By James M. Tinjum and Elliot Draxler A better understanding is needed of how different PFAS compounds migrate within and between surficial source areas, the vadose zone, and groundwater. These transport patterns are complex because...

By Robert Bowen Victoria, British Columbia, experienced several record-breaking weather events last year, including a heat dome, with temperatures reaching over 40°C, a prolonged drought, the lowest atmospheric pressure ever recorded, with associated storms, and...

By Saleha Kuzniewski In 2006, Environment Canada and Health Canada concluded from their studies that while PFOS were not a health concern at the exposure levels at that time, they declared PFOS and its salts...

By Tony Kobilnyk Chlorine disinfection can become difficult when ammonia concentration is as low as 0.2 mg/L. At this level, ammonia begins reacting with chlorine to form chloramines, which can also cause taste and odour...

By Dave Johnston With the right sensors and systems, even small- to medium-size water utilities can start realizing the benefits of digitalization without having to make an all-or-nothing investment. Utilities can use such systems to...

By Adam McDonald Edmonton’s stormwater infrastructure consists of approximately 465 kilometres of stormwater pipe, 6,000 stormwater manholes, and many stormwater management facilities. To better understand and help plan for improvements to their stormwater management system,...

By the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and Global Affairs Canada Canada is a key player when it comes to clean technology and climate solutions, and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service can help Canadian companies operating...

By Catherine Flannery Midge flies commonly occur in wastewater treatment plants and pond systems. Managing them can be challenging, but a local Ontario Clean Water Agency operations team used an innovative approach to control the...

By Michael Albanese, P.Eng. January 2022 marks 30 years in business for H2Flow Equipment Inc., a journey that has taken the company from a one-man basement operation started in 1992 out of a rented house,...

By Yves Durand, Andreanne Dumont and Isabelle Beaulac Beginning in 2016 and working with the help of the CIMA+ engineering team, the Cree Nation Government and the Whapmagoostui First Nation community representatives developed a plan...

When the members of Shoal Lake #40 First Nation began drawing safe water from their newly opened water treatment plant in September 2021, it marked a historic milestone for the people living on the reserve. Located on the Manitoba/Ontario border, on the shores of Shoal Lake, the community went 24 years without safe drinking water.

Many small, remote and Indigenous communities face challenges to meet established treated wastewater effluent quality standards. These communities require significant support to implement or upgrade their wastewater treatment systems to improve their wastewater effluent quality.

While preventing such waterborne infections remains a goal of improved access to high-quality water, access to adequate water quantity is also important for preventing “water-washed” diseases. These occur where personal sanitation practices, for example hand washing, can prevent transmission of diseases to other people. This issue has become particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

On January 1, 2022, the City of Toronto implemented a new foundation drainage policy that has far-reaching implications for development in the city. As building engineers develop water treatment plans to comply with this new policy, there are a number of factors to consider in determining the best solution. The design of a site-specific treatment train incorporating the use of ozone, has resulted in a significant return on investment for many building owners.

Membrane filtration is a valuable, commonly used means of filtering water and wastewater. The challenge is that membrane systems are delicate and can be easily damaged by large particulates in the water. A pre-filtration step eliminates this risk by removing oversized suspended solids to prevent damage, eliminate unnecessary maintenance, and reduce the cost of premature membrane replacement.

Every pump application differs and with growing technology, there are dozens, if not hundreds of options to choose from for each application. However, there are some options that are much more efficient than others. Selecting the right pump will lead to energy savings, lower maintenance costs, process improvements, and a significant reduction in risk of system failure.

Operations staff at one wastewater treatment plant were initially using a reciprocating pump to move raw sludge and biosolids from primary clarifiers to the anaerobic digesters. The percentage of solids was approximately 4% by volume and, in some cases, could get as high as 6% by volume. Due to the lack of a screen, the size of the solids could not be controlled, which often caused the pump to jam.

Most instrumentation struggles to properly monitor or control outdoor processes when temperatures drop to extreme cold conditions. Open channel flow measurements at wastewater treatment plants are no exception.

An award-winning design marks an auspicious start to any project. But, when the architecture is daring and the structure must house an innovative stormwater system in a never-before-executed configuration, complete with a seven-year delay between design and construction, then clearly there will be some challenges.

Last year, the discovery of hundreds of unmarked children’s graves at the sites of former residential schools, shocked and saddened me, as I’m sure it did most Canadians. At its core, this situation is stark and tragic evidence of long-term misguided government policy. While editing several articles in this issue, it was encouraging to see that things are changing for the better in other areas affecting Canada’s First Nations.

Seeking solutions to effectively remove its wastewater treatment lagoon sludge and reduce the associated costs, the City of Weyburn, Saskatchewan opted to implement a new automated bioaugmentation service.

From a drinking perspective, the main difficulties in using Lake of the Woods as a drinking water source are elevated levels of turbidity during upset events and dissolved organic carbon and colour.

Virtually no fish toxicity information exists in Canada on the effects of chemical compounds spread through stormwater runoff from rubber tires and antimicrobials used in disinfection, but new research underway at the University of...

The Ontario City of Brantford earned a perfect score at a recent workshop because the effluent from its wastewater treatment system was consistently meeting a very high standard when discharged into the Grand River. The...