January/february 2016 Frozen Managing Water Under Harsh Conditions

2016 Top Water Projects (page 8)

Canadian Clean-Tech Targets Phosphorus (page 20)

Guelph Gets Ready for the Next Deep Freeze (page 24)

The Shoal Lake Shuffle (page 42)

$800 water canada.net

january/february 2016 Mark Your Calendars! VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1 Canadian Water Summit June 23, 2016 • TORONTO

featureS COLUMNS

8 Top Water Projects 17 Groundbreakers Insights into Canada’s top five water, Cave Springs Cellars’ wastewater, and hydroelectric projects. solution to wastewater. By Nathaniel David Johnson 14 Hospital Checkup Health-care facilities are reducing 31 Liquid Assets their footprint in support of a 8 A new spin on an old concept expanding healthier environment. hydro-electricity in Ontario. By Saul Chernos By Neil Harris and Aaron Atcheson 20 Plan P Can Canadian clean-tech 32 Fine Print save Lake Erie? Ensuring the sustainability of By Eve Krakow British Columbia’s new water law. By Oliver Brandes, Deborah wastewater Curran, and Rosie Simms 36 Rules and Regs 18 Path of Resistance 14 The costs of delivering water Are Canadian wastewater treatment services in the Far North. plants impacting the persistence of By David Albisser antibiotic-resistant bacteria? and Chris Greencorn By Kara Neudorf 42 H20pinion While governments sidestep stormwater responsibilities for Shoal Lake, the community endures one of Canada’s 30 Calm Before the Storm longest-standing boil water advisories. Small-town Ontario bands together to get storm ready. 17 DEPARTMENTS By Rob Walton 5 Editor’s Note CONVEYANCE Canada may be ready for a national water strategy. 24 Frozen By Katherine Balpataky After a crippling cold spell, Guelph 6 Comment insulated itself to frozen pipe damage Scott Jasechko and with a new frozen pipes policy. Tom Gleeson share the By Laura Mousseau and implications of new research on Brigitte Roth 20 recharge rates of global groundwater. SPECIAL FEATURE 7 Front The social media fallout of 26 Water Wattage Montreal’s wastewater discharge. Water Canada partners with 38 People and Events IESO to discuss wastewater Jobs, awards, moves, treatment and energy efficiency. and the latest coverage. By Katherine Balpataky

36

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 3 Register by Jan. 30 and bring a young professional for free. See website for details.

7th Annual 2016 June 23 Hilton Toronto

Fred Keating, The Business of Water humourist (emcee) Water is a critical resource for many industries and businesses. For packaged goods, food and beverage, Roy McGregor, mining, technology and manufacturing, water is part acclaimed author and journalist of the corporate balance sheets and water resource (speaker) management is an opportunity for innovation. Glen Murray, Join your peers on June 23, 2016, in downtown Toronto Minister of the as we talk about the use, reuse, value and cost of water Environment and Climate Change across all major sectors of the Canadian economy. (invited)

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@CdnWaterSummit #CWSummit2016 The Canadian Water Summit watersummit.ca editor

january/february 2016 Dust Off the National VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1 Water Strategy Editor Katherine Balpataky By Katherine Balpataky

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER In December, I attended a lecture by electoral promises for climate change, Lee Scarlett Thomas S. Axworthy, distinguished infrastructure, and First Nations

PUBLISHER senior fellow of the Munk School of reconciliation. The priorities are Todd Latham Global Affairs, who among his many consistent; however, in Axworthy’s accolades served as principal secretary strategy, the decisions that follow focus ART DIRECTOR & DESIGNER Donna Endacott to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. on the interdependence of food, energy, Axworthy spoke of the need for a climate, and water. It is an opportunity Associate Editor André Voshart national water strategy in Canada. He for our leaders to establish a vision that argued that globally—both historically unifies the groups that will ultimately CONTRIBUTING WRITERS and currently—water scarcity and food be part of the solution. David Albisser, Aaron Atcheson, Oliver Brandes, Saul Chernos, Deborah security issues have led to political In this issue of Water Canada, we Curran, Tom Gleeson, Chris Greencorn, instability, bloody conflicts, and worse; explore some of these same challenges Neil Harris, Scott Jashechko, and while Canada is blessed with an and local solutions from experts Nathaniel David Johnson, Eve Krakow, Laura Mousseau, Kara Neudorf, Eva Pip, apparent abundance of freshwater, we across the country. On page 6, doctors Brigitte Roth, Rosie Simms, Rob Walton are not immune. Jasechko and Gleeson outline the His proposal is centred around importance of mapping and monitoring ADVERTISING Lee Scarlett [email protected] eight pillars: “Begin with an ethic groundwater resources to inform water Todd Latham [email protected] of responsibility to others, to future management decisions about energy

ADVISOR generations, and to nature”; the strategy and food production, and domestic James Sbrolla should be led by First Nations and Inuit use based on their global research. On ethics, and their leaders need to be at page 26, Ontario experts discuss the the negotiating table; a future carbon significant opportunities for improving tax should invest money back into energy efficiency in wastewater renewables, energy, and water projects; treatment and what’s needed to ensure advance water mapping and monitoring, this is a priority for upgrades. Digging Water Canada is published six times a year by Actual Media Inc. particularly for groundwater; water into First Nations water challenges on Actual Media Inc. and wastewater treatment should be a page 42, Eva Pip from the University 147 Spadina Avenue, Unit 208 Toronto, ON, Canada M5V 2L7 major part of the federal government’s of Winnipeg explains the history of Phone: 416-444-5842 infrastructure spending; promises to the First Nations community of Shoal Subscription/customer services: 416-444-5842 ext. 117 address First Nations boil advisories Lake and why failed coordination Water Canada subscriptions are available for $39.95/year or $64.95/two years and should be addressed; revitalize Canada- between three levels of government has include the annual Buyer’s Guide issue. U.S. water collaboration; and finally, prevented progress. ©2016 Actual Media Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be pull together the scattered pieces of If the sun, moon, and stars have reproduced by any means in whole or in part, federal government responsibilities for without prior written consent from the publisher. finally aligned to tackle our aging Printed in Canada. water under a new central water agency. infrastructure, climate change, and First To the water wonk, these ideas sound Nations water challenges, then I look prudent. Although some might argue forward to seeing the plan set in motion. Axworthy isn’t saying anything new, But I also hope these objectives—each timing is everything in politics. And so with significant implications for water— it is no coincidence his strategy parlays consider the inter-relationships. Our the current priorities established under contributors are reminders that Canada 2016 Sponsors and Supporters Undeliverable mail return to: 147 Spadina Avenue, Unit 208 COP21, the recent Speech from the has no shortage of success stories to Toronto, ON, Canada M5V 2L7 Throne, and the Liberal government’s build upon. WC Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement 40854046 ISSN 1715-670X Contact Katherine at @CanadianWater Proud member of: 416-444-5842 ext. 116 or Canadian Association on Water Quality email [email protected] WaterCanada Canadian Water Resources Association Ontario Ground Water Association Water Environment Association of Ontario Water Environment Federation All back issues of Water Canada are available for download at library.actualmedia.ca

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 5 COMMENT Credit: Gleeson et al., Nature/GeoScience

Map of modern global groundwater, defined as groundwater that was recharged within the past 50 years or so.

feature contributors Tom Gleeson Tom is a groundwater Ground Control specialist and assistant professor at the University of Victoria. New research on recharge rates of global groundwater. pg 6 By Scott Jasechko and Tom Gleeson Scott Jasechko Scott is an isotope Of all the volumes of fresh and Unfortunately, many people that hydrologist and assistant professor at the University unfrozen water, groundwater is the greatest. depend on groundwater to sustain of Calgary. Groundwater is the water sitting between their livelihoods also live in regions pg 6 sand grains, sandwiched by clay layers, where groundwater is renewed very Nathaniel David and flowing through cracks in rock. Every slowly or not at all. There are several Johnson Nathaniel is a freelance day, billions of humans use groundwater implications of this ongoing body of writer and photographer pumped from wells to drink and water groundwater research. in Fort Erie, Ontario. crops. In spite of humanity’s reliance on pg 17 1 groundwater, we haven’t really known just We know groundwater is a critical Kara Neudorf resource, and we need to set long- Kara is a postdoctoral how much groundwater there is. fellow at Dalhousie Our research project confirmed that the term goals to successfully manage it. University in Halifax. The best goals would ensure aquatic pg 18 global volume of groundwater is immense. Groundwater makes up more than 99 per ecosystems and future generations cent of all fresh and unfrozen water on are allocated a share of global groundwater. about the cover the planet. For perspective, if one was to extract all of Earth’s groundwater (we Deep frost and extreme temperature 2 Groundwater is vulnerable to don’t suggest doing this) and pool it on changes put stress on water pipes, pollution and to climate change. top of the land like a flood, the height of causing cracks, water geysers, Current climate warming driven that pool would cover all the continents road closures, service disruption by fossil fuel burning by humans is with 180 meters of water. to customers. Band-aid repairs changing precipitation patterns in But there’s a problem: it takes a can have dramatic economic many regions. Changing precipitation long time for rain and melting snow to consequences for municipalities. is likely to impact groundwater replenish this resource. Until recently, we renewal rates in many regions. didn’t know just how much groundwater next issue: march/april is replenished on human time scales. 3 Nearly all of us depend on • Solutions for Water Challenges We’ve learned that less than six per cent groundwater—for drinking water, to in First Nations Communities of global groundwater is recharged in grow food, to produce energy, and to • Water Sustainability and one human lifetime, and this renewal manufacture building materials. It the Financial Sector is greatest in places where lots of sustains the flows of many rivers and • Upper York’s Innovative rain falls and in areas surrounded by the levels of many lakes. This invisible Sewage Solution steep mountains. water resource deserves our attention. PLUS Regular columns, including Rules & Regs, Groundbreakers, Fine Print, and Liquid Assets. To inquire about advertising, We love hearing from you! Tweet us @CanadianWater contact [email protected]

6 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net FRONT tweets #Flushgate Online at The social media outfall of Montreal’s wastewater discharge. WATERCANADA.NET When news of Montreal’s plans to discharge eight billion litres of wastewater into BLOG: Water the St. Lawrence River broke, social media exploded. Baptized as #flushgate, Canada speaks the issue impelled tens of thousands of Canadians to publish their opinions to acclaimed online. Political grandstanding between the Montreal Mayor and former federal author Marq de Environment Minister may have triggered the public’s interest, but it evolved into Villiers about a discussion about Canada’s aging infrastructure and whether secondary treatment his new book of wastewater good enough. —Staff Back to the A timeline of some of the #flushgate Twitter posts: Well. bit.ly/ deVilliersWELL Oct. 13 Oct. 17 Save The River! @savetheriver Sarah M. Comtois @sarahmcomtois Surfers, kayakers show their When even the conservatives order to love for the St. Lawrence halt plan to dump raw sewage in the ahead of sewage-dump plans St. Lawrence http://fw.to/6JmEwZe #flushgate #NotASewer #flushgate #lowpoint http://www.cbc.ca/1.3266851 Oct. 17 Oct. 19 Élyse Caron-Beaudoin Dominic Tremblay @Dominic_Tremb @ElyseCaronB Résultat final de l’élection ! Since when is Harper concerned #Elxn42 #Trudeau #flushgate #polmtl with St-Lawrence River? Playing his last cards with #flushgate http://globalnews.ca/ Oct. 21 Citizens in Vancouver set out to news/2264516/aglukkaq-says-she- BLOG: #FlushGate @SauvonsLeFleuve shame water hogs through the “Don’t The Protectors of the St-Lawrence just-learnt-about-montreals-plan- Be a Grasshole” Facebook group. River: https://m.youtube.com/ to-dump-wastewater/ … bit.ly/GrassholeBlog watch?v=mn_0EY5URUA … Have you watched this, Oct. 22 VIDEO: @DenisCoderre? #FlushGate Sarah Dorner @sarahdorner Christiaan #EauxUsées #PolMTL 19. But maybe now after #flushgate, there will be a willingness to pay. Weizel’s Oct. 25 Earth Porn, #FlushGate @SauvonsLeFleuve Oct. 23 featuring the 100 municipalities that dump #FlushGate @FlushGate lovely Alberta sewage into the river | 68% des Québécois se disent Water. bit.ly/ http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/ inquiets ! #flushgate #eauxusées ABNaturevids canada/montreal/all-the-quebec- http://www.journaldemontreal. municipalities-that-dump- com/2015/10/23/68-des- sewage-in-rivers-1.3286562 quebecois-craignent-le- … | #FlushGate #EauxUsées deversement-des-eaux-usees- #SaveOurRiver #polMTL #MTLpoli de-montreal-dans-le-fleuve …

Oct. 29 Oct. 30 Sarah Dorner @sarahdorner Kevin Mirise @KevinMirise @KevinMirise to answer that @SarahDorner #archaea microbes question, one must first ask would attach to the #flushgate why we don’t have biological contaminants & continue metabolizing treatment normally now. them in the waste plume in the river

Nov 9 Nov 7 Korice Moir @WaterPuppetry Bernadette Conant @bconantcwn Retweeted Thomas Daigle So. Who says #sewage stories aren’t Hold up. A wee correction. audience grabbers. #Montreal’s None of this should be flushed. #flushgate was actually trending in BLOG: Water Canada’s publisher, Not now, not later. #flushgate Canada this evening.... Todd Latham shares the highlights from his water tour of Germany. If you missed this story, you can read about it at bit.ly/WCFlushgate bit.ly/WasserLatham

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 7 top water projects The Top 5 Spotlight Insights into Canada’s Top five Water and Top five water and wastewater Wastewater, and hydroelectric projects. projects in Canada: 1 #66 Lions Gate Secondary For the past 10 years, Water Canada’s sister publication, ReNew Canada, has produced the Top100 Projects report for Canadian Wastewater Treatment infrastructure projects, ranked by project value. The Top100 is an 2 #74 Regina Wastewater Treatment Plant industry touchstone, examining how Canada’s mega-projects are 3 #79 Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment funded and which firms are working on them. As a beneficiary 4 of these efforts, Water Canada reports on the top five water and #82 North End Sewage Treatment Plant wastewater developments projects in Canada, and this year, we are Biological Nutrient Removal Upgrade adding a list of the top five hydroelectric generation developments— 5 #83 Annacis Island Wastewater which claimed four of the top five spots on the Top100. Treatment Plant Expansion Credit: Metro Vancouver

Lions Gate Secondary Financing 66 Wastewater Treatment Plant The Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District has issued $700 million an RFQ to design, construct, and partially finance the plant and to 2015 Rank: 68 manage its operation for up to one year. Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia This greenfield secondary treatment plant will replace an existing primary Owner: Metro Vancouver treatment plant. New federal and provincial regulations require the upgrade Engineer: AECOM; CH2M of all primary treatment plants. The existing primary plant removes only 40 (sub-consultant for process to 60 per cent of suspended organic matter in the wastewater which, after design development) primary treatment, is discharged directly into Burrard Inlet—a matter of Consulting Architect: Miller Hull concern for some environmentalists—and is located on land leased from the Squamish Nation. The new secondary plant will be able to remove over 90 per Other: BTY Group (cost consultant); cent of organic matter and will be located two kilometres east of the existing Golder Associates (geotechnical evaluations); plant. Metro Vancouver will use a design-build-finance (extended warranty Maple Reinders (compatibility advisor); and holdback) delivery model and other conveyance upgrades using the Space2Place (public consultation, research conventional design-bid-build delivery model. and analysis, concept development) The new plant is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2020, and the Funding: P3 existing primary plant will be de-constructed once the new plant is in service.

8 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net Top water projects

Total Investments in Canada’s Top100 Water and Wastewater Projects

2016 Top100 Municipal: $3.2 billion Water/ Wastewater Provincial: $195 million $3.5 billion Federal: $58.5 million Credit: Rick Radell

Regina Wastewater Legal: Norton Rose Fulbright Funding: P3 74 Treatment Plant Other: Aon (risk/insurance advisor to • Federal P3 Canada authority); BTY Group (independent certifier) Fund: $58.5 million $611 million This treatment plant will increase the City of Regina’s wastewater treatment 2015 Rank: 75 capacity and modernize the facility through upgrades to the primary (non-organic) Location: Regina, Saskatchewan and secondary (organic) treatment processes and the construction of a new Owner: City of Regina tertiary treatment process. The new system will provide treatment capacity for a DBFOM Team: EPCOR population of 258,000 and significantly reduce ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorous, Saskatchewan Water Partners— E. coli, and suspended solids levels from entering the water system. The Province EPCOR Water Services, of Saskatchewan has raised effluent standards to improve water quality and the Graham Group, Lockerbie environment, and to meet these new standards, a new wastewater facility is Stanley/Aecon, and Stantec required. The new facility will be substantially complete in December 2016.

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 9 top water projects Credit: City of Calgary

Bonnybrook Wastewater Location: Calgary, Alberta Consulting Architect: Stantec 79 Treatment Plant D Expansion Owner: City of Calgary Other: Hanscomb (owner’s design stage cost consultant) $600 million Project/Construction Manager: NEW Graham Construction Funding: Public Calgary’s largest of three wastewater The Plant D Expansion will be and overland flooding, and flooding from treatment plants, Bonnybrook, is composed of new and retrofit wastewater too much sewage. “We were literally undergoing an expansion that includes treatment processes including the largest just starting this project when the flood a number of features that are unique grit management system of its kind June 2013 happened,” Roberts said. In to Canada. When construction of the worldwide (by Hydro International), response to damage incurred during the Plant D expansion is completed in 2022, primary and secondary clarifiers, aCalgary flood, the project added a flood the facility will service a population biological nutrient secondary treatment berm and new in-bed diffuser outfall of of 1.275 million people, increasing system, and tertiary disk filtration to help that will replace the open channel outfall its current capacity to an additional further reduce total phosphorus loading where the treated sewage exits back to the equivalent population of 325,000 people. to the river. The city is also upgrading the river. “You go from an enclosed conduit Ryan Roberts, VP of water at Stantec in ultraviolet disinfection system to serve and having one big discharge to one that Calgary, said, “The project is challenging the entire plant—approximately 1,390 gets buried below the river bed where you because there is a lot of overlap between million litres per day. The expansion separate it into hundreds or thousands of existing areas and with parts of the includes Canada’s first municipal full- smaller ports that diffuse the discharge existing plant that must maintain in scale example of pre-processing digestion across the entire river width,” he said. operation.” He said the delivery had using thermal hydrolysis process (THP), The new system increases the diffusion of to be coordinated with a team of about to hydrolyze secondary sludge prior to the effluent, prevents water from backing 150 people, including the construction anaerobic digestion. This process will up the system during flood events, and has manger, design engineers, contractor, increase biogas production to be processed significant environmental benefits. and plant operations and maintenance with a new four-megawatt turbine for Detailed design for the expansion is personnel, in light of daily operations, energy recovery and production. underway and initial construction work changing weather conditions, and limited The project also added components to should start in 2016. Phase 1 and 2 are space to operate. protect critical infrastructure from river scheduled to be completed by 2022.

North End Sewage The Province of Manitoba has issued the City of Winnipeg an 82 Treatment Plant Biological Environment Act License requiring the treatment of nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) among other requirements Nutrient Removal Upgrade at this treatment facility. The implementation of a nutrient- removal process will require a major plant expansion and, given $569.4 million Legal: Blake, the age of the infrastructure and the complexity of phasing NEW Cassels & Graydon the construction, several new facilities will be constructed. Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba Funding: Public The addition of wet weather treatment processes associated Owner: City of Winnipeg • Provincial with combined sewer overflow control must be considered in Project/Construction $195 million the overall nutrient-removal process design and operational Manager: KGS Group • Municipal effluent disinfection for wet weather. The upgrade is to be (owner’s advocate/consultant) $374.4 million completed by December 2019.

10 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net top water projects Credit: Metro Vancouver Annacis Island Contractor: North 83 Wastewater Treatment American Construction; Kenaidan Contracting Plant Expansion (computer control system $550 million and laboratory building) NEW Other: JJM Construction Location: Delta, British Columbia and Geopac Inc. Owner: Metro Vancouver (prepare the ground and relocate utilities) Engineer: Brown and Caldwell (lead) with Stantec, EIC Funding: Public Solutions, and Klohn Crippen • Municipal Berger; Hatch (tunnel design) $550 million

When this Stage 5 project by Metro that were implemented during the Stage implications for site preparation, with Vancouver is complete, the Annacis Island 4 upgrade; however, this stage will now measures related to ground hardening facility will serve 1.5 million people in include a LEED-certified office building since the motion of an earthquake can 14 Metro Vancouver municipalities. The for the control staff and will be designed cause saturated soils in a riverbed to previous expansion, Stage 4, was done to meet regulations related to earthquake liquify. Chan said the current expansion in the late 1990s, and the plant currently requirements set by the 2010 National added between 8,000 to 9,000 seismic serves much of Burnaby, Coquitlam, Maple Building Code. stone columns to reinforce the earth. The Ridge, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, “Where Stage 4 was built to a seismic design will also meet new requirements Port Moody, Delta, Surrey, Pitt Meadows, standard of a 1/475 earthquake event, for sea and river level rise due to climate Langley, East Richmond, a small part the new 2010 Building Code upgraded change. “We had to position the treatment of Vancouver and White Rock. The this to a 1/2475 event,” said Jeff Chan, plant at an elevation level that would allow expansion is to be built in eight stages, with Metro Vancouver’s division manager for us to continue to discharge into the river the last stage to be finished around 2036. wastewater treatment plant liquid waste by gravity under rising seawater level Stage 5 will add more of the process units services. The new requirements had conditions,” Chan said.

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 11 top water projects Credit: SNC-Lavalin

Top100 #4 Top Five Romaine Complex Hydroelectric Projects

Hydroelectric generation projects claimed four of the top five spots on the 2016 Top100 list, and toppled the total investments made as compared to other energy projects in Canada. Hydroelectricity is controversial, yet it is the backbone of Canadian energy production. Among its benefits, hydropower is highly efficient, renewable, reliable, produces minimal CO2 emissions, and its operations have a very long lifespan. Hydro dams are also utilized for flood control, water supply, irrigation, and the reservoirs often provide new recreational spaces. However, large hydroelectric dams also alter the rivers’ natural flows impacting water quality, biodiversity, and navigability; and their construction causes flooding of land that reduces forest cover, wildlife habitat, and sometimes First Nations traditions or agriculture. Flooding large areas can also make mercury available up the food chain. Those who are mindful of climate change caution that river flows may not be as reliable as they once were in the future, and that increased evaporation of water in reservoirs will need to be addressed to reduce water consumption.

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12 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net top water projects

2 Site C Clean Energy Project 5 Keeyask Hydroelectric Project $8.775 billion $6.5 billion 2015 Rank: 1 2015 Rank: 4 Location: Near Fort St. John, British Columbia Location: Lower Nelson River, Manitoba Owner: BC Hydro Owner: Keeyask Hydropower Limited Partnership (KHLP)

3 Muskrat Falls Project 28 Renovations to Beauharnois $7.65 billion Generating Station 2015 Rank: 2 $1.6 billion Location: Muskrat Falls, 2015 Rank: 29 Newfoundland and Labrador Location: Beauharnois, Quebec Owner: Nalcor Energy; Emera Owner: Hydro-Québec (Labrador–Island Transmission Link)

4 Romaine Complex $6.5 billion For a look into the 2015 Rank: 3 complete Top100 list, Location: Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec visit top100projects.ca Owner: Hydro-Québec

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 13 water resources Credit: Geoffrey Glass Credit: Jennifer Pollock

Providence St. Peter Hospital in Washington has transitioned its grounds Lake Ontario provides drinking water for over four into a “healing environment,” including a salmon-rearing wetland. million people. The University Health Network and programs like Toronto Region Conservation Authority- led Greening Health Care run programs to reduce hospital impacts on the Lake.

Read about the radioactive contaminants that go down the drain with hand washing at bit.ly/radioactiveWC

Hospital Checkup Health-care facilities are reducing their footprint

in support of a healthier environment. By Saul Chernos

Hospitals are ground zero for healing an asthma awareness program and we full phase-out by 2020 has energized the the sick, curing disease, and saving lives. asked if they were aware how absurd it organization’s mission to heal health care. So it is unsettling to think of hospitals as was that they were raining toxics down on “Hospitals and the health-care sector less than exemplary stewards of air, land, their neighbours at that very same time,” represent 18 per cent of the (U.S.) water, and potentially contributing to Cohen said. “It seemed crazy that health- economy and are major consumers human illness. The expression “physician care providers were so out of touch with of fossil fuels, toxic chemicals, and heal thyself” comes to mind as health-care their own environmental footprint that industrial agriculture,” said Cohen, who facilities strive to become enlightened they were actually contributing to disease as president has steered his organization users of water and energy and resourceful in the service of their mission.” to adopt a collaborative approach with at managing and limiting toxic emissions. Another early success was phasing other health-care institutions rather than Gary Cohen was writing a guidebook out mercury in thermometers and blood pointing fingers. “Given that hospitals for grassroots environmentalists in the pressure measuring devices. Health operate within the Hippocratic oath to 1990s when he noticed some hospitals Care Without Harm asked a leading do no harm, we’ve been able to leverage were burning their own garbage and manufacturer to switch to mercury-free their economic clout and their mission to emitting dioxins, mercury, and other alternatives it was already producing. “We clean up their own house,” he explained, pollutants. Realizing hospitals were pointed out the enormous environmental outlining a current effort to help facilities among his country’s worst polluters, contamination,” Cohen said. “Mercury adopt clean energy, reduce waste, Cohen helped start Health Care Without being taken up in fish, pregnant women procure green products, and source food Harm, which joined a broad nationwide eating the fish, and kids being born with free of antibiotics and other additives. movement that saw the number of enough mercury in their bodies that it The Canadian Coalition for Green incinerators decline from 4,500 to roughly was impacting their brain development.” Health Care, a key partner, is similarly 70 within a decade. A typical challenge, Rebuffed by the manufacturer, Health engaged north of the border. Formed Cohen recalls, involved a Detroit hospital Care Without Harm spent a decade in 2000 by a repertoire of health-care that closed one incinerator in a relatively steering demand toward safer devices. organizations, the coalition helps affluent suburb yet maintained another in More recent legislative victories in facilities reduce their footprint. Executive an inner-city neighbourhood. “They had Europe and a global treaty calling for a director Linda Varangu recalled an

14 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net water resources assignment that predated the coalition to four merged hospitals in downtown being flushed down the drain when assess the disposal of biomedical waste. Toronto and knows it’s difficult to change patients shower or use the bathroom. “There wasn’t a standard at the time,” old practices. “Hospitals are big and a Pharmaceuticals in waterways are a long- she explained, adding that her research lot of them are old,” he said. “They’re standing concern. In 2011, Water Canada exposed her to a broader picture. “You’d energy intense, with high ventilation reported on research by Dr. Sébastien visit a hospital and be exposed to cleaning requirements, so that’s been a major focus. Sauvé at McGill University, who examined chemicals that were potentially not that We’ve also reduced our consumption the brain tissues of brook trout exposed nice. Patients would have disposable of water.” UHN has also been prodded to a mixture of St. Lawrence River water products used on them and their hospital from outside. A City of Toronto sewer and treated effluent from the City of food. I saw huge potential for making use bylaw mandating pollution Montreal. Looking for biomarker signs positive change.” prevention planning “encouraged us from antidepressant and antipsychotic Coalition members now account for to better document chemicals being medications, team members measured 40 per cent of hospital beds in Canada. brought into our organization so we a slowed response in the brain tissue “Every facility is on its own timetable and could figure out where to focus our when exposed to the effluent. More is unique in what it can and cannot do,” attention,” he said, adding that UHN recently, in 2014, researchers measured Varangu said. She acknowledged that has scrubbed some chemicals, including trace levels of metformin, ranitidine, and greening operations can be challenging nonylphenol etholxylates, which are used hydrochlorothiazide in southwestern when budgets are tight. However, the in industrial laundry detergents yet are Ontario waterways, and an Environment coalition has an ace up its sleeve—the bioaccumulative and toxic to aquatic Canada assistant deputy minister efficient use of water, energy, and other organisms. disclosed to a senate committee that more resources can reduce long-term costs. While hospitals across North than 165 individual pharmaceuticals and As director of environmental America have made considerable if personal care products had been found compliance, energy, and sustainability inconsistent strides to pacify local in water samples nationally. with the University Health Network sewer systems, no mechanisms exist to Wayne Parker, professor of civil (UHN), Edward Rubinstein oversees prevent pharmaceutical residues from and environmental engineering

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 15 water resources at the University of Waterloo, has Greensburg, Kansas, uses bioswale face on an ongoing basis. “There are characterized effluent from hospitals filtration to address impurities in some real leaders who have undertaken and long-term care facilities and found rainwater and in laundry, shower, and great initiatives, and others who still pharmaceutical levels from institutions lavatory greywater. Providence St. Peter need help,” Varangu said. Cohen sees fractionally elevated over amounts in Hospital in Olympia, Washington, uses the road ahead as continuing the same regular sewage. However, washrooms natural ponds to filter stormwater and struggle—getting across the message and bathing are unavoidable, so he said has also cut its water consumption that health care isn’t just about treating the best approach is properly disposing by 60 per cent over the past decade. people with chronic disease, it’s about of surplus medications and prescribing However, facilities director Geoffrey supporting healthy communities. “It’s only when truly needed. There’s also the Glass said filtering wastewater is costly a transition from a sick-care system to question of whether to treat institutional and wouldn’t offer the kind of long-term more of a community wellness strategy— wastewater at-source before releasing cost savings achieved by reducing water that’s a huge challenge.” WC it to the sewer system or discharging and energy consumption. “It would be it directly. “Sewage treatment plants a huge expense, and we have a very will remove some compounds,” Parker sophisticated sewage treatment plant in Saul Chernos is a Toronto- said. “Acetaminophen is relatively well our water district,” he said. “It would based writer and frequent biodegraded in sewage treatment, but have to be mandated by a water authority Water Canada contributor. some other compounds don’t tend to be before we would elect to do it.” very well removed in traditional plants.” Wetlands can work well where there’s Health Care Without Harm’s Gary room. Providence St. Peter is enviably Cohen said a couple hospitals in Europe situated on well-preserved second- Read about hospitals, use constructed wetlands to filter growth forest. However, Linda Varangu their greywater prior to discharge into and Gary Cohen say hospitals are largely water, and radioactive waste, municipal systems. In North America, focused on the financial and operational at bit.ly/RadioactiveWC Kiowa County Memorial Hospital in constraints health providers routinely

16 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net GROUNDBREAKERS Credit: Nathaniel D. Johnson

Cave Springs Cellars winery operations manager Dave Hooper talks about the BioGill wastewater system installed inside the Jordan, Ontario winery. The system recently went Innovation into operation and is the first of its kind in Canada. Uncorked Cave Springs Cellars’ solution to wastewater

By Nathaniel David Johnson

An innovative water treatment system installed at Cave Springs Cellars is the first of its kind in a food and beverage company Credit: Nathaniel D. Johnson in Canada and a “pretty major achievement,” said Kevin Jones, president and CEO of BLOOM. Jones, Cave Springs president Len Pennachetti, and Wine Council of Ontario president Richard Linley spoke about the BioGill system during an event at the Jordan, Ontario winery. “The Wine Council of Ontario helped us gain access to wineries,” Jones said, adding that his organization looks at opportunities to drive improvement around resource management, including water and wastewater. He said all wineries face the same problem when it comes to water management: “How do they manage water and wastewater in a more cost effective and sustainable way?” A pilot project was proposed, and at a Wine Council sustainability committee meeting, Cave Spring’s winery operations manager, Dave Wine barrels stored at Cave Springs Cellars. Hooper, stepped up and volunteered to host it. “We had a small, very poorly designed wastewater system,” Hooper said. “We’d let organic Credit: Nathaniel D. Johnson matter settle and deal with it the best we could. It was also right in The distinct soil and climate of Cave Springs’ vineyards on the middle of our production area. I was tasked with coming up the Beamsville Bench play a with a new system. It was a real challenge. We also wanted to get of critical role in its distinctive the stink from the wastewater that was going stagnant.” The pilot cool-climate wines. project saw BLOOM, EcoEthic, and Australia-based BioGill team up with the winery, and Hooper said it showed good results. The winery, which is unique in that it is on a municipal water-wastewater system, faced a surcharge from Niagara Region when the biological oxygen demand—the amount of dissolvable carbon in water—in wastewater

exceed 350 ppm. Credit: Cave Springs Cellars “That surcharge is what drove Cave Springs to look at an improved One of the BioGill system,” Jones said. “With the BioGill system, the discharge is pretty chambers inside Cave close to clean water going into the sanitary system.” Springs Cellars.

“Our biological oxygen demand was in the 6,000-ppm range, and Credit: Cave Springs Cellars we saw it go below 350 ppm and even as low as 21 ppm, which is Cave Springs retail store in Jordan, Ont. very low,” Hooper said. The family-run winery will now put less of a load on the region’s sanitary sewer system. Construction on the BioGill system, housed in the winery’s basement, started in April 2015, and the unit was first turned on on October 27. Based on the pilot project, Hooper said results won’t be known for at least six weeks and tweaks will be made along the way. “We don’t have a sense of how it’s working yet, but we can play with and expand this system,” he added. WC

Nathaniel David Johnson is a freelance writer and photographer in Port Colborne, Ontario.

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 17 wastewater

Some bacteria that are capable of causing serious disease are becoming resistant to the most commonly available antibiotics.

Path of Resistance

Are Canadian wastewater treatment plants impacting the persistence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria? By Kara Neudorf

Since the discovery of penicillin by discovered. However, the current reality the health-care sector and agricultural Alexander Flemming and its clinical is that bacterial antibiotic resistance industry has led to the development of introduction in 1941, antibiotics have has become an increasing threat to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in several been used to successfully treat infectious public health. The battle to mitigate this sectors and environments. The severity diseases in millions of people and resistance is a global problem and is of the threat has been observed in recent reduce patient mortality. The golden compounded by the fact pharmaceutical outbreaks of antibiotic resistance, such age of antibiotics occurred between companies have curtailed investment as the multidrug-resistant shigellosis the 1940s and ’90s, when the majority into the development of new antibiotics. outbreak in the United States and Puerto of the antibiotics we use today were Antibiotic misuse and overuse in Rico between May 2014 and February

18 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net wastewater

2015. There have been efforts to help specifically designed to remove emerging include biological nutrient processes will control the misuse of antibiotics, such as contaminants like antibiotic residues and be studied, and the team will examine the European Union’s policy to improve antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Upgrades samples throughout multiple treatment the regulation of clinical prescriptions to facilities present the ideal timing to processes. Sampling in Regina will and the use of antibiotics in animal investigate the magnitude of antibiotic- occur before and after a treatment plant husbandry. However, they often do not resistant bacteria in different treatment upgrade to allow for a comparison of consider other potential reservoirs for plant effluents and explore options for different treatment options using the antibiotic-resistant elements, such as mitigating release of antibiotic-resistant same influent source. The research will agriculture, health-care settings, and bacteria. It is essential we identify the also monitor the presence of antibiotic- wastewater treatment plants. role of the treatment process and how it resistant bacteria and genes in water could be promoting antibiotic resistance. systems receiving effluent discharges Breeding grounds for growth to assess the risk of human exposure Excreted gut bacteria, which include Understanding the risk to antibiotic-resistant pathogens after antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are A multidisciplinary research team— wastewater has left the treatment facility. transported to wastewater treatment including Rob Jamieson and Lisbeth In Nunavut and Prince Edward Island, plants through domestic sewer lines. Truelstrup Hansen from the University for example, the treatment plant effluent The rich organic nutrients within a of Dalhousie; Anthony Tong from is discharged into coastal bays where Acadia University; and fishing and clam harvesting occurs. Chris Yost from the Overall, this study will help us It is essential that we identify University of Regina— understand where and how antibiotic- was assembled to study resistant genes could persist in the role of the treatment process this issue in wastewater wastewater treatment facilities and treatment plants in Nova the risk they pose to human and and how it could be promoting Scotia, Saskatchewan, environmental health. This study will antibiotic resistance. Prince Edward Island, also help identify wastewater treatment and Nunavut. The specific processes that mitigate the release of plants were selected in these materials into the environment and wastewater plant are ideal for microbial order to investigate different waste will contribute to advancing our abilities growth—ripe to provide conditions inputs and treatment processes. The to protect water security in Canada. WC that facilitate transfer of resistance project began in the summer of 2015 genes within microbial communities. and involves collecting influent, effluent, Therefore, wastewater plants can and treatment water samples from facilitate the development of antibiotic the different plants. The abundance, Kara Neudorf is a postdoctoral fellow at resistance in pathogens. diversity, and nature of the antibiotic Dalhousie University in Halifax. Throughout Canada, there are resistance genes will be characterized to thousands of wastewater plants that help identify mechanisms that control service different types of communities or drive the development of antibiotic- and employ various treatment processes. resistant bacterial communities in Follow us at Recent improvements to treatment plants wastewater treatment facilities. have focused on nitrogen and phosphorus Both primary treatment systems twitter.com/WaterCanada removal, but the infrastructure is not and more complex tertiary plants that

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 19 drinking water Credit: Imbrium Credit: Imbrium

The IMAX project involved a partnership between Credit Valley Conservation Authority and the University of Guelph to showcase and evaluate the performance This attractive walkway is built with underground Imbrium Sorbtive Media to capture of several stormwater treatment systems phosphorus when it percolates between bricks, in Chautauqua Lake, New York. and applications over time. Credit: Ostara Credit: Ostara

Ostara’s Pearl process removes up to 85 Ostara’s process removes per cent of the phosphorus and 40 per cent phosphorus and nitrogen from of the nitrogen that would otherwise cycle treated waste streams and turns back to the plant headworks. them into pure fertilizer granules.

Can Canadian clean-tech save Lake Erie? Plan P By Eve Krakow Harmful algal blooms have become impacts, governments in Canada and the to decision makers and water managers increasingly frequent in Lake Erie. In United States have responded. In June in other parts of the country, too, as 2011, the lake experienced its worst 2015, the governors of Michigan and phosphorus management is a key goal in cyanobacteria bloom in decades, and in Ohio and the premier of Ontario signed Lake Winnipeg, the Fraser Valley, Lake 2014, the City of Toledo, Ohio, declared an agreement to reduce phosphorus Simcoe, and other watersheds where a state of emergency for 500,000 citizens inputs to the western waters of Lake water quality is a concern. because of the presence of high levels Erie by 40 per cent over the next 10 Experts acknowledge that to achieve of algal toxins in the city’s drinking years, with an interim goal of a 20-per- the reductions, more needs to be done to water supply. Excess phosphorus is the cent reduction by 2020. Federally, both implement best management practices key culprit. countries have committed to updating (BMPs) in the agricultural sector, and Given the lake’s importance to the 11 their phosphorus load reduction targets research continues to determine exactly million people who rely on it for drinking for the Erie by February 2016. The what practices are most effective. water, and the broader economic results of these efforts will be relevant However, contributions from wastewater

20 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net drinking water treatment plants, stormwater, combined areas may offer some attractive and said phosphorus resources are dwindling sewer overflow discharges, and other innovative opportunities for achieving globally, so recovery is important. point sources are also important the new targets. Kevin Litwiller is the director contributors. As plans move ahead to of business development at Lystek meet the targets, decision makers will Sewage Solutions International Inc., an Ontario company need to determine where investments are Philip Abrary, president, CEO, that enables plants to convert their best placed and it is likely the answers and co-founder of Ostara Nutrient waste into a federally registered fertilizer will lead to a multi-barrier approach. Technologies, said that while older product. Developed in 2000 at the The Upper Thames River Conservation phosphorus removal techniques use University of Waterloo, the Lystek system chemical precipitants, uses low-pressure, low-temperature Instead of ending up with a Class B biosolid, more modern thermal hydrolysis, making it simple to techniques are operate. He described the technology as you have a Class A fertilizer, so it doesn’t biological, involving an affordable solution that can be used bacteria that feast by small or large municipalities and have to be over-applied to get value out of it. on phosphorus. industries. “Instead of ending up with Ostara launched in a Class B biosolid, you have a Class A Authority (UTRCA) has been working 2005 with a technology developed at fertilizer, so it doesn’t have to be over- with municipal and agricultural partners the University of British Columbia that applied to land to get value out of it,” he to reduce nutrient inputs into the river removes phosphorus and nitrogen from said. Their process kills all the pathogens since the 1970s. Karen Maaskant, a waste streams by enabling nutrients to and results in organic material that water quality specialist with UTRCA, crystallize and grow into highly pure enriches the soil. A portion of the said the organization has “been making fertilizer granules. The granules are then product can be fed back into anaerobic incremental improvements that have dried and distributed under the brand digesters to make them more efficient, looked good, but 40 per cent is a whole name Crystal Green, formulated to resulting in a lower volume of biosolids new level.” New technologies in these release nutrients as plants grow. Abrary and increasing biogas outputs for use as

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watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 21 drinking water Credit: Lystek

An aerial view of Guelph’s wastewater treatment plant that includes liquid storage for Lystek- treated biosolids, within the Grand River Watershed that drains into Lake Erie.

green energy. As well, the final product— new technologies to play a significant could be a solution for greenhouses that liquid fertilizer—is typically injected role in addressing greenhouse water aren’t recycling wastewater but want to four or five inches into the soil, greatly pollution. In 2014, a project was treat it. The project was funded under the reducing nutrient runoff. announced by thee Ontario Greenhouse Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting Alliance, the University of Waterloo, and the Great Lakes Ecosystem. Greener greenhouses Ontario-based companies Soil Research Southern Ontario has the largest Group (SRG) and AQUA Treatment Braving the storm concentration of vegetable greenhouses Technologies to examine this water The International Join Commission’s in Canada. In its 2014-’15 report, Small cycle. As part of the project, SRG looked LEEP report notes the significant Things Matter, the Environmental at several demo sites and technologies loading of phosphorus into Lake Erie Commissioner of Ontario noted that 65 in Southern Ontario, evaluating their from urban areas, such as pet waste, per cent of sampled greenhouse operations effectiveness for managing and/or lawn fertilizers, and the role stormwater around Leamington, Ontario, were recirculating greenhouse wastewater. In plays in water quality impairments. discharging wastewater with nutrient a test site flower-growing operation in Imbrium Systems is an Ontario-based concentrations higher than provincial Niagara Falls, the technology was proven stormwater treatment company that has water quality objectives. Constructed to remove more than 95 per cent of developed a product called the Jellyfish wetlands are the most commonly used nitrogen and 60 per cent of phosphorous Filter that uses membrane technology to method to treat greenhouse wastewater in addition to removing plant pathogens. filter out debris, oil, fine particles, and discharge; however, there is potential for If commercialized, the new technology a high percentage of particulate-bound

22 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net drinking water Credit: Lystek Credit: Lystek

Lystek technology is now featured in six Canadian facilities and a seventh project is underway in California. This vapour stack is part of the Southgate Organic Materials Recovery Centre in Southgate, Ontario.

An employee of the Lystek Southgate centre samples the market-bound liquid fertilizer.

pollutants, including phosphorus in believes a regulatory approach to guide are required for healthy soils and water,” residential, commercial, or industrial stormwater improvements is necessary. he said, adding that maintaining a highly settings. The company has also developed aerobic state locks up the phosphorus a Sorbtive Media product that looks Remediation-ready present at the bottom of the pond or lake. like course sand specifically designed When nutrients have already entered His company has successfully treated to absorb and retain large amounts of the water body, Ottawa-based WCI a number of lakes, ponds, and sewage dissolved phosphorus. Applications Environmental Solutions offers a lagoons in Ontario, and has suggested using include green roofs, trench filters, rain technology for treating lakes up to EOS-2000 to revive dead zones in Lake Erie. gardens, permeable pavements, and several hundred acres in size. Its He notes that while chemical solutions may proprietary filter systems. The technology Enhanced Oxygen System (EOS-2000) is offer a quick-fix, they are harmful in the allows developers to maximize land use. a solar-powered innovation that causes long run. “We need solutions that enhance “The majority of our work is in more oxygen to be available to feed the and support natural processes, so that urbanized areas, either redevelopment microbes that eat the dead plants and they’re sustainable,” he said. WC or new construction,” Imbrium director algae, enabling them to continue this Scott Perry said. “Our technologies can process and keep the water clean, instead be applied either in combination with of letting organic material build up. Eve Krakow is a freelance writer based in Montreal. detention ponds or wet ponds, for a Joseph Kennedy, the company’s president, treatment train approach, or instead said microbes are nature’s cleaning force. of those systems.” Perry said that he “Healthy aerobic microbial populations

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 23 conveyance

A man is clearing snow from his skating rink on the Speed River in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. This image is taken from the Heffernan Street foot bridge spanning the Speed River in downtown Guelph.

After a crippling cold spell, Guelph insulated itself to frozen pipe damage with a new frozen pipes policy. By Laura Mousseau and Brigitte Roth

In mid-February 2015, Ontario was hit was suspended. Staff from other city number of programs to prevent frozen by record-setting low temperatures made departments joined in to help develop and pipes and support customers affected by worse by severe wind chill. Temperatures deliver support programs and respond to frozen pipes. Policy measures include of –20ºC persisted for weeks and frost calls, and work continued until the end of education and outreach with actions depth crept to two metres. Water Services April. By the end of the season, the 2015 residents can take to help prevent staff at the City of Guelph were suddenly freeze cost the city $545,000 and $80,000 household pipes from freezing, and a inundated with calls from people who in lost revenue from those instructed to more formal prevention program aimed had no water; pipes were freezing all over run water as a preventative measure, as at homes and businesses with a history of the city, in both older and newer areas. well as leaks and water main breaks. frozen pipe issues. In a typical year, the city might receive Since Guelph relies on a finite source 20 customer reports related to frozen Moving forward of groundwater for its water supply, the pipes; but in 2014, the numbers jumped Staff at Water Services held debrief city cannot direct all residents to run to almost 100, and in 2015, almost 400. meetings to review the event and identify water to avoid freeze-ups as this could This spike was unexpected in Guelph areas for improvement. The result was a create issues with available water supply and many other cities in the region. list of more than 50 recommendations for day-to-day use and firefighting. Within two weeks, Water Services’ and recognition that the city should Instead, customers with a history of workforce was nearly exhausted by the develop a frozen pipes policy. Staff frozen pipe issues are enrolled in a winter conditions. Between watermain quickly began working on the policy to program that directs them to run water breaks and the ever-increasing customer define response actions for customer if environmental indicators suggest the calls, staff was working around the service, resourcing, and how to prevent potential for freezing. At the beginning clock to support affected customers. and manage interruptions. of 2015, there were almost 150 customers An emergency operations centre was The policy, approved by Guelph city enrolled in this program. Those that activated and all non-essential work council in November 2015, includes a enrolled succeeded in avoiding frozen

24 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net conveyance pipes this past winter. Now, an additional services provided by a hose from a donor historical billing periods. This protocol 376 customers, who experienced frozen neighbor will likely be able to use the is consistent with industry practice, pipes for the first time in 2015, have temporary supply for both potable and and reinforces the value of water as a joined the program. To improve accuracy non-potable uses. In the past, the city resource and of the service provided. WC and reduce the need for unnecessary has not recommended hose water be water use, Water Services will monitor used for drinking and cooking needs. a refined set of indicators modelled Instead, customers with temporary water were provided with vouchers to purchase bottled water. Now, In 2015, frozen pipes cost a defined procedure, which includes tests for chlorine the city $545,000, and residual and water hardness, Laura Mousseau works on communications will mean most temporary for Water Services at the City of Guelph $80,000 in lost revenue. lines will provide water for all and helped develop outreach and education required uses. Where testing aspects of the Frozen Water Pipe Policy. on information provided by Centre cannot confirm that water is safe to Brigitte Roth is the quality management services representative for the city and co-led Wellington. This includes tracking drink, customers will receive vouchers to the development of the policy. cumulative degree days and treated purchase bottled water. water temperature. If trigger limits are Formal cost-recovery protocols are also reached in 2016, these 525 customers defined in the new city policy. Customers will be advised to run one cold water tap running water as part of prevention To read the Guelph’s until the threat of freezing abates. activities and customers with temporary One change identified through work lines will be charged basic daily rates policy for frozen pipes, with the local public health agency is as well as a volumetric charge based on visit guelph.ca/frozenwater that customers with temporary water their average consumption for similar,

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 25 Special Feature Credits: Paul Hillier

Settling tanks at the G. E. Booth Wastewater Treatment Facility in Mississauga.

Lucyna Mroczek, Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) and Tom Casher, GHD. Indra Maharjan, OCWA. Jim Nardi, OCWA.

Experts at the October 22, 2015 roundtable Brenda Lucas, Southern hosted by Water Canada and IESO. Jeff Riggs, IBM. Ontario Water Consortium.

Improving the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment By Katherine Balpataky

Lake Ontario glistened outside the certain business sectors and types of inefficient to net-zero usage and biosolids training room in the G. E. institutions have readily taken advantage everything in between. Given that water Booth Wastewater Treatment Facility in of the program, other sectors, including treatment and conveyance can consume Mississauga. A group of water experts water utilities, have not. Given recent 60 per cent of a typical municipality’s assembled by Water Canada and the signals among federal and provincial energy budget, one might ask why energy Independent Electricity System Operator governments that more would soon be efficiency isn’t more of a priority. Shared (IESO) gathered there to talk about done to put a price on carbon in order opinions from the group were that there energy efficiency in the wastewater sector. to meet climate change objectives, the are no easy fixes, that the capacity to For the past four years, the IESO need for municipalities to examine make the necessary changes is not always saveONenergy program for homes, opportunities for energy savings has available, and that the data on energy businesses, and industrial facilities has never been more clear. use and associated costs are rarely made provided incentives, audits, rebates, When asked about the level of energy available to those in charge of operations. training, and support through local efficiency in the province’s wastewater “There’s no question the focus in distribution companies to boost energy treatment, the group explained that wastewater treatment is now on energy,” conservation across Ontario. While the range was huge—from massively GHD VP Tom Casher said. “However,

26 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net Special Feature it’s a very complex road to get there. If, has a role to play in supporting energy for example, you owned a commercial efficiency,” said Jim Nardi, manager of the building and you spent X dollars switching South Peel wastewater system. to LED lighting, then you might see a “There is a great opportunity when it 30-per-cent savings; but in wastewater comes to optimization, but it requires treatment, it comes down to monitoring a lot of work and training and support and optimizing major electrical equipment of the operators,” said Lucyna Mroczek, like blowers; looking at different treatment process and energy specialist with OCWA. technologies like chemically enhanced “[Operators] don’t see the energy because primary clarifiers to maximize solid they don’t pay the bills. So you need to loadings to digesters for increased gas engage them; you need to put the processes production and energy recover; and so in place so everyone is working together on. It’s very complicated with no simple so there’s incentives for everybody.” She answer.” Observations made by some of added that South Peel didn’t expect to the experts would suggest that a very high save as much money with no capital percent of wastewater treatment plants investment through optimization of their outside of the GTA do not have an energy wastewater system—yet her team has strategy in place. This is largely due to the saved the region $8 million in avoided fact that smaller municipalities have fewer costs since 2010. staff who juggle many responsibilities, and staff lack the specialized energy-related Addressing trade-offs training. An increased level of public awareness of the importance of wastewater discharge Making the business case to watershed health has led to a rise in Economies of scale can be a challenge for pressures to improve the quality of municipalities when they weigh the costs discharge to keep it “swimmable, and benefits of upgrading wastewater drinkable, and fishable.” Among systems. With energy prices at current municipalities and regulators, there is an values, it can take decades before the upward trend toward tertiary treatment as savings due to energy efficiency will cover the basic standard, and even quaternary the cost of new technologies. If the system treatment for sensitive watersheds. is small and serves a small population, However, such improvements to water opportunities for savings are fewer, and quality have implications for energy use it becomes even more challenging to as well as for cost. In the assessment of justify major investments. “Clients are various costs and benefits, energy use and always looking for the energy bill to go the associated costs should be part of the down, but wastewater always varies,” discussion. Such trade-offs also need to Cashier said. “You can actually have be communicated to everyone involved your electrical bill go up at a wastewater in the decision-making process to ensure treatment plant, even though the plant’s any added upfront costs associated with running more efficiently. So you need to improving energy efficiency are supported. be using more than your electricity bill to assess your energy efficiency.” Given that Measuring up upgrades will eventually be required for Although there was general consensus all water systems, there is an opportunity that improving the way data are to install more efficient equipment— captured and used can lead to great so long as energy is a priority in the gains in systems management and procurement process. The group agreed maintenance toward greater energy that incentives like those of IESO help efficiency, there were mixed views make the business case stronger and the on the value of benchmarking energy risk easier to communicate. performance. Comparing the energy use of wastewater treatment plants is Doing more with what you have difficult because demand is based on “People used to look at maintenance as many factors, such as the age of the a mechanic’s role, but now maintenance system, technologies in use, operational is viewed as a more comprehensive and maintenance standards, regulatory management of the system, and everybody water requirements (e.g., greater if

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 27 Special Feature you are operating in Lake Simcoe) and step toward energy conservation. efficiency. Anecdotes of the turnover rate quality of the influent. The American of employees in wastewater operations Water Works Association Energy Index Agents of change was somewhere in the range of 30 to 50 for Waste Water Treatment Plants is one “I remember the first time I toured a per cent. “The younger staff are really convention; comparisons of electricity wastewater treatment plant,” said Geoff engaged in energy,” Nardi said. consumption per volume of wastewater Riggs, business development manger at Of course, being interested in energy treated, electricity consumption per IBM. “We walked through the control efficiency is not enough. New and biological load removed, or avoided room and there were red lights flashing existing operators require proper energy consumption and costs per everywhere; and the guy said, ‘Oh, don’t training and support to use the tools at hand. “I’m always a believer that energy conservation should be a program Energy demand in wastewater treatment is based on many concept rather than a project concept,” factors, such as the age of the system, technologies in Maharjan said. “We have to invest in people, process, and technology. This use, operational and maintenance standards, regulatory way, the people get smarter, the process gets smarter, and the technology has water requirements, and quality of the influent. become more cost effective.” year are other conventions that were worry about that, it’s always flashing Next-gen solutions discussed by the experts. The merits and red.’ This was a great introduction to the The roadmap to energy efficiency is shortcomings of each depend on their world of old-school operations.” While different for every wastewater treatment intended use and audience. All agreed there is no replacement for experience plant and every community. The that the concept of “benchmarking and knowledge, the group agreed that group discussed many technologies yourself” over time to understand the next generation of operators are and techniques being used that are why the plant was running more well educated, keen to utilize new currently outside the norm, such as or less efficiently is a crucial first technologies, and mostly aware of energy chemically enhanced primary treatment

28 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net Special Feature to remove biochemical oxygen demand by some of the leading municipalities comes in for new expansion or upgrade (BOD), pursuing off-peak energy use, that are driven to conserve energy work. We have to make sure that they decentralized treatment upgrades, heat/ for whatever reason, to see those are asking the right kind of questions,” energy co-generation, solar walls, and opportunities and seize them—whether she said. hydro-turbines. Yet they acknowledged it’s incentives, energy costs, or they are With political will, modern techniques, that each comes with its own inherent just looking for efficiencies in their and shared learnings across the province, risks, life-cycle considerations, and systems,” said Brenda Lucas, executive the capacity to conserve energy use across timelines for return on investment (which director of the Southern Ontario Water our water systems is there, and the savings can be considerable). Such decisions Consortium. “I think we need to set the could be significant. If the incentive or require careful, meaningful engagement expectation that energy efficiency is price signal due to energy prices, taxes of operations staff throughout the business as usual.” is right, with some added support, entire process, as well as education “But you have to ask yourself, ‘Who’s municipalities have significant potential of procurement staff, public works, going to get the benefits?’” said Irene to achieve greater energy efficiency. WC municipal managers, and city councillors Hassas, director strategic partnership This article captures ideas shared in the second to ensure there is political support for and planning with Aslan Technologies. of two expert roundtables hosted by Water major investments. The group agreed “The public will, of course; however, Canada and IESO. The results of the roundtable that there is a firm need for groups there is no guarantee that the benefits on opportunities in drinking water treatment like the Southern Ontario Watershed will be realized at the city level.” and energy efficiency ran in the November/ Consortum, WaterTAP, and others to Lucas said establishing consistent December 2015 issue of Water Canada. connect technology providers with end priorities across municipalities that are users, universities, and facilitator groups integrated within a broader vision for to enable learning of best practices infrastructure planning and funding across municipalities. would go a long way toward raising the Katherine Balpataky is Water Canada’s editor. bar for ingenuity. “As a province, we The new normal should almost expect a municipality to “There’s lots of excellent work going on be looking for efficiencies whenever it

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 29 stormwater Credit: Rob Walton Calm Before the Storm Small-town Ontario bands

A car washes away together to get storm ready. on Janelle Street in Tavistock, Ontario.

By Rob Walton

Extreme storm events are appearing sewers, and manage drainage flows from including one major pipe system and in the media with growing regularity. agricultural lands adjacent to the urban two stormwater ponds. The county also The reality is that many buildings and area. Problems identified included a lack installed a third sewage pumping station their supporting infrastructure are of overland flow routes and lot-grading to divert flows from the two existing not designed to withstand such events issues. The township started a master stations and reconstructed small areas of without sustaining damage. After four drainage plan, and the county reviewed the sewage collection system, which cost such extreme rainfall events in Tavistock, the sanitary sewer hydraulic grade line $3 million. The total cost for the project Ontario, residents took action alongside issues. But none of the infrastructure was $5.2 million, putting the cost per East Zorra-Tavistock Township and upgrades were implemented before the property around $5,000. Oxford County to flood-proof their homes 2005 storm hit. and implement infrastructure upgrades. As one could imagine, the public’s Nature’s test In the past 25 years, there have been response was not positive. There were On the evening of May 31, 2006, when four extreme storm events causing lawsuits from insurance companies the flood prevention working group was extensive flooding damage in Tavistock: representing landowners for the first three set to meet at the Tavistock Arena, a the first in 1992, then 2002, 2005, and storms and all three settled out of court. storm rolled in at about 6 p.m. It was 2006. Rainfall data for these events is The public unrest after the 2005 event was a very intense storm, with residents not readily available, but the 2005 data high, prompting an immediate response. reporting up to 175 millimetres of rain. captured by the Upper Thames River As a first step, the township and All properties that had implemented Conservation Authority calculated it to county pooled resources to hire an the flood-proofing measures of the be a one-in-250-year storm. Property engineering consultant to provide consultant avoided basement flooding, damage was extensive and there were residents with recommendations on how and there were no insurance lawsuits as more than 120 insurance claims filed for to flood-proof their properties. A flood a result of this storm. basement flooding for each event. prevention working group, composed While the costs for infrastructure of residents, township and county renewal related to climate change can Hard lessons staff, and politicians, was formed to look unmanageable, municipalities After the 1992 storm, certain discuss the issues and progress toward must take a long-view approach, which infrastructure upgrades were solutions. Infrastructure upgrades were considers the costs and benefits—ideally, undertaken. The likelihood of such as kicked into high gear, including public before the storm hits. WC recurrence was not considered to be high. consultation under the Municipal Class However, after the 2002 storm struck, Environmental Assessment process. the county and township laid plans to In terms of the investment made, the work together to address the necessary cost of the consultant was $36,000; the Robert Walton is the director changes—and there were many. There township and county split the cost of a of public works for Oxford County. Tavistock is located was a need to prevent storm and sanitary plumbing disconnect program totalling at the north end of Oxford sewer surcharging, disconnect gravity $52,000. The township invested $2.2 County, Ontario, at the connections from basements to storm million in drainage system upgrades, headwaters of the Thames River.

30 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net liquid assets Water Credit: GreenBug Energy Inc. Power A new spin on an old concept expanding hydro-electricity in Ontario

By Neil Harris and Aaron Atcheson Brian Weber, VP Operations standing at water exit end of screw generator at Fletchers Horse Farm GreenBug Energy Inc. is taking a “reverse spin” on the concept of an Archimedean screw and has demonstrated that renewable energy investments in Ontario are no longer limited to wind and solar. Archimedes’ screw was invented by Archimedes of Syracuse (287 to 212 BC), an ancient Greek astronomer, engineer, physicist, and mathematician. It consists of a helicoid screw inside of a hollowed pipe and was historically used to pump low-lying water upward, often for irrigation purposes. GreenBug uses the screw as a power generation mechanism for micro-hydro projects under the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program. The micro-hydro projects are strategically located alongside existing water control The Fletchers Horse World had an old mill building structure sites, such as dams and locks, to take advantage of and dam on the property that was last used to existing water level differentials and flow speeds. Where possible, produce DC electric power a long time ago. GreenBug has partnered with municipalities through project site acquisition and ownership, giving rise to the possibility of obtaining a per-kilowatt-hour (kW/h) community participation price adder under the FIT Program. The projects range from 60 to 300 kW of estimated capacity and are estimated to generate, at minimum, an internal rate of return of eight per cent. Under the FIT Program agreement, the length of the power purchase for these hydro-power developments is 40 years, as opposed to wind or solar that have a length of 20. This improves the financial viability of the projects in the long term, which is attractive to investors. Hydro is not without its challenges. An assessment of the riparian rights of neighboring property owners is required, and in most cases, the proponent must work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and GreenBug’s Archimedes screw systems encompass site-specific designs for the flow Forestry to secure access rights to the project site. This can be a slow regimes of the and grid connection. and daunting process. Further, a FIT application itself is not an easy beast to manage. Thus, the involvement of legal counsel experienced in the area of water power is vital to ensure FIT application approval. GreenBug has one FIT waterpower project under development and numerous other applications under review by the IESO. GreenBug was recently awarded the 2015 3M Environmental Innovation Award, an annual award established by the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 2009, for their innovation contribution to environmental change. WC

Neil Harris and Aaron Atcheson practice within Miller Thomson LLP’s national projects group, with a focus on renewable energy projects. Miller Thomson represents The estimated annual output for the site is 50415 kWh. GreenBug on its Ontario projects.

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 31 fine print

Awash with Opportunity

Logs floats near Beaver Cove on Northern Vancouver Island.

Ensuring the sustainability of British Columbia’s new water law.

By Oliver Brandes, Deborah Curran, and Rosie Simms

British Columbia has a once-in-a-lifetime the first time. For British Columbia’s protect environmental flow regimes opportunity to significantly improve its groundwater regulations to be successful, through specific standards and water law and management regime. In the province must: regulations—an approach that ensures May 2014, the province enacted the Water that the process for considering flows Address Aboriginal water rights and Sustainability Act, which provides an • is transparent and that thresholds are title and consultation obligations; unprecedented opportunity to modernize ultimately enforceable. British Columbia’s water laws. While the • Begin filling in the many gaps in act has several promising features, many data on British Columbia’s groundwater 3 Monitoring and reporting of the critical details of the legislation have resources; and Systematic water monitoring and yet to be developed. Effective supporting • Issue initial groundwater licences regular water use reporting are essential regulations and ensuing implementation with five-to-10-year specified end dates to assess aquatic ecosystem status and are needed to put the “sustainable” in the until it is established that existing uses maintain an accurate understanding of Water Sustainability Act. are sustainable. existing water diversions in relation to A recent report from the POLIS Water water availability. For monitoring and Sustainability Project, Awash with 2 Environmental flows reporting regulations to be effective, they Opportunity: Ensuring the Sustainability Environmental flow regimes provide the must require licence holders to: of British Columbia’s New Water Law, foundation for healthy and functioning Play a more substantial role in data provides an in-depth analysis of the act and • aquatic ecosystems and the human collection, including providing baseline the five core regulations required to bring communities that depend on these data on water quality and quantity; and its sustainability aspects into full effect: ecosystems. The act adds a host of new ways to protect environmental flow • Monitor withdrawals and regularly 1 Groundwater licensing regimes, including the requirement report that information to the province. When the province brings the act into for decision-makers to consider the force, it will license and apply pricing environmental flow needs of streams in 4 Water objectives to nondomestic groundwater use for licence decisions. Leading jurisdictions Land-use activities in British Columbia,

32 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net fine print including mining, forestry, and governance, to ensure water resources energy projects, have an array are sustainably managed and shared of impacts on water quality and equitably—now and into the future. WC quantity. The act has the potential to better integrate water issues into land-use decisions through the new Oliver Brandes is the co-director of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance. Deborah authority it creates to set water Curran is Hakai professor in environmental law and sustainability at the University of Victoria objectives through regulations. For and program director with the university’s Environmental Law Centre. Rosie Simms is the water objectives to be effective, they water law and policy researcher/coordinator for the POLIS Water Sustainability Project. must be specific and measurable, and required for consideration by all relevant decision-makers, legally enforceable, regularly reviewed, and specifically linked to ecological function and ecosystem health.

5 Planning and governance Water and watershed planning is critically important to articulate a sustainable vision for a watershed and its future uses. The act includes a comprehensive planning regime, with water sustainability plans and their ability to provide tailored solutions to regional issues at its core. Critical to success is not only to develop such plans but also to implement them. Governance provides this important link to translate plans into action. • The act contemplates the possibility of shared and delegated decision- making, which offers significant potential for improved partnerships, co-governance with First Nations, and innovative decision-making. • This potential must be fulfilled by government committing to completing three water sustainability plans and piloting innovative watershed governance arrangements within the first five years of the act coming into force.

Water Law Reform: An Ongoing Process Fully implementing the Water Sustainability Act is an important step toward improving water stewardship and water governance in British Columbia. But implementation is just the first step in a much longer path. In partnership with First Nations, licensees, watershed organizations, and other stakeholders, the province will ultimately need to continue to evolve its water law regime and approach to

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 33 Directory of Products and Services

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The 2016 Water Canada has access to an audience of report is now more than 30,000 water available! leaders across Canada. Reach the decision makers in key markets. Contact us today. Lee Scarlett Attend the gala dinner Associate Publisher in Toronto on Feb. 25. e: [email protected] For details contact t: 416-444-5842, ext. 114 [email protected] top100projects.ca watercanada.net

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 35 RUles & regs Credits: City of Yellowknife

Ashley Rivers, supervisor of pump houses Water treatment plant operator Blaine Kelso and lift stations for the City of Yellowknife, completes maintenance on a membrane shows the interior of a membrane filter. filter rack in Yellowknife.

View of Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife, from the roof of the water treatment plant. Northern Exposure The costs of delivering water services in the Far North.

By David Albisser and Chris Greencorn

Let’s face it—designing, building, Extreme care and attention is placed on and continuously operating reliable, the design, replacement, and extension affordable, and sustainable water of the water system. If not done and wastewater systems anywhere is properly, it could leave “short circuits” challenging. In Canada’s Far North, or “stagnant water” in the system. however, this challenge is magnified Water that is not circulating or moving several times over. Remote and harsh creates a high potential for freezing and environments demand robust solutions, increased maintenance costs. yet experienced cold climate engineers, affordable contractors, and skilled • Permafrost and differential operators are routinely in short supply. settlement of infrastructure: Many The challenges of operating water areas of town have unstable ground services in the North are many: conditions due to the freeze and thaw of permafrost. This creates various • Depth of frost penetration: Because maintenance issues for both the of the deep cold penetration, most linear potable water and sewer systems. infrastructure is in the frost zone, which can cause freeze-up problems. To combat • Maintaining 2ºC: Yellowknife heats this, the City of Yellowknife recirculates water to maintain a 2ºC temperature water in both mains and private water throughout the system to minimize the services 24 hours a day with six pump potential for freeze ups. The costs to houses. However, the constant circulation achieve this temperature increase are adds to the complexity of the system. significant.

36 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net • No easy fix: A repair completed during cold weather is almost double km 1, 5 0of 0 the cost of a repair completed in the underground warmer months. In many cases, ground- watermain restored thaw equipment is needed to excavate a pipe for repair or replacement. Cold weather is harder on equipment, which Not a single can lead to breakdowns and affects tree uprooted response time to breaks. The green choice Our industry-leading • Length of exposure: Northern climates consist of long, cold winters trenchless watermain On and short summers. Average yearly solutions provide a green average, temperatures range from –1ºC to –5ºC alternative to open-cut. FER-PAL in the southern reaches of the region. saves This length of exposure naturally increases operation and maintenance + costs as workers are operating under 18,950 tons freezing conditions over 50 per cent of of greenhouse the calendar year. before after gases annually There is no doubt that for the St ay ahe ad of past few decades improvements in the c urve with -PAL water and wastewater infrastructure FER have benefited many Northern communities—in part due to p: 416-742-3713 e: [email protected] regulatory demands. However, strict ferpalinfrastructure.com and inflexible regulations have also put Northern communities in a position of non-compliance. There is pressure to resolve the problems at hand, yet neither the financial nor human resource capacity to do it. The unique challenges of operating and maintaining water and sanitary sewer systems in Northern climates makes delivery of those services a challenge. Robust yet simple engineering solutions are needed. Operators require frequent training and education, administrative competence and support, and political backing. There is also a need to better educate community members about the unique challenges associated with Northern infrastructure and the associated costs to deliver what many southern Canadians consider basic services. WC

Chris Greencorn is the director of public works and engineering for the City of Yellowknife. David Albisser is the water and waste services manager for the City of Whitehorse.

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 37 People & events

APPOINTED Canada’s most respected environmental lawyers, with 40 years’ experience in Blue-White Industries environmental law and litigation. She recently elected Rob has been rated as one of the world’s top Gledhill as company 25 environmental lawyers, according Daron Abbey Sam Bellamy Manas Shome president. Rob has been to Best of the Best, 2008, as well as with the company for more surface/groundwater models. Henri de Toronto’s first Environmental Lawyer of Rob Gledhill than 25 years and has had Pennart, principal scientist, specializes the Year, according to Best Lawyers. As experience in all phases of production in environmental impact assessments, a certified specialist in environmental and marketing. He was instrumental in integrated monitoring programs, and law, and the only practitioner with the development and launch of Blue- aquatic spill. Manas Shome, principal a Ph.D. in environmental law, she is White’s Pro-Series and Proseries-M lines water resources engineer, is an expert in considered Canada’s leading author on of metering pumps and flowmeters. hydrology and hydraulic engineering and environmental law, and is an acclaimed frequently services as an expert witness at public speaker. Awards have included the Matrix Solutions Inc. has appointed regulatory hearing. Ontario Bar Association Distinguished Daron Abbey, M.Sc., P.Geo., Sam Service Award and the Osgoode Hall Bellamy, P.Eng., Henri de Pennart, The Environmental Lifetime Achievement Gold Key. Ph.D., P.Biol., and Manas Shome, Ph.D., Commissioner of P.Eng. as principals of the company. Daron Ontario team has Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski has Abbey, principal hydrogeologist, provides welcomed the newly appointed Loralee Johnstone as the new technical leadership in the areas of appointed Environmental chair of the Yukon Water Board. “Loralee problem conceptualization and evaluation Dianne Saxe Commissioner, Dr. Johnstone brings many years of experience of risk-based studies. Sam Bellamy, Dianne Saxe—chosen with unanimous working with industry as the YESAB principal water resources engineer, agreement of Ontario’s Legislative manager in Mayo, and on the board of is an expert in the development and Assembly. Her appointment took effect YESAB where she worked closely with application of hydrologic and integrated December 1, 2015. Saxe is one of First Nations and Yukon communities as

38 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net More news items can be found at watercanada.net/topics/news People & events she conducted assessments of numerous transportation, planning, building, high profile developments,” Pasloski business, capital works, engineering, and Ian Stirling said. “We will look to her to lead the waste management.” Prior to joining the Yukon Water Board through the exciting City of Burlington, Stewart spent more challenge of implementing the Mine than 22 years in municipalities across License Improvement Project with our the Greater Toronto and Hamilton First Nations partners.” Johnstone’s areas including Hamilton, Peel Region, tenure as board chair commenced on Mississauga, and Brampton. December 11, 2015. AWARDS HIRED World-renowned Canadian polar marine City of Guelph CAO Ann Pappert mammal scientist Dr. Ian Stirling has announced the selection of Scott won the Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Stewart as the city’s new deputy Achievement in Northern Research. CAO of infrastructure, For more than 40 years, Stirling has and chair of its Northern Committee, development, and enterprise studied the ecology and behaviour of said his research “has led to findings that services. Pappert said, arctic marine mammals, particularly are significant to the preservation and “Scott is an accomplished polar bears, which has led to a new era management of arctic marine mammals.” senior municipal leader of ecological understanding of the Arctic. The annual Weston Foundation prize, Scott with a proven track Stirling was presented with the $50,000 launched in 2011, recognizes a leading Stewart record. He is known as a prize at ArcticNet’s 2015 Annual Scientific northern researcher in natural science consultative and collaborative leader and Meeting, the largest annual gathering of and is the largest award of its kind. The a champion of strong relationships with Arctic researchers in Canada, held this year Weston Family Prize is administered by community, business and stakeholders. in Vancouver. Geordie Dalglish, director the Association of Canadian Universities His experience is broad and includes of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation for Northern Studies.

Join us next year in Toronto on June 23, 2016. Nominations for awards 2016 Water’s Next 2016 opened on October 30, 2015. Celebrating Canadian water leaders and champions To participate, contact Lee Scarlett P: 416-315-2042 watersnext.ca @WatersNext E: [email protected]

Thank you to our 2015 sponsors

watercanada.net WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 39 People & events More news items can be found at watercanada.net/topics/news Credit: TK Guests and speakers of the Canadian German “Talk is relatively inexpensive. Action 2nd Canadian Conference on Water and Wastewater Management visits the Sherbourne Common Park. takes more real effort both of mind German and of pocket book, and is usually Conference less noisy.” —Arthur Latornell on Water and Wastewater 2015 A.D. Latornell Management Conservation Symposium Alliston, ON Toronto, ON In the grand tradition of A.D. Latornell On November 24, 2015, the Canadian advisor at the Ontario Ministry of Conservation Symposiums, the 2015 event, German Chamber of Industry Economic Development, Trade and in Alliston, Ontario, delivered another and Commerce (CGCIC) hosted a Employment and Fritz Holzwarth, action-oriented program aimed at advancing conference to discuss innovations in managing director of Wasser Berlin environmental conservation across Ontario. water and wastewater management e. V. shared their views on recent The theme for 22nd conference was at the Ontario Investment and policy developments affecting water “Weathering Change: Navigating a new Trade Center in Toronto. Anna- utilities. Panel discussions moderated climate.” Speakers, technical sessions, and Lena Gruenagel, senior manager by Katherine Balpataky, editor exhibitors showcased some of the best practices of business development at the of Water Canada, Kevin Jones, of conservation authorities, consultants, CGCIC and Rob McMonagle, senior president and CEO of BLOOM, and technology providers, researchers, and advisor of the Green Economy Peter Gallant, president and CEO students for addressing resiliency to climate at the City of Toronto, welcomed of WaterTAP explored case study change. The event continues to advance Arthur participants. Lora Field, a senior examples of innovation. Latornell’s leadership and vision.

40 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net h2opinion Want to share your H2Opinion? Email [email protected] The Shoal Lake Shuffle While governments have sidestepped responsibilities for Shoal Lake, the community has endured one of Canada’s longest-standing boil water advisories. By Eva Pip

When the aqueduct for the City of a dyke was constructed to prevent the Less than five per cent of Shoal Lake Winnipeg’s water supply opened in 1919, discoloured waters from entering the is in Manitoba. The situation makes the water quality was arguably one of the aqueduct. First Nations Band No. 40 was for a political morass of interlocking best in the world. Drawn from Shoal Lake, cut off from the mainland access, and jurisdictions and protocols. The City of on the Manitoba-Ontario border, the water although a road was promised, it remains Winnipeg controls the immediate vicinity showed many desirable characteristics just a promise to this day. Meanwhile, of the aqueduct. Various departments of a near-pristine Precambrian Shield human activities around the lake and in ministries in both Manitoba and basin: low total dissolved solids, low larger watershed, such as cottage Ontario hold responsibilities for the lake. nutrient levels, and low to undetectable development, logging, gold mining, The federal government oversees First levels of pollutants like heavy metals and diamond drilling, and agriculture, have Nations affairs, and the International synthetic organics. The approximately had unavoidable consequences for the Joint Commission, which oversees 150-kilometre-long aqueduct was an lake. By 2009, a full-scale water treatment international treaties with the United engineering marvel, and the 90-metre plant opened to supply Winnipeg with States, is involved because Shoal Lake is altitude difference between Shoal Lake treated water. Forgotten in the chronicle replenished from the Lake of the Woods and the lower elevation of Winnipeg was Shoal Lake Band No. 40, which system at Ash Rapids. The result is a allowed for a gravity feed system that did has now endured a 17-year boil water century-old jurisdictional tangle. There not require pumping. It was well worth advisory, and has been forced to use are sundry agreements, such as a Shoal the $17-million cost. For nearly 100 bottled water on an indefinite basis. Lake Tripartite Agreement and the Shoal years, the water received only minimal Water quality in Shoal Lake is not what Lake Watershed Management Plan. treatment—it was screened, chlorinated it used to be. Nitrogen and phosphorus But at the end, Shoal Lake Band No. (after 1937), and fluoridated (after 1956). from watershed activities spawn periodic 40, which is surrounded by water, cannot At the time, the water source was noxious and toxic algal blooms. Coliform drink it. WC considered to be too remote to require bacteria often exceed safe levels. The much protection. There was no road protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium Eva Pip is a professor at the University of and Giardia appear unpredictably access and only a small service railway Winnipeg, specializing in water quality. She line to the area. The area was sparsely and are resistant to chlorination—the has been researching water quality in Shoal populated by First Nations people, yet cysts must be filtered out or boiled. Lake since 1983 it is they who unwittingly inherited an Dissolved organic matter from logging injustice that persists to this day. runoff creates turbidity and depletes Progress for Shoal Lake! During the initial construction, the dissolved oxygen. But all of these pale in course of the Falcon River, which drained comparison with the next looming threat: Read about it: dark boggy waters into Shoal Lake near the zebra mussel, now indisputably bit.ly/ShoalFreedomWC the aqueduct intake, was rerouted and present in nearby Lake Winnipeg.

42 WATERCANADA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 watercanada.net