Quebec has launched a review of its draft design standard for new sanitary sewer systems to be built with greater resistance to extreme weather and climate changes, particularly flooding associated with sewer backup.
Existing infrastructure has already shown that infiltration and inflow creates a lack of capacity in pumping stations and trunk sewer systems, and also increases system life-cycle costs, according to the Standards Council of Canada’s 2019 report entitled Reducing the Risk of Inflow and Infiltration in New Sewer Construction.
The new draft standard warns that from 2013 to 2021, the insurance industry reported $2 billion in insured losses directly attributed to sewer backup in residential buildings during urban flood “catastrophe” events.
The Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) draft comes from a committee of experts that reached a consensus and proposed best practices to reduce risks of inflow and infiltration in new sewer systems. The committee had representatives from Montreal, Halifax, and Vancouver, as well as Peel, Vaughan and the regions of Niagara and Halton in Ontario.
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In addition to examining the design and construction of new sanitary sewer systems, the new draft standard also addresses the inspection and testing of construction work on new sanitary sewer systems, as well as the maintenance and operation of new systems.
The new draft standard explores the impact of elements such as site conditions and groundwater levels when considering a new sewer build. Other factors, such as stormwater infiltration, soil permeation, and climate change, are also addressed.
“As a Canadian standards development organization having an extensive expertise in the infrastructure sector, the BNQ is proud that this project was able to bring together a standardization committee concerned with the future of infrastructure in a context where the effects of climate changes are already a reality in certain regions,” announced Julie Conseiller, director, Development of Standards and Certification of Products at BNQ.
The standards related to the new draft standard include the CSA Z800 Guideline on basement flood protection and risk reduction; CSA S900.1 Climate change adaptation for wastewater treatment plants; CSA W204 Flood resilient design of new residential communities; CSA W210 Prioritization of flood risk in existing communities; and CSA W211 Management standard for stormwater systems.
Comments and proposals to improve the draft standard can be made until October 28, 2022 by visiting: www.bnq.qc.ca/en/public-review.html
