the sewer network and more than 30 rain gauges to monitor and collect data for hydraulic modelling, capacity assessments, inflow and infiltration remediation, flood forecasting, regulatory reporting requirements, and more.
Real-time data provides critical and actionable information during extreme weather events and will enable proactive sewer network maintenance. Streaming analytics allows users to view custom data transformations from production ready models, including predictions.
“Over one billion points of data will be captured and analyzed over the life of this project, and advanced machine-learning and quality assurance software will drive more actionable insights for Peel Region,” stated SCG Flowmetrix Vice President Sam Mills.
The Regional Municipality of York (York Region), also in Ontario, earned continued overleaf…
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an American Water Works Association (AWWA) innovation award for developing a machine learning project for managing I&I.
York Region designed a machine learning model as part of its ongoing I&I reduction strategy. The model uses machine learning to process raw data into actionable information to help make proactive and better-informed decisions to manage infrastructure. Real-time and historical data are integrated to create a priority map that informs future operations and maintenance work. It can predict the way the system would respond to hypothetical precipitation events.
York Region has achieved a 78% reduction in analysis time, when compared to the two weeks it took to do the analysis manually. This saves approximately $40,000 in labour costs per analysis for all nine of the municipalities within the region.
Engineers at Vancouver, B.C.-based Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.
(KWL) deploy custom data transformations with the infinitii face pro application for streaming analytics on behalf of clients to manage and operationalize production-ready models that generate
new data channels such as predictions. They build models from sensor data or other data sources using existing scripts created in Python.
“Our data engineers and scientists
On-site camera image displayed alongside sensor data.
can write Python and R scripts using their preferred development environment and then copy and paste the code into face pro and have it running system wide quickly and efficiently,” said Luis Galindo, senior data scientist at KWL. “This provides better datadriven insights for making faster, more informed decisions, particularly with real-time and forecasting applications.”
The types of advanced calculations now easily performed by KWL’s engineering team include soil and water integrated model (SWIM) calculations that track and predict climate and land use change impacts at a regional scale. They also include evapotranspiration (ET) calculations used to estimate soil-moisture storage based on precipitation deficit and the maximum water-holding capacity of the soil.
The City of Montreal in Quebec has undertaken a project to perform quality assurance and quality control (QA/ QC) on any sensor data outliers that
may distort results or trigger false alerts. Machine learning models provide insight on data identified from sensor anomalies. Problem data is identified for further action in the following ways:
• Data anomalies are flagged for further investigation by engineers and data analysts in their manual workflow.
• Certain anomalies may be deemed acceptable, and automatically eliminated from the data stream.
• Other anomalies may be automatically substituted with predicted data values to limit impact on real-time predictions.
All of these innovative machine learning applications are in keeping with AWWA’s Water 2050 Think Tank Report that recommends machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. AWWA recommendations include:
• Employ digital solutions such as AI and machine learning to optimize efficiency, operations and water quality.
• Apply real-time monitoring, predic-
tive analytics and material science to create “eternal infrastructure” and support resilient resources.
But, why wait until 2050 or the next catastrophic infrastructure failure? The time is now for Canadian water infrastructure professionals to undertake artificial intelligence and machine learning initiatives that can significantly advance water infrastructure resilience.
Greg Johnston is with infinitii ai Inc. For more information visit: www.infinitii.ai
Earthquakes and your facility: Effects of the new National Building Code on water and wastewater structures
By Kurtis Quasdorf, Wilcon Ching and Rebecca Pringlemeir
While Canada experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, the majority of them are low-magnitude, causing no more of a societal disturbance than an average rainstorm. Some, however, can be devastating if a building is not designed to withstand the ground movement.
When a major seismic event takes place, it is expected that many residential and commercial buildings will be damaged. The loss of a home or business is tragic, but the loss of a critical piece of infrastructure hinders the ability of a community to recover. How do we rebuild if we are no longer able to treat and distribute clean and safe water because of a failure in a water treatment plant?
The updated National Building Code of Canada (NBCC 2020) addresses these issues. Structures are given an importance rating that helps define the robustness of the structural design. The importance rating is based on the potential for loss of life in the event of a disaster, or its aftermath. In the NBCC, buildings are categorized as low importance, normal importance, high importance and post-disaster buildings. (See Figure 1.)
Post-disaster buildings are defined in NBCC 2020 as buildings that are necessary for the provision of essential services to the public in the event of a disaster. These include water treatment facilities, water storage facilities, water and wastewater pumping stations, and wastewater treatment facilities.
The code dictates that critical infrastructure within the plant must continue to operate without major repairs. Minor structural damage might occur but should not impede operations. Liquid-containing structures must operate at full capacity, with pipes, channels and critical tie-in
Figure 1. Buildings are categorized in the new NBCC in part based on the level of function they are required to have following an earthquake. The most important facilities for a community’s recovery, such as its water and wastewater treatment facilities, must remain in operation post-disaster.
points remaining operational.
Process, electrical and mechanical systems critical to plant operations must be properly secured and anchored to remain operational post-disaster. Any restraint or anchorage must satisfy the seismic load requirements of a post-disaster building in that region. It must be possible to postpone any repairs to systems to times of non-peak demand, allowing for continuous operation of the facility. More specific requirements can be found in CSA S900.2-21 Structural Design for Wastewater Treatments Plants.
In general, most structures in water and wastewater facilities need to be designed as post-disaster structures. With the agreement of the local building department, those not essential to the operation of the plant may be classified as normal-importance buildings.
NEW SEISMIC REQUIREMENTS
The updated NBCC 2020 has introduced new requirements for designing post-disaster buildings for seismic events. These changes reflect the recent research into seismic activity and Canada’s tectonic and geological structures. The most significant changes are the introduction of seismic categories and a significant increase in seismic design load. Adoption and enforcement of NBCC 2020 is different for each province and territory.
NBCC 2020 introduces four seismic categories (SC1 to SC4) to group structures by the potential for damage to the structure and the effect of the damage on the health and safety of the community. Historically, sites were grouped by seismic region. Now, structures are in designated seismic categories based on a building’s continued overleaf…
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importance, soil type, and local earthquake severity. Each category has different rules for the design of the building.
NBCC 2020 has introduced a second seismic analysis for post-disaster buildings. Buildings still need to be designed to be ductile for ground motion exceeding a 1 in 2,500-year seismic event.
However, under the new code, post-disaster buildings of SC2 to SC4 require a second check for strength and deformation based on ground motion exceeding a 1 in 1,000-year seismic event. The main objective is to design buildings so that they survive the more common and lesser-magnitude seismic events with minimal damage, allowing for immediate occupancy. With these design changes, however, there will be an increase in initial cost for engineering and construction.
Seismic values have changed significantly from NBCC 2015. They were previously tabulated for various towns and cities. In NBCC 2020, they have been updated based on revised ground motion models and can be obtained from Earthquakes Canada’s online Seismic Hazard Tool. In comparison to the seismic values in NBCC 2015, the NBCC 2020 seismic value changes will lead to greater seismic design loads.
INCREASED SEISMIC LOADS
In assessing the tangible effects of these changes, it is useful to compare the lateral load on the foundation system caused by seismic movements from NBCC 2015 and NBCC 2020. When analyzing this across various Canadian sites, the increase in seismic base shear ranges from 15% to 100%. Using seismic
loads as a percentage of the total weight of the structure, we can get a good sense of the increased load on the building and the associated construction costs.
The seismic forces that buildings must be designed to resist have increased significantly between the 2015 and 2020 versions of the NBCC, by as much as 100% for some parts of Canada. The increases can translate directly into higher construction costs. More accurate soil testing that better identifies the specific conditions at a site can greatly reduce seismic design loads. Table 1 shows the seismic force for a four-metre-high single-storey post-disaster building with a moderately ductile masonry shear wall system constructed in an area of dense soil.
MORE ACCURATE SOIL TESTING
We can mitigate this cost increase on the seismic force resisting system (SFRS) by changing how we test soils, since soil classification has a direct impact on the seismic hazard rating of a site.
Normally, geotechnical engineers will use the standard penetration test (SPT N-values) for sand sites, and average undrained shear strengths, plasticity index and moisture content for clay sites to determine a site class for seismic design. While cost effective, these methods are not accurate and lead to conservative assumptions.
In fact, certain soil classifications for the best soils cannot be obtained based on these test methods. For instance, bedrock layers may not be categorized as Site Class A (Hard Rock) or B (Rock) and can only be categorized as Site Class C (Dense Soil) when using one of these
tests, leading to higher seismic design loads and construction costs.
A better test is shear wave velocity (SWV). It can be used to obtain more accurate data, leading to reduced seismic design loads. For example, obtaining a site classification reduction from C to A using a SWV test can reduce design base shear by up to 40%. SWV tests were not always part of a geotechnical scope of work, but given the changes in NBCC 2020, they should be requested to get more accurate soil data.
LAYOUT RESTRICTIONS
The new building code prohibits several specific structural arrangements, known as irregular configurations, for post-disaster buildings. An irregular configuration may impact a building’s ability to remain undamaged and in operation after a major disaster. Irregularities can be caused by asymmetrical building geometry, abrupt changes in the shear walls or bracing, or non-uniform mass distributions.
Due to the increase in seismic hazard across Canada, many post-disaster buildings at water and wastewater plants will now be classified as either SC3 or SC4. In these cases, the SFRS must not contain the following irregularities.
Type 1: Vertical stiffness irregularity This occurs when the vertical stiffness in one floor is significantly less than in the other floors. This can happen when a storey is taller than adjacent storeys.
Type 3: Vertical geometric irregularity — This occurs when the horizontal dimension (length or width) of the SFRS element changes by more than 30% in the storey above or below. Both Type 1 and 3 irregularities exhibit abrupt changes in lateral stiffness at different floors. Large differences in stiffness between storeys can cause increased lateral movement between them. These irregularities may exist in storage buildings, solids-handling buildings, and any other building with tall equipment on the lower floors.
Type 4: In-plane discontinuity in vertical lateral resisting element — This occurs when shear walls are offset in adjacent storeys within the same ver-
Table 1. SC: seismic category, W: seismic weight.
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tical plane, creating an indirect load path.
Type 5: Out-of-plane offsets — This occurs when shear walls are offset in different vertical planes on an adjacent storey, creating an indirect load path.
Type 6: Weak storey — This occurs when the shear strength of a storey is less than the storey above, causing a sway at the weaker storey during a seismic event. Type 4, 5 and 6 irregularities exhibit weaknesses in the load path from the base to the upper floors, which prevents the building from swaying as a single unit. This will create non-uniform seismic forces, resulting in large differential movements. These irregularities are often created when large doors and knock out panels are needed, or large louvers or duct openings limit the locations for the shear walls.
Type 7: Torsional sensitivity — This occurs when there is a rotation within a building from a top-down perspective. These are caused by unsymmetric geometry, such as T-, L- and C-shaped shear wall systems, or unsymmetric mass in the building.
Type 9: Gravity-induced lateral demand — This occurs in configurations that involve cantilevered floors. These arrangements produce larger displacement or instability since the seismic deflection is generally concentrated in one direction.
Type 10: Sloped columns — This occurs when a column is angled 2° or more from the vertical and supports weight of the structure. A column is most effective at supporting vertical loads when the loads push directly down upon it. When subject to lateral loads, sloped columns can induce vertical displacements.
Type 7, 9 and 10 irregularities result in unsymmetrical movement of the structure and non-uniform load concentrations. They also increase vertical displacements in the event of an earthquake. These irregularities are often used to make large-scale architectural expressions with modern stylings, such as large glass walls, open storeys, and inclined columns.
These irregularities are not permitted in post-disaster buildings. To keep these building arrangements, the engineer
residential and institutional buildings but that are not permitted for postdisaster buildings.
must find a way to compensate for the weaknesses and eliminate the irregularities. This can be done by adding stiffeners, shear walls, braces, and fully modelling the expected movement at each building element to prove the irregularity no longer exists, which adds cost and complication to the design and the structure.
Many of these new restrictions from NBCC 2020 limit the layout of new buildings classified as post-disaster. The design of water and wastewater buildings, which house critical process equipment, must prioritize structural resilience and
early occupancy after a disaster. Involving structural engineers in conceptual engineering will help in developing the most efficient and cost-effective way forward with a facility.
Kurtis Quasdorf, Wilcon Ching, P.Eng., and Rebecca Pringlemeir, P.Eng., are with CIMA+. Email: kurtis.quasdorf@ cima.ca, wilcon.ching@cima.ca, rebecca.pringlemeir@cima.ca
Figure 2. The new NBCC identifies several building shapes and configurations that are commonly used for
Making structural changes to existing water, wastewater infrastructure in compliance with the Ontario Building Code
By Emily Day and Rebecca Pringlemeir
With aging water and wastewater infrastructure, increasing populations, tightening regulations, and greater need for climate resiliency, much of our work as consultants in the Ontario water and wastewater industry is spent upgrading existing infrastructure.
In its 2023 Minister’s Annual Report on Drinking Water, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks reported that the province is investing $182 million specifically to support the rehabilitation and replacement of existing water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure facing critical health and/or safety risks. A large amount of this investment will go to building renovations and expansions within existing facilities.
A building renovation can quickly become complicated, especially from a structural design perspective. Modifying main structural elements can redirect the load path, possibly necessitating additional reinforcements to other parts of the building. Additionally, the complexity of the renovation and the age of the structure will dictate if the building needs to be brought up to current design and building codes. For the facility owner or project manager, what initially looked like a minor upgrade project may now appear daunting and expensive.
Fortunately, it may not be. The best way to start a renovation project is by engaging a structural engineer at the beginning of the design process to review the feasibility and design options for the renovation. In particular, they will help navigate the different regulations that apply to the project, which in Ontario include Part 11 Renovations of the Ontario Building Code (OBC).
Knowing the specifics of what the regulations do and do not require for the renovation could make all the difference in limiting the complexity and cost of the changes needed to make. A structural engineer will also help work proactively with the building department to get early buy-in on the design approach.
RENOVATIONS WITHIN THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CODE
Part 11 Renovations was introduced in the 1983 edition of the OBC to address existing building extensions, material alterations and repairs. In general, any modifications to a building must follow the requirements of all parts of the OBC. However, within Part 11 there is some leeway for alterations to existing structures, depending on the extent of the changes. Under Part 11, a basic renovation and an extensive reno-
Design requirements for post-disaster structures have significantly changed in the OBC, which was adapted from the 2020 National Building Code. Credit: desertsands, stock.adobe.com
vation are defined. In a basic renovation, the existing performance level of the building is maintained by the reuse, relocation or extension of the same or similar materials or components. This means that the basic loads on the structure, the use of the structure, and the way the building system works stay the same. Changes that would result in a performance level reduction include, for example, a change in the type of major occupancy or use of the building, an increase in the occupant load of more than 15%, or an increase in the live load on the floors or roof.
All of the factors that reduce the performance level are defined in Part 11. The key point in all cases is that if the proposed building alteration is found to reduce the performance level, compensating construction (additional measures to restore the performance level) is required. It is this compensating construction that can turn a seemingly simple renovation into a costly one that falls into the Extensive Renovation category. Projects in this category have to comply with all parts of the code.
In the case of some renovations, it is nearly impossible to meet the requirements of the code. This may be due to site access, loading capacity limitations, or building historical significance. Part 11 provides alternate solutions to select clauses of the code for each occupancy type. These are called Compliance Alternatives. This section of Part 11 should be considered in consultation with the local building department as officials must agree there is no practical way to adhere to the code requirement.
A notable example of a Compliance Alternative relates to earthquake design. The design requirements for post-disaster structures (which include buildings within water and wastewater treatment plants that must remain in operation following a major disaster) have significantly changed in the OBC, which was adapted from the 2020 National Building Code.
Earthquake design forces for post-disaster structures have increased 15% to 100% from the previous version of the code. It is likely that many existing post-disaster buildings would not be able to withstand these increased forces without additional reinforcement.
It is impractical to upgrade all existing structures to meet the new requirements, including during building renovations. The building code has recognized this and included a Compliance Alternative that states that the requirements under the Earthquake Load and Effects subsection do not apply to Part 11.
CASE STUDY
Structural engineers are often asked to remove a wall in an existing building to allow for a new use of the interior space. In many cases, however, this can be a loadbearing or a shear wall in the lateral force resisting system for wind, earthquake, and equipment loads. Consequently, the structural framing system and the effect of removing the wall need to be reviewed first.
In this case study, the client requested an investigation into persistent leaks in their digester control building. The building complex consists of four digesters around the control building, with one digester at each corner.
The leaking had been observed at multiple pipe penetrations where digester 3 meets the control building. The control building was constructed in 1981, with knockout walls that were to be removed when digesters 3 and 4 were constructed. When digesters 3 and 4 were constructed several years later, the knockout walls within the control building were not removed. Now, pipes from digesters 3 and 4 penetrate two walls to enter the control building.
Multiple attempts were made to fix the leaks at digester 3 with no success. The efforts were complicated by the double-wall system that made it difficult to locate the leak on the tank wall.
Most recently, the client engaged a structural engineer to complete a condition assessment and review options to fix the issue. Ultimately, it was determined that the knockout wall at digester 3 should be removed to expose the tank wall to source the leaks. Removing the knockout wall at digester 4 was also suggested to mitigate any future issues similar to those at digester 3.
It was suspected that the knockout walls are providing stiffness to the building to resist lateral forces. Removing the knockout walls could reduce the stiffness of the building and therefore reduce its performance level. To maintain the structural capacity, but still expose the digester 3 wall, new steel portal frames were suggested at each digester. However, there were concerns that modifying this small yet important part of the structure would make an earthquake load analysis as per OBC 2024 necessary for the entire structure. This might then necessitate major structural modifications.
Based on Part 11 Renovations, the changes fall under the
Case study diagram. The existing concrete knockout walls in the digester control building will be removed to expose the digester wall. Steel portal frames will be constructed at each digester to maintain the structural stiffness of the building.
basic renovation category, which allows construction to be carried out using similar components to maintain the existing performance level of the building.
Additionally, the compliance alternative described above eliminates the need to complete an earthquake load analysis, due to the complexity of the structural changes and the construction difficulties that would be entailed in installing the building reinforcements needed to satisfy the increased loads. At this stage, this approach will be presented to the local building department to get their early feedback and endorsement.
UPFRONT CONSULTATION TO SAVE LONG-TERM PAINS
Involve your structural engineer early in the conceptual design phase of a renovation. The money spent at the beginning of the project to review the feasibility of the building modification could save many unwanted surprises down the road. A structural engineer can help demystify the code and provide solutions to minimize the reinforcements needed for your building. They can also help you keep your modifications within the scope of a basic renovation to avoid the major upgrades required for an extensive renovation. If your project is considered an extensive renovation, you must comply with all parts of the OBC.
You should also consult your local building department early in the design process. The use of the compliance alternatives requires agreement from the building department officials. Often, pre-consultation meetings can be arranged before the submission of a building permit application. Arrange the pre-consultation meeting during pre-design, once the proposed solution is defined, to confirm the building department officials agree that the approach complies with the Ontario Building Code.
Emily Day, P.Eng., and Rebecca Pringlemeir, P.Eng., are with CIMA+. Email: emily.day@cima.ca and rebecca.pringlemeir@cima.ca
Buffalo Pound continues to go green with the addition of solar panels
By ES&E Staff
The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant in Saskatchewan is finalizing its $4-million solar power panels project designed to generate 1,800 kW of AC power for the facility.
The Buffalo Pound solar project, which began in the summer of 2022, uses hundreds of fixed panels that catch sunlight effectively throughout the year and are located on both sides of the approach road to the water treatment plant. The panels, which are four rows deep, will power the plant’s administration building and reduce the plant’s energy consumption by 10%, recouping the cost of the project within 15 years.
“This project is the first of its kind for the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation,” announced Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation Chair, Patricia Warsaba. “This is a very exciting new initiative because it will play a role in helping the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant to reduce its car
bon footprint,” Warsaba added.
Local officials stated that the system does not include batteries and will not feed into the SaskPower grid. The solar power will be consumed solely by the
grated into the facility’s power system.
“We wanted it to be a green building, so the intent was to at least produce enough power to cover that,” Buffalo Pound CEO Ryan Johnson told reporters at a panel unveiling ceremony.
Buffalo Pound, built in 1955, serves the cities of Regina, Moose Jaw, and other surrounding communities. The plant’s solar initiative supports the City of Regina’s Energy and Sustainability Framework, which works to reduce energy use where possible and increase energy efficiency while transitioning to renewable energy sources.
The project also aligns well with the City of Moose Jaw’s Climate Action Plan, which is a long-term, actiondriven plan providing both economic and environmental impacts that will
The solar power will be consumed solely by the water treatment plant as it is generated. Photo Credit: Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation
CST Industries celebrates 75 years of excellence in water storage
From installing water storage solutions in remote northern communities to maintaining essential municipal water systems in major cities, CST Industries has served communities from coast to coast with reliable water storage services over its 75 years in Canada.
The company’s growth as a leading manufacturer of domes and storage tanks during this milestone anniversary underscores a history of dedication and a reputation for industry leadership. CST has installed over 1,000 top-tier water storage solutions across the country since 1949, highlighting its commitment to delivering innovative and trustworthy solutions that support Canadian communities.
CST’s legacy is built on the numerous thank-yous and expressions of gratitude received from clients who rely on its trusted solutions. With manufacturing facilities and technical design centres spread across North America, Europe, the UK, and Vietnam, CST Industries has established a strong foundation. The company’s extensive network
of global sales offices complements these centres, enabling the company to deliver high-quality solutions to customers worldwide.
“Over the past 75 years, we’ve been privileged to support Canadian municipalities, water authorities, and engineers with premier storage solutions,” said Jeff Mueller, President and CEO of CST Industries. “Water storage is fundamental to community growth, and our dedicated dealers play a crucial role in our continued commitment to excellence.”
Last year, CST achieved another significant milestone in strengthening its Canadian network by partnering with Aquastore Canada East and Aurora Design Group. These new authorized dealers are the only licensed providers of CST’s exclusive Aquastore® solutions. With over 45 years of combined experience, they bring extensive knowledge of the Canadian market and offer authentic maintenance solutions and parts essential for the longevity and reliability of water storage.
“Many of our team members, including myself, have worked
with CST products throughout our careers,” said Luke Barton, Vice President of Operations at Aquastore Canada East. “We’re honoured to continue providing high-quality water storage solutions to Canada, leveraging global resources and local expertise.”
CST’s Aquastore® storage tanks are renowned for their glass-fusedto-steel technology, which exceeds industry standards for performance and requires minimal maintenance. Certified crews ensure quality control from manufacturing to installation and testing.
Today, CST Industries expresses sincere appreciation and gratitude for the dedication of its people, providing exceptional customer service and fostering long-lasting relationships with clients and customers in water storage. CST Industries is committed to providing water storage solutions that flourish for generations and is eager to serve its clients for many more years to come.
For more information, visit: www.cstindustries.com
(Left) CST’s Canadian dealers offer reliable, innovative water storage services that support community growth with their 45+ years of combined expertise and dedication. (Right) CST’s Aquastore® storage tanks are renowned for their glass-fused-to-steel technology, which exceeds industry standards for performance and requires minimal maintenance.
Delivering sustainable solutions to tackle drought in agricultural areas
By Leigh Patterson
Many of Canada’s most vital landscapes, crucial for countless wildlife species, face increasing drought challenges. For Ducks Unlimited Canada and our partners, these challenges serve to strengthen our resolve and sharpen our focus to find ways to bring resilience to these lands, ensuring they not only survive but thrive.
In the offices of the Bow River Irrigation District (BRID) located in the town of Vauxhall, Alberta, an hour’s drive northeast of Lethbridge, BRID General Manager Richard Phillips and landman Dana Fleming are gearing up for another busy irrigation season. Phillips navigates through a GIS map projected onto a boardroom screen that shows a dizzying array of intersecting lines representing 1,070 kilometres of canals and pipelines, plus nine large reservoirs that store spring snowmelt. This complex infrastructure conveys water from the glacier-fed Bow River to cultivated lands and pastures in the district.
The BRID’s system is like those of the other irrigation districts found throughout southern Alberta. The closed-water system efficiently moves water exactly when and where it’s needed.
And water is certainly needed here. Vauxhall, in the centre of the region supported by the BRID, receives a long-term average precipitation of only 209 millimetres between May 1 and September 20. Water is needed to support the many agricultural activities on this landscape, ranging from cattle ranching to cereal crops to potatoes, sugar beets, canola and legumes and other crops grown on rotation.
“We have good soil and sunshine, the only missing ingredient is water,” says Phillips. “That’s why irrigation has been integral to southern Alberta for more than a century, creating stable food production, creating thousands of jobs, and billions of dollars of annual economic benefit.”
Water is also needed for the many prairie pothole wetlands, the depressions left behind on the landscape when glaciers retreated.
The BRID’s operations to bring water here began in full force in 1920. It’s no small coincidence that as an organization with a history rooted in drought, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) would eventually join forces with them. In fact, according to Morgan Stromsmoe, DUC head of habitat asset management in Alberta, DUC works cooperatively with eight of the province’s 13 irrigation districts.
“DUC’s partnerships with the various irrigation districts are one of our great cooperative habitat success stories,” says Stromsmoe. “We currently manage more than 700 wetland basins that are supplemented with water provided by an irrigation district. Over the last eight decades we’ve invested nearly $50 million in irrigation-related infrastructure, allowing us to conserve over 72,000 acres (29,150 hectares) of critical wetland habitat.”
Stromsmoe notes that most of the water used to supply DUC’s habitat projects is spillwater, which is water already
used by producers and is on its way back to the river.
“We’re very careful not to compete with ranchers and farmers. By utilizing spillwater we have been able to make existing basins more stable, reducing the risk of drought, without impacting water availability for producers,” says Stromsmoe.
The working partnerships between DUC and the irrigation districts extend well beyond securing water. DUC shares responsibility for annual repair and maintenance costs of ditches, dams and control structures with several irrigation districts.
DUC’s wetland impoundments provide reliable water sources across pastures that help distribute cattle more evenly across the pasture, ensuring ranchers maximize forage availability while utilizing the grass in a sustainable manner.
According to BRID’s Dana Fleming, “cattle distribution on our pastures has dramatically improved because of DUC’s wetlands. In fact, one of the local grazing associations noted they wouldn’t have been able to keep cattle on one of their leases without DUC’s adjacent water impoundment, which BRID man-
Waterfowl flock to Basin 23, a part of the Circle E project located in the Bow River Irrigation District of southern Alberta. Photo courtesy of Ducks Unlimited Canada/Morgan Stromsmoe
ages on behalf of DUC.”
Phillips, an avid angler and hunter, notes that the biodiversity supported by BRID’s reservoirs and DUC’s spillwater-fed wetlands are “incredible,” offering immeasurable spinoffs for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages.
The future of DUC’s partnerships with Alberta’s irrigation districts is bright, says Stromsmoe.
“At one time, our interests in establishing wetlands within irrigation districts focused on waterfowl production. With climate change, our irrigation-based projects have become increasingly important for the additional benefits they provide to biodiversity and to carbon sequestration. The irrigation partnerships are key to the
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• Storage Coefficient of 96%
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HARNESSING THE POWER OF SMALL DAMS IN B.C.
DUC owns or manages more than 600 dams in British Columbia alone. The backstory on how this wetland-focused charity became British Columbia’s largest owner of water-storage infrastructure dates back more than 50 years, when DUC entered partnerships with private landowners and with the B.C. provincial government.
Often, these projects were collaborations between DUC, which sought wetland habitat for waterfowl, and ranchers and farmers, looking for reliable irrigation and water for livestock. In many ways, this is a similar relationship to the one DUC holds with irrigation districts in Alberta.
Most of the dams and water-storage structures DUC manages and owns in B.C. are built with little or no concrete. These structures are earthen dams, between one and three metres high. Often there is some so-called “hard infrastructure” as well, such as a steel weir or concrete drop-box. But these are not mega-dams, far from it. They are comparatively modest projects that restore or enhance existing wetlands, allowing them to retain more water, longer.
Earthen structures managed by DUC around B.C. help to store water when rain falls, and slow down its release into the watershed. This means more water sinks through the land to recharge
underground aquifers, instead of simply running off dry soil into rivers and lakes.
CAN NATURE’S ENGINEERS TAKE A BITE OUT OF DROUGHT?
One reason why B.C.’s landscape is drier now, making it more prone to floods and fires, is because there is less naturally occurring water storage infrastructure, such as the dams built by beavers, whose populations dropped markedly across Canada with the arrival of colonialism and the fur trade.
More recently, their numbers have been rebounding. A growing body of research is demonstrating that beaver dams are a low-tech, cost-efficient way to promote climate resilience. A study published this year by the Geological Society of America revealed that riverscapes with beaver dams had “significant resistance to burning” during large wildfires, as well as “valuable secondary benefits in post-fire ecosystem health, water quality, and biodiversity.”
DUC and our partners are exploring opportunities where beaver dam analogs, or human-made structures that mimic the form and function of a natural beaver dam, could be used in place of engineered impoundments. B.C. needs to keep more water on, and within, the landscape for longer periods. In combination, these natural and small-scale water storage solutions could be the answer.
A PROVEN METHOD OF STORING WATER IN MANITOBA
In Manitoba, DUC’s work centres on constructing small dams, which are vital for maintaining water distribution and habitat quality during critical times.
DUC staff recently completed a rebuild of the Proven Lake wetland project. Proven Lake represents over 1,942 hectares of wetland habitat, mainly located within a Wildlife Management Area south of Riding Mountain National Park. DUC became involved in 1947, and the 2024 rebuild included the replacement of water control infrastructure at two locations.
The main control structure, rebuilt to maintain the water level established in 1981, now incorporates a fish passage to increase spawning potential. DUC has secured local landowners to help operate the structure under a 30-year funding agreement with the local watershed district. Now, the surrounding communities have a place for water to be stored both in times of scarcity and in times of overabundance.
CONSERVATION EASEMENTS: HELP EASE PRAIRIE DROUGHTS
With exceptionally little rainfall across the prairies in the past several years, the true value of retaining wetlands on farmland has become even more apparent. That’s why more producers are taking advantage of DUC conservation easements. These agreements offer plenty of flexibility to meet the individual needs of farmers and ranchers, while conserving important wildlife habitat, like wetlands and grasslands, in perpetuity.
Conservation easements work, both financially and environmentally. Conserved wetlands ensure a reliable source of water. Conserved perennial grasslands and shrubby areas provide habitat for both grazing and wildlife, while regenerating soil. It’s a win-win-win situation: for landowners, biodiversity and overall land health.
Leigh Patterson is with Ducks Unlimited Canada. Email: l_patterson@ducks.ca
(This article was originally published in Conservator Magazine, Spring 2024)
Ducks Unlimited Canada staff and others attended a 2023 workshop in Washington, where they learned how to install beaver dam analogs. Photo courtesy of Ducks Unlimited Canada/Tim Fitzgerald
Stormwater system upgrades part of Dartmouth’s downtown revitalization
By ES&E Staff
In what’s being called a “landmark project” for Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, $32.5 million in funding will go towards replacing portions of the existing stormwater sewer in the downtown area for the city of nearly 100,000 residents.
The joint municipal and provincial funding will advance work to replace the Halifax Regional Municipality community’s existing stormwater sewer from Starr Park to Dartmouth Cove, helping to prevent floods and ready the system for the impacts of climate change, local officials said.
“This is a landmark project for downtown Dartmouth that we’re very excited to be supporting,” announced Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and MLA for Dartmouth East. “It will make a huge difference, both in improving the aging stormwater system and in improving an area of downtown Dartmouth where people walk, bike and drive every day.”
Halifax Water’s acting General Manager, Kenda MacKenzie, explained that the upgrades will continue the “day-
The stormwater management upgrades will in part see the further removal of a metal culvert over Sawmill Creek, similar to the one pictured above. Credit: Gary Peplow, stock.adobe.com
lighting of Sawmill Creek” as an integral part of Dartmouth’s stormwater management strategy. Daylighting refers to removing artificial impediments such as concrete or pavement that may increase nutrient pollution, degrade habitats, and increase downstream flooding. In this case, it will involve further removal of
the creek’s metal culvert.
There will also be upgrades to the surrounding pedestrian-heavy corridor, provincial officials said. The reconfigured area is expected to create more park space and improve traffic.
The new funding will also support a small pool in Starr Park, which will be a resting place for fish swimming between Halifax Harbour and Dartmouth’s system of lakes, as well as a habitat for birds and small amphibians.
Halifax Water Regional Development Charge will contribute $4.3 million for the project. The upgrades are expected to be completed in phases over the next few years to reduce the amount of longterm traffic interruptions.
The regional municipality is currently investigating the cost and timeline to upgrade what it calls “insubstantial and undersized infrastructure”, including wooden cross-culverts transferred to the region from the province.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
Moncton pilots treatment technologies to protect water supply from cyanobacteria
By David Nesseth
Lab test results from pilot plants are still trickling in for the New Brunswick City of Moncton, where local leaders are trying to find the optimal technology to fortify their water treatment plant and drinking water system in the ongoing fight against cyanobacteria.
Moncton is currently evaluating the performance, cost and functionality of either powder activated carbon, ozone, UV treatment, or a combination, to find the best match for its water system. To get to the bottom of it all, Moncton’s water department partnered with a team at engineering firm CBCL, and researchers at Dalhousie University, to
run three small pilot plants as an assessment of the treatment options.
When blooms of blue-green algae first appeared in 2017, Moncton was caught off guard. It just didn’t have a water treatment plant that could handle them. The plant, commissioned in 1999, was built with technology and treatment capabilities backed by 20 years of historical data about the watershed. It is considered rather pristine with stable water quality, and without some of the challenges and contamination risks faced by many other cities, where treatment capabilities are much deeper and advanced.
“So what they built was a very conventional water treatment plant. Very
straightforward, no bells and whistles,” Nicole Taylor, Moncton’s director of water supply and treatment told ES&E Magazine.
While they have some basic tools at the Moncton plant to address cyanotoxins, Taylor says they simply aren’t enough. The city needed to proceed with multi-stage upgrades to properly deal with a range of emerging contaminants.
As Moncton continues its pilot treatment technology assessment — the results of which may not be in place until 2026 — it has also issued a storage and dosing system tender for powder activated carbon, or PAC, as a nearer-term, cost-effective and adsorption-based technology.
When blooms of blue-green algae first appeared in 2017, Moncton was caught off guard. All photos courtesy of the City of Moncton
Moncton is currently evaluating the performance, cost and functionality of either powder activated carbon, ozone, UV treatment, or a combination, to find the best match for its water system.
It can be used on-demand and integrate with and improve existing coagulation, flocculation, and clarification processes.
The upgrade, which could be ready by the end of 2024, could also address the occasional taste and odour complaints that arise, such as those that occurred in 2007, when the city had first considered adding PAC. The technology is best suited to supplement existing processes, says Taylor. It will also provide initial treatment ahead of a standalone harmful algal bloom enhanced removal unit process, such as ozone or UV, which round out the other pilot testing units.
The ozone and UV systems would also each be designed as standby unit processes, available to be put into service as needed, Taylor explained.
While the primary purpose of the PAC pretreatment would serve as a safeguard against cyanotoxins, the technology will be used to assist in addressing other contamination risks, whether it’s forest fires, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicle accidents, or anything else that could impact watershed quality.
“Guidelines for Canadian drinking water usually only go one direction, and that is stricter,” says Taylor. “So, this will give us an opportunity to be able to better address other potential contaminants in our raw water than we have the ability to at the moment.”
The first visible signs of cyanobac-
teria appeared in September 2017 at Moncton’s secondary Tower Road Reservoir, which supplies water to the primary Turtle Creek reservoir. Blooms of blue-green algae, which can occur under warm water temperatures mixed with high nutrient loads, were identified during routine maintenance and monitoring of the dam and spillway. Although cyanobacteria have been detected annually, no blooms developed again until late summer 2022. As recently as June, however, the Irishtown Nature Park reservoir in Moncton closed due to the presence of blue-green algae.
Only a very small proportion of cyanobacteria produce toxins. Between 80 to 100 different compounds have been discovered in these blooms, and all have different levels of toxicity. But blooms in the region have had an impact before. Three dogs died in July 2018, after being in or near the Saint John River in Fredericton. In humans, the World Health Organization says exposure to these toxins can cause serious liver damage and neurotoxicity.
Effective management strategies depend on understanding the growth patterns and species of cyanobacteria that dominate the bloom.
Taylor addressed Moncton’s Committee of the Whole on March 25 to provide an overview of the city’s Harmful Algae Bloom Strategy. Explaining options for
the more enhanced toxins treatment, she noted that ozone and UV each work by oxidizing complex dissolved molecules and reducing them to their base components or mineralizing them.
Ozone systems use high-voltage to convert liquid oxygen to gaseous ozone, which is a strong oxidizer when dissolved in water. UV advanced oxidation systems use light from high-powered lamps to split liquid hydrogen peroxide into hydroxyl radicals, which are even stronger oxidants than ozone.
Ozone would be added in the middle of the treatment process, between clarification and filtration. UV would be designed to treat filtered water before leaving the treatment plant, Taylor told the committee.
Dr. Graham Gagnon, director for the Centre for Water Resources Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, says Moncton found itself in a situation that was too close for comfort during the 2017 bloom, as the city came within days of needing to issue a “do not consume order”.
Gagnon says it’s understandable that Moncton built its water treatment plant to the standards it did, particularly because the municipality owns the land around the plant. “They would have gone into a planning mode for the original plant thinking that they controlled most of the sources,” Gagnon told ES&E Mag-
azine. “There are no industrial wastewater treatment plants, or farms. But one thing that they don’t control, and never will be able to control, is climate.”
Changing temperatures and less sulphur dioxide in the air can both contribute to providing a fertile watershed for blooms to flourish. From a historical standpoint within the Atlantic region, the lakes were very acidic and algal blooms didn’t exist, says Gagnon. Changing climate patterns, as well as shifts from coal, which decreased acid rain, resulted in aquatic biota growing in the lakes and cyanobacteria developed quickly.
Gagnon believes the close call in 2017 led to Monton taking extra time and care with its ongoing research for implementing an optimal technology against cyanobacteria, the testing of which may push into summer 2025.
Elected in May as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Gagnon has also made time to assist Moncton with its three commercial-scale pilot testing plants in connection with CBCL.
Apart from cost and performance, Gagnon says functionality will be a key factor in choosing the best suited technology, right down to how the operators interact with it on a day-to-day basis. For instance, testing could show that some technologies are more labour-intensive for operators than others.
Energy draw, life-cycle costs and sustainability are some other considerations that the pilot tests will also help to address, said Gagnon. Other questions to be answered by pilot testing options are how quickly a chemical might be expended, as well as its global supply chain availability.
Phase 1 of Moncton’s Harmful Algae Bloom Strategy is now complete. It included a retrofit of the existing water treatment plant’s clarification process to enhance the raw water solids loading hydraulic capacity of the facility and enable broad algal toxin process resiliency. Essentially the upgrade prevents the plant from clogging.
The cost for Phase 1 was $6 million,
including assistance from both the federal and provincial government. The cost for Phase 2 mitigation was approved for $22 million.
In February, the Society of Canadian Aquatic Sciences hosted a conference in Fredericton, which in part explored the biotic and abiotic factors impacting the frequency and duration of toxic cyanobacteria events, including planktonic blooms and benthic proliferations. Testing is still an emerging field when it comes down to what exactly to test, for which toxins, and ways to make the test more universal.
David Nesseth is with ES&E Magazine. Email: david@esemag.com
ACO StormBrixx
Celebrating International Women in Engineering Day
On International Women in Engineering Day (June 23), global professional services firm GHD celebrated the work and achievements of its rich and diverse team of female engineers in Canada, highlighting their outstanding contributions to the engineering industry’s growth.
In an informal Q&A session moderated by GHD, six engineers from the company’s offices across Canada shared their thoughts on what it means to be a woman in a predominantly male-oriented field, how they see their future in the profession, and the message they would like to convey to young women considering a career in engineering.
Q1: What does it mean to be a woman in a predominantly male-oriented field?
Jennifer Son, Regional Market Leader for Environment (Waterloo): While there may be many challenges in work-
ing in a male-oriented field, there are many opportunities for women to bring a unique viewpoint and creativity, inspire and pave the way for future generations, and overcome challenges which get in the way of determination and resilience.
Shannon Richardson, Contamination Assessment & Remediation (CAR) Technical Director (St. Catharines): I have the responsibility of holding myself and others accountable to ensure that diverse voices have a seat at the table. I need to be honest about the challenges I have faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry and be a part of the change that I would like to see. It means that I have an opportunity to be a role model for other women and try to manage the challenges with grace, courage, determination, and humility.
Catherine Dang, Digital Strategy and Transformation & Americas Young Professionals Co-Chair (Waterloo): Being a woman in a predominantly male-oriented field is both
Top-left to bottom-right: Jennifer Son, Shannon Richardson, Catherine Dang, Anne-Marie Lemieux, Michelle Uyeda, Rihem Jaidi.
challenging and empowering. It means advocating for an underrepresented voice that is key to ensuring we are one step closer to truly hearing the needs of the community as we engineer solutions that will permanently change it.
Anne-Marie Lemieux, Technical Director for Highways Roads & Bridges (Montreal): Things have evolved over time. There were very few women in engineering when I started my degree over 30 years ago. The biases and negative attitudes have largely given way to respect as women have excelled and shown themselves to be exceptional leaders in the field, based on merit regardless of gender. Society has also evolved with new generations distributing family responsibilities more evenly, including parental leave, which has led to a more equitable perspective across the board that benefits both men and women alike.
Michelle Uyeda, Technical Director and Senior Environmental Engineer, Contaminant Assessment and Remediation, (Vancouver): I have been in the profession long enough that I now don’t think about my gender in this field. Perhaps that in itself speaks volumes about or for the strides that women have made in the field of engineering, from being one of the less than 5% of women in my 1992 graduating class to working with a growing number of amazing women and new grads here at GHD. However, I do recognize that after 30 years in my profession, I have the responsibility to be a female role model for those starting out in engineering. I think that young women now have equal opportunities to undertake whatever they want to, but there needs to be more work in promoting and educating women on what engineering is and how rewarding it is, and to encourage them to apply and become one!
Rihem Jaidi — Project Coordinator for Environment CAR (Québec City): It can be challenging sometimes. Especially when disproving some stereotypes of male-oriented roles such as field work, field sampling or handling equipment. Despite these challenges, I have support from my team and female colleagues to excel in these roles.
Q2: What excites you about the future of your engineering career?
Son: The innovations that will shape
the future, multidisciplinary and global collaboration on large projects, continuous learning and the chance to mentor future generations.
Richardson: I’m excited to lead multi-disciplinary mega projects geared towards future energy, water, and communities. I’m passionate about the chance to execute engineering projects with teams of professionals from around
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the world to tackle global problems like water insecurity and climate change.
Dang: Something I learned in university (U.Guelph) through the Engineering Change Lab group was about the idea of technological stewardship. The idea is to advocate for moving beyond only being technicians of technology — demonstrating technical expertise
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and excellence is required, but no longer sufficient. To be a good steward, we need to exemplify responsible management, development and use of technology in a way that considers the broader social, ethical and environmental impacts. This is exciting to me because I think the industry is evolving to place greater emphasis on stewardship, and I see this as the stronger way forward to make a lasting community impact.
Lemieux: Innovation and new technology have always been a key element to engineering success in my mind. Emerging technologies such artificial intelligence are now available in the transportation engineering field, and I am excited by the opportunity to be using some of these new tools in my recent work. I look forward to many more interesting projects that will positively impact the infrastructure we design and build to improve the communities that we serve.
Uyeda: Mentoring and succession planning excite me the most. There are also many opportunities to work for the growth of British Columbia and to be involved in the associated capital infrastructure projects here in Western Canada, so there couldn’t be a better time to be an engineer.
Jaidi: Environmental engineering is interesting for addressing various challenges related to environmental protection, water pollution, and sustainable energies. There are many related tasks, such as environmental impact assessment, soil remediation, climate change, and safe disposal of wastes. Besides, there’s always more to learn about, especially since the
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world is developing several renewable energy systems and ecofriendly materials. So, I still see a long path of knowledge that is waiting for me. It’s very exciting for me to be part of that!
Q3: What message would you like to convey to young women considering a career in engineering?
Son: Women provide a unique perspective and creativity and we do have value to add. I would also recommend building a network of strong women who can provide mentorship, guidance and continuous learning, and always support and lift other women up.
Richardson: It is an exciting time to be an engineer, with the opportunity to be involved in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems and learning through rapidly changing technologies. With many companies focused on diversity and inclusion, we are moving the needle and teams are becoming more diverse, but it will be up to future generations to continue to demand equity and equality.
Being a woman in a male-dominated industry will only be one of the challenges faced by young women who are considering a career in engineering, so work hard, advocate for yourself, take ownership of your career aspirations, and help others along the way, regardless of the path you chose.
Dang: Pursuing a career in engineering is a rewarding yet challenging journey, and every individual’s path will be unique. I want to share my personal experience and offer some insight to fellow young women considering this field: When I decided to pursue engineering, my family, who are Vietnamese, reacted with concern rather than pride. In many Eastern cultures, there is a perception that well-educated women, especially in STEM fields, may have diminished marriage prospects. This cultural expectation created an additional layer of difficulty for me, and I know many young women with similar backgrounds face the same challenge.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that women from diverse backgrounds encounter different obstacles. Our experiences are shaped by our intersectional identities, and the barriers we face can vary widely. This diversity of experiences means we need tailored support systems.
My message to young women is to never doubt how important it is to speak up about the challenges you encounter. By sharing our unique stories and struggles, we can build a supportive community that advocates for the needs of all women in engineering.
Lemieux: Work hard, pursue excellence and follow your passion!
Uyeda: Go for it. There are so many new types of engineering now and varied opportunities within each, that if you have a curious mind and like problem-solving, designing, and both math and science, then engineering is for you! Ask for informational interviews from women in engineering to learn about why they chose the career and what they do. For those women starting out their profession in engineering, be curious about the “why?” of what you are doing and get as much “hands-on” experience as you can at the start of your career.
Jaidi: There’s no limit to what you can achieve. It could be challenging sometimes but when we are passionate about what we can do, we go forward and pursue our interests.
The new enforcement announcement gives importers and domestic producers of commercial biosolids four months to arrange for a laboratory to perform the testing and have the certificate of analysis and attestation prepared in advance of the October enforcement start date.
Photo Credit: digidreamgrafix, stock.adobe.com
Producers and importers have until mid-October to arrange biosolids PFAS lab tests
By ES&E Staff
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says that as of October 18 it will begin to enforce an interim standard for biosolids to ensure they contain less than 50 parts per billion (ppb) of per-fluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as an indicator for PFAS chemicals.
To verify compliance with the interim standard and mitigate risks to health and the environment associated with land application of contaminated biosolids sold as commercial fertilizer, CFIA inspectors will review the producer’s required certificate of analysis (laboratory report) and attestation form.
At import, the necessary requirements are written in the CFIA’s Automated
Import Reference System (AIRS) under HS Codes: 38.25.20 (sewage sludge) and 38.25.10 (municipal waste).
The CFIA said the new enforcement announcement gives importers and domestic producers of commercial biosolids four months to arrange for a laboratory to perform the testing and have the certificate of analysis and attestation prepared in advance of the October enforcement start date.
Based on CFIA data from both government monitoring and voluntary testing performed by industry, preliminary analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) content in Canadian biosolids indicates that more than 90% contain less than 50 ppb of PFOS, used as an
indicator of PFAS contamination.
“This means that while the interim standard will effectively prevent the small proportion of biosolids products that are heavily impacted by industrial inputs from being imported or sold as fertilizers in Canada, it should cause minimal disruption to waste-diversion efforts across Canada,” the CFIA announced in a statement.
Biosolids are the solid phase of municipal wastewater treatment, often reused and applied to land as a source of nutrients and organic matter. They can also increase organic waste diversion from landfill, as well as create biogas and energy.
The CFIA defines municipal biosolids as “solid, semi-solid or liquid material comprised of septage or municipal sewage sludge, or both, freed from grit and coarse solids, which have been subjected to physical, chemical or biological treatment, or a combination of these treatments, sufficient to mitigate against the presence and effect of generally detrimental or serious injurious substances that may be associated with untreated forms of this material.”
To be imported into, or sold in Canada, biosolids represented as commercial fertilizers must contain less than 50 ppb of PFOS on a dry weight basis. PFOS is used as an indicator of PFAS contamination.
PFAS are a group of more than 4,700 human-made substances that are used in firefighting foams, textiles, cosmetics, and food packaging. They can be found in soil, air, water and waste streams, including municipal biosolids. They are contaminants of concern due to their inherent persistence, mobility in the soil and potential for negative effects on human health and the environment.
Together with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Health Canada, and provincial partners, the CFIA says it is still examining the level of risk to the food and feed chains posed by biosolids contaminated with PFAS, and is developing a coordinated approach to protect human health and the safety of Canadian agriculture.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
From wastewater to whodunit
Veteran plant manager pens new technical murder mystery
By David Nesseth
After five decades of managing wastewater, John Seldon has channeled his technical expertise and passion for storytelling into a riveting murder mystery novel series that gives his industry a fictional spin of intrigue and suspense.
The spring 2024 release of Seldon’s latest book, Murder in the Aeration, from Rock’s Mills Press, is the follow-up to the 2020 release, Murder in the Primary. The series introduces readers to the world of Walter Stillwell, a wastewater plant superintendent whose expertise is called upon to help an enterprising police officer solve a murder, investigate fraud, improve her understanding of wastewater treatment, and maybe even fall in love along the way.
Seldon, 75, says that teaching operators during training courses late in his wastewater career allowed him to introduce some humour into material that could otherwise be quite technical. That
combination may have been inspirational for Seldon and a launching pad towards writing fiction about the plants where he spent so many years.
“I’ve really written a lot of technical material over the years and I had to move to something that wasn’t technical,” Seldon told ES&E Magazine. “Every now and then you have to let go and have some sense of fantasy and fun.”
It was also an opportunity to showcase the humanity of the people working in treatment plants, often unsung, and somewhat underappreciated, says Seldon.
Stillwell had assisted the police in solving a murder at his wastewater plant in the first book of the series. Now, he is called on again to get to the bottom of a missing superintendent who had been investigating concerns about "out of spec" iron levels at a wastewater treatment plant in Tecumseth, Ontario.
The police officer, Patricia Klein, brings a much-needed life jolt for Still-
well, who perhaps dug too deep into his wastewater job and flipped on the autopilot after the loss of his wife.
Murder in the Aeration is set under the backdrop of characters experiencing the Covid world and finding themselves under new health restrictions. Stillwell’s wastewater job is suddenly appearing in the headlines for surveilling the virus.
“There is no small irony that during a pandemic we are designated ‘essential workers’ when we and your water people are ‘essential’ for an urban life to even exist in the first place. End of lecture. Go on,” notes one of Klein’s policing colleagues early on in the novel.
The new book is undemanding of the reader in a good way, moving along smoothly like a vintage episode of Law & Order. It follows the formula of interviewing murder suspects and then having the data-driven Stillwell and no-nonsense Klein do post-interview breakdowns and analysis in the comfort of a diner afterwards.
Sometimes the machinery is the star — and perhaps it is somewhat a character in the book itself — but by highlighting the technology, almost by stealth, and surrounding it with a murder investigation, the reader almost learns by osmosis, if they aren’t already familiar that is.
Walter took a breath, then continued. “Interestingly, I don’t think there is a safety valve on wastewater plant aeration cells to prevent this lack of buoyancy. If there was a cut-off rate, it would ensure that if an operator fell in she would be able to swim to the side of the cell.” Klein was looking a little puzzled.
Who exactly the target audience is for wastewater plant murders was unclear until finishing the book, when Seldon includes an informative appendix and acknowledgments section. He describes the post-story aeration tanks quiz as “tongue-in-cheek” but it really does seem as though Seldon wants the reader to learn, even if they don’t realize it. He goes to significant lengths throughout the book to maintain a technical element about how a wastewater plant functions and creates a realistic web of items that explores iron usage and custom bacteria
The spring 2024 release of John Seldon’s latest book, Murder in the Aeration, from Rock’s Mills Press, is the follow-up to the 2020 release, Murder in the Primary. Photo Credit: John Spaulding
sales. Accurately portraying the many supplier relationships that exist for a wastewater plant allows Seldon to add to the long list of suspects that the book’s characters can investigate.
Striking that balance between being technical with the industrial elements of the story versus creating an entertaining plot has been challenging. Seldon recalls that early drafts of the first few chapters in his wastewater murder series had received some feedback that it was overly technical. Just how technical it seems, appears to depend somewhat on who is reading it.
As the series continues, Seldon has the ambitious goal of incorporating every key wastewater treatment process into his stories.
Seldon says he’s even found some fans of the novel at his local post office, one of whom has gone on to learn a bit more about wastewater treatment on her own.
“She looked it up and learned a bit, so there’s that crossover between the water sector world and the public, which is
another one of my goals,” he says.
Seldon’s talent lies in the book’s flow — to connect images and characters smoothly within an environment and transport the reader into a fictional world, albeit one with many real Ontario locations. Seldon himself resides in Port Burwell, Ontario. The story never feels like it loses its sense of direction. Its thorough descriptions of meals, feelings, and dialogue mostly unrelated to the case very much drive the well-edited book forward for the reader.
The strongest elements of the book may in fact be its moments of romance. Seldon designs a relationship between the two main characters based on the whole opposites attract principle, and it works well. We want them to be happy and have Klein break Stillwell further out of his shell. Seldon succeeds at making the reader want the good-hearted Stillwell to be more vulnerable. Having to keep the duo’s relationship somewhat secret seems to only enhance things.
The novel doesn’t take itself too seri-
ously, but does lack a bit of real-time drama in terms of action. Almost all of the action has happened away from the reader, and we’re investigating it, as opposed to experiencing the real-time tension and excitement of it. There is the sense of always hearing about how exciting the car chase could be but never quite seeing it ourselves.
Is the main character based on Seldon himself? Well, the author says he certainly admires Stillwell’s longevity in terms of staying with one plant. His own career was much more varied, working at the Ontario Water Resource Commission in the early 1970s before moving on to become superintendent at the Barrie Water Resource Recovery Facility, and then becoming an independent contractor specializing in dewatering wastewater residuals.
David Nesseth is with ES&E Magazine. Email: david@esemag.com Murder in the Aeration can be purchased at www.rocksmillspress.com
Biological phosphorus removal part of Clarkson WRRF Phase III expansion
By ES&E Staff
AECOM has been selected to provide design and engineering services for the third major expansion of the Clarkson Water Resource Recovery Facility in Ontario’s Peel Region. As the expansion works to increase the facility’s capacity to
500 megalitres per day by 2029, AECOM will add to its work as the original designers of the Phase I and II expansions, where part of its role was to enhance the facility’s SCADA system for automated process control.
Phase III will include a new standby power energy centre to protect the critical infrastructure of the plant and help maintain treatment during power outages. The design will also feature innovative solutions to support state-of-the-art treatment, including enhanced biological phosphorus removal to reduce chemical use, and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency.
These initiatives will support Peel Region’s Energy Policy, which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions at their water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) by 2050.
AECOM is also delivering the Clarkson Cogeneration Expansion, which utilizes methane produced in the treatment process to create green electricity, and multiple projects supporting drinking water treatment at the Arthur P. Kennedy and Lorne Park water treatment plants.
Earlier in 2024, Peel Region Council estimated that expansion of another of its wastewater treatment plants, the G.E. Booth Water Resource Recovery Facility, could support between 28,000 and 47,000 additional housing units, depending on the type of development, by 2028.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
Phase III upgrades at the Clarkson Water Resource Recovery Facility will include a new standby power energy centre. Photo Credit: Claude Gauthier/Peel Region
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PO Box 20001, Riverview Postal Outlet, Dryden ON P8N 0A1
Sara Campbell info@awwao.org
T: 807-216-8085
www.awwao.org
The Aboriginal Water and Wastewater Association of Ontario’s (AWWAO) goal is to attain assurance that First Nations water and wastewater treatment plant operators are confident, efficient and effective in managing the purification of the water and the treatment of wastewater in their community.
AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
Koppers Building, 2100-436 Seventh Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15219
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ALBERTA WATER & WASTEWATER OPERATORS ASSOCIATION
11318 119 St NW, Edmonton AB T5G 2X4
Dan Rites
T: 780-454-7745 Ext. 226 www.awwoa.ca
The Alberta Water and Wastewater Operators Association is a member-run source for expert information and training designed for Alberta’s 2,700 utility system operators. AWWOA is dedicated
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AMERICAN CONCRETE PIPE ASSOCIATION
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6666 W Quincy Ave, Denver CO 80235
T: 303-794-7711
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David Butters david.butters@appro.org T: 416-322-6549 www.appro.org
ATLANTIC CANADA WATER & WASTEWATER ASSOCIATION (ACWWA) PO Box 28141, Dartmouth NS B2W 6E2
Clara Shea contact@acwwa.ca
T: 902-434-6002 www.acwwa.ca
ACWWA is a section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and a Member Association of Water Environment Federation (WEF). With more than 500 water and wastewater professionals from Atlantic Canada, the ACWWA provides training and information that keeps members current in the rapidly advancing water and wastewater profession.
AUDITING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA 6 Wigston Private, Ottawa ON L1Y 1K9 admin@auditingcanada.com T: 866-582-9595 www.auditingcanada.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION info@bceia.com www.bceia.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION
6500 Beechwood Place, Sooke BC V9Z 0Y7
David Mercer general-manager@bcgwa.org T: 604-362-5132 www.bcgwa.org
BRITISH COLUMBIA WATER & WASTE ASSOCIATION 215 – 4259 Canada Way, Burnaby BC V5G 1H1 Lee Coonfer lcoonfer@bcwwa.org T: 604-433-4389
www.bcwwa.org
The BC Water & Waste Association is a not-for-profit organization that represents around 4,000 water professionals. The Association delivers professional development, certification, and advocacy programs and services to ensure that our water systems continue to protect public health and the environment.
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ACCREDITATION INC.
102-2934 Baseline Rd, Ottawa ON K2H 1B2
Kevin McKinley kmckinley@cala.ca
www.cala.ca
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCERS
2100-350 – 7 Ave SW, Calgary AB T2P 3N9
Lisa Baiton
T: 403-267-1100
www.capp.ca
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF RECYCLING INDUSTRIES
1101 Upper Middle Rd E, Unit C3 Oakville ON L6H 5Z9
Tracy Shaw tracy@cari-acir.org
T: 613-728-6946
www.cari-acir.org
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION ON WATER QUALITY
155 – 2 King St W, Unit 258 Hamilton ON L8P 4S0
Dr. Elsayed Elbeshbishy elsayed.elbeshbishy@torontomu.ca
The CBN has developed strategic alliances with environmental industry associations and organizations across Canada that have a vested interest in brownfields redevelopment, in order to create a truly national Canadian network.
CANADIAN CENTRE FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
135 Hunter St E, Hamilton ON L8N 1M5
Anne Tennier
T: 905-572-2981
www.ccohs.ca
CANADIAN CONCRETE PIPE & PRECAST ASSOCIATION
1575 John Counter Blvd, Kingston ON K7M 3L5
admin@ccppa.ca
T: 519-489-4488
www.ccppa.ca
CANADIAN COUNCIL OF INDEPENDENT LABORATORIES (CCIL)
PO Box 41027, Ottawa ON K1G 5K9
Alnor Nathoo anathoo@ccil.com
T: 613-746-3919 www.ccil.com
CANADIAN NETWORK OF ASSET MANAGERS
705 – 1 Eglinton Ave E, Toronto ON M4P 3A1
Doug Cutts execdir@cnam.ca
T: 416-335-0171 www.cnam.ca
CANADIAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION
T: 800-848-2792 www.cpwa.net
CANADIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION
211 – 110 Didsbury Rd, Ottawa ON K2T 0C2
Vittoria Bellissimo info@renewablesassociation.ca
T: 613-552-8589
www.renewablesassociation.ca
CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING
2167 166 St, Surrey BC V31 0V6 admin@csce.ca
T: 514-933-2634 Ext. 2 www.csce.ca
THE CANADIAN UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION CENTRE
9211 116th St NW, Edmonton AB T6G 1H9 cuiic@ualberta.ca www.cuiic.ca
CANADIAN WATER & WASTEWATER ASSOCIATION
11 – 1010 Polytek St, Ottawa ON K1J 9H9
Robert Haller rhaller@cwwa.ca T: 613-747-0524 www.cwwa.ca
CWWA is a non-profit national body representing the common interests of Canada’s public sector municipal water and wastewater services and their private sector suppliers and partners. CWWA is recognized by the federal government and national bodies as the national voice of this public service sector.
The association is dedicated to environmental stewardship, protection of public health and advancement of water and wastewater professionals through training and educational opportunities.
MARITIME PROVINCES WATER & WASTEWATER ASSOCIATION
PO Box 28142, Dartmouth NS
B2W 6E2
Clara Shea contact@mpwwa.ca
T: 902-434-8874
www.mpwwa.ca
MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION
22 – 1525 Cornwall Rd, Oakville ON L6J 0B2
Dan Cozzi
dan.cozzi@municipalengineers.on.ca
T: 289-291-6472
www.municipalengineers.on.ca
MUNICIPAL WASTE ASSOCIATION
C/O 10C Shared Space 42 Carden St, Guelph ON N1H 3A2
mwa@municipalwaste.ca
T: 519-837-6863
www.municipalwaste.ca
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CLEAN WATER AGENCIES
1050 – 1130 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20036
Adam Krantz
akrantz@nacwa.org
T: 202-833-2672
www.nacwa.org
NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION
601 Dempsey Rd, Westerville OH 43081
customerservice@ngwa.org
T: 614-898-7791
www.ngwa.org
NORTH AMERICAN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
220 – 12110 N Pecos St, Westminster CO 80234
T: 303-451-5945
www.nahmma.org
NORTHERN TERRITORIES WATER & WASTE ASSOCIATION
201 – 4817 49th St, Yellowknife
NT X1A 3S7
info@ntwwa.com
T: 867-873-4325
www.ntwwa.com
The Northern Territories Water & Waste Association is a not-for-profit with the purpose of supporting the professional development of all
personnel engaged in the provision of water and sanitation services to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut public.
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION
PO Box 10308, Thunder Bay ON P7B 6T8
Andrea Strawson admin@noma.on.ca
T: 807-683-6662
www.noma.on.ca
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS & TECHNOLOGISTS
700 – 10 Four Seasons Place, Etobicoke ON M9B 6H7
Cheryl Farrow cfarrow@oacett.org
T: 416-621-9621
www.oacett.org
The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) is a non-profit, self-governing, professional association of over 21,000 members. OACETT promotes the interests of engineering and applied science technicians and technologists in industry, educational institutions, the public and government.
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF SEWAGE INDUSTRY SERVICES
4815 Rathkeale Rd, Mississauga ON, L5V 1K3
Numair Uppal numair.uppal@oasisontario.on.ca
T: 289-795-2528
www.oasisontario.on.ca
ONTARIO CLEAN TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Kerry Freek kerry@octia.ca www.octia.ca
ONTARIO ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
300 – 192 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON M5T 2C2
Michael Fagan info@oneia.ca
T: 416-531-7884 www.oneia.ca
Established in 1991, ONEIA is the business association representing the interests of the environment industry in Ontario.
ONTARIO GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION
203 – 750 Talbot St E, St. Thomas ON N5P 1E2 admin@ogwa.ca
T: 519-245-7194
www.ogwa.ca
ONTARIO MUNICIPAL WATER ASSOCIATION
Ed Houghton admin@omwa.org
T: 705-443-8472
www.omwa.org
ONTARIO ONSITE WASTEWATER ASSOCIATION
PO Box 2336, Peterborough ON K9J 7Y8 info@oowa.org
T: 855-905-6692
www.oowa.org
The Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association is a provincial notfor-profit association dedicated to promoting the benefit and value of onsite and decentralized wastewater management through education, improved standards of practice, and advocacy for sound policies.
ONTARIO POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION (OPCEA) Coxwell-Danforth PO Box 72070, Toronto ON M4C 0A1 opcea@opcea.com
T: 416 524-8988 www.opcea.com
Originally founded in 1970, OPCEA has over 140 member companies whose fields encompass a broad spectrum of equipment and services for the air and water pollution control marketplace.
ONTARIO PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION chapterservices@apwa.org
T: 647-726-0167 ontario.cpwa.net
ONTARIO RURAL WASTEWATER CENTRE University Of Guelph, School Of Engineering, Guelph ON N1G 2W1 Bassim Abbassi babbassi@uoguelph.ca
ONTARIO SEWER & WATERMAIN CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION
400 – 5045 Orbitor Dr, Unit 12, Mississauga ON L4W 4Y4 info@oswca.org
T: 905-629-7766 www.oswca.org
ONTARIO SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
701 – 5000 Yonge St, North York ON M2N 7E9
info@ospe.on.ca
T: 866-763-1654
www.ospe.on.ca
W2RO — WASTE TO RESOURCE ONTARIO
580 – 170 Attwell Dr, Etobicoke ON M9W 5Z5
Ashley De Souza
adesouza@owma.org
T: 905-674-1542
www.owma.org
ONTARIO WATERPOWER ASSOCIATION
5 – 550 Braidwood Ave, Peterborough ON K9J 1W1
Paul Norris info@owa.ca
T: 866-743-1500
www.owa.ca
ONTARIO WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION
215 – 507 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga ON L5G 1H9
Michele Grenier mgrenier@owwa.ca
T: 416-231-1555
www.owwa.ca
OWWA, with the support of its parent organization, the American Water Works Association (AWWA), is at the forefront of research, technology and policy development with respect to safe, sufficient, and sustainable drinking water.
PLASTICS PIPE INSTITUTE
825 – 105 Decker Court, Irving TX 75062
T: 469-499-1044
www.plasticpipe.org
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS ONTARIO
101 – 40 Sheppard Ave W, Toronto ON M2N 6K9
T: 416-224-1100
www.peo.on.ca
PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA executivedirector@pwabc.ca www.pwabc.ca
PULP & PAPER TECHNICAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
440 – 6300 Ave Auteuil, Brossard QC J4Z 3P2
Greg Hay ghay@paptac.ca
T: 514-392-0265 www.paptac.ca
RÉSEAU ENVIRONNEMENT
295 Place d’Youville, Montréal QC H2Y 2B5
info@reseau-environnement.com
T: 514-270-7110
www.reseau-environnement.com
Réseau Environnement brings together experts from the public, private and academic fields who work in the sectors of water, residual materials, air, climate change, energy, soil, groundwater and biodiversity.
continued overleaf…
SASKATCHEWAN ENVIRONMENTAL & INDUSTRY MANAGERS ASSOCIATION
PO Box 22009 RPO, Wildwood, Saskatoon SK S7H 5P1
info@seima.sk.ca
T: 844-801-6233
www.seima.sk.ca
SASKATCHEWAN ONSITE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
449 Haviland Cr, Saskatoon SK S7L 5B3
Charles Hallett
charles@wcowma.com
T: 306-988-2102
www.sowma.ca
SASKATCHEWAN WATER & WASTEWATER ASSOCIATION
PO Box 7831 Stn Main, Saskatoon SK S7K 4R5
T: 306-668-1278
www.swwa.ca
The Saskatchewan Water and Wastewater Association is an organization made up of persons involved in the operation, maintenance and trouble shooting of water and wastewater systems and its components.
STEEL TANK INSTITUTE/STEEL PLATE FABRICATORS ASSOCIATION
944 Donata Ct, Lake Zurich IL 60047
T: 847-438-8265
www.steeltank.com
THE GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE
7805 SW 40th Ave, PO Box 80010, Portland OR 97219
Vicki Worden info@thegbi.org
T: 503-274-0448 www.thegbi.org
WATER RESEARCH FOUNDATION
6666 West Quincy Ave, Denver CO 80235
Peter Grevatt
pgrevatt@waterrf.org
T: 303-347-6100 F: 303-730-0851
www.waterrf.org
WRF is a nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems.
WATER & WASTEWATER EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
WATER ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO PO Box 21038, RPO Meadowvale, Mississauga, ON L5N 6A2 T: 416-410-6933 www.weao.org
WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION
601 Wythe St, Alexandria VA 22314 csc@wef.org T: 800-666-0206 www.wef.org
WATER FOR PEOPLE – CANADA
1 Hunter St E, Hamilton ON L8N 3W1 T: 905-777-7908
canada.waterforpeople.org
Water For People – Canada is a charitable nonprofit international humanitarian organization, dedicated to the development and delivery of clean, safe water and sanitation solutions in developing nations.
WATER SUPPLY ASSOCIATION OF B.C. Box 21013 Orchard Park, Kelowna BC V1Y 8N9 watersupply@wsabc.ca www.wsabc.ca
WESTERN CANADA ONSITE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks 5th Floor, 777 Bay Street Toronto, ON M7A 2J3 T: 416-325-4000 www.ontario.ca/environment
Climate Change and Resiliency Division
15th Flr, 438 University Ave, Toronto, ON M7A 1N3
Corporate Management Division Foster Bldg 5th Flr, 40 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M4V 1M2
Drinking Water and Environmental Compliance Division
8th Flr, 135 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M4V 1P5
Land and Water Division
North Tower 5th Flr, 300 Water St, PO Box 7000, Peterborough, ON K9J 3C7
Environmental Policy Division 15th Floor, 438 University Ave Toronto, ON M7A 1N3
Environmental Assessment and Permissions Division
14th Floor, 135 St Clair Ave W Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 T: 416-314-8001
Environmental Sciences & Standards Division 14th Floor, 135 St Clair Ave W Toronto, ON M4V 1P5
Sudbury MECP District Suite 1201, 199 Larch St. Sudbury ON P3E 5P9 T: 1-800-890-8516
North Bay MECP Area, Timmins MECP District Unit 16 & 17, 191 Booth Rd North Bay, ON P1A 4K3 T: 1-800-609-5553
Sarnia MECP District 1094 London Rd. Sarnia ON N7S 1P1 T: 1-800-387-7784
Environmental Emergency 24-Hour Service
Spills Action Centre
T: 800-268-6060
Pollution Reporting Hotline: 866-663-8477
www.ontario.ca/page/reportpollution-and-spills
Advisory Council on Drinking Water Quality & Testing Standards
7th Floor, 40 St Clair Ave W Toronto, ON M4V 1M2
Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA)
500-2085 Hurontario St
Mississauga, ON L5A 4G1
T: 905-491-4000
ocwa@ocwa.com www.ocwa.com
Walkerton Clean Water Centre
20 Ontario Rd, PO Box 160
Walkerton, ON N0G 2V0
T: 519-881-2003, 866-515-0550 inquiry@wcwc.ca
www.wcwc.ca
The WCWC is an operational service agency, which was established in 2004, to ensure clean and safe drinking water for the entire province. It provides education, training and information to drinking water system owners, operators and operating authorities, and the public.
Laboratory Services Branch
125 Resources Rd, Toronto, ON M9P 3V6
T: 416-235-5743
Technical Assessment and Standards Development Branch
Foster Bldg 7th Flr – 40 St Clair Ave W Toronto, ON M4V 1M2
T: 416-327-2936
Ontario Land Tribunal
1500 – 655 Bay St, Toronto, ON M5G 1E5
T: 416-212-6349
OLT.General.Inquiry@ontario.ca
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
www.princeedwardisland.ca
Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change Floor 4 – Jones Bldg, 11 Kent St, PO Box 2000, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7N8
T: 902-368-5044, 866-368-5044
Environmental Emergency Response
Canadian Coast Guard
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
T: 800-565-1633
QUEBEC
www.quebec..ca
Environmental Emergency 24-Hour Service
National Environmental Emergencies Centre
Environment and Climate Change
Canada
T: 866-283-2333
The Environmental Emergency Service (Quebec)
T: 418-643-4595, 1-866-694-5454
212, avenue Belzile
Rimouski QC G5L 3C3
T: 418-727-3511
124, 1re Avenue Ouest
Sainte-Anne-des-Monts QC G4V 1C5
T: 418-763-3301
104-125, chemin du Parc Cap-aux-Meules QC G4T 1B3
T: 418-986-6116
Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean
3950, boulevard Harvey, 4e étage
Saguenay QC G7X 8L6
T: 418-695-7883
Capitale-Nationale et ChaudièreAppalaches
100-1175, boulevard Lebourgneuf Quebec QC G2K 0B7
T: 418-644-8844
200-675, route Cameron
Sainte-Marie QC G6E 3V7
T: 418-386-8000
Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec
102-100, rue Laviolette
Trois-Rivieres QC G9A 5S9
T: 819 371-6581
1579, boulevard Louis-Frechette
Nicolet QC J3T 2A5
T: 819-293-4122
Estrie et Montérégie
770, rue Goretti
Sherbrooke QC J1E 3H4
T: 819-820-3882
201 Place Charles-Le Moyne, 2e etage
Longueuil QC J4K 2T5
T: 450-928-7607
Points de services
101, rue du Ciel, Bureau 1.08, Bromont QC J2L 2X4
T: 450-534-5424
900, rue Léger, Salaberry-deValleyfield QC J6S 5A3
T: 450-370-3085
Montréal, Laval, Lanaudière et Laurentians
5199, rue Sherbrooke Est Bureau 3860
Montréal QC H1T 3X9
T: 514-873-3636
850, boulevard Vanier
Laval QC H7C 2M7
T: 450-661-2008
100, boulevard Industriel
Repentigny QC J6A 4X6
T: 450-654-4355
Sainte-Thérèse
260, rue Sicard, suite 200
Sainte-Thérèse QC J7E 3X4
T: 450-433-2220
Point de services
1160, rue Notre-Dame Joliette QC J6E 3K4
T: 450-752-6860 (Pour les questions relatives à l’eau potable seulement)
Environment and Climate Change Canada National Contact Information T: 1-800-668-6767 E: enviroinfo@ec.gc.caW; W: www.canada.ca/en/environmentclimate-change
Atlantic Region 45 Alderney Dr Dartmouth ,NS B2Y 2N6 Ontario 867 Lakeshore Rd Burlington, ON L7S 1A1 Pacific, Prairies and the North 401 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 3R2 9250 49 Street NW Edmonton, AB T6B 1K5 150-123 Main St Winnipeg, MB R3C 4W2 91782 Alaska Hwy Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5X7 1550 d'Estimauville Ave Québec, QC G1J 0C3
AEROBIC GRANULAR SLUDGE TECHNOLOGY
The AquaNereda® Aerobic Granular Sludge Technology is an innovative biological wastewater treatment system that provides advanced treatment using the unique features of aerobic granular biomass. The aerobic granular biomass is comprised of compact granules which consist of layered microbial communities and provides superior settling compared to conventional activated sludge. Nereda® is a registered trademark of Royal HaskoningDHV. Represented by ACG-Envirocan
T: 905-856-1414
E: sales@acg-envirocan.ca
W: www.acg-envirocan.ca
Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc.
T: 815-654-2501
F: 815-654-2508
E: solutions@aqua-aerobic.com
W: www.aqua-aerobic.com
SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR
The AquaSBR® sequencing batch reactor provides true batch reactor technology with all phases of biological treatment accomplished in a single reactor. All components are easily accessible and the advanced decant system ensures optimum quality effluent withdrawal. Represented by ACG-Envirocan
T: 905-856-1414
E: sales@acg-envirocan.ca
W: www.acg-envirocan.ca
Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc.
T: 815-654-2501
F: 815-654-2508
E: solutions@aqua-aerobic.com
W: www.aqua-aerobic.com
STRIVING FOR PERFECTION IN AFTER-SALES SERVICES
Discover AERZEN’s comprehensive after-sales services. From technical support and repairs to original parts and planned maintenance, we ensure your equipment’s longevity and peak performance. Connect with our team for expert advice, personalized solutions, and on-site visits. With over 160 years of industry expertise, we deliver lasting efficiency. Contact us today to maximize your AERZEN packages and keep your operations running smoothly.
AERZEN Canada Inc.
T: 450-424-3966 Montreal
T: 437-703-7630 Toronto
T: 587-316-0155 Calgary
E: service-ca@aerzen.com
W: www.aerzen.com
ORIGINAL SPARE PARTS
When considering spare parts for AERZEN equipment, don’t settle for non-OEM parts. Our customers know that only AERZEN original parts guarantee perfect compatibility and preserve the machine’s integrity. Demand the exceptional quality and longevity that only original OEM parts can supply. Purchase AERZEN spares for unmatched performance and reliability, ensuring your equipment runs smoothly and efficiently.
AERZEN Canada Inc.
T: 450-424-3966 Montreal
T: 437-703-7630 Toronto
T: 587-316-0155 Calgary
E: service-ca@aerzen.com
W: www.aerzen.com
ULTRA HIGH TEMPERATURE PROCESS SOLUTIONS
Processes continue to evolve, and in response, Asahi/America has introduced a line of mid- and high-temperature valves which can be used up to 200°C. Asahi/America’s silicon-carbide-process-ready Dymatrix™ valves are ideal for standard (80°C), mid-temp (140°C), or high-temp (200°C) applications. Additionally, we are expanding our available sizes and connection styles for our multiport valve (MPV) custom manifolds.
Asahi/America
T: 800-343-3618
F: 800-787-6861
E: asahi@asahi-america.com
W: www.asahi-america.com
FLEX SHAFT SYSTEM
Wondering how to maintain or clean modular stormwater detention tanks? Discover the Vario 800 flex shaft system, offering easy maintenance access for long-term functionality. It efficiently manages stormwater, reduces flood risks, controls soil erosion, and conserves water. Its adaptable design complies with HS-20 ratings and allows for flexible installation in diverse conditions.
BARR Plastics Inc.
T: 800-665-4499
E: info@barrplastics.com
W: www.barrplastics.com
EASILY ACCESS NEEDED CHLORINE DATA
Maintaining the correct balance of having enough free chlorine in the water distribution system to battle dangerous pathogens, but not so much chlorine that it spoils the taste and smell of the water is crucial. The APFCL Total Chlorine, pH, and Temperature Analyzer will continuously test water for chlorine levels and can alert operators when free chlorine drops below a pre-set threshold. Blue-White’s Water Analyzers present a turn-key solution for your clean water application. Each is shipped board mounted with handles included for easy installation and quick startup.
Blue-White Industries
T: 714-893-8529
E: info@blue-white.com
W: www.blue-white.com
MODULAR ROLLER FOR EASIER TUBE CHANGES
The FLEXFLO M3 Peristaltic Pump is a favorite because of its easy operation and low maintenance. Things just got easier with the M3’s redesigned roller assembly. The 3 Series roller is a modular roller that allows for simple tube change without needing tools. The design allows each roller to be replaced when worn, saving both downtime and expense.
Blue-White Industries
T: 714-893-8529
E: info@blue-white.com
W: www.blue-white.com
PREFERRED COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS
Are you looking for a Chemical Feed Pump that offers the communication protocols you want and delivers accurate chem dosing? Blue-White® has you covered with the FLEXFLO® M3. The feature-rich M3 provides smooth, reliable chemical dosing and features like a bright 5" display for easy viewing and simple, intuitive touchscreen controls. It’s as easy to operate as a smartphone.
Blue-White Industries
T: 714-893-8529
E: info@blue-white.com
W: www.blue-white.com
ROTARY LOBE PUMPS
The BLUEline Nova, the latest generation of Boerger rotary lobe pumps, sets new standards in pump technology with exceptional volumetric efficiency and gentle, almost pulsation-free operation. This durable pump is available with or without casing protection to meet SIP and CIP requirements. It runs smoothly at high pressures and speeds, featuring a large seal chamber for various sealing systems. Boerger, LLC
T: 612-435-7300
E: america@boerger.com
W: www.boerger.com
SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCTIVITY
Process improvement is like diving. You need a reliable partner to count on. Just as athletes rely on their teammates, we know that partnering with our customers brings the same level of support and dependability in manufacturing productivity. Learn more Endress+Hauser Canada
T: 800-668-3199
F: 905-681-9444
E: info.ca@endress.com
W: www.ca.endress.com
FILTER HOUSINGS
Harmsco® Hurricane® housings provide effective performance, with up to 20% in energy savings. Their patented design combines three filters into one compact housing, with flow rates to 2,400 gpm. The outer chamber induces cyclonic separation of dense solids prior to up-flow cartridge filtration, resulting in extended cartridge life and increased dirt-holding capacity, fewer maintenance intervals, and reduced overall operating costs.
Harmsco Filtration Products
T: 800-327-3248
E: Sales@harmsco.com
W: www.harmsco.com
OGS/HYDRODYNAMIC SEPARATOR
The new Stormceptor® EF is an oil grit separator (OGS)/hydrodynamic separator that effectively targets sediment (TSS), free oils, gross pollutants and other pollutants that attach to particles, such as nutrients and metals. The Stormceptor EF has been verified through the ISO 14034 Environmental Management – Environmental Technology Verification (ETV).
Imbrium Systems
T: 800-565-4801
E: info@imbriumsystems.com
W: www.imbriumsystems.com
STORMWATER QUALITY TREATMENT
Inspection and maintenance are fundamental to the long-term performance of any stormwater quality treatment device. The Stormceptor EF/EFO design makes inspections and maintenance an easy and inexpensive process conducted at grade. Once serviced, the Stormceptor EF/EFO is functionally restored as designed, with full pollutant capture capacity. Learn more at: www.imbriumsystems.com
Imbrium Systems
T: 800-565-4801
E: info@imbriumsystems.com
W: www.imbriumsystems.com
SOLUTION FOR ODOUR AND CORROSION CONTROL
The IPEX Vortex Flow™ Insert (VFI) is a revolutionary technology for eliminating odorous emissions and minimizing corrosion in vertical sewer drops. With no moving parts and requiring no maintenance, VFIs have delivered significant cost savings in installations for municipalities across North America.
IPEX
T: 866-473-9462
W: www.ipexna.com
PVC PRESSURE PIPE SYSTEM
IPEX TerraBrute® CR is now available in an industry-leading range of 4" to 24" sizes. Engineered for horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and other trenchless applications, it is a 100% non-metallic, AWWA C900 PVC pressure pipe system. Non-corroding and installation friendly, TerraBrute CR allows you to standardize on PVC throughout your potable water and sewer infrastructure.
IPEX
T: 866-473-9462
W: www.ipexna.com
CARTRIDGE-LESS SCREEN FILTERS
Orival Water Filters remove unwanted organic and inorganic suspended solids to protect nozzles, RO and ion exchange units, ozone and UV treatment systems or chlorination systems. With models from ¾" to 24" and filtration degrees from 5 to 3,000 microns, Orival Automatic Self-Cleaning Filters are designed to withstand the day-in and day-out rigours of POTWs and stay on-line during the rinse cycle, providing uninterrupted flow of clean water.
Orival
E: filters+ese@orival.com
W: www.orival.com
STRUGGLING WITH TIME- CONSUMING PPMP DEVELOPMENT?
At Precision Writing, we streamline the process, saving you valuable time and resources. Our experts handle everything, from research and writing to formatting and design, ensuring a fully compliant and industry-standard Project Procurement Management Plan (PPMP) package. We even offer training to keep your entire team audit-ready and confident. Get started today and experience a stress-free PPMP development process! Precision Writing Ltd.
T: 250-884-5329
E: info@precisionwriting.ca
W: www.precisionwriting.ca
WATERTIGHT DOORS
Huber, a proven German manufacturer, now provides watertight doors that allow safe access to tanks for construction and/ or maintenance. Doors can be provided as round or rectangular for installation onto existing concrete surfaces or cast-inplace in new concrete. They can handle heads up to 30 m and hold pressure in seating and unseating directions. Huber’s watertight doors can greatly reduce construction and maintenance costs and dramatically improve safety/access.
Pro Aqua, Inc.
T: 647-923-8244
E: aron@proaquasales.com
W: www.proaquasales.com
HYPERBOLOID MIXERS
Invent Environment is the manufacturer of hyperboloid mixers which have revolutionized anoxic and swing zone mixing. Invent provides low-shear, efficient mixers with no submerged motors or gear boxes for easy access for maintenance. They have now released the Hyperclassic Mixer Evo 7 which has increased the number of motion fins and adjusted the geometry of the mixer to maximize mixer efficiency, reducing operation costs even further.
Pro Aqua, Inc.
T: 647-923-8244
E: aron@proaquasales.com
W: www.proaquasales.com
ROBUST H₂S SENSOR
The SulfiLogger ™ H₂S Sensor provides superior insights that enable a proactive and data-driven approach to odour and corrosion control in wastewater, biogas, and oil & gas industries. The sensor works accurately in extreme environments, including wastewater, air, and gas. The long-term sensor data does not require dry-out time and provides continuous results. With simple installation and minimal maintenance, the probe precisely monitors H₂S to optimize plant performance.
SPD Sales
T: 800-811-2811
E: sales@spdsales.com
W: www.spdsales.com
MAG-DRIVE PUMPS
Vanton Chem-Gard CGM-ANSI magnetically driven end suction pumps are seal-less, single-stage process pumps which meet ANSI B73.1 specifications and conform to Hydraulic Institute Standards. All wet-end components are homogenous, injection-molded polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), eliminating metal-to-fluid contact, making them ideally suited for handling corrosive, hazardous and ultrapure fluids. Flows to 450 GPM, heads to 180 ft, and temperatures to 225°F.
Vanton Pump & Equipment Corporation
T: 908-688-4216
F: 908-686-9314
E: mkt@vanton.com
W: www.vanton.com
VERTICAL THERMOPLASTIC SUMP PUMPS
Vanton’s vertical thermoplastic sump pumps are engineered for the dependable handling of corrosive, abrasive, and ultra-pure process fluids, plant effluents and wastewater, over broad temperature and pH ranges. These rugged pumps are widely used by various manufacturing industries and water treatment facilities. They are available in polypropylene, PVC, CPVC, or PVDF. Every Vanton pump is performance tested to the specified service condition intended.
Vanton Pump & Equipment Corporation
T: 908-688-4216
F: 908-686-9314
E: mkt@vanton.com
W: www.vanton.com
CONTROL CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER OR SOIL GASES
Waterloo Barrier® is a containment wall for the control of contaminated groundwater or soil gases. Formed of steel sheet piling with interlocking joints that are sealed in-place in the ground, the Barrier offers a long service life, exceptionally low hydraulic conductivity, and documentable construction QA/QC. Installation is clean and rapid with minimal site disturbance.
Waterloo Barrier Inc.
T: 519-856-1352
E: info@waterloo-barrier.com
W: www.waterloo-barrier.com
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Producing low-carbon green hydrogen from waste
By Zoltan Kish
In response to waste accumulation problems and hydrogen production requirements, an advanced clean technology — waste steam gasification as a cost-effective chemical recycling process has been further developed at Quasar ScienceTech to recycle mixed and contaminated waste materials into high-value green usable products. The main focus has been to increase the cost-effectiveness of waste recycling into high-value usable products, such as hydrogen.
During traditional gasification and incineration, the required heat is produced directly in the reaction chamber.
As a result of the oxidation component in traditional gasification systems, the hydrogen content of the produced synthesis gas (syngas) is significantly reduced and noxious oxides, furans and dioxins are generated during these processes. Furans and dioxins are highly toxic and carcinogenic pollutants even at a very low concentration.
Additionally, syngas is significantly diluted by the oxidation process, which includes the nitrogen content of the air and produced carbon dioxide and water vapour.
The lower quality syngas fuel generated from partial oxidation gasification can be run in reciprocating engines, but generally cannot be used as a fuel for cleaner burning and more efficient gas turbines due to its relatively low heating value.
The hydrogen content of the produced syngas is significantly reduced as a result of the reaction with introduced oxygen to the gasification reactor. Additionally, traditional gasification of waste produces more carbon dioxide due to the carbon content of waste reaction with oxygen, and typically requires extensive and expensive waste feedstock pre-treatment and cleaning/scrubbing systems.
If the processing waste feedstock is renewable (agricultural or forest waste), the produced hydrogen can be considered green and the process can be considered carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative.
On the other hand, the application of the steam gasification process for waste processing eliminates pollution created by incineration and traditional gasification processes. Waste steam gasification is a thermo-chemical process and is based on the waste material reaction with steam without the participation of oxygen or air at elevated temperatures.
The main product of the reactions is syngas. Steam gasification technology represents a potential alternative for traditional waste treatments to produce higher heating content syngas, which has a higher hydrogen concentration and lower carbon dioxide content than products produced by traditional gasification.
Also, this process does not generate noxious oxides, furans and dioxins.
The chemistry is different due to the high concentration of steam as a reactant and the total exclusion of air and, therefore, oxygen from the steam gasification process. Contaminants are easier to remove from the produced syngas because it is not diluted by excess air or nitrogen and products of combustion.
Utilizing an indirectly heated kiln with an effective scrubbing/cleaning system, the waste steam gasification technology is a novel and unconventional waste
conversion technology, which allows for robust operation of various heterogeneous waste feedstocks, such as plastics, municipal solid waste, biomass, used tires, sewage sludge, as well as industrial and medical waste.
This technology significantly reduces the requirements for pre-processing feedstock. The high quality of the produced syngas and residual waste heat can be used to power combined cycle gas turbines, reciprocating gas engines, or potentially fuel cells for the generation of electricity and produce hydrogen from waste.
Because of the high hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio of the produced syngas, the technology can be coupled with a gas-to-liquids technology to produce higher-value liquid synthetic fuels and chemicals.
SUMMARY
If the processing waste feedstock is renewable (agricultural or forest waste), the hydrogen produced can be considered “green” and the process can be considered carbon-neutral, or even carbon-negative if the produced CO2 is captured and utilized (e.g., in greenhouses).
Hydrogen production from waste is a cost-effective solution for waste diversion from landfills and recycling into a high-value product. Green hydrogen can be a base feedstock for green chemical production, such as green ammonia.
With government support, the waste steam gasification technology can be brought to the market as an industrial waste processing plant which recycles waste into high-value sustainable products, such as hydrogen, chemicals and clean energy.
Zoltan Kish, PhD, is with Quasar ScienceTech. Email: zkish@quasarsciencetech.com
Delivering Clean Water Solutions For More Than Six Decades
With over two decades of installed experience at more than 100 facilities worldwide, Nereda® technology is the One and Only true aerobic granular sludge on the market today.
Since its introduction to the U.S. and Canada in 2017, more than 40 AquaNereda® plants are currently in design, under construction or in operation throughout North America.
Consultants and end-users continue to realize the process and cost saving benefits associated with AquaNereda technology through on-site pilot testing, installation visits and technical seminars.
ADVANTAGES OF AQUANEREDA ® TRUE AGS TECHNOLOGY:
• Design MLSS of 8,000 mg/l greatly reduces footprint
• Capable of enhanced nutrient removal
• Suitable for retrofits and greenfield sites
• Exceptional effluent without chemical addition
• Robust process that adapts to changing conditions
• Applicable for municipal and industrial waste streams
• Significantly less construction cost compared to conventional treatment
• Energy and chemical savings results in lowest cost of ownership
Represented by:
www.acg-envirocan.ca sales@acg-envirocan.ca
SVI5 comparison of aerobic granular sludge (left) and conventional activated sludge (right)
AquaNereda® Installation: Wolcott WWTP at Wolcott, KS
• Multiple media options available to target specific pollutants of concern including sediment, oil and grease, soluble metals, organics, and nutrients.
• The StormFilter with Phosphosorb® media provides the highest Total Phosphorus removal rate of all ETV verified stormwater filter technologies.
• Full engineering and design support from experienced stormwater engineers.
