Design & Production MIGUEL AGAWIN miguel@esemag.com
Circulation BRIAN GILLETT ese@mysubscription.ca
TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Archis Ambulkar, Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering
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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Associations putting more efforts into diversity, equity and inclusion
Back in 1975, my mother Sandra Davey, a founding (and current) staff member of ES&E Magazine, was hired as Secretary Treasurer of the Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO), a position she held until 1991. Sandra has often told me that when she started with WEAO, there was only one female member.
The situation has changed a lot since then, with a significant percentage of WEAO’s members being female. In fact, this year, the majority of WEAO’s Board of Directors are women. A number of other water and wastewater associations also reflect this change in demographics.
When I first began to attend association conferences in 1982 there were no “Young Professional” membership categories, or event activities to help one get introduced to the membership at large. However, as a young, English-speaking white male with ongoing family involvement in the water and wastewater industry, acceptance into these groups was relatively easy for me.
A few years later, I was elected to the Boards of the Ontario Pollution Equipment Association, WEAO and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), which helped further develop my professional network and standing.
Selfishly, not until many years later, did I fully appreciate how difficult it must have been for other newcomers to establish their professional networks and get involved with associations. How daunting must it have been decades ago — and even today — to attend your first association networking reception. Especially if English or French was not your first language, or if you were of a different skin colour and gender to the majority of other attendees.
Thankfully, for a number of years now, many water, wastewater and environmental industry associations have committees and activities for new and young professionals. These have proved to be a great way to welcome and support newcomers and keep associations strong and vibrant.
But beyond that, many associations have developed, or are researching, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) policies and strategies. In 2020, WEF commissioned a member survey that showed that, although many members valued their WEF interactions, some didn’t always experience the respect they felt they deserved. Examples included women saying they were fed up with continually having to prove their credentials, people of colour who were tired of being asked “where they
come from” and largely invisible LGBTQ+ members tired of homophobic jokes.
To address this situation, DE&I was included in WEF’s Strategic Plan, which can be found on their website:
“We (WEF) are committed to creating an organization that acknowledges and celebrates our unique differences including education, career background, age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability status, accent, socioeconomic status, cultural heritage and religion, parental status, marital status, veteran, personality type, political perspective, and all other characteristics of DE&I.”
Mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion can now be found in the Codes of Conduct and policies for many associations across Canada, and research to better understand industry workforces and members is ongoing. As we reported in a recent ES&E Magazine newsletter, Black Engineers of Canada (BEC) launched a new survey designed to examine factors and conditions that may increase Black representation in senior and executive management positions.
The Black Engineers Experience Survey will also look at the unique perspectives that can be offered by the Black engineering community, allowing BEC to better advocate on behalf of its members and inform future programs to improve the working lives and well-being of Black engineers in Canada.
“We are setting a new standard,” announced Black Engineers of Canada President, Iretomiwa Olukiyesi. “We are providing tools and insights necessary for meaningful change. Together, we have the power to transform our industry, to influence policies, and to create an environment where every engineer, regardless of their background, can thrive.”
I personally know of other associations that are working to establish DE&I strategies to promote the involvement and inclusion of all of their members, which I highly commend. As WEF’s DE&I policy notes: “In committing to equity, we (WEF) mean a workplace where everyone can realize their full potential and no-one is disadvantaged due to their group identity or other socially determined circumstance.”
Steve Davey is the editor and publisher of ES&E Magazine. Email: steve@esemag.com
Gauging public perceptions regarding direct wastewater reuse
From craft beer to irrigation, wastewater is becoming part of the water scarcity conversation
By David Nesseth
It was a natural golden ale that started out its brewing journey just a little bit more natural than some craft beer enthusiasts had ever experienced before. The head brewer at the time called the limited-edition batch a “mental hurdle”, while others described it as getting over the “yuck factor.” Both refer to the process of giving highly-treated wastewater a second life for consumption following multi-barrier treatment.
The project took place in 2020. Xylem Inc. partnered with Calgary’s Village Brewery and monitoring was done to ensure it met criteria specified by Alberta Health Services. The water, sourced from the Pine Creek wastewater treatment plant near the Bow River in southeast Calgary, underwent a rigorous purification process. It passed through a full-scale biological nutrient removal treatment plant to ultrafiltration, advanced oxidation, and finally reverse osmosis.
Then, the brewery took over to create an ale that tastes no different than its usual product. “It got global coverage picked up by over 200 media outlets. Some 1,600 cans of beer disappeared in two weeks,” recalls Christine O’Grady, executive director of Advancing Canadian Water Assets (ACWA), a research partnership between the City of Calgary and the University of Calgary. “It was the first potable water project in Alberta and a very successful endeavour.”
Wastewater reuse, or what some may consider to be “recycled water”, often becomes a case of knowing the water is safe to drink, though its origins may still linger in the minds of those holding a full glass.
To dive even deeper into the psychological barriers at play with the reuse of wastewater, University of Saskatche-
Following multi-stage treatment, wastewater was used by Calgary’s Village Brewery to create an ale that tastes no different than its usual product. Credit: ACWA/Village Brewery
wan researcher Dr. Kerry McPhedran is planning a series of focus group sessions to further understand public perceptions and attitudes in the Prairies surrounding the potential to drink treated wastewater on a larger scale.
A recent Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant will kick off five years of research to further understand the misconceptions and stigma around the potential to recycle wastewater and pave the way towards solving water scarcity.
“Reuse has perceptions that mainly need to be changed, and that’s the same everywhere,” McPhedran told ES&E Magazine.
It’s not the first time that psychology has been a factor around drinking water. When bottled water began to gain more popularity around the end of the 1990s, many people shared the common perception that it tasted better than tap water.
“But during testing, people often found they actually liked municipal tap water better,” recalls McPhedran. “That perception is hard to break.”
Many studies, including 2022 research from Stanford University, have shown that highly-treated wastewater is essen-
tially “purer” than standard tap water, something that could one day turn out to be a marketing opportunity, as minerals are often stripped, then added back in.
Focus groups for McPhedran’s upcoming reuse research will include stakeholders from different segments of the community, including water professionals and regulatory experts, some of whom may ultimately be part of creating a regulatory framework for reuse to create a circular water economy.
“We’ll reach a limit with the focus groups if people keep telling us the same story,” he says. “If we talk to 20 people and 10 of them have told us the same story, we’ll have a good idea, at least in the social science arena.”
A 2015 Australian study of public perceptions found that the comfort level with drinking recycled water was always the lowest of the four alternative water sources. Most preferred the concept of drinking rainwater instead.
“Of the psychological variables, participants’ comfort with technology in general, trust in science and trust in government emerged consistently as significant positive predictors of comfort with drinking recycled water, stormwater, and desalinated water,” wrote the study’s researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the University of Queensland.
Additionally, a 2022 study by University of Tocantins researchers in Brazil found that the public was receptive to concepts of indirect reuse of treated water, but had a “strong rejection” of direct reuse.
These study results were not lost on McPhedran, who says having some kind of natural barrier between the wastewater treatment plant and the drinking water treatment plant is a critical way to ease public concerns around reuse. Storing treated wastewater in some kind of groundwater aquifer would create a necessary degree of separation between the two processes, he suggests.
“I think most Canadians would want to see that natural buffer in between so
they would be more accepting of it. But, we want to talk to people and see if that makes a big enough difference for them.”
When ES&E Magazine first reported on the debut of the wastewater-treated beer in Calgary, one online article comment raised an important consideration for increasing the potential for reuse acceptance: word choice.
“A good reason to use the term ‘used urban water,’” the online comment noted. “More positive and better fits in the Urban Water Cycle idea than ‘wastewa ter’. Much less appetizing!”
While few could argue that descrip tions such as “Toilet-to-Tap” are likely to have few takers, some regions have even run surveys on the point of terminology. The U.S. WateReuse Association at one point recommended calling it “advanced purified water.” Another group in Cali fornia rebranded its advanced purifica tion project to “pure water.”
Elsewhere in the U.S., the Colorado Springs Utilities has even designated a community education specialist who tours the region with a recycled water demon stration trailer to convert reuse sceptics.
The PureWater Colorado Mobile Demonstration team uses carbon filtra tion technology for treatment because the local water is highly mineralized. So far, the trailer crew says it has convinced some 85% of the thirsty and curious they’ve encountered to try a glass of recycled water.
to situations where people have no other choice, such as astronauts in space, or crisis drought situations like Namibia. In 1968, the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Namibia became the first to recycle municipal wastewater into drinking water with a 10-step purification process. Water scarcity is a top concern for McPhedran. He says municipalities in
Mining wastewater as a resource has soared to new levels since COVID-19 brought wastewater surveillance methods fully into the public consciousness, says McPhedran, the USask Centennial Enhancement Chair in Water Stewardship for Indigenous Communities, and a professor in Civil, Geological and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering. He thinks the wider understanding of wastewater may have even increased public interest somewhat in terms of taking its usefulness even further.
Widespread reuse perceptions, or misconceptions, also continue to be challenged by the fact that public knowledge about water use and scarcity may be at an all-time high. This means there is some newly-built room for flexibility, says McPhedran.
Perhaps real-life applications for wastewater’s second life won’t only be relegated
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continued overleaf… Dr. Kerry McPhedran
Saskatchewan are brainstorming the use of more modular package wastewater treatment systems that could become intensely local for serving smaller communities. Saskatoon, for instance, currently has just one wastewater and one water treatment facility. Discussions around reuse have primarily focused on irrigation, but potable water has become more and more a part of the conversation.
“I’ve been hearing from the Prairie provinces, and just cities in general, that they are reaching capacity for municipal wastewater treatment and drinking water,” says McPhedran. “It’s really limiting the ability to grow.”
If stigma is the number one hurdle for reuse, cost is a close second, says McPhedran. “If it’s something that’s going to cost us significantly more, we’re going to stick with our status quo,” he says.
Alberta has legislation in a draft state based on California’s adoption of cer-
tain direct potable reuse regulations. “I know here they’re looking for direction, and that’s why more research is needed across the country and solutions found in our networks here,” says McPhedran.
While Canada is still in the early stages of considering applications for recycled water, other regions, like California, are already setting the standard.
California’s Direct Potable Reuse regulations took effect recently, representing a major step forward for those who hope to see advancement for sustainability. The push by groups such as WateReuse California to utilize wastewater as a drinking source has been some 13 years in the making. During this time, the state has struggled with several extreme droughts and dwindling reservoirs.
The new regulations create additional flexibility by allowing advanced purified water to be added directly into drinking water systems, where it isn’t feasible to
first blend it into a larger body. When it comes to indirect potable reuse, California first adopted regulations for groundwater replenishment with recycled water in 1978.
For California’s new direct potable reuse regulations, officials insisted that the wastewater treatment would have to consist of “no less than four separate treatment processes” for each of the following pathogens: enteric viruses, Giardia lamblia cysts, and Cryptosporidium oocyst. Treatment mechanisms will also have to include one membrane physical separation mechanism, one chemical inactivation mechanism, and one UV inactivation mechanism.
A proposed water recycling facility in Carson, California, is projected to cost $3.4 billion to build and some $129 million to operate each year. It would be located directly next to an existing wastewater treatment plant. The Metropolitan Water District says the Pure Water Southern California reuse facility could be up and running by 2032.
“Pure Water Southern California will be to this century what the aqueducts of California’s State Water Project were in the last,” says project partner, Stantec, in a recent demonstration project update.
Other areas in the U.S. are also taking steps for wastewater reuse, particularly in areas where there is more demand for water than there is supply, such as Texas and the Colorado River basin.
While potable reuse may be the ultimate goal, McPhedran says he’s realistic that he may need to settle for irrigation and the integration of technology that would allow people to reuse greywater for flushing toilets. “Municipalities already sink so much into infrastructure collecting wastewater, we might as well try to get something out of it instead of just putting it back.”
In Canada, further development of reuse regulations would need to take place in order to make that a reality. McPhedran hopes that his research could help take the reuse conversation to the next level, as the next five years could redefine water reuse not just in Canada, but around the world.
David Nesseth is with ES&E Magazine. Email: david@esemag.com
In 1968, the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Namibia became the first to recycle municipal wastewater into drinking water with a 10-step purification process. Credit: Wingoc/Veolia
A proposed water recycling facility in Carson, California, is projected to cost $3.4 billion to build and some $129 million to operate each year. Credit: Stantec
City of Hamilton and ArcelorMittal Dofasco ordered to pay $6 million after drawn out stormwater flooding legal battle
By ES&E Staff
After 12 years of legal battles over what a railroad freight car manufacturer claimed was the City of Hamilton’s failure to maintain a critical stormwater channel that repeatedly overflowed to its land, an Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ordered the city and a neighbouring steelmaker to pay a combined $6 million to National Steel Car.
The July 24 ruling highlights how National Steel Car experienced 15 distinct floods on its property between September 2010 and October 2021. But all attempts to have the city address the flooding led nowhere, the court said. To force the issue, National Steel Car began withholding millions in property taxes for the city.
The flood waters that escape the channel originate from Hamilton’s Kenilworth combined sewer overflow catchment area, where it is diverted by the city from the combined sewer system during heavy storm events into the city’s double box culvert at the southern end of the Kenilworth Channel, the court heard.
Ultimately, the court determined there was provable negligence and nuisance over the course of the flooding incidents. Both the city and neighbouring steelmaker, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, will roughly split the cost in damages.
Hamilton officials contended that they were not liable for the flooding caused by the industrial infilling and progressive alteration of Ogg’s Inlet, a blocked twin culvert belonging to neighbouring steelmaker ArcelorMittal Dofasco at the end of the Kenilworth Channel. The city also pointed to historically rising lake levels in the Hamilton Harbour, in relation to the relatively low-lying lands of the property. Additionally, the city noted that despite experiencing floods for decades, National Steel Car had not
For more than two decades, the city denied it owned any portion of the Channel, when it knew as of October 2000 it owned no less than the entire portion of the Channel abutting the National property.
retained an expert to provide an actual engineered solution to the problem.
“For more than two decades, the city denied it owned any portion of the Channel, when it knew as of October 2000 it
owned no less than the entire portion of the Channel abutting the National property to a point northwest of National’s property, or 3,300 feet north of Burlington Street where it intersects with Kenilworth Avenue North,” states the decision from the court.
In addition to infilling the channel, ArcelorMittal Dofasco constructed berms along the channel where it borders its property. It also raised the topographical elevation of its property and installed equipment to prevent flooding, but also directed the city’s stormwater and sewage onto the National Steel Car property, according to the court decision document.
The court also stated that National Steel Car will continue to suffer damages from further floods if remedial work is not undertaken on the channel and a flood protection barrier, such as a flood wall, is not installed.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
Aerial view of a heavy industry area on Hamilton Harbour. Credit: artemzavarzin, stock.adobe.com
Markham District Energy to launch major wastewater energy recovery system
By ES&E Staff
The Canadian government has announced a $25-million investment in Markham District Energy, a thermal energy utility owned by the City of Markham, Ontario, which is looking to utilize the Region of York’s wastewater system for a major new wastewater energy transfer project.
The utility has aligned with Noventa Energy Partners Inc. to extract thermal energy from wastewater through a connection to York Region’s trunk sewer on Warden Avenue. This new investment will significantly reduce the energy network’s natural gas consumption with a new 18.5-megawatt wastewater heat recovery system and a new 500-kilowatt biomass pellet boiler. The project will reduce emissions by over 700,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent over the lifespan of the project. Markham District Energy (MDE) aims to become a netzero entity by 2050.
Noventa will supply 16 HUBER RoWin heat exchangers and five HUBER Rotomat RoK4 pumping stations for the expansion of the wastewater energy transfer project, which broke
Over the 10-year carbon contract, the
of
ground in July.
MDE’s network is already delivering cost-efficient heating and cooling to over 15 million square feet across 240 buildings. Through a system of underground pipes, energy is delivered to buildings in the form of hot water and chilled water to heat and cool building space.
Over the 10-year carbon contract, the project has the potential to reduce more than 177,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions priced at $100 per tonne.
The project has already secured major investments and financing from the
Canada Infrastructure Bank, CIBC, and federal programs such as the Low Carbon Economy Fund.
Later this year, Noventa will commission the first phase of its wastewater energy transfer project for Toronto Western Hospital, which is intended to eventually supply 19MW of thermal energy, equivalent to 90% of the hospital’s annual heating and cooling needs.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
project has the potential to reduce more than 177,000 tonnes
CO2-equivalent emissions priced at $100 per tonne. Graphic Rendering: Markham District Energy
Metro Vancouver Board selects former judge to lead audit of North Shore WWTP
By ES&E Staff
Following Metro Vancouver’s recent pledge to initiate an independent audit of ballooning costs around the development of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, local officials hired a former judge to lead the auditing process.
John J.L. Hunter, founder of Hunter Litigation Chambers, will be brought on as Metro Vancouver officials determine the scope of work and terms of reference at the Metro Vancouver Board for discussion and approvals. Hunter returned to the firm as associate counsel after his retirement as a Justice of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. He has some 40 years of experience in law.
“I look forward to the Board receiving Mr. Hunter’s recommendations and working with the Metro Vancouver Board to ensure the public has confidence that Metro Vancouver is taking the right steps when it comes to expanding critical infrastructure to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population,”
announced Mike Hurley, chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, in a statement.
The replacement wastewater treatment plant was originally set to be completed by 2020 for $700 million. However, it is now expected to be ready in 2030 at a cost of $3.86 billion. Costs have soared in part due to a switch in contractors, increased construction costs, and inflation.
In September, Hurley released a new and more detailed statement regarding the project’s cost overruns, which he pinned more precisely on the termination of the contract with Spanish-based Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP. The board pulled the plug on Acciona, after it appeared the project was not going to be completed on time and within budget.
“Some information related to the new plant has been shared in closed meetings due to ongoing litigation that could result in the recovery of hundreds of millions of public dollars in damages from the previous contractor,” Hurley stated.
The new North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant will serve over 300,000 residents and businesses in the Districts of North and West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). It will replace the existing Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant, one of the last plants on the west coast of Canada and the U.S. that only provides primary-level wastewater treatment.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
The board hosted a meeting in September to discuss cost overruns for the North Shore WWTP project. Credit: Metro Vancouver
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Watermain leaks can be a costly contributor to energy consumption and non-revenue water
By Arun Thankarajah
Ongoing leaks can waste a lot of energy, resources, and money, especially on flat terrain where municipal pumping is required to keep the system pressurized and water is purchased from a local municipal purveyor at retail rates.
Mueller Water Products was recently hired by an energy performance firm to survey a federal government water distribution network in Ontario to determine if leakage was contributing to unnecessary energy consumption.
Approximately 46 km of watermains were surveyed using EchoWave® acoustic leak detection to non-invasively detect and pinpoint leaks. Echologics® field technicians set up 222 access points on pipes, valves and hydrants to attach LeakFinder-ST™ leak correlator sensors. These sensors listen for noise created by a leak. If one is detected, the technology uses the distance and time delay between sensors to accurately determine the position of the leak.
The leak detection survey was conducted on pipes across the network, consisting of various materials, most of which were cast iron and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ranging from 150 mm to 400 mm in diameter. For metallic mains, the sensors were attached magnetically to valves. For PVC pipes, technicians used hydrophone sensors mounted to the side port of fully charged fire hydrants for elevated acoustic sensitivity.
The sensors were connected by cable to a transmitter which communicated with a receiver at the technician’s computer. Acoustic data was processed on site to determine if there was evidence of a leak.
Several criteria must be met for audio recordings to provide a positive leak detection result. This includes but is not limited to, a clean, distinctive correla-
tion peak, an observable coherence level, a similar frequency spectrum in each channel, and/or a minimum amount of clipping in the time signal.
A total of seven leaks (including hydrant, service piping, and watermain leaks) were identified, and one of the leaks on a 200-mm diameter watermain
Upon excavation, it was determined that the circumferential crack on the 200-mm cast iron watermain had an average width of approximately 3 mm and covered over 50% of the circumference of the pipeline.
was significant. Because of this, the Echologics team was on site during the leak excavation and repair activities. This leak detection team was able to confirm the leak position between two fire hydrants as being approximately 23 metres from the second hydrant, reconfirming the original position reported.
Upon excavation, it was determined that the circumferential crack on the 200-mm cast iron watermain had an average width of approximately 3 mm and covered over 50% of the circumference of the pipeline. The crack was determined through visual observations as actually being slightly less than 3 mm wide at the edges but approximately 6 mm wide at the bottom of the pipe.
The average 3-mm wide crack was believed to be a conservative average estimate for the entire crack length.
This leak was repaired utilizing a stainless steel repair clamp, which is a standard repair for this type of leak. The watermain did not show signs of severe or widespread corrosion. The following day, Echologics crews returned to the site to complete a post-leak repair investigation to confirm that no additional leaks were present, and the correlator confirmed that the repair was successful.
LEAK SIZE ESTIMATION
The initial leak size estimate at the time of the survey for the watermain leak was between 297 and 731 litres per minute (LPM). This range is typical for non-surfacing watermain leaks. With additional information on the type of leak (circumferential crack) and the size of the opening, Echologics was able to make a more accurate assessment of the leak size using the AWWA M36 manual on water audits and loss control programs, along with operator judgment and adjusting for operating pressure.
Two approaches were utilized. The first was to convert the leak opening area to an equivalent size of a circular hole and to utilize the orifice equation to determine the leak flow rate. The second was to utilize published literature on average flow rate from cracks to estimate the leak size.
Large leaks can consume a significant amount of energy by continuously pumping water to maintain desirable water pressure.
METHOD 1 — EQUIVALENT HOLE METHOD
The circumferential crack had a width of approximately 3 mm, covering at least 50% of the circumference of the pipeline. The area of the opening of the leak can be calculated as:
AreaLeak = Width x Length = 3 mm x (0.5 x PI x 200 mm) = 942 mm² or 0.000942 m²
The Orifice Equation to calculate leak flowrate is defined as: FlowLeak = AreaLeak x Cd x (2 x g x Pressure)0.5
For rough edges such as with this crack, a Cd of 0.45 is recommended and is assumed to be conservative. For perfectly circular holes, a Cd of 0.62 is recommended. The pressure at the site was recorded as being 74 psi or 52 metres of head.
FlowLeak = 0.000942 x 0.45 x (2 x 9.81 x 52)0.5 = 0.0135 m3/s or 813 LPM.
METHOD 2 — FLOW THROUGH A CRACK
AWWA M36 manual on water audits and loss control programs provides industry best practices associated with leak detection and leak repair savings estimations. On page 251 of this manual, Table 7-5 provides estimated flow rates from cracks in pipelines. Based on this table, the following estimate can be calculated:
FlowLeak = 12" crack x 23 GPM per 1" of crack at 74 psi = 276 USGPM or 1,043 LPM.
Table 7-5 utilizes a coefficient of discharge of 0.6, which would be at the upper limit of the leak flowrate calculation.
Using both methods it was estimated that the actual leak flowrate was between 750 LPM and 1,000 LPM. The cost of a leak this size is close to $1 million a year, which is a large enough number to justify a regular leak monitoring program.
Large leaks can consume a significant amount of energy by continuously pumping water to maintain desirable water pressure. This also puts unnecessary wear on pumping equipment that is used to keep water flowing that never makes it to the tap.
The other six leaks are also being repaired. The absence of leaks within the remaining watermains is not necessarily indicative of good pipe wall condition. Therefore, recommendations were put forward to assess the condition of the remaining water pipes, considering the consequence of failure and other potential issues such as low pressure or poor water quality complaints.
In addition, a regularly scheduled leak detection survey was recommended as a relatively inexpensive option for finding leaks within the system.
As watermains are often buried deeper in Canada than in many other parts of North America, leaks are less likely to surface and can go undetected for several years. As the main artery of the water distribution system, watermains transport huge volumes of water and are often under higher pressure to meet demand over long distances. Consequently, when a leak does occur, the volume of water loss is often greater than on smaller pipes.
The best solution for watermains is a permanent leak monitoring system that can find most leaks on a pipeline, including small leaks, before they turn into catastrophic failures.
Arun Thankarajah is with Mueller Water Products. For more information, visit: www.muellercompany.com/en-ca
New portable solar desalination device shows high efficiency
By ES&E Staff
As a sustainable solution to global water scarcity, University of Waterloo researchers are sharing their creation of a device that uses solar power to desalinate seawater with five times the efficiency of current desalination techniques.
Developed in UWaterloo’s Department of Chemical Engineering, the device mimics the natural water cycle, where water evaporates and condenses, preventing salt accumulation that typically hampers most desalination systems. Made of nickel foam coated with a conductive polymer and thermoresponsive pollen particles, the researchers explain that their portable device can
produce up to 20 litres of fresh water per square metre per day.
“Our inspiration comes from observing how nature sustains itself and the way water evaporates and condenses in the environment,” announced UWaterloo researcher Dr. Michael Tam, in a statement, referring to how the device mirrors trees transporting water from roots to leaves.
Led by Tam and fellow researcher Dr. Yuning Li, the team’s device heats salt water with solar energy, causing it to evaporate and then condense as fresh water in a closed cycle.
“This process avoids the maintenance issues common in traditional desalination, which require frequent cleaning due to salt buildup,” stated an announcement from UWaterloo. “The device can continuously produce fresh water without interruptions and achieves remarkable efficiency, converting 93% of sunlight into usable energy. This is five times better than existing technologies.”
As the water evaporates, the remaining salt moves to the bottom layer of the device, like a backwash system in a swimming pool, which prevents any potential water blockage and ensures a continuous operation, according to the researchers.
A study of the new technology was published recently in Nature, which notes that recent advancements in solar evaporators have been driven by the development of materials with high photothermal efficiency. These include metal nanoparticles, carbonaceous materials, semiconductors, and polymers.
The UWaterloo team, which includes PhD students Eva Wang and Weinan Zhao, plan to build a prototype of their device that can be deployed at sea to test the technology on a larger scale.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
A mock-up of the UWaterloo team’s solar desalination system. Credit: UWaterloo
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(Above) AE shared SaskWater’s and Melville’s strategy and vision to use the reverse osmosis process to treat the groundwater supply for the city. (Left) Initially located adjacent to the old facility, the new plant design facilitated raw water and treated water piping interconnections, including a challenging connection into the existing gunite reservoir.
Melville water supply system provides resilient, cost-efficient drinking water
By Peter Hooge and Shengtao Weng
Since its founding in 1908, the City of Melville in east-central Saskatchewan has endured challenges providing reliable, quality drinking water to residents. Melville’s surface water supply was difficult to treat and the area is prone to droughts. As a result, the city added a supplemental groundwater supply in 1989 and implemented Canada’s first electrodialysis reversal (EDR) process to treat its highly mineralized groundwater supply.
In 2016, with this equipment near the end of its service life, SaskWater, the plant’s owner/operator, retained Associated Engineering (AE) to design and oversee construction of a new water treatment plant using only groundwater.
AE shared SaskWater’s and Melville’s strategy and vision to use the reverse osmosis (RO) process to treat the groundwater supply for the city. Once completed, this facility would be one of the largest, municipal RO water treatment plants in the province.
AE advocated for the addition of pre-treatment upstream and post-treatment downstream of the RO, which would increase the RO membrane service life, reduce operating and maintenance costs, and minimize RO wastewater volumes generated.
SaskWater, AE, and Beckie Hydrogeologists (BHL) collaborated on the design of the new wells, supply pipeline, and solar panel installation, which interfaced with AE’s design of wellfield pumping infrastructure. A complete SCADA system was also part of AE’s design, which interfaced with all components of Melville’s potable water supply system. The project also included demolition of the old plant and the deep well injection system formerly used for EDR process wastewater disposal, and decommissioning of the surface water supply.
AE designed a tailored pre-treatment system, including oxida-
tion, detention, and gravity filtration for removal of iron, manganese, and arsenic. The post-treatment system encompassed pH correction and saturation index adjustment to control corrosivity.
The new Melville Potable Water Supply System includes two new groundwater supply wells in the Hatfield Aquifer, located 30 kilometres south of the plant, a new raw water transmission line from the Hatfield Aquifer wellfield, reuse of two existing groundwater supply wells in the nearby Melville Aquifer and the associated raw water transmission line, a new water treatment plant in Melville, reuse of an existing 4,550 m3 gunite reservoir, repurposing existing wastewater ponds, and potable water connections to the city distribution system and water tower.
The design allowed construction and commissioning to proceed without unplanned water supply service disruptions, while fully integrating existing non-plant infrastructure, where possible. Initially located adjacent to the old facility, the new plant design facilitated raw water and treated water piping interconnections, including a challenging connection into the existing gunite reservoir.
The new process incorporates wastewater retention and release, reducing environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions from the former deep well injection system.
The complete system, including the new 30-km raw water supply pipeline, was successfully commissioned in March 2022. Operating costs are 20% – 25% lower than the old plant and maintenance costs are significantly lower.
Peter Hooge and Shengtao Weng are with Associated Engineering. For more information, email: hoogep@ae.ca, or wengs@ae.ca
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Decontaminating fire-fighting equipment to prevent PFAS from entering water supplies
By J. Scott Poynor
Although there is still much to learn, we know that the class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, referred to generally as PFAS, is ubiquitous in the environment and poses risks to human health and the environment. Of utmost concern lately, PFAS in water supplies has become recognized as a special risk, and municipal water systems, or government agencies acting on their behalf, have taken the lead in suing manufacturers to phase out PFAS production and provide the funds for remediation.
Meanwhile, the development of technologies for removing PFAS from the environment is playing catch-up. These environmental endpoints include not only water and soil but surfaces of all kinds of products and equipment that present human exposure risks. Although multiple technology development efforts are underway, there remains a lack of efficient, scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally benign technologies to deal with this broad range of contamination issues.
One promising technology was recently successfully deployed at a petroleum storage facility, which faced PFAS problems associated with its fire-suppression equipment. The facility operator, recognizing the rapidly advancing tide of PFAS-related action, sought to address contamination in certain equipment, in the interest of liability and risk management and out of concern for potential employee exposures.
The equipment in question consisted of a fire-fighting system, including piping that stored aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a fire-fighting liquid that contains PFAS compounds.
Replacing the PFAS-contaminated equipment was not viable, due to cost considerations and, even more, to the time required for procurement and installation
of new equipment. Fire-fighting systems at petroleum storage facilities are required to be operational essentially full-time, so removing the residual PFAS from the existing equipment was deemed the preferred option.
Following removal of the AFFF from the system, residual concentrations of PFAS were detected on the equipment surfaces. The facility operator performed a thorough, high-pressure flushing of the system using filtered municipal potable water, but that action left a PFAS concentration of 342,643 ng/100 cm2 on the equipment’s interior surface, a level deemed significant and falling short of the facility operator’s decontamination goals.
The facility operator then engaged Geologic Science and Technology Group (GST), an environmental consulting firm with which the operator had frequently worked in the past, to undertake
the equipment decontamination project. The objective of the project was to reduce residual concentrations of detected PFAS constituents to the maximum extent possible using currently available technology.
In initial discussions with the facility operator, GST reviewed the known available options for removing PFAS from surfaces. Flushing with an alcohol-based solvent (ethanol or methanol) has historically worked better than flushing with water, but it is known to leave PFAS concentrations in residue of about 10%, which was substantial and considered to be too high.
GST then presented a surfactant-based solution that had shown the potential to achieve substantially improved removal rates compared with alcohol-based solvents. PFAS-SOL® is a patent-pending, non-ionic surfactant developed by British Columbia based Ivey International
The facility operator agreed to GST’s recommendation that PFAS-SOL be deployed to reduce the concentrations of PFAS residues on the fire-fighting system piping and equipment surfaces.
Inc. (IVEY) that is pH neutral, non-caustic, non-corrosive, non-toxic, and biodegradable.
In extensive bench-scale testing, PFAS-SOL® has demonstrated the capacity to desorb PFOA and PFOS, which are associated with AFFF, from a broad range of impacted surfaces, including metal, plastic, glass, ceramics, and composites. The technology has also been tested for more than 157 chemical impurities, with some at parts-per-quadrillion (ppq) levels, including the compounds contained in the removed AFFF.
The facility operator agreed to GST’s recommendation that PFAS-SOL® be deployed to reduce the concentrations of PFAS residues on the fire-fighting system piping and equipment surfaces. The equipment decontamination project was undertaken in early March 2024, with a series of sequential phases.
Tanks for blending the surfactant with municipal potable water were staged by the pipe fittings on the portion of the fire-fighting system to be decontaminated, both upstream and downstream to create a closed-loop system.
The emptied piping system was initially flushed with filtered potable water at an ambient temperature (approximately 19°C) and then flushed three times with filtered potable water heated to 40°C. Following this flushing and wipe sampling at the discharge point, laboratory analysis detected a total of 12 PFAS analytes on the piping interior surface. These analytes consisted of nine
acid compounds and three sulfonate compounds.
The remediation project then proceeded with a series of five flush cycles using combinations of PFAS-SOL® and filtered municipal potable water. In each cycle, the surfactant-water solution was heated to 40°C and recirculated for one to 1.5 hours by redundant pumps at high velocity under increased pressure. Following each cycle, the piping system was purged with filtered potable water heated to 40°C to remove all traces of the solution before applying it again in the next cycle. One final triple rinse followed cycle five.
A wipe sample was collected at the discharge point over a 100 cm2 area of piping and compared with a baseline wipe sample that had been collected prior to the ini-
tial flush. The decontamination process reduced residual PFAS contamination on the equipment surfaces by an additional 99.99998%, to 0.0838 ng/100 cm2, beyond what the AFFF removal and potable water flushing were able to achieve.
Another significant outcome was the fact that decontamination with the PFAS-SOL® surfactant-water solution significantly reduced residues of the longer- and shorter-chain PFAS compounds, such as C4 through C12, and not just the C8 chains that have garnered much of the attention for decontamination.
J. Scott Poynor is with Geologic Science and Technology Group Inc. For more information, email: budivey@iveyinternational.com
The remediation project then proceeded with a series of five flush cycles using combinations of PFAS-SOL and filtered municipal potable water.
The Global Water Crisis
1.8 billion people lack access to clean water
2.5 billion people—more than a third of the world’s population —lack access to a toilet
Women and children spend 200 million hours a day collecting water
Hygienic practices such as washing hands with soap can reduce the risk of diarrhea by at least 35%
More than 3.4 million people each year die from water related diseases—that’s nearly the population of LA
Nearly 90% of global cases of diarrhea are estimated to be attributable to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene
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Water For People brings together local entrepreneurs, civil society, governments, and communities to establish creative, collaborative solutions that allow people to build and maintain their own reliable and safe water systems. We’re not just addressing the symptoms of the problem, but preventing it from happening again in the future.
The road to permanent water coverage for Everyone Forever is challenging. If we invest more now to create sustainable and replicable water and sanitation infrastructure, we can achieve incredible outcomes—more children are in school, more individuals are employed, more families are healthy and thriving, and more communities are collaborating and growing. From there, the impact continues to ripple out on a national and global scale.
The role of pump technology in achieving net-zero goals
By Courtney Tripp
As businesses worldwide try to reduce their environmental footprint and transition towards net-zero emissions, the significance of pump systems and water solutions cannot be overstated. These systems play a crucial role in improving processing efficiency, minimizing energy consumption, and aligning with Science Based Targets initiatives (SBTi).
They power essential processes like water supply, heating, and cooling. However, their energy-intensive nature also presents a significant opportunity for optimization and sustainability. By leveraging advanced pump technologies, companies can not only enhance operational efficiency but also contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH MEASUREMENT AND DATA COLLECTION
Achieving sustainability goals requires a deep understanding of operational processes and continuous monitoring of key performance metrics. Measurement and data collection form the cornerstone of this endeavour, providing insights into energy consumption patterns, system efficiency, and potential areas for improvement.
Innovative sensor technologies, such as silicon-based 3-in-1 sensors, offer real-time data on flow, pressure, temperature, and other critical parameters. By deploying these sensors across industrial environments, companies can gain actionable insights into machine health, identify inefficiencies, and proactively address operational challenges. For example, studies have shown that implementing sensor-based monitoring systems can lead to energy savings of up to 20% in industrial settings.
INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OPERATIONS
The shift towards sustainable business operations is driven by a combination of regulatory mandates, consumer preferences, and corporate responsibility initiatives. Companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of aligning their practices with global sustainability frameworks, such as the SBTi, to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship.
SBTi provides companies with a structured approach to setting ambitious emission reduction targets in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. By adopting science-based targets, companies can not only reduce their carbon footprint but also enhance their competitiveness, attract investors, and foster innovation. For instance, companies that have committed to SBTi have reported an average reduction in emissions intensity of 25% within five years of target setting.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Energy efficiency lies at the heart of sustainable business operations, offering a pathway to reduce operational costs, mitigate environmental impact, and enhance overall competitiveness. Pumping systems, which are among the largest consumers of energy in industrial facilities, represent a significant opportunity for improving efficiency and reducing emissions.
The net-zero standard, which encompasses Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, sets ambitious targets for companies to achieve deep decarbonization across their value chains. By implementing energy-efficient pump technologies, companies can make substantial contributions towards meeting these targets while realizing tangible cost savings. For example, a recent analysis found that upgrading to high-efficiency pump systems could result in annual energy savings of up to 30% for industrial facilities.
EFFICIENT DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Effective data collection and analysis are essential for optimizing pump performance, identifying energy-saving opportunities, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems play a crucial role in this process, providing real-time moni-
Grundfos recently released a white paper to explore the Science Based Targets initiative.
toring and control capabilities across industrial operations. However, traditional SCADA systems can be complex and costly to implement, particularly for smaller operators. To address this challenge, companies are turning to simplified solutions, such as cloud-based data acquisition platforms and integrated sensor networks. These technologies enable seamless data collection, analysis, and visualization, empowering operators to make data-driven decisions and optimize system performance in real time.
OPTIMIZING ENERGY CONSUMPTION THROUGH AUDITS
Energy audits serve as a critical tool for evaluating energy efficiency, identifying areas for improvement, and guiding investment decisions. By conducting comprehensive energy audits, companies can assess the performance of their pump systems, quantify energy savings potential, and develop tailored strategies for optimization.
During an energy audit, various parameters such as flow rate, pressure, and energy consumption, are measured and analyzed to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for optimization. Advanced monitoring equipment, including ultrasonic flow meters and energy-measuring devices, provides accurate data on system performance, enabling operators to prioritize energy-saving measures and quantify their impact on emissions reduction.
THE ROLE OF INTELLIGENT PUMP TECHNOLOGY
Intelligent pump technology represents a paradigm shift in the design and operation of pumping systems, offering enhanced efficiency, reliability, and control capabilities. By integrating features such as variable speed drives, advanced sensors, and predictive maintenance algorithms, intelligent pumps enable operators to optimize energy consumption, reduce downtime, and extend equipment lifespan.
For example, pumps equipped with IE5 permanent magnet motors and integrated variable speed drives offer unparalleled energy efficiency, exceeding industry standards and regulatory requirements. By dynamically adjusting pump speed to match changing demand, these systems can achieve significant energy savings, while maintaining precise control over flow and pressure.
Courtney Tripp is with Grundfos. For more information, email: ctripp@grundfos.com, or visit: www.grundfos.com/ca
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Study aims to control invasive fish in Calgary’s stormwater ponds
By Dean Foster
Invasive carp have become a new threat affecting many regions of the world. Recently, goldfish (Carassius auratus) and Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) have been introduced to North America. The City of Calgary is one of the first municipalities in North America to begin researching control and containment strategies for these invasive carp species.
The city identified invasive goldfish and Prussian carp in multiple stormwater ponds. Invasive carp escaping the stormwater ponds pose a risk to the downstream natural aquatic environment by competing with or displacing native species, impacting water quality, and spreading disease. In addition, introducing invasive fish into a natural waterbody is illegal under provincial and federal legislation.
Invasive carp are highly adaptable, tolerant to poor water quality and habitat, grow rapidly, and reproduce early to maturity. They can travel between connected waterbodies and unconnected waterbodies during high flow events, resulting in population expansion over time. In addition, invasive carp
The city identified invasive goldfish and Prussian carp in multiple stormwater ponds. Fyke nets were used for fish abundance monitoring. (Inset photo) Invasive carp have become a new threat affecting many regions of the world.
eggs may be transferred between waterbodies in the digestive systems of water birds, and be deposited in new areas, spreading invasive species.
People also contribute to the spread of invasive fish, for example, by freeing unwanted pets, stocking ponds for recreational angling, or releasing fish as part of a prayer service.
To control and contain the spread of these invasive fish, the City of Calgary retained Associated Engineering (AE) to complete an identification and feasibility assessment of potential mitigation measures. The first part of the project involved a literature review to identify fish control or eradication solutions implemented in other jurisdictions, best practices implemented during other activities (e.g., instream construction) which could be adapted to stormwater ponds, potential new and innovative ideas which have not previously been used to address invasive fish, and the feasibility of implementing multiple measures concurrently.
AE completed a feasibility report for the city that recommended dewatering ponds and allowing ponds (and fish) to freeze over winter, as well as fish passage monitoring. A pilot dewatering and freezing treatment program was completed on two stormwater ponds to evaluate their efficacy for fish control. AE compared the presence of invasive carp pre- and post-treatment, and used dewatering and freezing as a treatment to eradicate invasive carp which appears to have potential. However, more results are needed to better understand the exact specifications required for success.
Calgary has continued its fish population control and abundance program.
Fish passage monitoring was piloted at one outfall to inform future containment strategies and gain information about invasive carp movement, specifically eggs and larvae, out of the storm ponds and into natural waterbodies. Information gathered from this pilot project will be used to help inform the exploration of different configurations of fish screens
and materials to prevent invasive carp from migrating into natural waterbodies.
AE is collaborating with the University of Alberta and Biologica Environmental Services to determine the best methodology to complete DNA testing on the preserved specimens and obtain specific information regarding invasive carp movement. The city, in partnership with Associated Engineering, plans to scale-up the fish passage monitoring program.
Lastly, eDNA sampling was conducted at all of the city’s stormwater ponds to detect and document the extent of invasive carp. The eDNA sampling pilot project was successful in developing repeatable methods, identifying constraints, and training Associated Engineering staff members.
Dean Foster is with Associated Engineering. Email: fosterd@ae.ca
BREAKTHROUGH PFAS REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY FOR PFAS MASS REMOVAL FROM SOIL, BEDROCK AND GROUNDWATER REGIMES...
PFAS-SOL® Sub CMC Selective Surfactant Desorption Technology
Our testing has shown that PFAS-SOL can reproducibly increase PFAS recovery from soil, and groundwater, several fold (>200% to >700%) when combined with in-situ soil flushing
Our R&D results confirmed the following improved capacity:
> PFOA
Mass recovery of 160% to 185%
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Mass recovery of 297% to 732%
> TOTAL PFAS
Mass recovery of 242% to 622%
The role of evaporation in treating challenging effluents
By Matt Hale
Wastewater and effluent can take many different forms, from relatively clean water that can safely be discharged to the environment with little or no treatment, to extremely challenging effluent containing high levels of dissolved or suspended solids, chemicals, and biological material. Some materials that can be particularly difficult to treat effectively and efficiently include landfill leachate and industrial wastewater streams, many of which can no longer be discharged to the environment or even public sewage systems.
The exact types of treatment used will vary depending on many factors, including the nature of the wastewater or effluent stream(s), the material’s chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD & BOD), the standard required for the final material, and whether material capture and reuse are required, to name just a few. However, evaporation is becoming increasingly popular as a way of effectively separating the liquid and solid waste streams.
EXAMPLES OF DIFFICULT EFFLUENTS
Landfill leachate is formed from water which has entered the landfill from external sources (rainfall, surface water and groundwater) as well as the putrefaction of waste materials in the landfill. The composition of landfill leachate will vary with the age of the landfill and the type of waste involved, but typically contains both dissolved and suspended materials, such as organic matter (alcohols, acids, and sugars, etc.), cations (sulphates, chloride, iron, etc.), heavy metals (like lead, nickel, cobalt, and mercury) and other complex organic molecules like PCBs and dioxins. Where large volumes of building waste or gypsum have been disposed of, hydrogen sulfide may also be an issue.
Industrial wastewater streams can include heavy metals, halogen compounds and other potentially harmful nutrients or suspended solids. Most countries or regions around the world have strict rules on the treatment and discharge of such waste streams, including requirements for the “zero discharge” of wastewater.
High levels of dissolved or suspended organic materials can also make effluents very difficult to treat. A few examples include liquid tannery waste, effluent from fish farms, and wastewater streams from abattoirs or even blood-processing laboratories.
Because of this variation in material and treatment situations there are also a wide range of techniques which can be used to treat them. Physical separation options include settlement, submerged aerated filters (SAF), dissolved air flotation (DAF), and induced air flotation. Other biological treatments (aerobic or anaerobic) and chemical treatments (such as de-salting, alkylation, and neutralization) are also often required. However, the use of evaporation technologies
Energy optimization methods can be combined with different heat transfer technologies.
to separate difficult effluents into water and solid waste streams (or highly concentrated sludges) is becoming increasingly common.
ZERO LIQUID DISCHARGE AND EVAPORATION
Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a liquid waste stream treatment which involves transforming liquid waste streams into clean water (which can be reused) and a minimum volume of solid residues. It is particularly suitable for effluents that are hazardous, toxic, or difficult to treat using other methods. A well-designed ZLD system will minimize or eliminate liquid waste streams, resulting in clean water for reuse or environmentally friendly discharge, and a solid residue suitable for further processing (often to recover valuable components for use elsewhere) or safe disposal.
However, separating the water from the effluent requires large amounts of energy. It takes roughly six times more energy to evaporate water (latent heat) at its boiling point then the energy needed to actually bring it to that boiling point (sensible heat). For this reason, the evap oration processes used for ZLD usually include energy optimization in the form of multistage evaporators, thermal vapour recompression (TVR), or mechanical vapour recompression (MVR).
HRS has installed a number of evapo ration systems to treat difficult effluents. Some of these are true ZLD systems, while others reduce the volume of liquid as sludges to enable more efficient man agement or further treatment.
Depending on the effluent being pro cessed, HRS can select from a series of technologies for designing the most optimal ZLD process. Energy optimiza tion methods (multistage, TVR, MVR) can be combined with different heat transfer technologies and the overall process is separated into three steps:
1. Evaporation/concentration: The product is concentrated to just below its maximum concentration (saturation). The evaporation plant is usually a multi stage evaporator setup.
2. Cooling: If the maximum solubil ity curve is steep (large concentration at high temperature, low concentration at low temperature), the product obtained
Zero liquid discharge is particularly suitable for
effluents that are hazardous, toxic, or difficult to treat using other methods.
in step 1 is cooled, provoking immediate precipitation of dissolved solids.
3. Crystallization: Crystallization/sedimentation of the solids produced in step 2 occurs in specially designed crystallization tanks. A supernatant layer of concentrated solution remains after this stage and is returned to step 1 for reprocessing.
The coolers and evaporators used in these situations must be designed to work with difficult materials with very high fouling potential. For this reason, a typical HRS evaporator will use Unicus Series scraped surface evaporators that are self-cleaning and maintain
optimal evaporation rates.
R Series scraped surface coolers are also used for cooling the saturated solutions that are sent to the crystallization tanks. The result is an efficient process which can work continuously to treat the most challenging materials and effluents.
Matt Hale is with HRS Heat Exchangers. For more information, email: info@us.hrs-he.com
Using paddlewheel flow meters in proportional feed systems
By Bill McDowell
Electronic flow meters used to control metering pumps and other industrial water treatment system components can be costly. While many of these meters are extremely accurate and offer a variety of features, many of them are often underutilized and overqualified for the application.
The components of a system must be able to perform the required task and meet the other physical requirements of the application. Excess capability, features, and accuracy are a waste of money. You will get the most value for your money by purchasing system components that meet the demands of the system without being overkill.
While expensive, high-technology solutions may be available for your application, low-cost paddlewheel flow meters offer high accuracy solutions (to +/- 1% of the full-scale reading) for many applications. They are easy to install and operate, resulting in a very low overall cost of ownership.
INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM APPLICATIONS
Chemical metering pumps are used to inject chemicals such as chlorine and acids into water systems, and the chemical must be injected into the system at the proper rate to achieve the correct water/chemical proportions. In a system that has varying water flow rates, solenoid-driven metering pumps are often used. These pumps can be “pulsed” by an external controller or PLC, resulting in intermittent small injections of chemical per volume of water flow.
Paddlewheel flow meters can be used to start and stop inexpensive, motor-driven fixed feed rate metering pumps without the need for expensive PLCs or other control equipment. When the meter has determined that a pre-programmed volume of flow has passed through the system, control circuitry in the meter turns on the chemical pump for a pre-pro-
Blue-White’s DIGI-METER® F-2000 paddlewheel flow meter features a digital readout on an LCD screen, displaying flow rate and total flow.
Paddlewheel flow meters incorporate a rotating paddlewheel that spins as the fluid passes through.
grammed amount of time, usually a few seconds, and then back off again.
Although this method results in an uneven “pulsed” dispersion of chemical in the system, it is simple to install and results in a highly accurate, easy-tomaintain proportional feed system.
In some applications, uneven chemical injection results in portions of the flow stream that have not been treated with chemical, especially at very low injection rates. If a finer dispersion of chemical is required, variable speed peristaltic (squeeze tube) metering pumps can be used. The new generations of high-pressure peristaltic metering pumps are equipped with variable speed motors, resulting in the continuous injection of chemical instead of
interrupted “pulsed” chemical injection. These pumps have the ability to pump air, which eliminates vapour lock and lost prime issues. Also, they can prime against maximum back pressure. The output remains the same regardless of changes in system pressure.
The peristaltic pump’s speed can be controlled directly by a paddlewheel sensor’s high-speed frequency signal. The pump speed is programmed to react to changes in the frequency output by the flow sensor, resulting in highly accurate proportional feed even at very low injection rates.
FLOW VERIFICATION
Paddlewheel sensors are capable of measuring chemical metering pump output rates as low as 29 grams per minute. When installed on the metering pump, the flow sensor can be used to alert the system operator that an error exists in the system. Some metering pumps include electronics that react to the paddlewheel output signal. If the metering pump should fail to inject chemical due to a pump malfunction, clogged fitting, exhausted chemical container, etc., an alarm output is triggered.
FLOW RATE AND RANGE ALARMS
When a system’s flow rate is critical, a paddlewheel flow meter can be used to alert the system operator if the rate increases or decreases out of a programmed range. The electronic display can be programmed with high and low-rate parameters which will trigger an alarm output signal if reached. The alarm can automatically reset or latch. Trigger and release values can be set, with hysteresis, which will eliminate “flickering” that can occur when the flow rate is at the alarm value.
Bill McDowell is with Blue-White Industries. For more information, visit: www.blue-white.com
Forecasting model will assist in the development of flood hazard dataset
By ES&E Staff
Public Safety Canada has contracted flood risk intelligence firm Fathom and Aon’s Impact Forecasting team for an initiative to fill gaps in Canada’s flood hazard knowledge.
Flood risk intelligence firm, Fathom, which is now part of the Swiss Re Group, will provide the federal department with a flood hazard dataset that depicts flood extents and depths for a number of return periods, flood generating mechanisms, and climate change scenarios for the most common and costly natural hazard in Canada.
world-leading peer-reviewed research to help organizations make informed decisions with confidence,” announced Gavin Lewis, head of engineering at Fathom, in a statement.
Aon’s Impact Forecasting model team will assist Public Safety Canada in the development of national flood risk assessment by providing extensive high-resolution inland flood data and expertise in flood peril, company officials stated.
Veronica Scotti, chairperson of public sector solutions for Swiss Re, noted that the company has also contributed to a review of the federal government’s Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program.
“Our flood risk intelligence is built upon
This summer, torrential downpours in both Ottawa and Toronto led to severe flooding that caused extensive damage. Public Safety Canada said it pursued the new contract due to the frequency and severity of natural flooding disasters expected to increase under climate change.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
Pictured is the 1-in-100 year river and rainfall-induced flood risk, south of Montreal. The solid, pale pink line at the top is the Beauharnois Canal. Graphic: Fathom
Stormwater pond set for former B.C. residential school property awaiting new use
By ES&E Staff
Afederal investment of $1 million will be used to develop a natural detention pond on the property of a former First Nations residential school building, where it will help manage urban runoff in the British Columbia community of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (TteS) in Kamloops.
The red brick heritage building site for the former school is known as the Chief Louis Centre. The detention pond built on its property will slow the flow of runoff entering the South Thompson River, reduce peak flow rates into the river to prevent flooding, address existing bank
erosion, and mitigate any future erosion, according to Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada.
In addition to new green infrastructure, the project has placed public use and community social interactions at the core of its design. New features will include trails, interpretive signage and benches around the perimeter to allow the general public to interact with the property’s new waterfront feature, which will also provide habitat for local wildlife.
“Integrated stormwater management is a meaningful component of a broader holistic approach that TteS is taking on as stewards of the environment,” says local Chief Rosanne Casimir, whose community is contributing an additional $400,000 to the project.
The school operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government assumed control and ran the facility as a day school for another nine years. It was formally closed in 1977, but remains accessible for local tours. Now it is the centre of Indigenous culture with its Secwépemc Museum, Heritage Park and Pow Wow circle.
The local community is currently in the midst of determining a potential new use for the building through a public consultation process. The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc has considered it as a gathering space, as well as for recreational, retail and commercial purposes.
The project will be made possible through the Natural Infrastructure Fund, which supports projects that use natural or hybrid approaches to increase resilience to climate change, mitigate carbon emissions, protect and preserve biodiversity and wildlife habitats, and promote access to nature.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
The school operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government assumed control and ran the facility as a day school for another nine years. It was formally closed in 1977. Credit: City of Kamloops
Manitoba plans nutrient reduction targets for lakes, rivers
By ES&E Staff
Manitoba is establishing nutrient reduction targets to improve water quality for Lake Winnipeg and its tributaries, says the province’s Environment and Climate Change Minister.
In recent decades, nitrogen and phosphorus have increased in Lake Winnipeg and the Red, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Dauphin rivers, contributing to increased frequency and intensity of algal blooms. Through the Water Protection Act, the Nutrient Targets Regulation will aim to protect these bodies of water with clear, measurable benchmarks.
“Establishing and implementing nutri-
ent targets will help Manitoba’s collective water quality efforts by guiding future nutrient reduction activities and best management practices, identifying priorities and helping track progress and outcomes over time,” Manitoba’s Environment and Climate Change Minister, Tracy Schmidt, announced in a statement. Schmidt added that potentially toxic algal blooms can have serious economic, health and environmental implications. They can contaminate beaches, reduce water quality and are detrimental to the communities and industries that depend on Lake Winnipeg and its tributaries.
To inform the development of the new
regulation, Manitoba officials have already conducted extensive public consultation.
Provincial projections have shown that total phosphorus concentrations in Lake Winnipeg increased from 0.015 mg/L in the 1800s, to more than 0.05 mg/L in the early 1990s, and to more than 0.1 mg/L in the present day.
Based on established provincial data, previous Lake Winnipeg targets recommended by the government were 0.05 mg/L for total phosphorus and 0.75 mg/L for total nitrogen.
Of all major tributaries, the Red River contributes the largest quantities of nutrients to Lake Winnipeg. Between 1994 and 2018, the Red River contributed approximately 68% of the total phosphorus load and 34% of the total nitrogen load to Lake Winnipeg on average, despite only contributing about 17% of the total inflow to the lake, according to provincial data.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
ACO StormBrixx
Advanced skids, nozzles improve sewer cleaning performance while reducing water and power requirements
Innovations in lightweight skid nozzle stabilizing attachments are enabling sewer crews to move up the line more easily than ever, without getting caught on obstructions such as protruding taps, offsets and deflections. When used in conjunction with high-performance nozzles, the combination provides faster cleaning that uses less power, pressure and water. The approach not only eases operator workloads, but also reduces the cost of vacuum truck fuel, water use, and mechanical wear and tear.
When sewer cleaning (jetting), a high-pressure water hose with a specialized nozzle is placed into the line. Operators then release high-pressure water from the sewer truck to dislodge debris and flush it into a manhole. As debris is removed, the hose is pushed deeper into the sewer. Jetting typically involves using between 190 LPM to 325 LPM with a 16-mm to 25-mm diameter hose from the truck to flush out debris lodged in the pipe. Operators may also use a vacuum to remove dislodged debris and transfer it to disposal bins.
To maintain stability with the high-volume jetting, operators typically use nozzle skid attachments to keep the nozzle and hose centered within the sewer pipe. Today, some designs go far beyond this basic function and can significantly improve safety and performance.
“More advanced skids with holes are designed to balance the nozzle inside the pipe and prevent the nozzle from becoming airborne and coming out of the manhole. Providing additional holes allows the user to secure the nozzle on the skid while inside the pipe,” says Dan Story, operations manager, at KEG Technologies.
The challenge is that traditional skids are often constructed of steel, which adds weight and reduces manoeuvrability within the sewer line. In response to these challenges, Story sought to ease cleaning sewer lines. Through testing and experimentation, he discovered a specific technology that could have major implications for municipalities and contractors tasked with cleaning more lines with fewer resources.
“I discovered that if I used a high-performance aluminum nozzle with an aluminum skid, I could gain approximately 30% more power than typically available through conventional options. That meant I could lower the nozzle flow and pressure and still have all the cleaning power I had before,” says Story.
Story has further refined the skid design after doing additional R&D and testing. The new skid design uses a lightweight aluminum pipe core with protruding plastic fins to provide nozzle stability without the weight of heavier steel skids. The skid design resembles the shape of a “football” to reduce the risk of snagging on sewer pipe obstructions. If it hits a deflec-
conventional options.
tion in a pipe, for instance, it will “climb on top” of the next step and keep on going.
BETTER CLEANING AT LOWER PRESSURE
Cleaning sewer lines at lower pressure reduces the load on vacuum trucks. Toward this end, using a lightweight aluminum skid improves nozzle manoeuvrability to keep the jetted water stream centered within the pipe and focused where it needs to clean.
When used with a high-performance aluminum nozzle, the combination can produce at least 30% more cleaning power than traditional options because it keeps the jetted water stream centered within the pipe and focused where it needs to clean. This reduces pressure and water use while still achieving efficient cleaning. It also allows the operators to lower the vacuum truck’s RPMs, allowing them to better conserve the vehi-
The new skid design uses a lightweight aluminum pipe core with protruding plastic fins to provide nozzle stability without the weight of heavier steel skids.
Using a high-performance aluminum nozzle with an aluminum skid can provide approximately 30% more power than typically available through
cle’s fuel use as well as decrease mechanical wear and tear.
Another benefit of sewer cleaning at lower PSI is reducing the risk of “blown toilets,” which can leave sewer material on the floor and toilet seat, upsetting homeowners. This can occur when an operator rushes up the sewer line with minimal cleaning on the first pass.
The result can be excessive debris on the return trip through the same stretch of sewer line. Air flow from the nozzle then compresses between the nozzle and the debris, creating significant positive pressure. When the debris passes by a home’s service line, the pressurized air blasts up and out of the service line, causing a blown toilet.
“When sewer cleaning, lowering the pressure involved reduces the risk of a blown toilet, and can be particularly effective when cleaning shallow manholes, which are more prone to the issue,” says Story.
To accommodate the range of sewer pipes in the field, KEG offers aluminum
Technologies Royal Tier 3 nozzles.
skids in various sizes for use with aluminum Tier 3 nozzles. There are several tiers of nozzles, rated for water efficiency from Tier 1 (about 30% efficient), Tier 2 (50 – 60% efficient), to Tier 3 (75 – 98% efficient).
By more effectively containing, controlling, and directing high-pressure water with less turbulence, an aluminum Tier 3 nozzle can deliver more cleaning power at lower PSI. This eliminates the
need for operators to compensate for the lack of power from Tier 1 or 2 nozzles by increasing the pressure to higher PSI on the way back through the line. Ultimately, less PSI (with a better, faster result) facilitates safer, more efficient sewer cleaning that complements the use of an aluminum skid.
For more information, visit: www.kegtechnologies.net
KEG
Enhancing safety through effective VOC contamination measurement in water and wastewater
By Ashley Easterwood
In the water and wastewater industry, the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) poses significant challenges to both environmental safety and human health. Proper detection and measurement of this contamination, particularly at low concentrations, are essential for mitigating risks and ensuring the safety of personnel.
VOC contamination in water and wastewater can originate from various sources, including industrial waste disposal, chemical spills, and organic decomposition. These compounds, even at low concentrations, can have detrimental effects on
both the environment and human health. However, detecting VOCs in water and wastewater presents unique challenges due to factors such as high humidity levels, complex chemical compositions, and the presence of other gases.
Traditional gas detection methods may struggle to accurately measure VOCs in such environments, especially when concentrations are low. Additionally, confined spaces within wastewater treatment facilities further complicate the detection process, as gases can accumulate and pose immediate risks to workers’ safety.
Detecting VOC contamination at low concentrations is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it allows for early identification of potential hazards, enabling prompt intervention and mitigation measures. Secondly, it helps prevent long-term environmental damage by addressing contamination before it reaches harmful levels. Finally, effective low-concentration detection enhances overall workplace safety, reducing the risk of exposure for personnel working in or around wastewater treatment facilities.
To successfully detect VOC contamination at low concentrations in water and wastewater, advanced gas detection technologies and strategies are required. One such technology is the photoionization detector (PID), which is capable of detecting VOCs at extremely low levels. When coupled with a comprehensive site-wide monitoring program, PID detectors can provide real-time data on VOC concentrations, allowing for timely response and intervention.
Furthermore, innovative humidity handling technologies, such as patented fence electrodes, play a crucial role in ensuring accurate measurements in humid environments commonly found in wastewater treatment facilities. These advancements help overcome chal -
Gas hazards encountered in the water treatment industry demand that only the most reliable and accurate instruments should be utilized.
lenges associated with humidity interference, enabling reliable detection of VOCs even in the presence of high moisture levels.
It is vital for water treatment plant operators to choose the right instrument for their specific needs. The ideal detector will be simple to operate and maintain and provide reliable and accurate results. Gas hazards encountered in the water treatment industry demand that only the most reliable and accurate instruments should be utilized. Strong concentrations of gas, either immediate or accumulating over time, along with harsh and/or corrosive operating environments, require products proven to provide ultimate performance and safety.
For operations such as wastewater treatment plants, continuous VOC monitoring of sewer lines can help to avoid costly and time-consuming cleanup of sludge. Hydrocarbons in sewer lines pose a threat to maintenance personnel and could potentially contaminate the sludge in a wastewater treatment plant. Most people believe that sewage is already a highly contaminated product. However, there is a big difference in the risk to human health from sludge that contains just waste compared to sludge that also contains hydrocarbons.
While fixed gas detectors are essential for monitoring specific areas within wastewater treatment facilities, they may not cover all potential sources of VOC contamination. Portable gas detectors offer a practical solution by providing on-the-go monitoring capabilities, allowing personnel to detect gas hazards in real time, regardless of their location.
By equipping workers with portable gas detectors, wastewater treatment facilities can enhance safety protocols and ensure comprehensive coverage against VOC contamination. Additionally, proper training on the use of gas detection equipment and adherence to industry best practices are vital for maximizing the effectiveness of VOC detection strategies.
Effective detection and measurement of VOC contamination in water and wastewater are critical for safeguarding both environmental integrity and human health. By implementing advanced gas detection technologies, such as PID detectors and innovative humidity han-
dling techniques, wastewater treatment facilities can enhance their ability to identify and mitigate VOC hazards, even at low concentrations. Furthermore, the integration of portable gas detectors and comprehensive training programs reinforces safety protocols and ensures the well-being of personnel working in these challenging environments.
As the wastewater industry continues
to evolve, prioritizing VOC contamination measurement remains paramount in fostering a safer and more sustainable future. Ion Science Inc.’s VOC gas detection instruments are available in Canada from ERE Inc. and H2 Solutions.
Ashley Easterwood is with Ion Science Inc. Email: ashley.easterwood@ionscienceusa.com
Audit warns of soaring cleanup costs for northern contaminated sites
By ES&E Staff
In Canada’s northernmost regions above the 60th parallel, where only 11% of federally contaminated sites are located, a recent audit reveals that despite their relatively small number, these sites account for up to 60% of the country’s projected financial liability for site cleanups.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada audit report, “Contaminated Sites in the North”, conducted by Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Jerry DeMarco, sheds light on the escalating financial burden of remediating federal contaminated sites. Since 2005, Canada’s collective financial liability for such sites has surged from $2.9 billion to $10.1 billion, with northern sites contributing over $6 billion to this total.
Released in late April 2024, the audit identifies several factors driving cost adjustments for northern remediation projects. These include updated estimates reflecting the true scope of cleanup efforts, revisions to long-term monitoring plans, and extensions to project schedules. Chal-
Associated Engineering is pleased to announce that Elia Edwards, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. has been appointed as Vice President, Integrated Water Solutions. Elia has 27 years of experience specializing in planning, design, construction, optimization, and rehabilitation of water facilities.
Jeff Fetter, P.Eng. has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Civil Infrastructure. Jeff has 29 years of experience in planning, design, construction, and project management of municipal infrastructure, and a proven track record delivering complex infrastructure projects.
Federally managed contaminated sites in Northern Canada. Credit: The Office of the Auditor General of Canada.
lenges such as remoteness, complex regulatory requirements, and harsh weather conditions also contribute to prolonged cleanup timelines in the North.
DeMarco emphasizes the ongoing need for concerted efforts to reduce financial liabilities associated with contaminated sites and to mitigate environmental and health risks. He underscores that cleanup costs can escalate due to various reasons, including the discovery of new contamination post-assessment, delays in remediation, insufficient assessment data, and inflation.
“After 20 years, there is still much work needed to reduce financial liability related to contaminated sites and to lower environmental and human health risks for current and future generations,” announced DeMarco upon the audit’s release.
As of 2023, Canada has identified 24,109 contaminated sites nationwide, with 2,627 located in the North. While progress has been made in closing more than 18,000 sites, approximately 4,500 active sites, including 322 in the North, still require remediation. Moreover, 1,496 suspected contaminated sites await assessment across the country, with 107 located in the North and managed by Transport Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the site custodians.
Notably, the audit highlights a sharp increase in costs for remediating north-
According to the report, both the Faro Mine and Giant Mine lack “perpetual care plans” and “a comprehensive approach to climate change adoption.” Credit: The Office of the Auditor General of Canada.
ern Canada’s eight largest abandoned mines, including the Giant Mine in the Northwest Territories and Faro Mine in the Yukon. For instance, the cost estimate to address arsenic trioxide dust at the Giant Mine soared to $4.38 billion in 2022, four times the original estimate. The federal government has spent nearly 20 years assessing the site, developing a remediation plan, and conducting consultation and engagement activities.
DeMarco found that the remediation phase had started for only one of the eight projects listed under the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program: the Giant Mine. He said these costs typically increase gradually until the implementation of the remediation plan. With $1.8 billion in expenditures already incurred, and a further $6 billion in estimated costs remaining, costs continued overleaf…
will likely increase further as the other seven projects advance and enter the remediation stage, he said.
Crown - Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada has also encountered delays in the remediation of the former Rayrock uranium mine, in part due to uncertainties with remedial options or incomplete water and land-use applications, noted DeMarco.
Looking ahead, DeMarco emphasizes the need to secure long-term funding and ensure access to critical records for abandoned mine reclamation projects in the North. He underscores the significance of these efforts, not only in managing environmental risks but also in advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and fostering regional economic development.
In response to the audit’s findings, measures are being taken to enhance project planning precision and cost estimation for northern projects. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada told the commissioner that the department aims to collaborate with experts to update its cost estimating guide, considering factors unique to northern project costs.
Environment and Climate Change Minister, Steven Guilbeault, emphasized that increasing liability amounts reflect improved assessments, revealing more accurate underlying liabilities.
“The ongoing assessment and reme
BY THINKING DIFFERENTLY,
diation activities throughout Canada help the government understand the true scope and scale of contamination,” Guilbeault said in reaction to the audit. “Contamination at many of the sites is the result of historic activities, spanning decades. Without the significant actions taken by the government, that liability would amount to an additional $4.6 billion,” he added.
While his audit called the costs to remediate federal contaminated sites “a burden to current and future generations of Canadian taxpayers,” DeMarco noted that the dilemma also represents a significant opportunity to support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and promote economic development in the region.
Faro Mine is another project where remediation costs have ballooned. It was once one of the largest open-pit lead-zinc mines in the world when it began operating in 1969. Remediation officially began in 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2038, some 33 years after the mine was abandoned. Costs at the site, which will “require maintenance and monitoring in perpetuity”, the commissioner said, have greatly increased since the commissioner’s 2002 audit, and the total cost to Canadians is much higher.
A 2002 report on federal contaminated sites by the Commissioner of the
obligation to locate, assess, and remediate these sites, and led to the establishment of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan in 2005.
The Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan did not meet its liability reduction target in Phase 3, nor is the plan on track to meet targets for Phase 4, which ends in 2025.
The 2024 audit examined the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, as well as the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program.
To achieve the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan’s objective of reducing financial liability, DeMarco recommends that Environment and Climate Change Canada work with program partners and the custodian departments to reduce financial liability.
Three suggestions were made: First, increase the capacity of custodian departments to develop more accurate liability estimates; second, develop measures and flexibility mechanisms to utilize any funding carried forward to address associated delays in the remediation; and third, conduct analysis to identify and recommend appropriate proportions of assessment and remediation funding.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
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CFD simulations in wastewater industry can help bridge theory and reality
The realm of fluid mechanics is an intricate web of physics, mathematical models, and real-world applications. In the wastewater industry, understanding these fluid dynamics is not just a scientific exercise but a necessity. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has revolutionized the way we approach and solve fluid mechanics problems.
INVENT recognized the potential of CFD simulations and established an in-house CFD department, which quickly evolved to cater exclusively to the intricacies of water and wastewater treatment. This ranges from modelling mixers with detailed CAD geometry to multiphase simulations for aerated tanks.
But what is CFD? At its core, fluid dynamics is the use of applied mathematics, physics, and computational software to model and visualize fluid flows. Aerated tanks, for instance, demand multiphase simulations. Such simulations can help predict the standard oxygen transfer rate (SOTR), a crucial metric in biological wastewater treatment. Additionally, understanding the movement and behaviour of suspended solids and activated sludge is vital. CFD helps in modelling these phenomena, providing insights into particle trajectories, settling patterns, and more.
Furthermore, in stirred tank reactors or in pump stations, the effects at the water’s surface, often marked by turbulent behaviours and leading to vortex formation, can be complex. CFD simulations, by modelling these surface effects, assist engineers in designing and optimizing treatment processes.
As we delve further into the realm of wastewater treatment modelling, the emphasis on particular features and techniques becomes indispensable. Here’s why:
Rotating turbomachinery: One cannot underestimate the importance of precisely modelling rotating turbomachinery. In wastewater treatment plants, these machines play pivotal roles, ensuring efficient flow circulation and solids
Experimental validations in the INVENT laboratories.
suspension. Accurate modelling ensures reliable representation of real pumping operation.
Multiphase simulation for aeration: Aeration is critical for the biological oxidation processes in the biological treatment of wastewater. Understanding intricate physics, such as bubble dynamics, is essential. Factors like bubble breakup, their eventual coalescence, and mass transfer are key to reliably predict oxygen transfer rate.
Sludge floc transport: Sludge flocs, or aggregated particles also require further investigation and careful modelling. When considering the multiphase simulations for their transport, a complex factor comes into play: rheology. As the concentration of these flocs increases, the fluid’s behaviour deviates from the Newtonian ideal, adopting characteristics of non-Newtonian fluids. This alteration in fluid behavior, coupled with flocculation effects, where particles come together to form larger aggregates, adds layers of complexity to the modelling process. However, a significant challenge remains. The behaviour of biological compounds in wastewater cannot be explicitly modelled within fluid mechanical equations. This is where the role of a numerical-empirical approach becomes
essential. By combining theory with empirical data, we ensure accurate results rooted in observations and validations.
The potential applications of CFD include screenings, hydraulic dynamics, water distribution, anoxic tanks, clarifiers, oxidation ditches, and anaerobic digesters.
TOOLS AND COLLABORATION
INVENT’s M-STAR software, with its Lattice-Boltzmann approach for solving Navier-Stokes equations, offers advanced turbulence modelling techniques such as Large Eddy Simulation. Powered by GPUs, it permits time-accurate dynamic simulations, providing an unparalleled insight into turbulent phenomena.
Turbulence, after all, is pivotal for mixing. The more accurately turbulence is modelled, the better the predictions related to mixing, a cornerstone in wastewater treatment processes.
Continually comparing simulation results with experimental data, either in collaboration with academic institutions or through on-site experiments at wastewater plants, helps INVENT ensure the highest accuracy in its CFD simulations.
INVENT is represented in Ontario by Pro Aqua Inc. For more information, visit: www.invent-uv.de
Niagara Region staff says underinvestment may have led to WWTP infractions
By ES&E Staff
Following a recent warning from the federal government about acute toxicity exceedance at the Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ontario, the Region’s Commissioner of Public Works made an extensive presentation to council officials to show how underinvestment in aging infrastructure is creating risk.
Commissioner Terry Ricketts said that nearly half of the region’s water and wastewater assets are in decline. So much so that it creates substantial risk for the entire system and increases the likelihood of non-compliance issues of the kind that recently earned the region a federal warning.
A March 2024 letter from the enforcement branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada noted that effluent from the Niagara Falls WWTP had reached 60% acute lethality for rainbow trout. The warning further noted that the facility exceeded the 25mg/L average concentration of suspended solids in 21
months over the last three years. During that same period there were 26 instances of exceedances for carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand.
In a memo, Niagara Region staff attributed the exceedances to out-ofservice equipment and clarifiers in need of an upgrade at the 61-year-old WWTP.
“The caution is that with infrastructure as old as ours it can take a very long time for repairs,” Ricketts told the Committee of the Whole. “Replacement parts for us often have to be custom made. While the public is safe, the risk for service interruption is certainly growing.”
Given the scale of secondary upgrades required at the Niagara Falls WWTP, it will take several years to get equipment back on track, Ricketts said of the federal warning letter. “There are just no shortcuts,” she said.
Ricketts highlighted that 77% of the region’s water capacity is delivered by three facilities, each one more than 100 years old. In total, the three water treat-
ment plants have an equipment investment backlog of more than $280 million. This has left the facilities in very poor condition, she told the committee.
For wastewater, Ricketts told the committee that 90% of capacity is delivered through four facilities, each of which is more than 50 years old. The four facilities have an investment backlog of more than $400 million.
“But again, the problem isn’t so much the age of the facility as it is the chronic underinvestment that accelerates disrepair,” said Ricketts. She estimated that, on an annual basis, the region is investing about half of what it should be for water treatment, and about 20% of what is required for wastewater treatment.
The current $2 per day residential rate to support regional water and wastewater services is significantly lower than comparable municipalities, Ricketts noted.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
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Agreement could see Paper Excellence open new kraft pulp mill
By ES&E Staff
Arecent settlement agreement subject to approval by the British Columbia Supreme Court would see the Paper Excellence Group, owner of the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, abandon a major lawsuit against the Nova Scotia government and withdraw its proposal to upgrade its mill.
B.C.-based Paper Excellence filed the $450-million lawsuit in late 2021 to retrieve lost income after Nova Scotia shut down the mill, which opened in the late 1960s, in January 2020, due to a failure to meet environmental standards in the Boat Harbour Act
.
The company had been working to create a new effluent treatment facility to handle wastewater from the mill, but was met with significant resistance from environmentalists for its plan to have an open system for managing effluent from its bleached kraft pulp mill.
Paper Excellence, however, is looking to move forward with an independent feasibility study of the potential for a new kraft pulp mill in Queens County, in the area of the former Bowater mill. The feasibility study would begin immediately and could take up to nine months to complete.
If the study finds a new mill is viable, the company will pay about $50 million for costs incurred by the company through the court process; pay the Nova Scotia government $15 million to settle its debts; top up Northern Pulp’s pension plans by about $30 million; and seek financing and work with the province and other stakeholders to establish a new mill.
If the study finds a new mill is not viable, the company will still follow through on the commitments above, but also decommission the current mill site in Pictou County and sell its timberlands. The company would also pay $15 million toward the cleanup and maintenance of the Northern Pulp site and implement a site closure plan.
“Ensuring fair treatment for the company’s pensioners was a priority for us, as well as finding a pathway to a stronger economic outcome for Nova Scotians,” announced Premier Tim Houston in a statement. “The investment to build a new mill would be $1.4 billion, and Nova Scotians can be assured that any project that might come forward would need to be designed to today’s standards and undergo an environmental assessment and significant public consultation. The company has committed to meeting these expectations.”
Paper Excellence announced in a statement that a mill returning to Queens County would provide a “new, reliable market for the region’s forestry sector and result in greater distance between two paper mills working in the province — the other being Port Hawkesbury Paper in Richmond County.”
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
Paper Excellence is looking to move forward with an independent feasibility study of the potential for a new kraft pulp mill in Queens County. Credit: joseuisstephens,stock.adobe.com
Tofino unveils first ever WWTP for B.C. tourist hotspot
By ES&E Staff
The British Columbia District of Tofino is celebrating the opening of its first ever wastewater treatment plant, a milestone that will end the small Vancouver Island tourist destination’s decades-long discharge of untreated waste into the UNESCO-designated Clayoquot Sound and the Pacific Ocean.
Following two years of construction, which included major rock blasting and land clearing, the nearly $80-million Level III WWTP received its operational certificate this summer to authorize the discharge of secondary treated and disinfected municipal sewage into the marine environment of Duffin Passage.
Tofino was the single remaining municipality on Vancouver Island to dump raw sewage into a waterway. In January 2000, Clayoquot Sound was designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve.
“We’re taking a massive step forward in protecting the ecosystems that surround us. We want to show other communities in Canada that are in the same boat that you can make this happen, it is possible,” said Simon Kirkland, Tofino’s Manager of Infrastructure and Capital Projects, who spoke at the plant’s official opening in late August.
Recently, the Tofino plant completed a series of seven shutdowns and tie-ins, transferring the district’s sanitary collection system to the WWTP and allowing for the discharge of secondary treated effluent through the new outfall at the end of Cedar Street.
The new plant also successfully completed a three-day recirculation run test, ensuring that all plant equipment operates as intended. Plant staff initiated programming and controls to automate the plant, while simulating various flow conditions to ensure optimal performance, local officials announced.
When the decision was made to switch from an oxidation ditch system to Veolia Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) technology during the facility’s design process, much less space was required as the sludge thickening tanks are much smaller. This allowed the facility to complete the treatment process within two instead of four buildings, according to city staff.
The plant has two IFAS bioreactor tanks, two secondary clarifiers and the IFAS system that combines conventional activated sludge and biofilm technologies into one tank, with the tanks provided by Greatario. Influent enters through the headworks building and any increased flow is distributed to an equalization tank and then to the IFAS reactors. From the secondary clarifier, it is transferred to an inline UV disinfection system located in the facility’s mechanical building.
North American Construction (NAC) was the prime contractor and WSP was the engineering team of record for the WWTP project. Environmental services company Affordable Water Solutions has been working to train the local operators for the facility.
The small town of 2,500 residents is visited by some 600,000 tourists every year. In fact, local tourism groups made significant financial contributions to the development of the WWTP.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
The plant has two IFAS bioreactor tanks as well as two secondary clarifiers. Credit: District of Tofino
A game changer: Inside Tofino’s new wastewater treatment facility
By Chris Kerman and Kalpna Solanki
Earlier this year, some staff and directors of the Environmental Operators Certification Program (EOCP) had the opportunity to visit the new wastewater treatment facility in Tofino, British Columbia, while it was still under construction.
Outside the facility, it became apparent that the site had to be levelled to accommodate the buildings. For this, the property, which is owned by the District of Tofino, had to be drilled and blasted, and 12,000 m3 of rock was removed.
In addition, in preparation for the facility, the whole electrical grid needed to be upgraded to ensure 1,000 kW of power would be available solely for the plant, as well as additional capacity for the future growth of the community.
The tour within the facility started in the headworks room. Here, two elevated trains with 3-mm HUBER perforated plate screens are in place. Each train can screen and de-grit 120 L/s of incoming flow. Bagger systems will be used to contain screened materials in a bin. The flow will then travel to the two HUBER Gritwolf tanks for grit removal.
Augers will be used to convey the grit to two more “sausage” baggers, which will also be collected in the bin. Both process trains are to be run simultaneously. To limit the risk of corrosion, all the preliminary treatment equipment is manufactured from stainless steel. Also, within this building is a motor control centre (MCC) for all the headworks equipment, NaOH dosing pumps, wash water pumps, and the EQ return flow pumps.
After preliminary treatment, wastewater will flow to a splitter box, where it is evenly split to a maximum of 17.5 L/s per bioreactor. All flows above 35 L/s are diverted from the splitter box to a 950 m3 equalization (EQ) tank. During periods of low flow, stored wastewater in the EQ tank will be pumped back at a maximum flow rate of 40 L/s to the splitter box to feed the bioreactors. Two sub-
mersible mixers will be used to keep the solids in suspension and to prevent septic conditions in the EQ tank.
The secondary process is designed for a maximum flow rate of 75 L/s. This is the influent flow, combined with flow pumped back from the EQ tank. If it were to fill in a storm event, all flows would be directed to the secondary process. In general, the seasonal flow rates are fairly consistent, but the level of solids varies with a heavier load in the summer months. Although the community has separated storm and sanitary sewers, there is a significant problem related to I&I.
There are two Veolia Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) bioreactor tanks, as well as two secondary clarifiers that each have a single arm scraper with a counterweight. The EQ tank, the IFAS tanks, and the secondary clarifiers are all premanufactured from steel and are glass-lined.
Air in the IFAS tanks will be supplied by coarse bubble diffusers using three Atlas Copco blowers — two on duty and one on standby.
Return activated sludge will be
pumped by two Boerger rotary lobe pumps back to the IFAS tanks from the bottom of the secondary clarifiers.
Waste sludge will be diverted from the return activated sludge (RAS) line to the fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) thickened waste activated sludge (WAS) storage tank. The waste flow will be controlled by a modulating valve. Polymer will be used to help dewater the solids, and two GEA centrifuges will perform the dewatering.
Centrate will be returned to the headworks by two additional Boerger rotary lobe pumps, while the dewatered solids will be trucked to the landfill for windrow composting.
Activated carbon odour control systems are in place to minimize odour complaints. The headworks has a dedicated system, as does the dewatering building.
Sodium hydroxide will be dosed in the splitter box to add alkalinity to assist the nitrification process for ammonia removal in the IFAS tanks.
Effluent from each secondary tank will be disinfected by passing through
Several EOCP staff and board members toured the new wastewater treatment facility in Tofino, B.C.
(Above) Air in the IFAS tanks will be supplied by coarse bubble diffusers, using two on-duty blowers and one standby blower. (Right) Simon Kirkland, Tofino Manager of Infrastructure & Capital Projects, showing the motor control centre.
an inline Xylem UV system. The disinfected effluent will then pass to a holding tank to flow to the outfall by gravity.
There are two KSB effluent disposal pumps that will send disinfected effluent to the influent screen wash water tank under normal operation. This will reduce the demand on Tofino’s precious potable water supply. During a high flow event, valves will actuate and the pumps will force effluent down the marine outfall, instead of to the wash water tank.
In case of power outages, there is a 600-kW diesel generator on site that has enough fuel for 72 hours of operation. There is a lab next to the admin offices and control room. Federal regulatory samples will be shipped to an external accredited lab.
Significant upgrades have also been made to the collection system. This included four new lift stations, of which two will replace old stations as water is being discharged via a new outfall. These new stations will also have increased capacity. Also, long sections of new HDPE force mains needed to be installed to bring the wastewater up to the new facility for treatment.
This is a big win for the community and the local marine environment.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of the
Environmental Operators Certification Program’s Operator Digest Magazine. It has been slightly edited and updated.
For more information, visit: www.eocp.ca
Greatario and Balmoral partnership strengthens Canada’s liquid storage infrastructure
The partnership between Greatario, a leading liquid storage solutions provider, and Balmoral, a global leader in tank manufacturing, is a vital alliance aimed at strengthening
much of Canada’s essential infrastructure for drinking water, wastewater treatment, and industrial liquid storage solutions.
Since the partnership began over one year ago, Greatario and Balmoral have partnered on 94 key tank projects that demonstrate the strength of their teamwork and their commitment to quality, safety, and sustainability.
For more information, contact Je Rodger, VP Sales, Email: jrodger@greatario.com, or visit www.greatario.com
Greatario employees touring the Balmoral factory.
Leveraging surveillance technology for improved environmental stewardship
By Aaron Kamitomo
In an urban landscape where citizens, private companies, the government, and other agencies are increasingly conscious of the environment and its well-being, advancements in environmental stewardship have been significant.
Companies are now more transparent about their carbon footprints, often utilizing surveillance technology to monitor and report on their environmental impact. Manufacturing conglomerates are more often promising to exercise sustainable practices, utilizing smart surveillance to ensure compliance with their declared sustainability goals.
Continuing with these positive practices, curbing negative ones, and developing fresh solutions to propel stewardship further, the field of environmental science and engineering (ESE) is at the forefront. This involves research, monitoring, assessment, operation, management, education, and policy. Surveillance technology plays a pivotal role in these
areas, especially as ESE agencies face environmental concerns such as biodiversity loss, pollution, resource depletion, and climate change. Different agencies must converge and collaborate, leveraging smart surveillance to develop unique and innovative solutions to solve our planet’s increasingly complex problems.
SMART SURVEILLANCE CAN BE A GAME CHANGER
A versatile, albeit unexpected ally in encouraging this collaboration is smart surveillance. Traditionally, surveillance cameras held the base function of providing video (and sometimes audio) footage for safety and security.
However, innovation has paved the way for powerful new uses that leverage surveillance solutions.
With features such as high-definition recording, sensors enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, extensive connectivity, cloud storage, edge and cloud computing systems, and state-of-the-art
data processing capabilities, smart surveillance technology can deliver immense contributions to day-to-day operations of various ESE bodies.
WILDLIFE MONITORING AND CONSERVATION
In championing wildlife safety and survival, animal protection groups and agencies can extensively utilize smart surveillance. Modern cameras are compact but incredibly sturdy, allowing them to withstand harsh environments and extreme temperatures in any terrain.
As a result, important zoological movements that only occur within these environmental shifts will be captured, adding to the repository of data. These cameras can be further enhanced by thermal imaging capabilities, ensuring comprehensive coverage regardless of environmental conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE
IoT-enabled sensors are particularly powerful in environmental monitoring, as they can detect changes and fluctuations that are not always immediately visible to the naked eye. Air quality may be monitored for specific elements, such as smoke, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, ozone, and other airborne toxins. Likewise, water quality indicators such as turbidity, pH levels, and algal blooms may be measured by IoT-enabled sensors. Suitable for use in indoor, manufactured reservoirs (e.g., treatment plants and dams) or natural aquatic environments (e.g., seas and rivers), they are versatile tools in understanding water conditions.
The integration of IoT-enabled sensors in surveillance cameras enhances data quality. Video-backed sensor data paints a fuller picture of conditions and occurrences, thereby increasing its accuracy and reliability. Consequently, prompt action may be carried out with confidence.
NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT
In the face of natural disasters, broad-ranging and alarming risks prevent the immediate implementation of recovery efforts.
Directly following a calamity, information regarding damage extent, electrical exposures, and compromised structures
The production line for Axis cameras.
is insufficient. Post-earthquakes, for example, the risks of aftershocks are present for days, weeks, or even months after. This makes response missions hazardous.
If strategically placed, smart surveillance devices may be of assistance in these situations. Footage from these cameras are cloud-stored, enabling access remotely and immediately, even when the physical device is destroyed. Any audio and video captured during and after the catastrophe may prevent first responders from blind rescue.
Conversely, despite their unexpected nature, there are ways to prepare for these disasters. Smart surveillance cameras are equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) that can develop algorithms to detect changes in weather patterns or identify hazards such as wildfires or flooding. AI can also be automated to alert all concerned parties, such as emergency response teams, affected citizens, and media.
AI integrated in smart surveillance can help optimize the use of various resources, such as water, chlorine, etc., ensuring maximized uses of resources.
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING NETWORKS
In urban areas, the foremost priority is livability. The population must have access to food, clean water, and unpolluted air. To ensure that these necessities are provided, weather bureaus, water resource management authorities, and other environmental regulation agencies must all operate to uphold their individual mandates. A simple integra-
tion of their data may significantly boost their operations.
Through IoT-enabled sensors, smart surveillance can centralize pertinent information in one dashboard, such as temperature, wind gustiness, and humidity for weather bureaus; water levels and contamination for water resource management authorities; and pollutants for environmental protection agencies. In streamlining surveillance tools, not only will these individual sectors optimize costs, but they will also have a more holistic understanding of events that can inform resource allocation and quick action.
During extreme weather events, live access to the same data avoids confusion and miscommunication, leading to a seamless preparation and response process. Surveillance cameras equipped with IoT-enabled sensors actively monitor meteorological data, check for any water quality or supply issues, and measure pollutants in the air. These cameras
continued overleaf…
may be programmed to immediately alert concerned representatives of the involved agencies for urgent attention.
The numerous available datapoints enable AI to make accurate and databacked forecasts referencing past occurrences, giving the agencies rich information for their assessment. Based on their assessment of data presented by surveillance and AI, the agencies can exercise precautions as needed. Weather bureaus can issue warnings and weather bulletins to the public, urging immediate evacuation if needed. Water resource management authorities can start preparing for the potential disruption by opening or closing dams, storing water, and alerting field personnel.
Environmental protection agencies can identify at-risk wildlife and execute necessary preparations to mitigate the impact on them.
After continuous monitoring, if these agencies surmise the arrival of a disaster, they may issue public warnings, triggering the private and public sectors’ preparation. During a flood’s onslaught, smart surveillance can continue to monitor conditions and keep the necessary authorities and parties updated.
In the unfortunate event of disasters, such as a building collapse, smart sur-
veillance may be leveraged for initial impact assessment and monitoring.
RESPONSIBLE USE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
As with traditional surveillance, responsible and ethical practice must be enforced. Data privacy and transparency, as well as sustainability, must be considered when using smart surveillance.
In the modern era of surveillance technology, visual data comes in the form of high-resolution images that can identify faces, plate numbers, and even confidential information such as automated banking machine (ABM) pins and access codes. While some of the data gathered may be useful for forensic purposes, such as when identifying trespassers in high-security water treatment plants or nature reserves, there are many cases in which capturing footage might be unethical and illegal.
Specific to ESE, privacy can become an issue in cases where the monitoring and surveillance of environmental factors are done in urban areas. Here, surveillance systems designed to monitor weather, water health, and air quality may unintentionally capture private residential data, especially when installed near homes. In these situations, invest-
ing in smart cameras that have anonymization capabilities might be worthwhile to avoid legal and ethical concerns. These work by blurring faces or license plates in real time, ensuring that transmitted data contains only faceless figures.
Equally vital as privacy is transparency. In the ESE field, much like in other fields, exercising it is oftentimes as simple and straightforward as displaying signs in areas monitored by smart surveillance. By mounting these announcements, civilians are informed that footage is being captured, ensuring awareness and promoting transparency. This simple practice enables individuals to make informed decisions regarding their behaviour and fosters trust between those conducting surveillance and those being watched.
SUSTAINABILITY
Through its advanced features, smart surveillance can promote sustainability through energy efficiency. Through active monitoring of environmental conditions, smart surveillance enables the quick detection of pollutants and toxic particles, thereby aiding in the preservation of resources.
AI integrated in smart surveillance can help optimize the use of various resources, such as water, chlorine, etc., ensuring maximized uses of resources.
Smart surveillance systems can be monitored remotely through the cloud, reducing the need for land or air travel and thus lowering transportation-related carbon emissions.
The robust data shared between different agencies promotes a deeper understanding of issues, helping teams develop more informed decisions. Surveillance solutions created by a vendor who prioritizes transparency and upholds the principle that innovation should not compromise ethical standards are crucial. All products and solutions must adhere to international standards.
Aaron Kamitomo is with Axis Communications Canada. www.axis.com/en-ca
University of Toronto research team reaches final stage in national oil spill response competition
By ES&E Staff
Aresearch team from the University of Toronto (UofT) has developed a prototype engineered polymer foam filter, similar in concept to a kitchen sponge, to clean contaminated water stored on spill response vessels.
The team has secured $1.3 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) as part of the Oil Spill Response Challenge to develop and test an innovative system for treating contaminated water onboard oil spill response ships.
Led by Associate Professor Amy Bilton from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, the team has progressed to the final stage of the national competition aimed at enhancing Canada’s oil spill response capabilities.
Federal funding of $10 million means high stakes for the competition’s development of innovative and rapidly deployable solutions to oil spill detection, response and recovery in Canada’s aquatic environments.
“We’re both engineering the foam material and developing the treatment process to fill in a gap in current oil spill operations,” says Bilton in a statement from UofT. “We aim to increase the amount of oil these vessels can collect by a factor of four.”
The filter and treatment system, dubbed FRODO, would allow a ship to release previously contaminated water back into the environment, according to the research team.
In contrast, current methods involve ships using large floating barriers to gather oil before skimming the oil-water mixture into their holds. The ships must then transport the mixture, which consists of about 25% oil and 75% water with trace amounts of oil, to a land-based facility for treatment.
With more than four million barrels of oil transported through Canada daily and over 240,000 kilometres of coastline and 890,000 kilometres of freshwater systems, effective oil spill response is vital for protecting the country’s diverse ecosystems and communities, states the UofT research team.
Bilton’s team is also conducting research to assess the environmental impact of their in situ treatment process. Canada’s zero-discharge policy requires that no oil be present in water when it is released back into water systems.
As one of five finalists moving on to Stage 3 of the competition, Bilton’s team has one year to refine, scale, and test its prototype in preparation for commercialization. The winner, who will receive an additional $2 million in funding, will be announced in winter 2025.
“We are currently in the testing phase and are planning large-scale simulations at our Ohmsett partner facility in New Jersey,” says Bilton.
Credit: Monisha Naik/UofT
Finalists in the challenge, included The University of Northern British Columbia’s, whose proposed solution involves a mobile system that integrates nano/micro bubble gas flotation with adsorption.
LGM Canada’s proposed solution involves enhancing mechanical recovery with an oil boom that has a permeable skirt treated with a coating to block oil but pass water, increasing tow speeds and reducing tow forces.
Dalhousie University’s proposed solution involves the development of a rapidly deployable system of surface and underwater robotic vehicles with state-of-the-art sensors, profiling systems, and samplers to inform oil spill decision-making and response.
Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc.’s proposed solution involves recovery modules that mechanically recover floating oil sheens with high oil/water efficiency.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
The UofT research team is seen with the FRODO prototype and samples of their engineered foam, which is used as the treatment media. They are proceeding to the final stage of the challenge.
When the northeastern British Columbia community of Hudson’s Hope tried to accommodate the largest hydro project in the province, few in the district of just under 1,000 on the Peace River foresaw that they would end up hosting a public vote over the major challenges it created for the local water supply.
The final round of local bylaw voting for a $4.7 million loan was scheduled to take place on October 5, as residents decide whether to pursue new water treatment equipment that will impact property taxes for more than a decade.
“This is a big deal — borrowing money,” Hudson’s Hope Mayor Travous Quibell told a September open house crowd. “There are a lot of very important timelines that have to be held to, to make this happen.”
It all began in 2015, when the $16-billion Site C Dam project by BC Hydro required a berm to protect Hudson’s Hope from erosion and higher water levels. The berm impacted the Peace River’s surface water quality, and forced the community to build two wells and a reverse osmosis well water treatment plant.
“Shortly after the new water treatment plant was implemented, the well water quality unexpectedly started deteriorating, causing several system failures, significant maintenance requirements, and production issues, resulting in substantial damage to the reverse osmosis membranes and equipment,” Hudson’s Hope CAO, Crystal Brown, announced in a statement to residents.
High dissolved solids, elevated sodium, and iron-reducing bacteria were found in the well water, forcing district operators to complete a lengthy backwashing procedure almost daily. The situation became unsustainable and eventually led to months of boil water and do not consume advisories in 2022, while the hydro project continued construction.
The temporary water treatment
The Site C Dam will provide 1,100 MW of dependable capacity and will generate about 5,100 gigawatt hours of electricity each year — enough to power the equivalent of 450,000 homes per year. Credit: BC Hydro
plant’s operators decided to abandon the reverse osmosis process for a clarification-filtration-disinfection process to meet health requirements. So, when Hudson’s Hope returned to piping water from the Peace River, local officials began filtering it through a rented Veolia mobile ballasted flocculation clarifier trailer for about $32,000 per month.
After stretching the clarifier’s output at times to double its capacity, the water was filtered and treated with UV disin-
fection before getting dosed with chlorine and sent to distribution, according to district documents.
An additional problem with the temporary water treatment plant included manganese, as well as algae growth on the intakes during the spring and summer, which requires manual cleaning with divers.
“We call this project a Fresh Approach to Water because when I came on with the project way back in 2021, you recall the water wasn’t so fresh,” Mark DeGagne, a senior municipal and water resources engineer with McElhanney, told a September open house crowd.
If Hudson’s Hope residents vote against borrowing the money, local officials say they will need to secure alternative funding, return the rented clarifier, and potentially issue a boil water notice, as the river water will not be considered potable. If residents vote in favour of the loan, local officials will work with a clarifier supplier to ensure that the new equipment fits the plant’s current space with as little modification as possible.
The $4.7-million loan covers the $1.5 million cost of a modular clarifier as well as costs associated with demolition, engineering and electrical, and connecting to a new intake.
Leading up to the community loan vote, many residents in Hudson’s Hope expressed dismay over having to cover the costs of a water source problem seen to have been created by BC Hydro. Just prior to voting day, the utility released a statement on September 20 that noted how BC Hydro has provided nearly $6 million to the district for water treatment costs to date. Utility officials also suggested that they would be willing to make some additional contributions as part of continuing a “strong relationship” with the district.
“While BC Hydro has met its financial obligations under our existing agreements with Hudson’s Hope, we have made a significant offer of additional financial support towards the completion of the permanent water treatment plant,” stated utility officials.
In early September, Hudson’s Hope officials organized an open house event for residents to learn more about the district’s water saga with the Site C Dam
The temporary water treatment plant’s operators decide to abandon the reverse osmosis process for a clarification-filtration-disinfection process to meet health requirements.
ahead of the community vote. Local officials also noted that BC Hydro is beginning to fill the reservoir and that “the quality of the water during this transition time is unpredictable” and that “Hudson’s Hope will need a robust treatment system that can adapt to rapidly changing water quality.”
The Site C Dam will provide 1,100 MW of dependable capacity and will generate about 5,100 gigawatt hours of electricity
each year, which is enough to power the equivalent of 450,000 homes.
If the loan vote gets approved, local officials will also need to bury pipes below frost depth, and create a new sewer connection for wastewater.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
District officials used a process that pulls raw water through overland piping and directs it to the rented, mobile, ballasted flocculation clarifier. Credit: Hudson’s Hope/McElhanney
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THERMOPLASTIC GATE VALVES
The Asahi/America gate valve is a widely used on/off valve for large diameter, full port applications. When the valve is fully open, it allows straight-through passage through an opening that is essentially the same size as the inside diameter of the connecting pipe, resulting in little pressure drop. Available in 1-1/2" – 14" sizes in high impact PVC.
Asahi/America
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FLEX SHAFT SYSTEM
Wondering how to maintain or clean modular stormwater detention tanks? Discover the Vario 800 flex shaft system by GRAF, 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.
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NEAR-CONTINUOUS CHEMICAL DELIVERY
The Hyperdrive Technology of the CHEM-FEED® MD1 allows for alternating pumping action between two diaphragms alternating suction and discharge phases, resulting in near-continuous chemical delivery. MD1 is now equipped with Blue-White’s exclusive Automatic Degassing Valve (ADV) system, which reduces risk of vapour lock and eliminates the need for external degassing components.
Blue-White Industries
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ALL INCLUSIVE, HIGH VOLUME CHEMICAL FEED
The FLEXFLO M5 is a fully enclosed, easily configurable high-volume dosing pump that does not require external control devices to operate. M5 features a large 5"display with intuitive touchscreen controls for easy viewing. The remote signal options include Pulse, 4-20mA, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP™, and PROFIBUS for enhanced supervision and automation for critical metering applications.
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NEW MACERATING TECHNOLOGY
Introducing the OrbitGrinder, a compact, powerful cutting basket macerator with our Constant Cutting System for consistent maceration results. Customizable components and adjustable perforations allow tailored performance. Designed for Maintenance In Place (MIP®) and energy efficiency, the OrbitGrinder ensures optimal solids management, reducing downtime and operational costs. Ideal for any operation requiring precise maceration.
Boerger, LLC
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GRINDER PUMP
The RAZOR grinder pump is a 2HP solution, ideal for light commercial and residential solids handling. Axial cutting technology efficiently reduces solids commonly found in the modern waste stream. Heavy-duty, oil-lubricated bearings extend the pump’s life. Available in multiple configurations, it is adaptable for both new builds and existing setups, including both standard and explosion-proof designs.
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SEWAGE EJECTOR PUMPS
Sewage ejector pumps are essential for moving wastewater from basements or lower levels to main sewer lines. Barnes SE and SEV pumps by Crane Pumps & Systems are known for their durability and reliability, crafted from corrosion-resistant materials to handle challenging conditions. Available in various models, these pumps ensure effective waste removal where gravity alone is insufficient.
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TOTAL SOLIDS MANAGEMENT
Transform your sludge treatment with Proline Teqwave MW by Endress+Hauser. This inline device uses microwave transmission for real-time total solids measurement, from primary sludge to dewatered sludge. You can achieve quicker process optimization and minimize the need for frequent lab measurements. Continuous data availability enhances solid-liquid separation and operational safety, allowing swift responses to process changes. Endress+Hauser Canada
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CHEMICAL DAY TANK SCALE
The CHEM-SCALE™ from Force Flow allows operators to accurately monitor chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite, polymer and fluoride, when stored and fed from day tanks. Systems prevent over- and underfeed conditions, and enable the documentation of amount fed. Available with Century™ hydraulic dial, advanced multi-channel Wizard 4000™, and other indicators.
The Greatario Service team can inspect and service any tank regardless of type or original manufacturer, including bolted steel, welded steel, and concrete. We inspect and service over 125 tanks annually across Canada. Our entire team is certified by NACE/AMPP in both Cathodic Protection Testing and Coatings Inspection. We are here to protect your investment and support you before, during and after the sale.
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CHLORINE EMERGENCY SHUTOFF
The Terminator™ Actuator from Halogen Valve Systems can be used on chlorine ton containers and 150 lb cylinders to instantly stop the flow of chlorine in case of an emergency. Shutoff is initiated when the controller receives a close contact signal from a leak detector or included emergency shutoff switch.
Halogen Valve Systems
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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).
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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
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VORTEX FLOW INSERTS
The IPEX Vortex Flow™ Insert (VFI) revolutionizes vertical sewer drops by eliminating odorous emissions and minimizing corrosion. With no moving parts and zero maintenance, VFIs offer significant cost savings for municipalities across North America.
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EXPAND-IN-PLACE LINER
NovaForm™ offers a durable, cost-efficient solution for sewer and culvert rehabilitation. This styrene-free, expandin-place liner eliminates the need to capture and treat contaminated curing liquid. Made from engineered thermoplastic, it is installed using steam, with water as the only job site discharge.
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WIRELESS HOIST OPTIONS
OZ Lifting Products introduces wireless control options for their Electric Chain Hoists and Electric Builder’s Hoists. Streamline operations with wireless hoist kits or adapters for existing hoists. Wireless Electric Chain Hoist is available in 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 lb. capacities. Wireless Builder’s Hoist is available in 500 and 1,000 lb. capacities. These hoists feature a 250 ft. range and simple plug-and-play installation.
OZ Lifting Products
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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-in-place 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.
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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.
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VERTICAL SUMP PUMP WITH RUN-DRY CAPABILITY
Vanton cantilevered vertical thermoplastic SGK pumps are engineered for the dependable handling of corrosive process fluids, plant effluents and wastewater, over broad pH ranges. Available in polypropylene, PVC, CPVC or PVDF, these rugged pumps are widely used across various manufacturing industries and water treatment facilities. Every Vanton pump is performance tested to the specified service condition intended.
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MAG-DRIVE PUMPS
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Chemical recycling of waste into green products has many benefits
By Zoltan Kish
Global environmental degradation requires reevaluating the new production strategy for green products that promotes competitive advantages in accordance with sustainability. Green products are typically considered sustainable products that minimize their environmental impacts by reducing waste and maximizing resource efficiency use. Economic growth is moving toward the development of environmentally-friendly and sustainable products.
However, many countries around the globe are facing a waste management crisis. Contaminated and mixed waste products are challenging to recycle by mechanical/physical processing. Traditional plastic waste recycling, in particular, has some difficulties and limitations. Therefore, most plastic products are downcycled into items of reduced value, such as textiles, toys or construc-
tion materials, which eventually end up in landfills and water resources, creating tremendous environmental problems.
Discarded plastics don’t just pollute the environment directly. New research shows that they also contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, releasing methane and ethylene, when exposed to sunlight.
Quasar ScienceTech’s advanced waste steam gasification technology is a cost-effective chemical recycling process that has competitive advantages over currently used waste management techniques. It is suitable for contaminated and mixed waste (plastic, paper, biomass, municipal solid waste, industrial and medical waste) conversion into various forms of highvalue green sustainable products.
“Chemical recycling” of waste is proposed as a process to convert waste materials into new usable products with
and
New research shows that discarded plastics also contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, releasing methane and ethylene when exposed to sunlight. Credit: marinalarina,stock.adobe.com
for required applications.
“Green products” can be defined as products produced from waste materials resulting in reduced adverse impacts on the environment, humans, and wildlife, by decreasing toxic pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, and the depletion of natural resources.
By using advanced waste steam gasification technology as a waste chemical recycling process, the produced highvalue products from waste feedstocks can be regarded as green. This process can recycle various contaminated and mixed waste materials into high-value green usable products, hydrogen, electricity, fuels, ammonia, fertilizer, and other chemicals.
Waste diversion from landfills and recycling into green sustainable products, in addition to the toxic pollutant reduction, can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural resources and negative environmental impacts.
Therefore, the produced products from waste can be considered green and low-carbon, as they prevent the release of more potent greenhouse gases from waste. Also, they can offset the release of CO2 by absorbing it from the atmosphere through renewable feedstocks (e.g., agricultural and forest waste) as they grow. Accordingly, the chemical recycling processes of waste, based on advanced steam gasification, can be regarded as carbon-neutral.
In a circular economy, chemical recycling can play a key role in waste conversion into sustainable products and clean energy. However, the chemical recycling of waste should be defined beyond the depolymerization of plastic waste, which is limited to specific types and pure plastic materials.
Zoltan Kish is with Quasar ScienceTech. Email: zkish@quasarsciencetech.com
Delivering Clean Water Solutions For More Than Six Decades
Historical designation for Ottawa’s Lemieux Island water plant
By ES&E Staff
Ottawa has officially designated the Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant near Parliament Hill as a heritage property due to its striking architectural features and an industrial cultural heritage landscape that tells the story of water supply and treatment along the Ottawa River.
Opened in 1932, the plant was Ottawa’s first water treatment facility, representing a major technological advancement by providing residents with clean drinking water. Its construction was a critical development in response to typhoid outbreaks in 1911-1912, caused by pollution in the Ottawa River.
The Lemieux Island facility was initially capable of treating 35 million gallons of water daily, with future expansion plans allowing for up to 84 million gallons.
The site, to be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, comprises several historic buildings, including the pumping
Prior to automation, the Lemieux water plant used eye-catching dials to monitor tank and water levels. Credit: City of Ottawa
station, constructed between 1915 and 1917 in a vernacular Romanesque style with Classical Revival influences, according to an Ottawa Heritage Planning report.
The chemical and filter buildings, both completed in 1932, showcase the Art Deco style, featuring ornate design elements such as decorative motifs, geometric patterns, and marble interiors. Walls in the entrance hall and main stairway of the filter building were constructed with Hauteville marble with cobwebbed veined black and gold trim. It also features a marble double return stairway, brass railings and marble paneling.
The filter building also has a small water feature — now hidden from view — which once featured flowing samples of untreated river water and treated water as a demonstration of the plant’s abilities.
The Lemieux plant is a notable work of the engineering firm Gore, Nasmith, and Storrie, which also designed several other major Canadian water treatment plants during the late 1920s and 1930s, including the Hamilton Water Filtration Plant (1933), the Glenmore Filtration Plant (Calgary, 1930-1933), and the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant (Toronto, 1932-1941).
Additionally, attention is also being given to the nearby Hintonburg Pumphouse, which the Lemieux Island facility replaced. Built in 1899 and designated as a heritage property in 1987, the pumphouse is now set to be transformed into a public park, following a fire that destroyed much of the site in 1989.
The Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant is an active water treatment facility located on a large property with additional buildings, accessory structures, operational infrastructure, and mechanical equipment related to its function. The newer buildings, additions and operational infrastructure do not contribute to the cultural heritage value of the plant.
This heritage designation ensures that the Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant’s legacy as a landmark of engineering and public infrastructure in Ottawa will be preserved for future generations.
For more information, email: editor@esemag.com
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