Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine November-December 2009

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:21 PM

FEATURES

ES&E invites articles (approx. 2,000 words) onwater, wastewater, hazardous waste treatment andother environmental protection topics. If you are in-terested in submitting an article for considerationin our print and digital editions, please contactSteve Davey at [email protected]. Please notethat Environmental Science & Engineering Publi-cations Inc. reserves the right to edit all text andgraphic submissions without notice.

DEPARTMENTS

Product Showcase . . . . . 60-65

Environmental News . . . 66-72

Professional Cards . . . . . 66-72

Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

ISSN-0835-605XNovember • 2009Vol. 22 No. 5Vol. 22 No. 5Issued November 2009

7 Preferred status should not mean status quo – Editorial comment by Steve Davey

8 Attendance down, but still healthy at WEFTEC.09

10 Environmental testing labs – science or commodity? Cover story

14 When, where, why and how to employ decentralized wastewater treatment

18 Mineral based algaecide can improve municipal water supply quality

22 Eliminating wastewater pipe odours in Waskasoo, Alberta 24 Advanced manure composting method reduces GHG emissions

28 Laminated steel culverts standing up to harsh environmental conditions

30 An electric highway – the future of green transportation?

36 PVCO pressure pipe restores Canada Aviation Museum’s water supply

Page 36Page 36

Page 29Page 29

Contents

Never underestimate the importance of training

Shaking the project delivery tree

Sustainability and the evolution of consulting engineering

A push-pull economy and the increasedtrend toward bundling

How consultants can improve recognition for their expertise and knowledge

PAGES 38-47PAGES 38-47

Using a fiberglass tank to harvest rainwater

Keeping a lid on spill clean-up expenses

Wireless technology helps keep spills on-site

Constructing North Americaʼs largest domed glass-fused-to-steel biosolids holding tank

Choosing the right tank design standard is vital

PAGES 48-58PAGES 48-58

Nov09_ES&E_Final:ES&E 11/26/09 12:34 PM

November 2009 | 5www.esemag.com

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:23 PM

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One equipment supplier I spoketo estimated that it cost $500.00 inmaterials and labour for each prod-uct submitted for evaluation, permunicipality. With 444 municipali-ties in Ontario alone, the costscould become staggering, shouldprovince-wide approval be the goal.

Then there is the evaluation it-self, which can take anywhere fromthree months to more than a year insome municipalities. I have beentold that some approval committeesare so inundated with the lengthyapplications that they never havetime to review them all. This meanssome applications are in limbo inperpetuity.Who approves the applications?

The application is usually ap-proved by a review committee madeup of maintenance, operations andengineering staff, and possibly anoutside consultant. In some munici-palities, a successful review onlyearns the supplier an opportunity todo a product presentation. One mu-nicipality requires suppliers totravel to their location to do a 15minute presentation on the product,for which they have supplied liter-ally hundreds of pages of literatureand user references. After one sup-plier’s 15 minutes are up, the nextsupplier is waiting to give his/herproduct presentation.

How easy is it to appeal if a product is not approved?

In many cases, there is no mecha-nism for appealing a non-approvaldecision and there may be a oneyear waiting period before one canre-apply. For one municipality, I wastold that the waiting period before acompany can re-apply is so longthat, even if it was done immedi-ately, it would be years before theproduct made it to the review com-mittee’s list again.

What does this mean to suppliers, municipalities

and the public?The original goals of establishing

Approved Product Lists were laud-able. But, because of the imposing

As every student of Cana-dian history learns, theUpper Canada Rebellionof 1837 was largely

caused by resentment towards agroup of public officials, often re-ferred to as “The Family Compact”.They, among other things, controlledthe distribution of patronage, land-granting policies, the education poli-cies of the government and itseconomic priorities, and the generalfavoritism shown to the Church ofEngland and its supporters and to re-cent immigrants from Britain.

This difficult time in our historyis a most poignant example of howbestowing preferential status ongroups of people, simply becausethey are on the scene first, can haveunforeseen consequences.

For example, many municipali-ties and cities will now only acceptbids from suppliers whose equip-ment is on their list of "ApprovedProducts". I have been told that thissystem was implemented to controlcosts for spare parts and to help op-erations and maintenance personnelworking in different plants be as fa-miliar as possible with their equip-ment.

In many cases, equipment wasincluded on an Approved ProductList because it was already in usewithin the municipality.How are new products added to

an Approved Product List?Companies wanting to get a prod-

uct on a municipality’s ApprovedProduct List, must submit an appli-cation, along with considerabletechnical information to back upperformance claims. Preparing anapplication costs suppliers a lot ofmoney, and it must be done for eachindividual product. More impor-tantly, municipalities maintain theirown list and application form, sosuppliers have to submit a differentone every time. Additionally, eachmunicipality has its own procedurefor submitting an application and re-quires different supporting informa-tion.

submittal costs and the backlog inproduct approval, many improvedand advanced products cannot beimplemented as fast, or as wide-spread, as they should be. Will thisapproval bottleneck not lead to newplants and expansions being de-signed and built using old or out-dated technology?

Certainly, evaluating equipmentperformance claims is vital to en-suring the right purchasing deci-sion. However, since measuring,pumping and treating water andwastewater is a common process toall municipalities, wouldn’t some-thing like a recognized province-wide product evaluation proceduremake better sense? It would lowerthe cost for companies to introducenew and better technology to themarketplace, and it would lessenthe risk for an individual munici-pality purchasing such products.

Or perhaps Approved ProductLists should be reserved for com-modity items and products. Engi-neered systems, like mechanicalscreens, odour control, disinfection,etc., should be chosen on the basis ofthe best technology for the applica-tion.

Clearly, all stakeholders need tobe involved in fixing this bottle-neck in the purchasing process.

Anything that lowers costs, ben-efits everyone, including taxpayers,who are after all the real customers.

Preferred status should not mean status quo

Comment by Steve Davey

Steve Davey is Editor of Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine. E-mail comments to [email protected]

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:24 PM

Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine8 | November 2009

Editor and Publisher STEVE DAVEYE-mail: [email protected]

Senior Consulting Editor TOM DAVEY

Sales Director PENNY DAVEYE-mail: [email protected]

Sales Representative DENISE SIMPSONE-mail: [email protected]

Accounting SANDRA DAVEYE-mail: [email protected]

Circulation Manager DARLANN PASSFIELDE-mail: [email protected]

Production Manager CHRIS MAC DONALDE-mail: [email protected]

Technical Advisory Board

Jim BishopStantec Consulting Ltd., Ontario

Bill Borlase, P.Eng.City of Winnipeg, Manitoba

George V. Crawford, P.Eng., M.A.Sc.CH2M HILL, Ontario

Bill DeAngelis, P.Eng.Associated Engineering, Ontario

Marie MeunierJohn Meunier Inc., Québec

Peter J. PaineEnvironment Canada

Environmental Science & Engineering is a bi-monthlybusiness publication of Environmental Science & Engi-neering Publications Inc. An all Canadian publication,ES&E provides authoritative editorial coverage ofCanada's municipal and industrial environmental controlsystems and drinking water treatment and distribution.

Readers include consulting engineers, industrial plantmanagers and engineers, key municipal, provincial andfederal environmental officials, water and wastewaterplant operators and contractors.

Information contained in ES&E has been compiled fromsources believed to be correct. ES&E cannot be respon-sible for the accuracy of articles or other editorial matter.Articles in this magazine are intended to provide infor-mation rather than give legal or other professional advice.Articles being submitted for review should be e-mailedto [email protected].

Canadian Publications Mail Sales Second Class MailProduct Agreement No. 40065446 Registration No. 7750

Undeliverable copies, advertising space orders, copy, artwork, film, proofs, etc., should be sent to: Environmental Science & Engineering, 220 IndustrialPkwy. S., Unit 30, Aurora, Ontario, Canada, L4G 3V6,Tel: (905)727-4666, Fax: (905) 841-7271, Web site: www.esemag.com

Printed in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without written permission ofthe publisher. Yearly subscription rates: Canada $75.00 (plus $3.75 GST).

Atotal of 17,722 water profes-sionals and 995 exhibitors at-tended WEFTEC.09, whichwas held in Orlando, Florida,

in October. In comparison, WEFTEC.08,which was the largest in the event’s 81-year history, attracted 21,950 attendeesand 1,111 exhibitors.

WEFTEC.09 featured 122 technicalsessions, 31 workshops, nine facilitytours, and several high profile events. Ofparticular interest to attendees was a spe-cial session featuring Peter Silva, the newAssistant Administrator for the US Envi-ronmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)Office of Water. Mr. Silva discussed hispriorities for the US EPA’s water pro-gram, the status of stimulus funding forwater infrastructure, and the Obama Ad-ministration’s agenda for the nationalwater program.

Other popular sessions and work-shops included in-depth topics, such asprivate sewer system management, inno-vative applications of the small-scale useof reclaimed water, water infrastructureinvestment, recent developments inmembrane bioreactor technology, andimproved energy efficiency for waste-water treatment plants and processes.

At the Opening General Session,keynote presenter Dr. Mike Magee gavea presentation about the relationship be-tween access to potable water and publichealth. Referencing his book, Healthy

Waters: What Every Health ProfessionalShould Know About Water, Dr. Mageehighlighted the facts and figures aboutwater and its enormous impact on qualityof life and public health.

Other conference highlights includeda successful community service project,organized by WEF’s Students and YoungProfessionals Committee (SYPC); theSYPC’s Career Fair; the 2009 WEF Stu-dent Design Competition, including thetwo first place winning teams from theUniversity of Colorado-Boulder and theUniversity of Florida; WEF’s Global Cen-ter; the AAEE/AIDIS/WEF Breakfast, theAEESP/WEF Lecture and Scientists’Luncheon; and the 2009 Operations Chal-lenge Competition that was won by the2008 defending champions, the TRACReWSers from the Water EnvironmentAssociation of Texas.

During the WEFTEC awards cere-mony, Dr. Richard Kuchenrither, who iswith Black & Veatch and who is also aPast-President of WEF, was awarded theEmerson Distinguished Service Medal.This award recognizes an individual WEFmember who has provided exemplarycontributions in promoting and improvingthe standards of the water industry and insupporting the profession.

Steve Davey is Editor of EnvironmentalScience & Engineering Magazine

Report by Steve Davey

Attendance down, but stillhealthy at WEFTEC.09

Many WEFTEC attendees went to Cocoa Beach, Florida. (Left to right), Max Raoand Brian Allen of Indachem, Blake Tonogai, Dale and Greg Jackson of ACGTechnology, Penny Davey, with her brother Steve Davey of EnvironmentalScience & Engineering Magazine.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:24 PM

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Cover Story

Environmental testing - science or commodity?its own accord as long as specific per-formance standards (i.e., detection limit,specificity, precision and accuracy) aremet. Under this mode of operation, dili-gent and thorough method validation bythe laboratory is extremely critical.

For example, the oil and gas industry(both upstream and downstream) is reg-ulated for a number of parameters and, inthe case of hydrocarbon classes, differentmethods can produce drastically differentresults due to variations in extractionmethodologies. Due to the vast differ-ences between laboratories, the regula-tors in Canada established a benchmarkmethod based on using a "Soxhlet extrac-tion" which is a 16-hour technique in-volving heat and continuous extraction.

To increase productivity, laboratoriesmay choose to develop an alternatemethod but must prove equivalence(within 15% of the benchmark method). b) The samples are complex - Labora-tories that are highly automated processlarge numbers of uniform sample types.For instance, in medical laboratories thelarge majority of samples are blood,serum and urine. Within each of thesethree categories, the sample "matrix" isvirtually indistinguishable from sampleto sample as the primary composition ofbodily fluids does not change; the onlyvariable is the concentration of trace

vention by experienced chemists is nec-essary throughout the testing process.

The position of the Canadian Councilof Independent Laboratories (CCIL) isthat environmental testing is not a com-modity that should be purchased basedon the lowest price. Following are someof the factors that set the environmentaltesting field apart from other more au-tomated laboratory sectors.Environmental testing is not routine

a) Methods are still evolving – Generalwater and wastewater analyses for anumber of standard parameters (nutri-ents, some metals, BOD, etc.) have beencarried out since the 1930s and 1940s.However, most of the tests performed inenvironmental laboratories today, wereinitially developed in the late 1970s, es-pecially those for low level organics inwater and soil. The methods have beengoing through considerable technologi-cal advancements from the 1980s to thepresent.

US Environmental Protection Agencymethodologies are the basis for many en-vironmental test methods in use today.This agency has now recognized that it isnot practical to have prescribed "standard"methods for most of these parameters andit has now officially recognized a per-formance-based method approach. In thisway, a laboratory can refine a method on

Environmental laboratories playa critical role in the supportof environmental managementprograms. Critical decisions

with costly consequences are often madeon the basis of specific laboratory results.It is, therefore, vital to have a high level ofconfidence in the quality of the data.

Considerable changes have takenplace in the environmental chemistryfield over the past three decades. Publicawareness of toxic chemicals in the en-vironment has been greatly enhancedand, also, the importance of reliable testresults.

At the same time, the private labora-tory sector was growing rapidly, espe-cially in the late 1980s, and, before long,a “commodity mentality” started to de-velop in the marketplace. We started toobserve a significant emphasis on pro-ductivity, especially automation. In theUnited States and Canada, many merg-ers and acquisitions have been occur-ring; the lab business is becoming "bigbusiness". Prices have been falling be-cause of the "push" towards productivitygains and cost saving measures.

Moreover, environmental testing con-tracts required by larger corporations,can often be handled by purchasing de-partments which can interfere with theimportant interaction between the labo-ratory service user and provider.

A concerted effort has been made bymany in the field (from both private andpublic sectors) to educate industry, reg-ulators, consultants and the public aboutthe field of measurement science as itpertains to environmental monitoring.

Considering the importance of envi-ronmental monitoring results, the empha-sis must be on the science. Productivity,of course, is also important and automa-tion must be employed where appropriate.

The environmental testing field isnot, however, as amenable to automationas are other types of laboratory opera-tions such as medical, agricultural andgeochemical, and yet these are oftenviewed as models for the environmentalsector.

Environmental testing is a relativelynew and highly complex field that is stillundergoing considerable change. Inter-

CCIL member firms must invest significant capital to acquire the most updatedlaboratory instrumentation.

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Cover Story

constituents.This is definitely not the case in en-

vironmental laboratories where the sam-ple types range from fish livers to airsampler canisters, with concentrationsof contaminants ranging from ppt (partsper trillion) or even lower, to percent lev-els. The consistency of samples, evenwithin a single submission of one sam-ple type (e.g., soils) is not uniform. Soilsoften range from very fine silt to coarsegravel, even from the same site.

Dealing with the consistency of thesamples is a highly critical componentof the testing process and can have adramatic impact on the final result.c) Analytical variability must be under-stood - The ultimate "product" from anenvironmental laboratory is a report con-taining a series of results. It is usuallywell understood that these results are as-sociated with a range or "error - bar" butthe degree of variability can in somecases be larger than the client expects, es-pecially for some of the organic com-pounds. This can have a significantimpact on how test results will be inter-preted, especially if the reported result isnear a particular regulatory limit orguideline.

Laboratories are now required underCCIL’s national accreditation to reportmethod uncertainty. CCIL scientistshave taken a lead in developing the pro-tocols for determining uncertainty. (SeeCCIL position paper at www.ccil.com).d) Sensitivity of tests - constantly being"pushed" - In the late 1960s it was rou-tine and acceptable to report a detectionlimit of 50 ppb (parts per billion) whenanalysing for lead in water. By the late1970s the best detection limit routinelyreported was 1 ppb. Today, the detectionlimit requested for environmental base-line monitoring can be as low as 0.01 to0.05 ppb. This amounts to a 1,000 to5,000 times increase in sensitivity over a30-year period and the regulators are stillconsidering the need for greater sensitiv-ity for some parameters.

Laboratories are often producing dataat levels below the ability of reviewersto understand or interpret. It must be re-alized that, the more sensitive the analy-sis, the easier it is to be measuringartifacts such as contamination intro-duced during sampling, storage andanalysis. When projects require ultra-

low level analysis it is vital to carry outadditional and uniquely designed qual-ity assurance (QA) and review these QAresults before the data are reported.e) Need for supplemental testing andconsultation - "This 'xyz' result does notmake sense." This is a frequent query thatclients make to a laboratory but it doesnot necessarily mean there is an error inthe analysis. The work and, of course, in-ternal costs associated with this kind ofquery can be considerable. The resolutionprocess requires that re-analysis be un-dertaken on a priority basis and can alsorequire significant attention from seniorpersonnel (including the client contactperson, lab manager, lab supervisor, an-alyst and quality manager).

In some cases, further diagnosticwork can completely change the inter-pretation of the results. As an example,one of our member laboratories was in-volved in a project whereby hydrocar-bons were reported from using thestandard method required by the govern-ment and the results were reported to theclient. The hydrocarbon results wereconsiderably higher than had been ex-

pected. So, it was requested that a fur-ther assessment be done by one of thesenior chemists of that laboratory.

Upon further diagnostic testing,using alternative detection methods, itwas shown that wood waste materialswithin the samples were being extractedand were registering positive values ashydrocarbons. This was an important,and cost saving, finding for the client.

Environmental laboratories face significant costs

It is also important for laboratoryusers to have an understanding of thesignificant costs that environmental lab-oratories face to be able to offer thebroad range of services required.a) Professional staff - CCIL memberlaboratories employ a number of seniorscientific staff who are not involved inday to day analysis work, and who arethus not doing actual chargeable work.These staff members are needed to carryout important functions such as: train-ing, instrument optimization, methoddevelopment, research, consultationwith clients, issue resolution, quality

continued overleaf...

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management, data management, andmore.b) Facility costs - An environmental lab-oratory is housed in an extremely com-plex facility that must address uniqueHVAC, cooling water delivery, piping ofa variety of compressed gases, fume re-moval, separation of certain chemicals,cold storage of samples, significantpower requirements, along with computerlinkage, waste storage and more.

The typical replacement cost of labo-ratory space is in the range of $160.00 to$220.00 per square foot for most CCILmembers. Thus the cost to build a 30,000square foot building (or 3,000 square me-tres) would be in the range of 4.8 to 6.6million dollars. This is much higher thanfor most types of service companies inthe environmental industry.c) Investment in technology - CCILmember firms must invest significantcapital to acquire the most updated labo-ratory instrumentation as well as Labora-tory Information Management Systems(LIMS). Table 1 provides a few examplesof instruments routinely acquired byCCIL member laboratories.d) Supplies - Supply costs represent at

least 15% of a typical laboratory’s over-head. Certain reagents and standards areextremely expensive. For example, someorganic standards can cost over $1,000per gram and have a very short shelf life.

In addition to supplies utilized in thelaboratory, CCIL member laboratoriesprovide a full array of sampling equip-ment, supplies and containers, as well asshipping supplies. Each cooler with bot-tles and sampling reagents can be up-wards of $300.00 and often as many as10 can be requested for a large project.

Laboratory AccreditationAll CCIL member laboratories are

accredited by either CALA (CanadianAssociation for Laboratory Accredita-tion) or by the SCC (Standards Councilof Canada). These two bodies in turn areofficially recognized by ISO (Interna-tional Organization of Standards). Theaccreditation process is a comprehensiveundertaking involving highly detailedsite audits along with the analysis of abroad range of proficiency samples.

To provide an estimate for a fairly

Cover Story

Instrument Cost – (dollars) Used For ICP/MS 150 to 190K low level metalsGC/MS 100 to 140K organicsLC/MS 200K organicsIC 50 to 75K anionsHigh Res – MS 450 to 550K dioxins*

ICP – Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrophotometer, MS – Mass Spectrometer, GC – Gas Chromatograph,LC – Liquid Chromatograph – Ion Chromatograph * and other organic compounds requiring extra sensitive testing.

Table 1 – Some representative costs of laboratory instrumentation.

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typical lab site the annual accreditationcosts are itemized in Table 2.

Purchasing laboratory servicesReliable environmental monitoring is

a multi-step process that includes sam-pling and testing design, sample collec-tion, sample analysis, data reporting anddata evaluation. The CCIL recommenda-tions for consideration in purchasing anenvironmental laboratory service are:• Qualifications of the staff – many staffare involved in carrying out an environ-mental laboratory program and the buyer

must be assured of their qualifications.• Relevant project experience – it isimportant to ensure that the laboratoryselected has sufficient experience withthe type of project requested.• Relevant laboratory equipment andfacilities – if, for example, the intendedproject involves very low detection lim-its, the bidding labs must have the appro-priate “clean rooms” and the necessaryinstrumentation such as Inductively Cou-pled Plasma Spectrophotometer/MassSpectrometer (for metals) or high-reso-

lution Mass Spectrometer (for organics). • Accreditation – the laboratory musthave the relevant accreditation. It is im-portant that the buyer be supplied withthe details of a laboratory’s accredita-tion to make sure they are accredited forevery test that could be requested in aparticular project. As well, the labora-tory must be able to show their systemswith respect to sample management,data management and archiving.

Two envelope bid protocolIt is essential that we continually ad-

vocate a bidding process that ensuresthat the buyer is considering best overallvalue over the lowest bid. Indeed, CCILrecommends a two-envelope bid proto-col so that the best proposal is selectedwithout consideration of the bid price.Once the firm is selected, the price pro-posal is opened and the value of the con-tract is further negotiated.

This bid protocol is also recom-mended by the various engineering as-sociations in Canada.

For more information, visitwww.ccil.com

Cover Story

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Table 2. Annual CCIL accreditation costs.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:24 PM


Wastewater Treatment

This way, the entire system is self-con-tained and does not rely on transportingwastewater to another location or dis-charging to a water body that affectsothers.

Subsurface disposal is accomplishedthrough infiltration beds, trenches ordrip irrigation. Again, each option has itsadvantages and disadvantages. Drivingfactors for the soil dispersal technologyemployed will be the local regulations,soil conditions and land availability.

Water reuse is emerging as an inte-grated water management necessity. It in-cludes replacing domestic water withtreated reuse water for irrigation, fireprotection, commercial laundry and toiletflushing. Government regulations arebeing amended to allow many of theseoptions and more. The presence of de-centralized facilities with treated waste-water within the community allows reuseoptions to be more easily implemented.

FundingIn most cases, decentralized waste-

water projects serving new residentialdevelopments are funded by internaliz-ing the capital costs of the wastewatersystem into the development cost. Thewastewater collection, treatment, and

In Part one of this article, we de-scribed the centralized “big pipe”wastewater treatment system anddiscussed where it makes sense to

consider combining decentralized serv-ices.

When considering a decentralizedsystem, three questions should be ad-dressed:• What technologies could provide long-term treatment and disposal?• How should the systems be funded?• What management structure should be put in place?

Assuming that the decentralizedwastewater systems are clustered andthat treatment equivalent to, or betterthan the centralized system is desired,there will be pretreatment systems be-fore disposal.

Technologies for long-term treatmentlie in two broad categories: natural andmechanical systems. The difference is thepassive and active nature of these meth-ods. Passive systems include lagoons,single-pass and recirculating filters, andconstructed wetlands. Mechanical sys-tems include activated sludge, rotatingbiological contactors, oxidation ditches,sequencing batch reactors, and mem-brane bioreactors.

Generally, the natural system tech-nologies require larger footprints, lessO&M and less energy to operate. Me-chanical systems are more compact andhave higher process control and sophis-tication. The advantages and disadvan-tages of each should be considered foreach application.

For example, where land area is nota factor and less maintenance is desired,a constructed wetland is an excellentchoice for a decentralized residentialsetting. Where land is at a premium andoperations personnel are available on adaily basis, a packaged treatment plantmay be more desirable.

Disposal technologies include sur-face water discharge, subsurface disper-sal, and reuse. One of the major benefitsof a decentralized approach is that all ofthese options can be considered. Mostoften subsurface disposal is chosen.

disposal system is installed and turnedover to the management entity as a com-pleted system. Retrofitting an existingunsewered area is generally funded bythe municipality through bonds, loansand grants paid by the benefiting prop-erty owners.

Therefore, the implementation of adecentralized wastewater system is notoften burdened by funding issues. How-ever, it should be recognized that fundingprograms currently favour centralizedwastewater approaches.

In 2008, the National DecentralizedWater Resources Capacity DevelopmentProject, a cooperative effort funded bythe United States EPA, published NewApproaches in Decentralized Water In-frastructure. Some of the reasons thatdecentralization has not caught on werediscussed in this report. Fear of liabilityand the financial disincentive for engi-neers to propose decentralized waste-water systems were identified by manycommunities as two of the main barriers.

Communities must rely on their engi-neering consultants to provide them withbalanced views of their options. Thestudy concluded that “two major changes

The Mississippi River in northern Minnesota is being protected by decentral-ized wastewater options.

When, where, why and how to employ decentralizedwastewater treatment - Part two By Curtis J. Sparks and Ryan Devlin


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:24 PM

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Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:24 PM


Wastewater Treatment

need to occur before the engineers willfeel safer in their recommendations: theyare management and funding.”

Until grants and low-interest loansare available for decentralized waste-water systems, the centralized approachwill continue to be favoured by commu-nities. Government changes are neededto eliminate this economic disparity.Provinces across Canada are closelywatching this issue as it unfolds in theUS, as the guidelines established by theEPA are directly applicable in Canada.

Management of decentralized wastewater systems

In both Canada and the US, propermanagement of wastewater systems hasbecome an issue at almost every level ofgovernment. Management includes own-ership, financial management, operationand maintenance and public education.The US EPA has identified managementof on-site and clustered decentralizedsystems as critical to the performance ofany wastewater system, and it publishedvoluntary guidelines in March 2003.

The decision on decentralized sys-tems lies with local units of government,and regulation is by the provincial andstate governments. Provinces and stateshave also addressed the managementissue through several approaches, in-

cluding permit programs, guidance andrules. Alberta has management priori-ties that strongly favour municipal man-agement over homeowner associations.

There is evidence that many smallercommunities may not have any greaterability to manage decentralized systemsthan a homeowner association. In thesecases, private ownership or regionalmanagement programs may be more ap-propriate.

The municipalities where decentral-ized systems are proposed as the primarytreatment method need to create a planfor proper management. Many govern-ment and private options exist, so thereis no reason that proper management ofdecentralized wastewater systems cannotbe accomplished to guarantee long-termfiscal and operational performance.

Case studyOne very good example of how local

municipal governance has decided toadopt the decentralized process as partof its infrastructure planning process isLac Ste. Anne County (LSAC) in centralAlberta. LSAC is located 25 minuteswest of Edmonton, north of Highway 16.

The County’s planning and develop-ment manager, Tanya Vanderwell, com-mented that the main reason LSACdecided to look at decentralization was

that it did not own any property in thearea where a high level of growth wasoccurring. The creation of a traditionallagoon also puts building restrictions onadjoining land.

According to Vanderwell, LSAC’smajor concerns about current waste-water strategies are to create lots that cansustain the amount of sewage producedfor the development on-site. Havingenough property area to create buildingsites and having sufficient room for ad-ditional sewage systems if the first sys-tem fails are the two key factors in thewastewater treatment system selectionprocess.

“In many cases, the County, throughits developers, wanted to create a higher-density subdivision than is allowed byour Land Use Bylaw and Municipal De-velopment Plan,” she added.

Developers who are creating high-density subdivisions are in favour of de-centralization as it allows for a greaternumber of lots to be created on a smallerparcel of land and is environmentallyfriendly. This provides a higher level ofservice to residents who wish to moveinto Lac Ste. Anne County. Residentsget the benefits and services of city lifein a country setting.

“Lac Ste. Anne County likes to takeon new initiatives and plan for a sustain-able future for all residents,” said Van-derwell. “This summer, the concept ofdecentralization will be presented to thepublic as more projects are reviewedand approved.”

It is slowly being realized that ex-panding centralized wastewater systemsis not sustainable and will not meet long-term needs. No longer can we pump andflush our valuable water resources into ariver. Recharging groundwater suppliesis critical, and decentralized treatmentcan help accomplish this.

Education is still needed for munici-palities and the public to bring all in-volved parties on board. Decentralizedwater and wastewater systems may bethe key to assuring there will be ade-quate water supplies and a healthy eco-system now and in the future.

Curtis J. Sparks and Ryan Devlin are with Stantec. E-mail:

[email protected] or [email protected]

A decentralized wastewater system fits almost transparently into a development.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:25 PM

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Mineral-based algaecide can improve municipal water supply quality By Frank R. Varseveld

nutrient-rich run-off from fertilizers, de-caying organic matter and other wastes.A further observation is that cyanobacte-ria (blue-green algae) is becoming moreprevalent in many areas of Canada.Cyanobacteria is a serious concern, as itstoxins can be quite poisonous.

There are many examples each yearof wildlife, livestock, pets, even humans,experiencing illness, and, in some cases,death from exposure to algal toxins.

Natural mineral ions can control contamination

Primary disinfectants are not particu-larly useful in controlling algae in largewater bodies. Halogens, like chlorine, killtarget organisms quickly by oxidation.However, they have several significantlimitations. They are often only effectivefor hours before they become ineffectivedue to evaporation, or chemical change,by being exposed to sunlight.

Chlorine can be dangerous to handle

Protecting water quality is an on-going concern for those re-sponsible for municipal watersupplies. It requires a high state

of alertness, competence and diligenceto monitor and control the many vari-ables that can impact quality.

One variable is algal growth whenweather conditions, nutrient levels andwater conditions are favourable. There areapproximately 30,000 different varietiesof algae and they are one of the hardiestand most widespread living organisms onour planet. The presence of algae canquickly bring about negative impacts onthe physical, chemical and aesthetic char-acteristics of drinking water, includingchanges in colour, taste, smell, turbidity,bacteria count and algal toxins.

It is quite clear that the problem ofalgae control is becoming an increasinglyurgent matter as human settlements movetowards water supplies that are receiving

and can form undesirable secondaryproducts, such as trihalomethanes, whencombined with organics. Because ofthese limitations, it is not practical, oreconomic, to apply halogen-based prod-ucts to large water bodies. Algal toxinssuch as geosmin and methyl isoborneol(MIB) can be partially removed with ac-tivated carbon. However, this is an ex-pensive solution and is typically onlyabout 50% effective.

A preferred solution is to employmethods that stop algal growth before itproduces these undesirable contaminants.

The use of minerals to control bacte-ria and algae in water can be traced backto the early Egyptians. They used copperurns to keep stored water safe from bio-logical contamination. Early settlers inNorth America used silver and coppercoins in wooden water barrels for thesame reason.

In recent times, granulated copper

Water Supply

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:25 PM

Water Supply

sulphate has been used to control algaein municipal and agricultural water stor-age. However, because of uneven distri-bution, unpredictable dissolution of thegranules and the high application rateneeded to be effective, “hot spots” arecommon. In addition, under-water soilstypically become overloaded with cop-per from repeated use of granulated cop-

per sulphate. Any benefits from thistreatment method are typically short-lived as precipitation from the dissolvedcopper sulphate is common. For thesereasons, granulated copper sulphate isno longer acceptable by many regulatoryagencies for use as an algaecide.

Research has recently resulted incopper-based products which are effec-

tive, eco-friendly, economical and safefor human consumption.

Public safety issuesCopper is a natural mineral, recog-

nized universally as an essential nutrientfor humans, livestock, wildlife andplants. Copper cannot be synthesized inthe body, so the human diet must supply

Water supply reservoir before application of algaecide. After two weeks of treatment, the reservoir is free of algae.



Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:25 PM


Water Supply

water treatment industry has been tofind a way to harness the biocidal prop-erties of copper coupled with fast anduniform dispersion, while using onlyminute amounts.

For decades, many researchers havelaboured over the challenge to maintaincopper in Cu++ speciation for extendedperiods with inconsistent success. Re-cent technological breakthroughs makepossible formulations that provide thesedesirable characteristics. These will un-doubtedly become the product of choicefor water quality managers.

Selective biological controlis possible

Fortunately, algae and pathogenicbacteria are less tolerant to ionized cop-per than beneficial bacteria, so selectivecontrol is possible simply by controllingthe dosage. This form of copper targetsa variety of organisms in order of in-creasing copper tolerance as follows:• Generally algae are the least tolerant; • Fungi, bacteria;• Nematodes (worms) gastropods (snails), larvae.

There is some overlap of copper tol-

regular amounts. The average daily di-etary requirement for copper in adult hu-mans is estimated to be about 2 mg perday, which is in the order of one hundredtimes more than the copper that will beconsumed from drinking water that hasreceived treatment with properly formu-lated ionic copper.

The liver is the major storage organfor copper, where it is bound with pro-tein. Excess copper is eliminated throughbile, feces and urine. The US Environ-mental Protection Agency has set 1.3parts per million (ppm) as the level thatwill not cause any health problems.

The World Health Organization con-cluded in 1974 that the fatal human doseof copper salts is approximately 200 mgper kilogram of body weight. It is veryrare that humans succumb to copper poi-soning, indicating that the human bodycan adapt to a wide variation in copperintake without ill effects.

Copper must be present in correctionic speciation

Research has shown that copper ismost effective when it is present as hexa-aqua cupric ions. The challenge for the

erance in each of these groups. Thisform of copper is a very useful, versatileand economical tool that can assist thoseresponsible for the quality of water andwater environments.

Application of liquid ionic copper concentrate

Liquid ionic copper concentrate is typ-ically used in concentrations between 0.04to 1 part per million (ppm), depending onthe application. It is supplied in a concen-tration of 5% copper (60,000 ppm).

Dilution ratios for the concentratewill, therefore, be between 1:60,000 and1:1,500,000 to achieve the above con-centrations. For algae control in munici-pal drinking water, dilution ratiosbetween 1:600,000 to 1:120,000 (0.1 –0.5 ppm) are common. In more easilyunderstood terms, 0.5 ppm would repre-sent 0.02 mg of copper in three litres ofwater.

Dilution ratios of 1:60,000 to 1:120,000 (1.0 to 0.5 ppm) of this form ofcopper are commonly used for controlof bacteria such as E.coli, coliform,streptococcus faecalis, salmonella, ente-rococci, and other pathogens used as in-

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dicators to assess water quality. As per Health Canada regulations,

the maximum limit for copper in drink-ing water is 1 ppm.

Copper products must be properly formulated

Copper products must be formulatedto resist precipitation, and to maintainionic speciation for long periods, regard-less of high pH, or organic matter levels.Consumption of the copper will gradu-ally diminish as it is assimilated bymicro-organisms.

The copper solution must be formu-lated so that it will not form any harmfulsecondary chemical compounds. Formu-lations must also be compatible withother disinfectant systems and additivesincluding flocculants, chlorine, ozoneand ultraviolet treatment.

Whereas halogens work by oxidizingmicro-organisms, disinfection with ioniccopper takes place when positivelycharged cupric ions form electrostaticbonds with negatively charged areas onthe cell walls of micro-organisms. Theseelectrostatic bonds create stresses thatlead to distorted cell wall permeability,

minimizing normal intake of life sus-taining nutrients.

Once inside the cell wall, copper ionsreact with sulphur-containing aminoacids in the proteins used for photosyn-thesis. As a result photosynthesis isblocked, leading to cell lysis and death.

If the cell manages to live for a shorttime, the reproduction process is ham-pered by the presence of copper ions andreproduction of the micro-organism isstopped. In this way, copper becomes apotent biocide in minute quantities, yet issafe for consumption by humans andlivestock.

SummaryThe use of an ionic copper bacterio-

static algaecide can be an environmen-tally responsible and safe method ofcontrolling algae and algae toxins in mu-nicipal drinking water. The benefits in-clude improvement in water quality,reduced water treatment costs and theadoption of greater environmental re-sponsibility.

Frank Varseveld is withEnvirEau Technologies Inc. E-mail:

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Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:25 PM


Odour Control

The Waskasoo Regional Services Board (WRSB) is agroup of small communities in central Alberta. Sim-ilar to many small communities, the sewage is col-lected in the town’s system and then transmitted to a

larger sewer system that eventually leads to a wastewater treat-ment facility (WWTF). The area’s transmission sewer is ap-proximately 25 km long, joining the city of Red Deer’scollection system just prior to the WWTF. Red Deer serves amuch larger population base of close to 90,000 residents.

WRSB’s transmission system was designed to supportgrowth for an additional 30+ years for all contributing sources,but it is currently operating at only 20-30% of capacity. Theaverage daily flow is 1,500 m3. The transmission system con-sists of both forcemain and gravity sections as well as threepumping stations that operate in sequence. After the thirdpumping station, the forcemain transitions to a gravity mainwithin the city limits.

There are 46 manhole locations on this gravity section of theWRSB transmission sewer. With expansion in recent years, thesemanhole locations are now at the heart of new residential devel-opment areas in the city. A paved trail runs parallel to the roadwith multiple sewer air release points. These manhole points arezones where the public has close contact with the existing grav-

ity sewer line. After this gravity section, the sewage combineswith the Red Deer collection system en route to the WWTF.

Odour and corrosion problemsOdour issues arose at these access points on the gravity main,

and local residents and passersby initially brought these to thecity of Red Deer’s attention, as the problems occurred withincity limits. However, further investigation revealed that WRSB’ssewage transmission line was responsible for the odours.

The low flow through WRSB’s collection system causeslonger retention of the sewage during transmission. This is aleading contributor to anaerobic conditions that generate odor-ous compounds. Although odours were the initial concern, fur-ther investigation showed corrosion within the collectionsystem from the high level of odorous compounds, specificallyhydrogen sulphide (H2S) and this was the driving factor fortreatment in this case.

Pilot studiesWRSB had been researching treatment options for some

time, as their system has been in place since 1984. Recent res-idential encroachment required the odorous conditions be com-pletely dealt with. Many liquid-phase solutions had beeninvestigated over the years, with limited success. These in-cluded a wide variety of enzymes as well as chemical treatmentutilizing chlorine, peroxide, and caustic soda. A number ofphysical changes were made to the collection system to de-crease H2S generation but, due to the long retention, these hadminimal effect. The Board implemented vapour-phase odourcontrol on the gravity main, but it also had little effect and didnot address the corrosion issues.

WRSB’s contract consulting firm, Watertech EngineeringResearch & Health Inc., of Calgary, then contacted SiemensWater Technologies. Through discussions with WRSB andWatertech, Siemens developed a treatment approach thatincorporated different liquid-phase technologies, and theyhelped conduct a pilot trial comparing two liquid-phase

Eliminating wastewater pipe odours in Waskasoo, Alberta

By Bryan Haan

A sewer release air point.



Odour Control

approaches. The WRSB tested Siemens’Bioxide™ process and iron salts (ferricchloride) for five days each.

The Bioxide process is a bio-chemicalapproach that provides removal of exist-ing sulphides as well as prevention oftheir further formation. These attributesenable the process to treat not only exist-ing issues in the sewage but also long re-tention of the sewage. By comparison,iron salts chemically treat existing sul-phides through binding and precipitationof the newly formed particles.

The WRSB set up three monitoringlocations for the trial: Pumping Station#2, Pumping Station #3, and a manholealong the gravity section within the citylimits. The manhole was to be the keycontrol location as that was whereodours were measured to be the highest,and it was also the closest location tosensitive receptors. Both trials includedliquid and vapour testing, although thevapour H2S loading results were to bethe primary monitoring tool.

Both treatment options showed posi-tive results during their respective trialperiods. The Bioxide process reducedthe average daily loading by over 125ppm of H2S and approached non-de-tectable conditions. Using iron salts alsoreduced H2S to non-detectable limits.

During the pilot trial, the WRSBodour control team adapted the dosageregime for both products to the flowconditions, specifically the diurnal char-acteristics. A two pump system wasused, allowing for three different dosage

rates throughout the day. Permanent odour solution

Siemens Water Technologies issued acomprehensive report to Watertech which,in turn, confirmed the results to WRSB.Product classification (hazardous vs. non-hazardous), dosage regime, dosage vol-umes, and chemical feed considerationand storage, were all factors considered inthe reporting. The levels of treatmentachieved by the liquid-phase approachalso targeted corrosion control protectionfor the system.

WRSB used the information gainedthrough the Siemens pilot to implementa liquid-phase treatment program as itspermanent solution. Monitoring resultsfrom the pilot trial also showed higher-than-acceptable levels of H2S in the wetwells at PS #2 and PS #3. WRSB usedSiemens’ recommendations to imple-ment three dosage locations - one ateach pumping station on the transmis-sion system. While both products thatwere trialed showed positive results,when all factors were considered, theBioxide process was chosen as the pre-

ferred treatment solution. As the esti-mated annual costs of this applicationfor both products were nearly identical,ease of implementation and operationswere mainly considered.

According to Terry Linthorne, leadoperator at WRSB, the non-hazardousnature of the Bioxide process and howthat correlated to storage and feedequipment was key. This was especiallyimportant because the process would beincorporated into the small existingpumping stations, and storage would beoutside. In addition, the Bioxide processalso required roughly half the dosage ofthat of the ferric chloride on this appli-cation, so operational considerations andassociated costs would be less than thoseof iron salts.

Siemens Water Technologies sup-plied each of the three pumping stationswith a complete system that included achemical feed panel, double wall storagetanks, and the Bioxide process itself.

During commissioning of the system,additional odour analysis ensured thatthe correct dosage regime was imple-mented. This again took into considera-tion the diurnal flow characteristics andseasonal flow alterations. The systemhas been successfully treating the entiresystem since the Summer of 2007, withminimal operator involvement.

Bryan Haan is with Siemens WaterTechnologies Canada, Inc., Markham, Ontario. E-mail:[email protected]

The Bioxide process is a bio-chemical

approach that providesremoval of existing sulphides as well asprevention of their further formation.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:26 PM


Biosolids Management

man, director of Soil Foodweb CanadaEast, “it seems to me that this is a matterof ‘sooner or later’ and the amount oftotal CO2 will be the same in the end.Raw compost feed stocks will releaseCO2 rapidly as the compost food webconsumes the easy, simple foods, sugars,

Greenhouse gases are emittedfrom stored manure and otherdecomposing organic waste.They consist of three main

components: carbon dioxide, methaneand nitrous oxide.

Carbon dioxide emissions from de-caying organic matter are classified asneutral because they are considered to bepart of the natural carbon cycle, with theamount of CO2 released dependent onthe volume of the material decomposing.

Methane and nitrous oxide productionusually occurs under specific conditions;in the case of methane, the absence ofsufficient oxygen is the usual cause. Al-though methane remains in the atmos-phere for a shorter time than carbondioxide, its levels are reportedly increas-ing. Methane traps 20 times as much heatas carbon dioxide. Two contributors ofmethane emissions are agricultural prac-tices and landfill of organic substances.

“Regarding the effect of compost turn-ing on CO2 release,” says Dr. Jason Hof-

amino acids and all of the other metabolicintermediates they contain. This rateslows, although it does continue, as theremaining material becomes increasinglyresistant to decomposition. Achieving astable, compost sooner will come with afaster rate of CO2 release but no realchange in the total amount released.”

When considering methane produc-tion, we must first consider the methodsof decomposition: aerobic, involving ex-posure to considerable amounts of oxy-gen; anaerobic, where little or no oxygenis present; and fermentation.

The aerobic Advanced BiologicalCompost™ (ABC) method focuses oncreating environments with a balancethat encourages a broad spectrum of ap-propriate microbes tailored for specificplant growth. The microbial profile canbe formulated in accordance with the in-gredients of the material being com-posted in order to meet the end use ofthe application of the compost produced.

The main microbial focus is fungal-dominated compost. The ABC methodhelps stabilize the release of ammonia/ni-trogen from decomposing waste organicmaterial.

“As methanogenic bacteria are strictanaerobes and tolerate even low levelsof O2 poorly or not at all,” says Dr. Hof-man, “aerobic composting could elimi-nate methane production and release. Acarefully managed ABC method of com-

Agricultural practices for reducing greenhouse gasesBy Michael Morris


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posting will not produce any methane. “What really seems to me to be most

important in this discussion is howmuch of the organic matter in compostwill remain in the receiving soil and howlong it will stay there. What is most im-portant is increasing the amount of or-ganic matter (carbon) in soils. If one canmanage soils in such a way as to in-crease continually their organic mattercontent, then true carbon sequestrationis occurring. Adding compost to soil isthe most rapid way to build soil OM/car-bon and it certainly is not all convertedback to CO2 in a few years. Some frac-tions can remain for decades or longer.

“Certainly the structure of the foodweb will influence the fate of OM/car-bon in soils. The activity of soil micro-fauna is significant in this regard,relating to their generation of fecal pel-lets — remarkable stuff, micromanure.Every bit of food and organic mattereaten by these soil animals becomes abit more resistant to decomposition as itis subjected to digestive enzymes andprocesses and expelled as digested fecalpellets.

“Other organisms, mostly bacteria

and fungi, will invade the fecal pelletsand extract what nutrients they can, leav-ing behind even more resistant organicmatter — and so it goes until what is fi-nally left is highly resistant to furtherdegradation (humus). It will remain forvery long periods of time before it isfully decomposed, perhaps in the orderof centuries.”

With the ABC method, the carbon andnitrogen ratios are balanced and acceler-

ation of the compost process is substan-tial, with the majority of the breakdown,build-up and stabilization occurring in asix-to-10-week time-frame. Natural soilformation can take hundreds of years toproduce a layer one inch thick.

When the ABC method of compost-ing is used with the Sittler compostwindrow turner, it creates finished com-post rich in humus. The Sittler windrowturner was specifically designed to pro-

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examining the effects of a carbon sink,we need to consider that microbial resid-uals, particularly from fungi, producecarbon-rich compounds that act likeglue, binding mineral particles andforming soil aggregates. This glue-likesubstance is what holds soil together.Consisting of 30-40% carbon, it ac-counts for approximately 30% of thestored carbon in soil, and can remain insoil for an estimated seven to 42 years.

Farming practices such as tillage andconventional fertilizer applications canhave a negative influence on microbialsoil life, particularly fungi, microbialresiduals and carbon retention. If theamount and duration of carbon seques-tering has a direct relationship to the mi-crobial presence and profile in compostand soil, then the role agriculture playsand choices made regarding agriculturalpractices are significant.

Are more of our answers lying justbelow our feet? If substantially more car-bon is naturally stored in the soil rootzone where most of the soil microbesexist, as opposed to the above-groundvegetation and atmosphere, don’t weneed to focus more on soil microbial pro-

vide a base for a sustainable, progressiveapproach to waste management, nutrientrecovery for soil management and cropfertility and greenhouse gas reduction.

The United States Compost Council(USCC) agrees with the US EPA thatwell-managed aerobic windrow com-posting does not emit methane and thatany CO2 generation is biogenic (part ofthe natural CO2 cycle). Tractor fuel gasemissions have been calculated to beminimal compared to fuel emissionsfrom other composting methods.

Manure and other organic waste suchas lagoons of liquid manure from swineand dairy cattle can produce significantamounts of methane. Furthermore, theUSCC also relates nitrous oxide emis-sions with anaerobic conditions fromwaste material, particularly when thereis high nitrogen content. Under theseconditions, nitrous oxide may be emittedinstead of carbon dioxide.

When measuring greenhouse gas im-pact, nitrous oxide is estimated to be 296times worse than CO2. Nitrous oxide canbe emitted from fermenting manure la-goons, spreading manure and conven-tional fertilizer applications. When

files? How we can adjust them to our ad-vantage for more effective carbon se-questering? With an estimated 167million acres of farmland in Canada, arethere more levels of possibilities thanpreviously anticipated for carbon seques-tering and possible trading opportunitiesconcerning agricultural practices?

“We must also not forget that the fun-damental soil function of nutrient cyclingis tightly and directly coupled to organicmatter decomposition, which results inCO2 generation,” says Dr. Hofman. “Weare not simply burying carbon and ex-pecting it to stay there, as some seem tothink. We must remain aware of the al-ways dynamic nature of soil processesand functions so we can manage them toyield a sustainable agriculture built onsoils that absorb more carbon than theyrelease, thus effectively reversing the op-posite trend in the last century of conven-tional agriculture that caused soils torelease far more carbon than they ab-sorbed.”

Michael Morris is with Global RepairLtd. E-mail: [email protected]

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for use under the 400-series and otherhighways as part of its Gravity PipeStudy (September 2005). The study wasa collaborative effort with various indus-try associations and engineering expertsthat evaluated the performance of differ-ent types of pipe under specific environ-mental and water conditions. The resultof that study was a set of design guide-lines that recommends which type ofpipes may be used based on several fac-tors, including environmental/water con-ditions and design service life.

“The MTO Gravity Pipe DesignGuidelines ensure that all products areconsidered in the design process, andonly the appropriate ones move for-ward,” said Art Groenveld, senior engi-neer, Drainage and Design at MTO. “Byconsidering all products, a strong ele-ment of competition is introduced.”

Through the study, it became clearthat one of the most effective ways to geta 75-year culvert lifespan in Ontario withheavy use of road salt was to choosepolymer-laminated steel. Studies showedthat Trenchcoattm Protective Film hadprovided better bonding and corrosionprotection versus alternative polymers.

Manufactured by the Dow ChemicalCompany (Dow), Trenchcoat ProtectiveFilm is a tough, rugged polyolefin filmthat is laminated to the inside and out-

Ontario, and most of NorthAmerica for that matter, hasseen some very dramatic en-vironmental changes during

the past 30 to 40 years that create severeservice conditions for highway culvertsystems. Industrial pollution and acidrain have had a very adverse effect onour surface water, especially in NorthernOntario, where there is very soft waterthat is sensitive to acidity. There has alsobeen a tremendous increase in the use ofroad salt for removing snow and ice andmaintaining traction for road safety.

In addition to negative environmentalconsequences, these conditions havemanifested themselves in severe corro-sion of culvert pipes made from galva-nized steel and concrete.

Recognizing the significant impactthese conditions were having on thelifespan of its highway drainage pipes,the Ministry of Transportation of On-tario (MTO) and its Gravity Pipe Studypartners began evaluating a number ofoptions for specific service conditionsand applications. This included evalua-tion of materials and coatings thatdemonstrated the ability to generate the75-year life it expects for major high-ways and bridges.

Polymer-laminated corrugated steelpipe (CSP) was approved by the MTO

side of the galvanized steel that is usedto make CSP for use in storm drains andculvert systems, as well as a variety ofother applications.

Hundreds of polymer-laminated CSPdrainage pipes have now been installedin major highways throughout Ontario.A field study tour by representativesfrom MTO, the Quebec Ministry ofTransport (MTQ), the Corrugated SteelPipe Institute (CSPI) and Dow, of fivemajor installations, including severalcases where galvanized and concretedrainage pipe were installed nearby,showed the polymer-laminated pipes areproviding excellent corrosion resistance.

At sites throughout the tour, alu-minized, double zinc and galvanizedCSP showed signs of corrosion, whilethe polymer-laminated CSP remained innear-perfect condition.

An excellent example of this was ob-served near the intersection of Roads 8and 11 in the City of Ottawa, an area thathas high road salt levels. Galvanized, alu-minized and polymer-laminated pipeswere all installed within one kilometre ofeach other, providing valuable observa-tions for performance comparisons.

The 900 mm-diameter aluminized anddouble zinc culverts were installed besideeach other at the intersection in 1996. Thegalvanized pipe showed signs of mechan-

Polymer-laminated corrugated steel culverts standingup to Ontario’s harsh environmental conditions

By David J. Penny

The polymer-laminated CSP is in perfect condition, despite gravel and salt deposits.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:26 PM


Infrastructure

ical damage to the end and red rust in theinvert area. There were also rust spots onthe exterior. The aluminized was stainedwith some evidence of rusting.

One kilometre west of the intersec-tion on Brophy Road (#8), a 1,600 mm-diameter polymer-laminated CSP wasinstalled in 2004. It replaced a 19-year-old galvanized CSP that had no invertremaining due to corrosion. The newpipe was in excellent condition despitegravel deposits in the invert and salt de-posits on the interior walls.

Another application was observed atLimoges in a culvert under Highway417, the main road connecting Ottawaand Montreal. In this application, largepolymer-laminated corrugated steel pipearches were slip-lined into twin 100-metre long by 4-metre span pipe arches.This pipe is typically half full of waterwith high salt levels. Chloride levels of109 mg/litre were observed during therecent field study. At another polymer-laminated site in the area very high chlo-ride levels were measured at greater than700mg/litre.

Continuous improvementMany of the sites on this tour have

been visited on several occasions byCSPI to monitor the condition of thepipe and to measure critical environ-mental site conditions. The investiga-tions are ongoing. This data is the kindthat is now required for all culvert instal-lations using the Ontario Gravity PipeDesign Guidelines.

One advantage of including the de-signers and owners of these projects onthe tour is that concerns can be more

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easily identified and acted upon. On thistour minor damage was noted on someof the pipes due to rough handling andmanufacturing issues. As a result the in-dustry has introduced better handling in-structions, repair materials and a qualitycertification program.

David Penny is with the CorrugatedSteel Pipe Institute. E-mail:

[email protected]

A CSPI representative inspects aluminized and double zinc culverts.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:27 PM


Transportation

When a system is in crisis,the outcome is always un-certain, according to TomHomer-Dixon in his vi-

sionary book, The Upside of Down. Theautomobile industry is in such a crisis, re-flected in the bankruptcy of Americanicons General Motors and Chrysler, anuncertain future for oil supplies, the fi-nancial markets in turmoil, changing pub-lic perceptions of personal mobility, andconcerns over the impact of emissionsfrom the internal combustion engine onglobal warming and public health.

How the US automakers went fromking of the road to road-kill in a fewshort years is a complex story, but itmainly reflects the failure to developmodels to meet the shifting markets fromSUVs to smaller, more fuel-efficient ve-hicles. This has been the trend for manyyears in Europe where higher gas pricesare the norm and is being copied in therapidly growing markets in Asia, espe-

In 1899, Camille Jenatzy’s electric car “Le Jamais Contente” passed the magic100 km/hour barrier.

An electric highway– the future of green transportation?

By Dr. Bernard Fleet

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cially China and India where vehiclessuch as the Tata Nano micro-car, costingunder $2,500, illustrate the trend.

In recent years, the most significantchange in the auto industry is undoubt-edly the shift to “electrification”, imply-ing some type of electric drive system,either linked to the internal combustionengine or operating independently. Elec-tric vehicles have been around since thedawn of the automobile industry over acentury ago and count Henry Ford andThomas Edison among their early disci-ples. However, until very recently, thebattery has been the Achilles heel, beingboth too heavy and lacking sufficient en-ergy for a realistic driving range.

The first major breakthrough in therenaissance of the electric vehicle datesto the late 1990s with the launch of thehybrids from Toyota (Prius) and Honda(Insight). These vehicles contain twodrivetrains, both an internal combustionengine (ICE) and a battery-powered elec-tric motor. Hybrids operate in either aparallel or serial mode, where the twodrivetrains can either power the wheelstogether (parallel) or work one throughthe other (serial).

While the success of the Toyotaand Honda hybrid electric vehicles(HEVs) caught the market by surprise,prompting many other companies toplay catch up, the economics of HEVshave always been questionable.

Apart from the favourable emissionsreductions, the goal is that the cost pre-mium for a hybrid over a similar gas-pow-ered vehicle should be offset by fuelsavings. While this will be dependent bothon driving profile and on gas prices thathave gone through an enormous rollercoaster ride in recent times, there are noreal cost savings to be gained from drivinga hybrid, with the exception of some high-mileage users such as taxi fleets.

The playing fieldIn the last few years the spectrum of

electric vehicles has expanded enor-mously. While many of these are still inthe prototype stage, at least 60 compa-nies plan to introduce some type of elec-tric vehicle within the next one to threeyears. These vehicles generally fall intofour main classes, conventional hybrids(HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), purebattery vehicles (BEVs) and fuel-cellelectric vehicles (FCEVs).

The shift from hybrids to plug-in hy-brids is based on the simple logic that, ifthe use of a battery to improve fuel effi-ciency is good, the use of a bigger bat-tery is better. Hence the introduction ofPHEVs that have two important fea-tures: first, they can drive on electricpower for much longer distances, asmuch as 40 km in the case of the ChevyVolt; second, the battery can be chargedfrom the electric grid.

The electric vehicle industry nowseems to be shifting from the establishedhybrid vehicles in favour of plug-in ve-hicles (PEVs), a group that includesboth plug-in hybrids and pure batteryvehicles.

Recently, the term Extended RangeElectric Vehicle (EREV) has come intofashion. This describes a battery-poweredvehicle that has a small ICE generator at-tached. Once the battery is depleted, theICE is activated, with the electrical outputfrom the generator going straight to theelectric drive motor. PEVs and EREVsare better able to capture the benefits ofelectric mobility from reduced emissionsand lower operating costs.


Transportation

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:27 PM


TransportationFuel cell vehicles, long the great white

hope of the mainstream auto industry forachieving improved fuel efficiencies andzero emissions, despite the billions ofdollars spent on their development, areunlikely to have any serious impact on themarket due to some largely insurmount-able technical and economic barriers.

Barriers to adoptionA question that is often asked is: “If

electric vehicles are so good, why don’twe see more of them on the roads?” Theanswers are, first, electric vehicles are adisruptive technology and until recentlythe mainstream auto industry resistedthe trend. It is only now, with the issueof Peak Oil, where we are seeing theshift to decreasing supplies of ever moreexpensive oil, often derived from politi-cally unstable regions, that the auto in-dustry has reluctantly decided toembrace “electrification”. The secondbarrier is the high cost of electric vehi-cles compared to comparable gasoline-or diesel-powered vehicles.

The problem is simply that, eventhough electric vehicles have far fewerparts than a gas vehicle, these componentsare only manufactured in small quantities

and, hence, lacking the economies of scalethat the traditional auto industry hasachieved, are more expensive.

The major issue is battery cost (seeFigure 1, courtesy of Roger Martin, Uni-cell). The new generation of lithium ionbatteries is presently quite expensive andthis cost can be expressed in two ways.The first (on the Y axis) is the cost interms of dollars per kilowatt hour of bat-tery capacity. The second cost issue is

how long the battery lasts or more pre-cisely how many charge-discharge cyclesis it capable of performing (x-axis), not-ing that an electric vehicle battery has tobe capable of a 10-year calendar life.

Figure 1 shows that when capital costand cycle life are plotted for a range ofgasoline prices there are various break-even scenarios where electric vehiclescan match gas vehicles on a level playingfield. More important, these break-even

Figure 1. Batteries vs. Gasoline - break-even analysis. Assumption ICE - 81/100km; EV - 160 w-h/km, 120km max range, 60km commute, 4% lease rate.

Nov09_ES&E_Final_ES&E 26/11/09 9:08 PM

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Transportationare potentially dozens of Chinese auto-makers ready to follow. The Chinesegovernment is also backing the indus-try’s push towards electric cars and, inaddition to $1.5 billion in grants to indus-try, it has funded a program for 10,000vehicles for demonstration in 10 cities.

China is also the world’s fastestgrowing auto market with a forecast of11 million vehicles in 2009 compared to10 million for the US, while the twoAsian powers, China and India are fore-cast to capture more than half the global

scenarios discount other considerablebenefits of electric vehicles from reducedGHG emissions and the fact that internalcombustion vehicles are facing the needto meet increasingly stringent fuel-effi-ciency standards.

While lithium batteries are alreadybeing used in electric vehicles, they arestill far from being a mature technologyand further improvements in perform-ance, along with reduced costs, arepredicted. Governments and major cor-porations in Japan, Europe, China andNorth America are investing billions ofdollars in battery development. In theUS, President Obama launched theAmerican Recovery and ReinvestmentAct (also known as the Stimulus Fund)that includes some $25 billion to supportthe growth of electric transportation.

Kick-starting an industryFigure 1 illustrates how, at some point

in the near future, electric vehicles will becost-competitive with gas-powered vehi-cles. This time-frame, however, may ex-tend over a few years. In the interim, thefledgling electric vehicle industry will re-quire financial subsidies to offset the ini-tial higher costs. These financialincentives are being introduced in twoways: to companies with grants and low-interest loans used to support battery de-velopment, component manufacturingand vehicle assembly, and, at the sametime, buyers of an electric vehicle can ex-pect to receive a tax rebate or cash incen-tive that may range from $5,000 to$15,000 depending on the type of vehicleand the jurisdiction where it is purchased.

The tipping pointRecent forecasts suggest that signifi-

cant growth in the electric vehicle mar-ket is not expected to happen untilaround 2012 when mass-market vehiclesfrom Mitsubishi, Nissan and some of theother OEMs are introduced. Sales fore-casts range from 1 million to 5 millionby 2015 (2 to 10% of global sales) butthere is one factor that might change theequation. China is making a massive ef-fort to leapfrog the established auto in-dustry leaders and become the globalpower in electric vehicles.

The recent acquisition by Warren Buf-fett of a quarter billion dollar stake inChinese battery/automaker BYD Auto isonly the tip of the iceberg. While BYD isan industry leader with a staff of over11,000 engineers and technicians, there

auto market by 2015.Infrastructure

A key question is whether the exist-ing, often antiquated electric grid sys-tem will be able to handle the forecastmillions of electric vehicles that will beon our roads in the years to come. Theidea is that electric cars will take advan-tage of “off-peak” hours of low energydemand late at night when power plantsare still producing. This scenario willstill require major upgrades to the grid


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:27 PM


wind power. Since wind power is mostintense during nighttime, the idea is tostore this energy in the batteries of elec-tric vehicles and then draw it back dur-ing daytime periods of peak demand.

Range anxietyThe recent Canadian government

“Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle In-dustry” noted that the general public waspoorly educated on the most basic tech-nical features of electric vehicles. Per-

network to create a Smart Grid capableof supporting the vast network of privateand public vehicle charging points.

With PEVs expected to consume upto 10% of the total grid load by 2020, thenew Smart Grid will also be required tosupport features such as bi-directionalenergy flow. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G), aconcept where electric vehicles are usedas a storage resource, is being tested inDenmark which has invested heavily in

formance was a concern, with little pub-lic awareness of the fact that EVs havesimilar if not superior acceleration androad handling characteristics to compa-rable sized gas-powered vehicles. Infact, the Tesla Roadster (Figure 2), anall-battery sports car, can outperform thecompetition from famous manufacturerssuch as Ferrari or Porsche.

Possibly the public’s biggest concernis of running out of power; this is known

Transportation

Figure 2. The Tesla Roadster – courtesy of Tesla Motors. Figure 3. The all-battery Aptera offers the equivalent of 135mpg.



when more than 85% of all daily vehiclecommutes are less than 60 km? MostPHEVs, or small city battery EVs, have a

range of 100 to 200 km and can easily fillthis important gap in the market.

A vision of the futureWhile the internal combustion engine

will be dominant over the next 20 years,it is certain that there will be a trend to-wards smaller, more fuel-efficient mod-

as “range anxiety”. This concern can beresolved in several ways. Some of themost advanced lithium battery designsuse nanostructures that enable rapidrecharging to 50 to 80% of full capacityin fewer than 20 minutes.

Another approach to the question ofrange is that proposed by California en-trepreneur Shai Agassi, whose company,Better Place, has come up with the inno-vative concept of treating the automobileas a “transportation service” akin to thatoffered by the cell phone industry. In theBetter Place model, customers pay amonthly service fee based on the num-ber of miles driven. An important ele-ment of the program is the use of BatterySwitch Stations where a drained batterycan be exchanged for a fresh one in afew minutes.

While the economics of batteryswapping are not too convincing, theBetter Place model has found somehigh-profile adopters, including Israel,Denmark, Western Australia and severalothers.

As a counter argument, why is it nec-essary to design a car with a 400 km range

els using more lightweight materials.Business models with reworked profitstructures such as sharing common partsand platforms will be vital to enablethese vehicles to be profitable.

At the same time, electric vehiclesare expected to capture an increasingshare of the market as new companieswith innovative solutions to the chal-lenge of personal mobility emerge (seeFigure 3) and by mid-century will dom-inate the market.

There is one compelling reason forthis conclusion. Both President Obamaand Prime Minister Harper have made acommitment that by 2050 GHG emis-sions will be reduced by 80% from 2005levels. From a transport perspective thisgoal can only be achieved if we abandonoil and shift to an industry dominated byzero-emission electric vehicles poweredby renewable energy.

Dr. Bernard Fleet is senior partner at Fleet Technology Partners. E-mail:[email protected]

Recent forecasts suggest that significantgrowth in the electricvehicle market is notexpected to happen

until around 2012when mass-market

vehicles from Mitsubishi, Nissan and

some of the otherOEMs are introduced.

Transportation

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Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:27 PM


Infrastructure

The Canada Aviation Museumhas been engaging visitorswith the wonders of flightsince it opened its doors in

1960 with three major aircraft collectionsowned by the Canadian government.

Located on a former Department ofNational Defence site at the RockcliffeAirport in Ottawa, the museum presentsvisitors with the story of mankind’sdream of flight and showcases more than130 aircraft and associated artifacts. Thishas earned the museum a reputation forhaving one of the most extensive avia-tion collections in the world.

To further provide access to Canada’saviation heritage, the Canada AviationMuseum embarked on an extensive ren-ovation in 2009 that added two state-of-the-art classrooms and a multi-purposeauditorium for its more than 150,000 an-nual visitors. While the new spaces willenrich programming and outreach activi-ties that focus on technology in the sky, itis the technology under the ground that ishelping save money and the environment.

A more durable optionLike many projects, the Canada Avi-

ation Museum renovation was facedwith a budget that required them to keepcosts at a minimum and consider systemlongevity for all major infrastructure up-grades. Due to significant water loss, awater main replacement was at the topof the list of priorities. In addition to re-quiring longevity, unknown site condi-tions called for extremely durable pipe

that would stand up to the rigours ofconstruction.

At the Ontario Water Works Associ-ation conference in April 2008, BrianRogers, of Robinson Consultants Inc.,was introduced to molecularly enhancedPVC pipe. As project engineer for thewater main replacement, Rogers be-lieved that the robustness of the newtechnology made it a logical fit for themuseum renovation.

IPEX Inc. introduced Bionax™PVCO (molecularly oriented polyvinylchloride) pipe for municipal applications.IPEX is the first PVCO manufacturer toreceive third-party certification by the Na-tional Sanitation Foundation (NSF) toASTM F1483 and AWWA C909 stan-dards for pressure pipes.

When Brian Rogers performed anhydraulic analysis of the system withBionax pipe included, he discovered anadded benefit for the Canada AviationMuseum. When compared with typicalPVC pipe, PVCO pipe’s slightly largerinside diameter enabled increased flow.This allowed Rogers to downsize thepipe for approximately twenty percentof the total project length. According tohis estimate, the downsizing would re-sult in an overall project cost reductionof about ten percent.

Further cost savings were anticipateddue to the ease of installation of thepipe. As it is 40% lighter than conven-tional PVC pipe, Bionax is safer andeasier to carry on the job site, reducing

Bionax can be used for water and wastewater applications.

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Infrastructure

the need for equipment and improvinginstallation speed and efficiency. Its in-creased longitudinal tensile strengthgives it the flexibility required to allowit to more easily fit around gradualcurves. Joining sections is simple witheasy-to-assemble gasketed joints that re-quire no special training. Once joined,Bionax is light enough that severaljoined lengths can be lifted as a singleunit and installed in a trench.

Based on overall longevity, strength,and cost savings analysis, Ian MacLean,chief of facilities services for theCanada Aviation Museum, gave the go-ahead for the water main renovationproject to proceed with Bionax.

The pipe for the museum renovationwas produced at IPEX’s plant near Mon-

treal, Quebec, and included 150 mm (6inch) and 200 mm (8 inch) pressure-rated200 psi CIOD (cast iron outside diameter)pipe conforming to ASTM F1483. Thetotal length produced for the project was460 metres (1,400 feet) of 150 mm and2,350 metres (7,300 feet) of 200 mm pipe.

Thomas Cavanagh Construction ofAshton, Ontario, installed the pipe. Fol-lowing installation, the completed linetested successfully at 200 psi.

A greener solutionMany engineers and designers today

are now looking at projects with an eyeon the environmental bottom line as wellas the financial one.

PVCO pipes contain less embodiedenergy than other products available onthe market today. Embodied energy is an

energy assessment process that describesall energy inputs into a manufacturingprocess that result in the final product,including energy consumed to extract theraw materials for manufacturing and anyenergy required to maintain the productover the whole life cycle. Many factorscan affect embodied energy like pipesize, amount of raw and recycled mate-rials, durability, life expectancy, andmaintenance requirements.

A breakthrough in qualityPVCO pipe is manufactured using an

on-line stretching process called biaxialorientation, which allows more of thespherical molecules to fit into a singlelayer and be aligned in the direction ofthe expected load. This gives the mate-rial a higher molecular density.

Biaxially oriented pipe was once dif-ficult to produce efficiently and reliablyin high volumes. In the past, orientedPVC was expanded in a mold, resultingin orientation in only one direction. Withthe biaxial orientation process used tomanufacture Bionax PVCO pipe, thepipe is stretched over a mandrel at ex-tremely tightly controlled temperaturesand stress levels.

As with the Canada Aviation Mu-seum renovation project, Bionax is idealfor use in water mains. It can also be de-ployed in sewer force mains, processpiping, and irrigation applications.

For more information, E-mail: [email protected]

The Canada Aviation Museum.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:28 PM


Each year, ES&E invites experts and leaders in environmental consulting to share theiropinions, experiences and values with our

readers. We continue to be honored every yearwith erudite responses from some of our

leading consulting engineers. Their opinionsare based on many years of collective

experience in maintaining high standards,while keeping up with the diversity and

complexities of environmental engineering and managerial leadership.

own education, and compare it to thestructure of your daily routine. So muchof what we do in consulting is aboutpeople, whether it be managing, debat-ing, persuading or collaborating. Strongcommunication skills are essential, bothwritten and verbal.

Yet how much of your education trulyprepared you for this reality? That emo-tional intelligence or cognitive awarenessthat makes so many people successful,the skills that our clients and our col-leagues demand, are not being offered inFluid Mechanics or Mechanics of Mate-rials 101. The development of peopleskills is sorely lacking within engineer-ing curriculae.

Then there are the technical aspectsof the business. We recently met with asmall group of fourth year engineeringstudents who are collaborating with ourfirm on their civil design project course.We outlined for them our expectationsfor a basic design project and report, andshowed them a complete set of drawings.The look on their face was priceless –they clearly were out of their element.While their education was giving them afoundation of principles on which tobuild, the practical application of thatknowledge was far from developed.

However, one could not help but be

While few would ever en-courage a recession, therewere those of us in the in-dustry who might have

welcomed some relief in the demand forskills that a recession typically brings.Some of us might even have thought theremight be an opportunity to recruit that elu-sive intermediate engineer, - you know,the one we are all looking for - skilled indesign or project or client management, aprofessional engineer who can simply stepin and relieve the stresses on key seniorstaff.

Many things have changed in the lastyear, but the skill shortage is not one ofthem. While some firms have sufferedand indeed have had to layoff staff, oth-ers, having a balanced clientele, havehardly missed a beat. Those that haveseen their revenues drop have returned tomore reasonable workloads, and havedone their best to maintain their key staff.So, there simply has not been a glut ofskilled, trained staff in the marketplace.

Going forward, the truly successfulfirms will be those who can effectivelydevelop and retain their junior staff. Infact, staff development does not stopthere; it must continue through to yourintermediate and senior levels. Why isthis so important? Think back to your

impressed with their enthusiasm for thetask at hand. Their willingness to learn,to be a sponge, was not in question.

With such willing participants, why isit so difficult to effectively train and de-velop people? Likely the single biggestobstacle is time. We have found that ef-fective staff development, especially atthe junior level, requires a significant in-vestment of time, and time is a preciouscommodity, especially in an industry thatessentially generates revenue through itsvery sale.

There are many who are quick to in-vest in recruiters because that buys ustime we simply don’t have, or would liketo preserve. Yet there are untold advan-tages in a homegrown approach thatwarrant an investment in time. Increasedstaff loyalty and satisfaction, more rapidand effective development of your re-cruits, and developed staff being im-mersed in your culture and approachfrom the very beginning, are just a fewof the benefits of an effective trainingprogram.

Another stumbling block is simplyfinding senior engineers who enjoytraining and/or mentoring. There aremany in our industry who find this anannoyance, somehow forgetting thattheir own success is largely due to the

Never underestimate the importance of training By Ian Drever, B.A.Sc., P. Eng., Senior

Vice President, Private Sector, R.J.

Burnside and Associates Limited

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:28 PM


fact that someone invested effort in theircareers. Some of this attitude can beclearly traced to those time pressurespreviously noted. When senior staffmembers are faced with multiple clientdemands on top of their administrativeresponsibilities, spending an inordinateamount of time with a junior or interme-diate engineer, to solve a problem whichmight take you five minutes, can seem aburden.

We quite often recognize those on thefront lines, who develop clients or landthe big project. But someone who is aneffective trainer, who has the ability todevelop and leverage skills, is every bitas important to the organization, for,without capacity building, those sameprojects cannot be delivered. These peo-ple should be recognized and rewardedfor their efforts.

Technical training aside, engineers byour nature are not readily equipped todevelop the cognitive skills, the peopleskills that are so critical to the successof our business. Those of us who are ef-fective communicators likely alreadystarted that way, or survived some sortof baptism by fire during the early part

of our careers. While we may be effec-tive in our own role, that does not nec-essarily make us good trainers in thiscritical skill area.

At Burnside, we like to say “the dif-ference is our people”. It says so on ourbusiness cards. But what does it reallymean? If your people are going to be dif-ference makers, they had better be prettyspecial. It starts with an effective recruit-ing process, getting those people onboard who give you the best chance tosucceed. But more important is whatyou do with them upon their arrival.

For many years, we talked a goodgame when it came to training, but weseldom walked the walk. Over the lastfew years, however, there has been a no-ticeable difference in our commitmentto training. Senior management havefully embraced and endorsed a compre-hensive training approach for staff atevery level in the organization. In fact,they are often called on to participate intraining sessions, and willingly do so.

Driven by our inability to find keypeople to fill positions in what was, andremains, a highly competitive market-place for skills, and recognition that our

human capital is our most valuable re-source, we changed our approach to staffdevelopment as a whole. While we arestill at an early stage, the results are notsurprising – where our training pro-grams are most developed and effective,our level of staff engagement and satis-faction is at its highest. We look forwardto the next three to five years when weexpect the influence of our programs onthe organization to be exponential.

All this does not mean we will aban-don the use of recruiters as a tool to ac-celerate the development of our staffcomplement, but their use will be morestrategic, effectively being used to plugholes.

The firms that can navigate the road-blocks to staff development will ulti-mately be the most successful. And rightnow, I like our chances.

Contact: [email protected]

Expert People.Better Decisions.

At XCG Consultants, we are committed to our clients by delivering innovative and practical expertise and solutions. Partner with our experts on your next envi-ronmental project and gain the leadership and commu-nication that is essential for successful completion.

Contact us for Wastewater, Water Resources, Municipal Infrastructure, Drinking Water and many other environmental services.

www.xcg.com

Toronto | Kitchener | Kingston | Edmonton | CincinnatiEnvironmental Engineers and Scientists

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:28 PM


base has eroded.• The contracting sector’s experience base has eroded.• The municipal clients’ experience base has eroded.• Consultant and contractor selection is mainly based on price.• Risk transfer from clients to consultants and contractors has increased.• Policy and legal considerations have usurped the goal of project delivery.

If we believe the above, if we believewe cannot change the above in the nearterm, and if we further believe that pro-jects will still need to be delivered in theinterim to address infrastructure upgradesand replacement, then we need to re-thinkhow we collectively deliver projects, orwe risk failure.

And fail we will. A poor engineeringdesign runs up construction and admin-istration costs. A poor contractor in-creases the workload on the consultantand client. An unresponsive client coststhe consultant and the contractor money.All three parties lose, and so does thepublic. Jobs are poorly executed, com-pleted over budget and behind schedule.The public are often inconveniencedduring the works, and ultimately absorboverruns in cost.

Rethinking the concept of project delivery

All three parties need to admit com-plicity in the creation of a system that al-most ensures failure. All need to agreethat they share responsibility for projectdelivery. All need to accept a part of therisk inherent in any assignment. All needto acknowledge that there is no perfectjob. All need to agree on the end goal,that being to deliver a good design, wellbuilt, and offering the utility expectedwhen the project was initiated. Resolu-tion requires the following actions:1. Client or Owner - Write a terms of ref-erence that clearly outlines the projectscope. Support the terms of reference with

We speak of the shortagesof skilled staff in ourconsulting firms, of find-ing and retaining talent.

Our client base is telling us that there issome dissatisfaction with the perform-ance of the consultant pool. We hearfrom contractors that consultants are notputting out a very good product. It wouldseem that we, as consultants, are notdoing a very good job of providing valueto our clients.

Is any of the above true? Perhaps.There is no such thing as the perfect job.Does the success of an assignment reston the efforts of the consulting engineeralone? Definitely not.

Everybody speaks of the concept ofa team to deliver a project. We have allbeen trained in team concepts, collabo-rative management, consultation, trans-parency, budget and scope control, andequity. We take courses in project man-agement and delivery, client relations,team building and risk management.

In the case of municipal engineeringprojects, the “team” would be the consult-ant, the client, and the contractor. Thereis lots of discussion, participation in de-sign development, drawing and specifi-cation review, tendering and award, andcontract execution. So far so good. Untilsomething goes wrong, then what hap-pens? It’s the consultant’s fault.

Recent experience has shown thatmore projects end in a struggle than arecleanly executed. Clients complain abouttheir consultants. Consultants complainabout their clients. Contractors complainabout the clients and the consultants.What is wrong with this picture? Can oneconsultant, owner or contractor be sin-gled out? No. This is an industry-wideissue that it seems is becoming moreproblematic with each passing year.

In analyzing how we got here, we cancome up with several assertions. In re-cent years:• The consulting sector’s experience

accurate documents and expectations.Clearly lay out expectations around de-liverables, unknowns, liabilities and risk.

Set up an evaluation criterion thatclearly allows differentiation of effortfrom submitting parties. Consider teamexperience as well as individual expert-ise during reviews. Recognize that lowprice does not equate to best value – de-pressed markets drive pricing and ulti-mate value downwards. Qualifications orQuality Based Selection based method-ologies are appropriate and defensible inthe procurement of professional servicesand should receive serious consideration.

Understand that the selected consult-ant is an ally, not an adversary in theawarded assignment. There is nothingwrong with assisting the consultant byproviding scope clarity during designand project execution if it helps delivera quality project at the end of the day,which meets expectations in terms oftimeline, scope and dollars.

Don’t be afraid to turn down a lowprice if it is an outlier in multiple submis-sion evaluations. When a bid is inordi-nately low, it may be because somethingwas missed in the submission. Holding aconsultant’s feet to the fire to deliver aproduct when you know they haven’t suf-ficient budget to do so is unreasonable.The notion of complete transferral of riskto a low bidder may not be defensible; theowner must assume some responsibilityif the project falls off the rails.

Build into your budget a reasonableand realistic contingency to account forwhat will be unexpected additions toscope, especially when dealing withretrofit and upgrade projects.2. Consultant - If the consultant is un-sure of the project scope, he or sheshould ask questions. Bidding low andthen expecting to ramp up change ordersto address scope deficiencies is a strat-egy that often backfires. Delivering justwhat the client ordered, even if youknow it is lacking, is irresponsible.

Shaking the project delivery tree By Bill De Angelis, P.Eng., MBA, Vice President and General Manager of Associated Engineering

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:28 PM


If a project is poorly scoped, or ifthere is an unreasonable transfer of risk,decline to submit a proposal for it. Risk-ing your firm just to get the job is not anacceptable practice. Taking on a jobwithout knowing its true scope will leadto cutting corners in delivery to savemoney, ultimately negatively affectingdeliverables’ quality for drawings andspecifications.

Prepare the highest quality drawingsand specifications possible within timeand budget constraints – the better thequality of the bidding documents, thebetter and more closely aligned the con-tractor bids. Wide spreads in pricing areindicators that the quality of the deliver-ables was poor.

Clients don’t like surprises; addressscope and change order issues as theyarise. Don’t wait until the project is sofar along that the client has difficulty se-curing additional funds. Even if the re-quest is warranted, it may be difficult toattract additional dollars at a later date. 3. Contractor selection - When evalu-ating bids, ensure the consultant per-forms a thorough review to validaterecommendations. Ensure that represen-tative project references are provided.Don’t be afraid to turn down a low bidif the contractor lacks the documentedproject history and references to supporthis claims about ability to complete thejob at hand. Not doing so will drive upproject costs (capital, engineering sup-port, internal) and risks. 4. Construction - The contractor, clientand consultant should be working to-wards a common goal, that being to de-liver the project as designed, within theproject timelines and budget envelope.Again, some projects have seen successby virtue of partnering sessions that pre-ceded the project execution. The key isto focus on the end point, and fill in theblanks in between to get there. Micro-management of the contractor by theclient or engineer will only exacerbateissues and matters dealing with projectexecution, and introduce unnecessarydelays and claims.

If the contractor asks for help, pro-vide what assistance is possible withoutcompromising the owner’s position.Regular requests come from lack ofclarity or understanding about details onconstruction drawings and specifica-tions, as well as changes in the field.

Speedy turnaround of constructiondocumentation is paramount in main-taining schedules. Holding up the con-tractor can introduce potential for delayclaims that could otherwise be avoided.5. Each party has a role - The mostsuccessful jobs are the ones where rela-tionships have been formed at the com-mencement of the job and the partiesunderstand each other’s positions, goalsand expectations early on in the process.

At the end of the day, clients, consult-ants and contractors each have roles and

obligations in project execution. Allmust be willing to work towards a com-mon goal, that being project delivery.All must focus on the same end point forthe project to be successful.


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:28 PM


Sustainability and technology are fa-miliar issues to the environmental con-sulting engineering profession. And, asevidenced by a recent internal reviewundertaken by XCG Consultants Lim-ited, sustainability and technology areexpected to play an increasingly impor-tant role, not only in terms of the assign-ments that consulting engineering firmsundertake, but also in terms of companybusiness practices.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, whenenvironmental awareness was gaining afoothold in the collective social con-sciousness, acid rain, phosphate levels inlakes, and the impact of polychlorinatedbiphenyls and other toxic chemicals onhuman health and the environment weresome of the issues facing consulting en-gineers. The emphasis tended to beshort-term and focused on clean-up,rather than deterrence. Wastewater efflu-ent polishing using tertiary treatmentwas still exotic. State of the art commu-nication technology was a fax machine.

Later, in the 1990s, pollution preven-tion became a prominent theme. Envi-ronmental consulting engineers spent alot of energy, literally, rehabilitating

Under a bright blue sky onOctober 24, 2009, thousandsof people gathered on thesteps of the opera house in

Sydney, Australia, to kick off a world-wide climate change day of action.

Over 5,000 events in more than 180countries took place that day, includingright here in Canada, where hundreds ofpeople gathered on Parliament Hill inOttawa, and across the country to de-mand action on climate change.

The events were coordinated by350.org, an international group dedicatedto building a movement to unite the worldaround solutions to the climate crisis. Thefocus of the group is on the number 350parts per million, which is considered tobe the safe upper limit level of carbondioxide in the atmosphere. Right now it’sat 387 ppm and rising.

In 2012, the Kyoto Protocol expires,and world leaders are meeting in Copen-hagen, Denmark, this December to renewclimate change commitments. Instead ofprotesting government inaction, 350.orgis offering world leaders a specific goal,one that the event organizers believe isneeded in order to sustain humanity.

brownfields to allow redevelopment tooccur. Master planning became a main-stream approach to municipal servicing,and recent master plans, such as thewater and wastewater master plan forYork Region, have emphasized sustain-ability as a guiding principle.

The past twenty years have seen in-creasing reliance on computer models topredict outcomes, and greater relianceon the Internet, not just as an instantsource of information, but also as amechanism for active communication.

Now, as environmental consultingmoves further into the 21st century, sus-tainability and sustainable practices arebecoming leading areas of practice.

The signing of the 1997 Kyoto Pro-tocol led to the development of carbondioxide emissions trading as one way forgovernments to encourage reductions.To date, most of the carbon emissiontrading activity has taken place in Eu-rope. The current lack of a trading mar-ket in Canada means only one thing –it’s just a matter of time. The opportuni-ties for environmental consulting com-panies are many: assisting governmentsto develop efficient and effective tradingschemes; assisting trading partners toachieve emissions targets; and, partici-pating in market development, broker-ing, auditing and monitoring.

Furthermore, future emissions trad-ing schemes won’t be restricted to air orto carbon dioxide. Water quality tradingis already established in the UnitedStates, and is making its way north. On-tario’s Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, re-leased in June this year, calls for theMinistry of Environment to examine thefeasibility of water quality trading asone means of reducing phosphorus load-ings within the Lake Simcoe watershed.The article by Paul O’Callaghan in theSeptember 2009 issue of EnvironmentalScience and Engineering Magazine

George Zukovs

Sustainability and the evolution of consulting engineeringBy G. Zukovs, President, and R.J. Rush, Co-Founder and SeniorConsultant, XCG Consultants Ltd.

Richard Rush

The Sydney Opera House.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:29 PM


could easily have been renamed from“phosphorus may become a sustainabil-ity issue” to “phosphorus is becoming asustainability issue”.

Sustainability through carbon neu-trality is another area of opportunity forconsulting engineering companies, andnot just as a service to clients. As part ofXCG’s strategic review, the companyexamined the impact of its own practicesin terms of carbon output. In 2008,which was chosen as the baseline year,XCG generated just over 220 tonnes ofgreenhouse gases, made up of businesstravel (106.8 T), electricity consumption(64 T), heating (39T), and employee-owned vehicles (12T).

The company now has a program un-derway to reduce carbon output in eachof its five offices. Through a combina-tion of changes in work and purchasingpractices, energy efficient retrofits, in-creased use of technology to reducebusiness travel, favouring the use of hy-brid vehicles, and investing in renewableenergy, XCG has committed to be car-bon neutral by 2019.

By demonstrating leadership in itsown internal operations, XCG will havethe credibility and experience to assistclients to meet their sustainability goals.The company envisions a time whenXCG-made carbon credits are availableto clients, suppliers, or even competitors.

Canadian consulting engineers willalso soon face changes in the way pro-posals and tenders are evaluated, oncesustainability criteria are incorporatedinto procurement processes. Accordingto the United Nations EnvironmentalProgramme, sustainable procurement isan “acquisition process whereby organi-zations meet their requirements forgoods, services, works and utilities in away that achieves value for money on a“whole of life” basis in terms of gener-ating benefits not only to the organiza-tion, but also to society and the economy,whilst minimizing its impact on the en-vironment.”

The reference to life cycle analysis isa welcome one, and has already beenadopted in Australia, where the Aus-tralian Capital Territory has directed gov-ernment departments to use whole of lifecosting methodologies, rather than a sim-ple analysis of the initial purchase price,when evaluating bids.

Sustainable procurement is already areality in other sectors, notably the hos-

pitality sector, which has adopted theGreen Key Eco-Rating Program to rec-ognize hotels, motels, and resorts that arecommitted to sustainable practices.“Green meetings” are becoming moreprevalent, as event planners seek to min-imize the environmental impacts of theirmeetings. As an example, the recent En-gineers Canada Board of Directors meet-ing in Ottawa was virtually paperless.

The next logical step is virtual meet-ings, which is what the Water Environ-ment Federation Research Foundation isnow offering. Partly in response to theeconomic downturn and its impact oncompany travel budgets, the WERF isnow holding an increasing number of itsevents on-line. The 5th Annual WERFResearch Forum takes webinars up anotch, by providing an exhibition hall,networking lounge, and resource center,in addition to the line-up of presentations.

Paperless and virtual meetings demon-strate how technology can enhance sus-tainable practice. Teleconferences arestandard fare these days, as are videolinks. Platforms such as Skype™ andGoogle™ Talk make communication assimple and easy as an Internet connection.For the consulting engineering profession,

these services expand the repertoire oftools that can be used for client liaison, forcommunication with remote sites, and forpublic consultation. The Sony™ DigitalReader Book and Amazon™ Kindle arewireless reading devices that may one daybe used for engineering feasibility reports.

In the future, environmental consult-ing engineering work will rely less onthe place of business and more on theoptimization of time and appropriatetools to deliver results. Sustainabilityand technology will continue to evolveand the consulting engineering profes-sion can actively choose whether to bedriven or be the drivers.

One thing that is also sure to increasein the future is competition, as morecompanies go “green”. Future successwill increasingly rely on John Elking-ton’s Triple Bottom Line of people,planet and profits, in that order. You canbet your carbon credit on it.

Contact: [email protected],[email protected]

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:29 PM


water and wastewater infrastructure.And we’re doing it with a sense of ur-gency, due to the looming March 2011funding deadline.

To give one example, CH2M HILLhad recently designed and supervisedconstruction of a water treatment plantfor the Town of Clarence-Rockland, eastof Ottawa, who then asked us to helpthem apply for stimulus funding. Theproject involves replacing the watermains and upgrading the roads in a num-ber of small communities recently con-nected to the new water plant.

Getting a positive funding decisionafter receiving significant funding fortheir water plant was a real challenge butall were pleasantly surprised when theyreceived $26M under the stimulus pro-gram. We were working on the projectwithin weeks of the funding announce-ment and contractors were putting pipein the ground within four months.

How individual firms are doing de-pends on two major factors: for largerfirms – diversification; for smaller firms

How’s the economy in Canadatoday? It depends who youask and what industry theyare in. My answer, as a con-

sultant in the municipal infrastructure sec-tor, is that we’re in a push-pull economy.

Although improving lately, economicforces have been pulling the economydown. Sub-prime lending and bankingweakness have led to tight capital mar-kets, over-leveraged buyers, and a lackof consumer spending. We have alsoseen a strong Canadian dollar relative tothe US dollar hurting the manufacturingsector, and, of course, the low price ofoil and a resulting stall in oil and gas in-frastructure investment.

However, countering this in the infra-structure business, we have the federalstimulus program pushing the economyback up. Despite what we see in thenewspapers - mostly quoting the oppo-sition parties - the stimulus program hasgenerated significant, real work for bothconsultants and contractors designingand constructing roads, bridges, and

- the market niche they serve. My as-sessment is that those working in infra-structure markets that have benefitedfrom the stimulus funding are still doingwell. As the economy improves (and the“recovery” articles are definitely start-ing to outnumber the “recession” arti-cles in the newspapers), in combinationwith the ongoing 2010/11 stimuluswork, the short-term outlook for the en-vironment businesses looks healthy.

An increasing trend, not necessarilyrelated to this push-pull economy but onebusinesses in the infrastructure industryneed to be aware of, is the bundling ofmultiple projects into large programs.

When I worked for the Regional Mu-nicipality of Ottawa-Carleton in the 1990sas the program manager for a $44M($85M in today’s dollars) upgrade to theLemieux Island Water Purification Plant,we delivered this program as 36 separateand stand-alone projects. Most had sepa-rate engineering assignments, but oftenwith the same consultant, and the con-struction contracts were tendered sepa-rately. At any one time there would bethree to five contractors on various partsof the island, all on individual projects.

Today many, if not most municipali-ties would bundle these 36 projects andmanage this as one program with oneconsultant and, potentially, one contrac-tor. There are a number of factors thatplay into this rationale:1. An increasing infrastructure back-log - There is just more work that needsto be done, with aging infrastructure,regulatory drivers and growing popula-tions all contributing.2. Contracting bureaucracy - Like it ornot, in business today we need signedcontracts. Most medium and large mu-nicipalities have purchasing departmentsand a lot of processes to go through toaward consulting assignments and con-struction contracts in a public atmospherethat is demanding more accountability forits tax dollars. Bundling streamlines thisprocess with one consultant assignment

A push-pull economy and the increasing trend toward bundling

By Peter Mallory, Canadian Water

Business Group Manager and Senior

Vice-President of CH2M HILL

Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:29 PM


and one contractor award, or one total inthe case of design-build.3. Resource shortages - The demandfor more accountability for public ex-penditure and below inflation tax in-creases is also resulting in fewer staff atmunicipalities to manage a greater num-ber of projects. 4. Consulting industry consolidation -Consolidation in the consulting industrymeans the new larger firms, or consor-tiums including smaller firms, can han-dle larger assignments and the associatedprogram administration of significantbundled programs.5. More efficient delivery - Bundlingbrings economies of scale and a pro-gram approach to delivering the work.Standards and templates can be devel-oped within one program for commonrepeatable elements and tasks to im-prove delivery efficiency.6. Health & Safety legislation - Occu-pational Health and Safety “Constructor”or “Prime Contractor” legislation now re-quires separation of time or space on con-struction sites in order for the owner toavoid becoming the party responsible foroverall site health and safety. Bundlingthe work on one site as one general con-

tract is the best way to deal with this.There are clear lines of accountability,when a single prime contractor isresponsible.

There are numerous ways to delivermultiple elements (projects) in a bundledprogram. For example: conventional de-sign-bid-construct with one consultantand one contractor; design-build withonly one entity to contract and singlepoint accountability; and program deliv-ery with one consultant but multiple con-tractors.

There are many bundled programshappening today in the municipal infra-structure sector across Canada. Here area few examples:• City of Toronto, Basement Flooding,a $250M program with 72 individualflood reduction projects bundled intoone program with one consultant andmultiple contractors.• City of Hamilton, Woodward AvenueWastewater Treatment Plant Expansion,with a capital budget of $550M beingmanaged as one overall program.• City of Winnipeg, Strategic Partner-ship, where the City is looking to enterinto a public private partnership for de-livery of a $1B wastewater program.

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• Capital Region District, Victoria, BC,which recently selected a program man-ager to oversee design and constructionof more than $1B of green-field waste-water treatment facilities.

The key to an effective approach andsuccessful delivery of these programs isto combine proven project managementresources with a program managementapproach. Use key staff that have ledlarge multiple element programs beforeand employ systems designed to track,monitor and control the multiple ele-ments of a program and gain the effi-ciencies of bundling.

In this challenging push-pull econ-omy it pays to be aware of how the mar-ket is changing and to adjust yourdelivery approach to suit the clients’ cur-rent needs. Bundling projects into pro-grams is a good idea for more efficientdelivery of increasingly large infrastruc-ture works.


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:29 PM


work to your credit, and a long list ofawards and commendations, but you arenot likely to get the chance to grow toyour full potential unless you are a rec-ognized authority in your field.

Recognized thought-leaders aresought out by potential clients, are ableto charge their time at a higher rate, andcan choose assignments that will helpthem grow professionally. The work theybring in can generate many billable hoursfor junior members of their firm, andthey have the satisfaction of knowing thatthey have contributed to the growth oftheir profession.

It is important, however, to rememberthat there must be substance behind thepublic profile. You won’t get much cred-ibility as a thought-leader if you don’t

Picture two consultants, biddingfor the same project. One says tothe prospect: “Here’s ourbrochure.” The other says:

“Here’s a USB key containing some ofthe articles I’ve written on the issuesyou’re facing, a video clip of a presenta-tion I gave recently, and a chapter frommy book.” Who do you think will get theproject?

In today’s tight-budget environment,clients are looking for reassurance thattheir projects are in good hands and willprogress smoothly. Particularly for chal-lenging or high-profile projects, theyneed to know that the individuals doingthe work are the best possible for the job.

You may have many years of experi-ence, have some stellar, leading-edge

have the professional success to back upyour claims. But if you do, the rewardsare great.

Putting a thought-leading plan in place

As with any project, you will notachieve a positive outcome without aplan. Build your plan by first consider-ing your objective. Consider the expert-ise you want to be known for, which maybe different from what you have now.Then consider who you want to beknown to – the kinds of people you wantto reach, including their type of industry,branch of government, occupation andother circumstances.

You may want to put this in the formof an aspiration: “By 2019, I will havedelivered at least one keynote address to

How consultants can improve recognition fortheir expertise and knowledgeBy Carl Friesen, Associate, Emerson Consulting Group Inc.



an international conference, have pub-lished three papers in peer-reviewedjournals, have published ten articles inbusiness magazines read by people in mymarket, have been interviewed on amajor television news program, and havepublished at least one book.” That’squite an itinerary, but not unrealistic overa ten-year period.

Then, work out the steps you’ll taketo make your plan happen and buildyour profile as a thought-leader.

Know and use the tools availableYour professional work may involve a

range of tools, including devices for fieldmeasurement, computer-based modelsand templates for producing reports. Yoursuccess depends in part on having theright tools, but more on your ability touse them correctly.

Building your thought-leading profilerequires similar knowledge of the toolsavailable. A colleague Ken Lizotte, in hisbook “The Expert’s Edge”, says that

Environmental professionals can build a profile as a thought-leader in an area as specific as environmental permitting for wind-power projects, groundwaterimplications of now-closed mines, or protection of municipal water supplies. continued on page 74...

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A diverse range of case histories and new developments is reviewed in ES&E’sES&E’s

semi-annual look at tanks, containment systems and spill management.

Sometimes a company has an op-portunity to be part of a unique,innovative project. That was thecase for ZCL Composites when

the Grand House Student Co-operative inCambridge, Ontario, decided to incorpo-rate a fiberglass cistern for rainwaterharvesting into its innovative housingproject.

Grand House is a 4,500-square-footstudent housing co-operative that is aregistered LEED (Leadership in Energy& Environmental Design) buildingunder the Homes Pilot Program. Whenthe project was being developed, themunicipality of Cambridge stipulatedthat no rainwater could run off the siteinto the sewer system.

The new housing project posed anumber of challenges in terms of in-stalling a rainwater harvesting system.The house’s urban setting on the edge ofthe Grand River meant putting a watercistern on a site with river stone and claysoil that could not accept very heavyloads. But an even greater concern wasthat the tank had to be delivered to apoint some distance from the road andbrought down a steep slope into a tightspace. Coming in from the bottom of thesite was not an option since the housesits just off a busy four-lane street.

“Rainwater collection like that atGrand House is not a common feature

vesting filtration and storage system thatwould include a ZCL lightweight 25,000-litre fiberglass tank. In May 2009, RH2Oprovided a rainwater harvesting packagethat included a single-wall water tankfrom ZCL’s Drummondville, Quebec,manufacturing facility.

“Grand House had originally beenlooking into a concrete cistern,” saysKnap, “simply because they are morecommon. The question of how we

The Grand House Student Co-operative in Cambridge, Ontario.

Using a fiberglass tank to harvest rainwater of buildings in the area, especially in anurban setting,” explains Laura Knap, aGrand House organizer. Grand Houseconsulted University of Guelph mas-ter’s engineering students ChantelleLeidl and Christopher Despins (advisedby Prof. Khosrow Farahkbaksh) for de-sign of the rainwater harvesting system.

They, in turn, referred to RH2O®

North America, based in Breslau, On-tario, which proposed a rainwater har-


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:29 PM


would get it in place had never been re-solved. The most obvious solutionwould have been a large crane, but thatwould have meant a completely prohib-itive cost. Happily, when we found thefiberglass tank, this question about theinstallation evaporated.”

Even though Knap was convincedthat the fiberglass tank was the way togo, she was nervous about the installa-tion. She was pleasantly surprised, how-ever. What she feared the most ― gettingthe tank onto the site and down a steephill ― went very well.

Four cleaning principlesThe RH2O rainwater harvesting sys-

tem employed at Grand House utilizesfour basic cleaning principles:

1. Rainwater flows from the roof toa rainwater filter, where dirt particlesand debris are separated from the water.

2. The filtered rainwater enters theZCL storage tank through an inlet thatprevents any disturbance to fine sedi-ment at the bottom of the tank and en-sures that oxygenated water is introducedto the lower layers of the stored water.

3. A rainwater harvesting filter al-lows some small particles to enter thetank. Any particles lighter than water

float slowly to the water surface, wherethey are removed. Particles heavier thanwater sink to the bottom of the tank.

4. Water is extracted through a float-ing suction filter that is suspended justbelow the water surface where thecleanest water resides.

The cleaned rainwater that is pumpedinto Grand House is currently used forlow-flush toilets and garden irrigation.However, in time, the intention is to usethe collected rainwater for laundry,dishes and perhaps showers. Local mu-nicipality codes do not currently allow

for collected rainwater to be used forshowers. However, many municipalitiesare seeing that, with water shortages, itmay be time for change.

The system was designed to meet allGrand House’s non-potable water needs,but in times of water shortage, the sys-tem’s solenoid valve allows a switch tocity water if necessary.

Knap explains why she thinks pro-jects like the Grand House rainwaterharvesting system are so important:

“We have so many students here,mostly architecture students, pushingfor more green solutions. We’re hopingthat by taking on innovative solutions,we’ll make it possible for architecturestudents to see how it is to live withthese innovations and then bring un-common solutions to projects whereverthey go.”

For more information, E-mail: [email protected]

www.zcl.com • (780) 466-6648 phone • (780) 466-6126 fax

InnovativeWater Storage

Green Building applications utilizingZCL fiberglass tanks include:

• Rainwater Harvesting

• Stormwater Management

• Water Efficient Landscaping Irrigation

• Onsite Wastewater Systems

• Greywater Recycling

• Chiller Unit Water Collection

Water is valuable. ZCL Composites Inc. can help you store it wisely whilealso earning LEED design points with cost-effective fiberglass undergroundtanks. Some of todays most innovative Green Building projects recognizethat water storage is a key element in maximizing water conservation designpossibilities.

ZCL lightweight 25,000-litre fiberglasstank.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:30 PM


When spills escalate andthreaten open water, reg-ulatory compliance be-comes reality, the urgency

to respond turns into panic, and responsecapability can become laborious effortsthat may or may not produce positive re-sults.

In the past few years, new Canadiantechnologies have provided world-classinnovations for keeping spills on site, forrecovering oil from land and water, andfor removing dissolved hydrocarbonsfrom water.

ChemiGreen electronic plugs for stop-ping spills at discharge points throughouta plant address worldwide ISO standardssuch as ISO 14000. This wireless systemallows sensors to be activated by watermonitors, by hand-held remote control, orfrom a computer generated map of anarea up to a one mile radius.

The In-Viro-Drum patented technol-ogy is capable of lifting free oil fromwater with a recovery rate of better than80%. These units have been designed toprovide vacuum truck capability forCanada’s ‘oil patch’ and for remote areasof the Arctic. The lightweight systemscan fit onto the back of a half ton truckand are very economical to use. In com-parison, a full sized vacuum truck, suchas the ones used to clean out municipalcatch basins, cost $500,000 to purchase,or up to $600 per hour to contract forcritical spills.

Another Canadian company, EMRP, isdedicated to the removal of dissolved hy-drocarbons, including PCBs, from wateras a result of their involvement with theaftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They arenow capable of removing dissolved PCBsfrom water to parts per trillion.

Responding to the ‘it will never hap-pen spill’, on land or water, is an art. Re-sponders require training on-site toaddress soil or ground conditions, thecharacteristics of the oil or hydrocarbon,discharge flow rates, wind conditions. Aswell they must be able to assess the ef-fectiveness of spill procedures, responsesupplies, equipment and any on-call con-tractors.

Boat driving into spill to pull the boom into position to contain discharge.

Keeping a lid on spill clean-up expenses

Many on-call contractors have clausesin their contracts that allow them the‘first right to refuse’ to come to a spill,if their personnel and equipment are busydoing other servicing. Or, they may sendunskilled personnel, with minimum ex-perience and/or subcontract to anothercompany to fulfil your needs.

On-site responders, trained specifi-cally to deal with all-risk and all-hazardconditions, are the ‘spills masters’ thathandle routine spills, adverse conditions,potential impacts, as well as the scale ofimpact that could occur. Because they aretrained with relevant hands-on exercisesto address site-specific conditions, theyare the best people to decide which spillsupplies and equipment will work best ateach point at risk.

They are also the best people to takepersonnel from various departments andteach them how to employ specific coun-termeasures, i.e., measures that will slowthe advance of a spill, divert the spill toa more manageable area, or away fromsensitive areas, and stop, or contain, thespill before key personnel, emergencyservices and response contractors can beat the scene.

Trainees become responders in the same day

Site-specific training in actual condi-tions paid dividends during a recent

By Cliff Holland

hands-on training session. Participantslearned, while working with oil in a train-ing tank, how it behaved on water, andhow to deploy adsorptive booms to ad-dress existing and changing conditions.Participants recovered 20 to 30 litres ofoil from the water, with less than 10%water content and then prepared for openwater exercises using their boats, sup-plies and equipment.

Shock and amazement were experi-enced by the participants when they ar-rived on the scene and saw an actual andsignificant oil spill that was dischargingat a flow rate of five feet per second froman outfall 20 feet wide and 8 feet deep.

The spill was immediately reported tothe Ministry of the Environment as theparticipants prepared to handle the spillresponse. Two responders were in-structed to take a rope and move to thetwo points of land on either side of theeffluent channel, while others accessedand hooked together 200 ft of the eightinch sorbent booms brought for training.The booms were pulled by rope into po-sition at each point of land, as the currentwas carrying them out into open water.

Changing wind conditions started tomove the booms back into the fast-flow-ing discharge, about the time the re-sponse boat came on the scene and so thepersonnel on the boat were able to hook

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:30 PM

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Visit www.cala.ca or call 613-233-5300 for multiple methods of training in the following subjects:

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Contractor cleaning sheen withoutconcentration.

Trainees attempting to concentrateoil, and pick up sheen.

onto the boom and drag it to the middleof the open water channel. An anchorfrom the boat was then attached to theboom to hold it in place and to corral theongoing discharge of oil. This was ac-complished within 20 minutes.

Next, the boat moved 200 metresdown wind to get ahead of the spill, asthe oil on the surface was being forcedup stream due to the wind conditions.The trainees were able to operate theboat and slowly pull one end of the

boom, while others walked the shoreline,pulling the booms as they maintainedtheir seal against the shoreline to concen-trate the spill in a cove type setting wherethe oil was recovered with blanket mate-rial. The booms in the cove area were leftto do their job, should any other traceamounts accumulate. A week later thebooms were removed, with significantoil accumulation.

Back in the turbulent area, the waterwas discharging to the centre of thechannel and a reverse flow was bringingoil back into the shore, where an In-Viro-Drum portable vacuum system was usedto skim sheen from the water. The con-ditions were not conducive to concentrat-ing the oil sheen for pickup; therefore theskimming exercise was used only todemonstrate how ineffective vacuumtrucks can be on-site, if support person-nel are not trained to consolidate the oilbefore attempting recovery.

The two drums of oily water, recov-ered with the In-Viro-Drum, wereopened up after ninety minutes of skim-ming to observe the amount of oil col-lected. Without being able to preparecollection areas, and while properly op-erating the system the participants did

not even collect enough oil to saturate an18 inch square adsorption pad. Yet in thetraining tank exercise, they recovered 20to 30 litres of oil in less than 15 minutes,with less than 10% water, which showedthe importance of proper oil concentrat-ing procedures during spill containment.

Cliff Holland is with Spill Management Inc. E-mail: [email protected]

www.esemag.com November 2009 | 51

Clean Buoy OrangeFloating Lift Station Degreaser

Phone: 888-237-2444E-mail: [email protected]

Clean Buoy dissolves grease, fats, oiland slime in lift station wet wells,grease traps, septic tanks and catchbasins. Clean Buoy floats on thesurface, rising and falling with thewater to prevent grease buildup onwalls and water surface.

It prevents fouling of ejector stationprobes and level sensing tubes in liftstations and keeps pump seal filtersclear, allowing pumps to run cooler.Clean Buoy won’t upset clarifiers, de-grade effluent quality, inhibit wastedigestion or affect BOD or ODIwhen used as directed.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:30 PM


tested and proven effective in its applica-tion.

The WI-Plug system is an incidentcommand and spill control systemwhose sole function is keeping spills on-site. The system commander can moni-tor effluents and detect and containspills. The commander signals the sys-tem to block the discharge from enteringthe drainage system. The system imme-diately deploys and contains the spillwhile the commander transmits thealarm to the plant’s control centre.

Simultaneously, key personnel arenotified of the incident by e-mails. Byremoving the time constraints, the sys-tem transforms this emergency situationinto a routine and safe clean-up. In ad-dition, the system requires no infrastruc-ture, so it is not only efficient andflexible, but also economically sound.

As the WI-Plug substantially reducesthe environmental risk involved inchemical spills, it is likely to reduce thecosts of training personnel as well as in-surance costs.

The system layout is show in Figure1. The system commander is placed inthe centre, and controls the entire oper-ation. It is the central processing unit ofthe system and can activate up to 128

Chemical spills occur through-out industry on a daily basis.With the United States Na-tional Response Center re-

porting more than 37,000 spills in 2008and Environment Canada reporting over10,000 spills annually, it is clear there isa need for more than a band-aid solution.

A spilled chemical will always flowto the lowest point in the facility: thedrain. If it is not stopped at this unpro-tected point, any control of the spill islost and the damage is done. Chemicalspills not only create irreversible envi-ronmental damage, but also tarnish thefacility’s reputation and carry extremelyhigh monetary costs, as environmentalagencies have stiffened their penaltiesand increased their enforcement efforts.

The trend towards a greener andcleaner industry and greater environ-mental responsibility suggests that com-panies can no longer afford to neglecttheir chemical spill reaction plan.

Reviewing historical chemical spillcontainment results will show that mostlarge chemical spills are not contained ef-fectively and large amounts of chemicalsare often released into the environment.Although almost every spill can be han-dled with the proper training and equip-ment within a few hours, this currentstandard is simply not good enough. Tobe effective, a solution must contain thechemical spill within seconds of detec-tion, preferably by an employee with verylittle training and from a safe distance.

Chemical spill containment proce-dures have lagged years behind advancesin automation and computerization.

The most commonly used spill controldevices include absorbent pads and sandsor rubber mats that are manually de-ployed. All of these manual devices carrya symbolic value at best when a large spilloccurs, and they can put employees react-ing to the spill at greater risk.

Recently, ChemiGreen Inc. introducedan innovative system: a wireless spill con-tainment system, the WI-Plug. Thispatented system has been installed in anumber of facilities in southern Ontarioand Quebec, and has been thoroughly

plugs simultaneously. The commanderreceives an activation signal wirelessly,from one of the system’s sources suchas a remote control unit, sensor, alarmsystem and computer. Each WI-Plug canbe controlled individually or as a group.

The commander is located in an officeor control room. It can be connected to aPC or network to allow easy access to thesystem for quick activation or for the sys-tem’s management. The commander canalso be connected to any alarm or sensorsystem to enable automatic activationwhen a sensor detects chemicals in the ef-fluent or if there is a fire alarm. The com-mander uses an encrypted wireless meshnetwork with three levels of encryptionfor security. The mesh network is ex-tremely robust and designed for industrialuse. The commander will continue nor-mal operation even during a power out-age (up to 48 hours).

The WI-Plug can be installed with nochange of infrastructure in any locationregardless of pipe size (up to 30 inches),orientation or location. It can be installedin horizontal or vertical pipes and can beput underground at any depth. The instal-lation is non-invasive and requires noflanges, pipe cutting or changes of infra-

Figure 1. Layout of spill containment system.

Keeping spills on-site with wireless technology By Shachar Parran


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:30 PM

HANDS-ON MODULES• Chemical (Hands-on)• Test and Verify• Evaluate Properties• CBRNE

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structure. Installation is easy and gener-ally takes under one hour.

The system can be tailored to an as-sortment of chemicals. It will report tothe user, via e-mail, if maintenance orbattery change is required. It will alsoreport on the success or failure of theplug deployment.

A deployed plug in a 21-inch pipe isshown in Figure 2. The plug was activatedfrom the control room 150 feet away dur-ing an actual spill (water simulation).

The easy to use, hand-held, remotecontrol unit (RCU) enables the activation

of any WI-Plug from any location in thefacility using a few keystrokes. Deploy-ment is completed within seconds andthe RCU receives real-time status reportsof the success or failure of the deploy-ment. The RCU enables personnel tocontain a spill and alert the EmergencyResponse Team simultaneously. An RCUcan be placed at any location with a spillrisk, in order to enable spill containmentwithin seconds of detection.

The system management PC softwareallows connection to the commanderfrom any desktop or laptop computer for

system monitoring and configuration.The software also sends e-mail notifica-tions on warnings, errors and deploy-ments. The WI-Plug system can workautonomously without a PC connectionduring power outages. A snap shot of thesoftware is shown in Figure 3.

With such a system installed, plantengineers and environmental officersshould change the type of training andequipment that their personnel need foremergency responses. The plant can bere-analyzed for spill risks, and all high-risk drains should be protected by wire-less plugs.

In addition to chemical spills, thesystem can also solve another seriousproblem: firefighting water. Accordingto the Ontario fire code, the water usedby firefighters during industrial fires isconsidered a chemical. When the WI-Plug system is connected to the firealarm it can be automatically deployedand prevent the contaminated fire waterfrom leaving the facility.

These new safety measures givecompanies leverage when negotiatingtheir pollution insurance premiums. Asin home insurance when measures toprotect the home are installed, the re-duced risk of chemical spills and itsdamage should reduce the cost of insur-ing the facility. Given these lower insur-ance costs, most facilities would be ableto offset the installation costs of the sys-tem within the first year or two.

ConclusionWhen a spill occurs, the Emergency

Response Team has three main missions.The first is to stop the spill at its sourcein order to minimize the amount ofchemical being spilled. The second islinked to the first and is to fix the equip-ment and return the production line tonormal as soon as possible. The third isto prevent the chemical from enteringthe drainage system. When spills happenduring the night shift, finding enoughpeople to handle all jobs can be hard.

With a system like the WI-Plug in-stalled, the third critical mission is cov-ered in seconds by simply pressing abutton. This will lead to better results interms of both environmental protectionand getting production back online.

Shachar Parran is with ChemiGreenInc. E-mail: [email protected]

Figure 2. WI-Plug deployed within a 21-inch pipe.

Figure 3. WI-Plug system management software.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:31 PM

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:31 PM


The population of the Town of Bradford WestGwillimbury, in Ontario, has been growing, up fromapproximately 18,000 in 2005 to 26,000 in 2009.When the Town first realized it needed more

biosolids storage and a significant expansion of its olderwastewater treatment plant in 2005, it envisioned a two-stepprocess that would eventually serve a population of 44,000.

“But when we got into the project, we realized it was moreefficient and economical to plan ahead and expand for 20 yearsfrom now, all in one shot,” says Brad Sullivan, Waste WaterManager for the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. “Popu-lation growth told us we needed more sludge storage. We ba-sically wanted tank storage that would get us up to 17,400cubic metres.”

The new plant expansion is called “Plant D,” with PlantsA, B and C making up the adjacent older part of the treatmentfacility.The digester in the old plant has been used for sludgestorage.

The new wastewater treatment site rests in a “Green Area,”,an environmentally sensitive floodplain ecosystem with theHolland River running behind the plant. The river eventuallyempties into Lake Simcoe, a severely stressed lake that suffers

from nutrient algae blooms.The cleanliness of the wastewaterentering the lake must meet stringent regulations for lack ofnutrients; the phosphorus loading must be 0.11 part per mil-lion, for example.

With it being in a sensitive area, the whole site had to goto the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority for approval.

Existing drainage and stormwater management had to beconsidered. Drainage flows away from the site into a trenchedcreek that carries it to the river; the discharge point is only afew feet above the high water table, while the river levels riseand fall during the course of the year.

The 100-acre site needed additional biosolids storage on asmall footprint that would even allow for future expansion.The Town wanted to store its biosolids above ground due tothe high water table. The small footprint and above groundstorage led the engineering firm to compare glass-fused-to-steel versus concrete.

Construction cost was a driving factor behind choosing theglass-fused-to-steel and the Town went with the recommen-dation of the engineering firm, AECOM. It will not have topaint the Big Bradford down the road, and it will provide thelongevity needed for growth. The glass-fused-to-steel tank isalso self-cleaning as the solids do not adhere to the walls ofthe tank.

Greatario provided the engineered drawings for thetank/roof, foundation and mixing system and erected the tankand dome, while Kenaidan Contracting installed the founda-tion and piping. The Aquastore tank and dome were erectedin only eight weeks.

Odour control is important. Although the site is within anindustrial valley, there are surrounding homes, and the newsite was located as far away from these homes as possible.There is also a biofilter for odour control.

Biosolid management central to planning

Computing exactly how much biosolid storage will beneeded 20 years from now was a challenge. “As the designingengineers, we took the town’s criteria as to raw sewage comingin and calculated how much biosolid would be produced, thendeveloped an injection strategy as well as a biosolids storagestrategy,” says Mike Gundry, Water and Waste Water Managerfor AECOM. “The key consideration is that you cannot spreadbiosolids on frozen ground, so you need at least 180 days stor-age. We also had to optimize diameter versus height.”

“We were not aware at the time that we were building thelargest domed glass-fused-to-steel wastewater treatment tankin North America,” he adds. Aquastore glass-fused-to-steeltanks are manufactured by Engineered Storage Products Com-pany, while the dome is made by Temcor.

The JetMix® Vortex Mixing System from Liquid Dynamicsis powerful enough to allow the Town to turn it on or off inter-mittently to reduce their overall operating costs. The mixer can

“Big Bradford” is North America’slargest domed glass-fused-to-steelwastewater treatment tank

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:31 PM

stir the biosolids that have settled at the bottom of the tank andhave it operating within 48 hours, even after months of rest, orit can be used on a regular basis. Over the winter, all of thesolids settle to the bottom of the tank and get very thick.

Liquid can be decanted off the top of the tank. There is aladder on the outside of the tank and an access port at the topto view the liquid in the tank. A slip tube can be lowered downinto the solution to take the clear liquid off the top and returnit to the head of the plant.

The biosolids from the plant are pumped into tanker truckswhich then haul the biosolids to farmers’ fields for land ap-plication during the permitted time period of May 1 to No-vember 30.

How the system worksRaw sewage is pumped from the pumping station, screened

to remove rags and other material, then grit is removed. From

there, it enters the aeration tanks for biological treatment andthen secondary clarification for secondary settling, then ter-tiary filtration and UV disinfection before it is discharged (seeschematic).

The Big Bradford is waiting its turn to contribute to thetown’s treatment plant operations. The tank has been filledwith plant effluent water for testing, and everything looks setto go. So why is the Big Bradford resting idle?

“The new plant expansion started accepting sewage in Juneof 2009,” Sullivan explains. “So it will take a while before webuild up enough biosolids that we would start to use Big Brad-ford. Two other concrete biosolids tanks that hold 6,000 cubicmetres each are filling first. The concrete tanks are designedso that they can be switched over to anaerobic tanks in the fu-ture. There are 10,000 cubic metres of aerated lagoon storage.”

“There is room for another Greatario tank,” says Sullivan.He doesn’t know if it will be as large as the “Big Bradford,”but he likes glass-fused-to-steel’s adaptability to the site.

E-mail: [email protected]


“Big Bradford” under construction (above) and completed (right).

Schematic of the wastewater treatment plant.



Bolted steel tanks provide acost-effective and flexible so-lution for containment inwater or wastewater applica-

tions. Standards for bolted steel tankshave limitations either by the application(chemical reaction vessels) or by thestandard itself (water only).

The new ISO standard is specificallyfor glass-fused-to-steel bolted-steel tanksand has application guidelines for bothwater and wastewater. The AWWA stan-dard is applicable to both epoxy andglass-fused-bolted-steel tanks but it doesnot specifically address wastewater ap-plications. If glass-fused-to-steel is thepreference within the AWWA standard,then Section 10.4 needs to be referencedas well.

The ISO 28765:2008 Standard estab-lishes the requirements for the design anduse of vitreous-enamel-coated (glass-fused-to-steel) bolted cylindrical steeltanks for the storage or treatment of wateror municipal or industrial effluents andsludges. It applies to the design of thetank and any associated roof and givesguidance on the requirements for the de-sign of the foundation. It applies where:• The tank is cylindrical and is mountedon a load-bearing base substantially at orabove ground level; • The product of the tank diameter inmetres and the wall height in metres lieswithin the range 5 to 500; • The tank diameter does not exceed100 m and the total wall height does notexceed 50 m; • The stored material has the character-istics of a liquid, exerting a negligiblefrictional force on the tank wall; thestored material may be undergoing treat-ment as part of a municipal or industrialeffluent treatment process; • The internal pressure in the headspaceabove the liquid does not exceed 50 kPaand the internal partial vacuum abovethe liquid does not exceed 10 kPa; • The walls of the tank are vertical; • The floor of the tank is substantiallyflat at its intersection with the wall; thefloor of the tank may have a rise or fallbuilt in to allow complete emptying of

the tank contents, the slope of whichdoes not exceed 1:100; • There is negligible inertial and impactload due to tank filling; • The minimum thickness of the tankshell is 1.5 mm;• The material used for the manufactureof the steel sheets is carbon steel (tanksconstructed of sheets made from alu-minum or stainless steel are outside thescope of this international standard); • The temperature of the tank wall dur-ing operation is within the range-50 °C to +100 °C under all operatingconditions.

This international standard also givesdetails of procedures to be followed dur-ing installation on site and for inspectionand maintenance of the installed tank.However, it does not apply to chemical-reaction vessels. It does not apply totanks fitted with floating roofs and doesnot cover resistance to fire.

The ANSI/AWWA D103-09 Standardis the established AWWA standard forfactory-coated bolted steel tanks forwater storage (Revision of ANSI/AWWAD103-97).

The purpose of this standard is to pro-vide minimum requirements for the de-sign, construction, inspection, andtesting of new cylindrical, factory coated,bolted carbon-steel tanks for the storageof water. This standard is only applicableto tanks with a base elevation substan-

tially at ground level. Some of the revi-sions to the 1997 edition follow:1.1.1 Tank roofs. All tanks storingpotable water shall have roofs. Roofsmay be column-supported, self-sup-ported, or aluminum dome. Tanks storingnon-potable water may be constructedwithout roofs.1.1.2 Items not described. This stan-dard does not cover all details of designand construction. Details that are not ad-dressed shall be designed and con-structed to be as adequate and as safe asthose that would otherwise be providedunder this standard. This standard is notapplicable to tanks of corrugated con-struction. This standard is not applicableto tanks constructed of stacked plates orsheets laminated to form multiple layers.1.1.3 Local requirements. This stan-dard is not intended to cover storagetanks erected in areas subject to regula-tions more stringent than the require-ments contained within this standard. Insuch cases, this standard should be fol-lowed where it does not conflict withlocal requirements. Where more strin-gent local, municipal, county, or stategovernment requirements apply, such re-quirements shall be specified and thisstandard shall be interpreted to supple-ment them.

Major revisionsThis edition of the standard includes

numerous corrections, updates, revi-

This 17m diameter x 19.8m tall bolted steel tank was installed at Crowne Isle, BC.

Choosing the right tank designstandard is vital By Darrin Hopper

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sions, and new material to clarify someof the existing requirements. Sectionswere rearranged and revisions made toeliminate contractual language. Metricequations and dimensions were added.Sec. 1 General was revised to clarifythat corrugated tanks and tanks con-structed of multiple layers of steel werenot applicable to the standard.Sec. 2 References was revised and up-dated.Sec. 4 Materials was revised and in-cludes additional grades of plates,sheets, structural shapes, hardware, andother tank construction materials.Sec. 5 General Design was revised toinclude maximum thickness of flat-panel shell plates of 0.5 in. (12.7 mm);foundation anchor bolt Sec. 5.9.4 wasrevised; and reinforcing criteria for di-ameter of connections was decreasedfrom 4 in. (102 mm) to 2 in. (51 mm).Bolted piping flanges Figure 2 was elim-inated.Sec. 7 Accessories for Tanks was re-vised regarding ladder requirements tobring into compliance with updatedOSHA regulations 29 CFR Part 1910.Sec. 8 Welding was revised and updated

regarding qualifications, procedures,and inspection.Sec. 14 Seismic Design and Sec. 15Wind Design were revised extensivelyto reflect the requirements of the Inter-national Building Code and ASCE 7.Appendix A Commentary for Factory-Coated Bolted Carbon-Steel Tanks forWater Storage was added to providebackground information for many of therequirements contained in the standard.

Other general and specific revisions,additions, and corrections were madethroughout the standard.

The specifying processWhen did you last review your tender

specifications? Are they in-line with thecurrent standards and the needs of yourclients?

When specifying glass-fused-bolted-steel tanks, the tender document needonly reference either one or both ofthese standards and any proprietarymanufacturer’s wording can be elimi-nated.

Anaerobic digestion, biosolids stor-age, sludge cake storage, industrial efflu-ents, and leachate storage, for example,should be governed by the ISO standard

and not AWWA. The ISO standard ad-dresses those applications, whereas theAWWA standard does not.

Restrictions by the AWWA standardto limit maximum sheet thicknesses to12.7 mm (previously 9.5 mm), and itscurrent failure to cover laminated panelswould mean that many larger tanks herein Ontario and Canada could not havebeen built or designed. There is a definitedemand for these high load designedtanks and the use of the ISO standardwill lessen the limits of this demand.

A client’s options in choice of manu-facturers, engineers and standards createa positive and competitive environment.Choosing the right standard for the rightapplication is extremely important.

Darrin Hopper is with H2Flow Tanks & Systems. E-mail:

[email protected]

EQUIPMENT TANKSTECHNOLOGIES FOR

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ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS

1-888-575-8642www.h2flow.com

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At Alberta Wilbert Sales we sell, serviceand deliver Alberta’s largest tanks, withcapacities as high as 10,000 gallons, andback them with a 20-year warranty. Four key manufacturing processes makeour tanks superior: custom-designedmoulds, quality controlled concrete, special pour techniques and careful han-dling. Tel: 800-232-7385, Fax: 780-447-1984Web: www.wilbert.ca

Quality tanks

Alberta Wilbert Sales Assmann Corporation of America

Assmann’s compact feed stations, rang-ing from 40 to 550 gallons, store smallamounts of liquids and other chemicals.The feed stations are lightweight, strongand easy to handle. Assmann linearpolyethylene tanks are certified by NSFto NSF/ANSI Standard 61.Tel: 888-357-3181, Fax: 888-826-5329E-mail: [email protected]: www.assmann-usa.com

Chemical feed stations

BakerCorp

BakerCorp maintains an extensive in-ventory of over 18,000 pieces of qualityrental equipment including more than17 varieties of steel tanks, roll offboxes, pumps, filtration and specialtyequipment. For over 65 years, Baker-Corp has provided outstanding cus-tomer service, quality equipment andapplication expertise. Tel: 905-545-4555, 1-800-BAKER12 Web: www.bakercorp.com

Equipment rental

GTI’s modular floating cover systemscontrol algae and odors in tanks and la-goons. These durable, UV-protectedcovers can also be used to provide insu-lation. The covers can be installedquickly without disrupting plant opera-tions and are easy to maintain while inservice. They can safely support foottraffic and snow loads. Tel: 506-452-7304E-mail: [email protected]: www.gticovers.com

Geomembrane Technologies Inc.

Floating cover systemsThe JetMix Vor-tex Mixing Sys-tem can be usedin biosolidsstorage wheresolids suspen-

sion is important. Benefits of using theJetMix system include: Intermittent op-eration saves 60-90% in power con-sumption; expensive tank cleanout andscheduled maintenance not required;easily installed in existing tanks; multi-ple tank mixing using a central pumphouse. JetMix was a recipient of a 1997Innovative Technology Award from theWater Environment Federation. Tel: 519-469-8169, Fax: 519-469-8157 E-mail: [email protected]: www.greatario.com

Greatario Engineered Storage Systems H2Flow Tanks & Systems

Water reservoir & tank mixer

PAX Mixer is a very innovative, simplemixer designed to mix water storagereservoirs and standpipes. It offers supe-rior mixing performance with little en-ergy consumption, easy installation, lowcapital cost. It eliminates stagnation andstratification, minimizes residual loss,prevents nitrification.Tel: 905-660-9775, Fax: 905-660-9744E-mail: [email protected]: www.h2flow.com

Layfield Group

GeoFlexGeomembraneis a uniqueblend of virginpolymers andadditives thathave been opti-mized to deliver

flexibility, elongation, cold temperatureresistance, long-term UV stability, andadvanced chemical resistance. Lay-field’s GeoFlex will consistently per-form to the highest standards availablein the industry.

Tel: 800-840-2884, Fax: 780-455-5218E-mail: [email protected]: www.layfieldgroup.com

Geomembrane

Spill Management

Specialist training

PracticalHands-onProgressiveFormats

Tel: 905-578-9666, Fax: 905-578-6644

E-mail: [email protected]: www.spillmanagement.ca

ZCL Composites

ZCL’s un-dergroundtanks areconstructedof non-cor-rosive fibre-glasscomposite

material and premium quality graderesin. They are marketed under the tradenames Prezerver® and Greentank®.Safe and durable, ZCL tanks have be-come the #1 choice for environmentallysafe storage of petroleum products.

Tel: 1-800-661-8265Web: www.zcl.com

Underground tanks

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ACG Technology ACG Technology

ACG Technol-ogy’s packagetreatment sys-tem offers per-formance anddurability. Itprovides

sewage treatment within a small foot-print. Aeration, mixing and settling canbe accomplished in compact, easilytransported ISO containers, ideal for re-mote locations. Provides flexibility ofadding future parallel units, an econom-ical means of meeting the needs of anygrowing sewage loads.Tel: 905-856-1414, Fax: 905-856-6401 E-mail: [email protected]: www.acgtechnology.com

Package Treatment System Coalescing oil/water separators

ACG Technology’scoalescing oil/water separatorsare available incarbon steel, stain-less steel, FRP andpolypropylene con-struction. Standard

systems include air operated diaphragmpump, air filter and floating skimmer.Adjustable weir and skimmer height pro-vides optimal oil removal and minimaldisposal volume. Standard range is 1 to50 GPM.Tel: 905-856-1414, Fax: 905-856-6401E-mail: [email protected]: www.acgtechnology.com

Armtec

Armtec

Armtec provides BEBO concrete archbridges in Québec, Ontario and WesternCanada. Based on technology devel-oped in Switzerland, BEBO arches arean economical alternative to cast-in-place concrete or structural steelbridges. They are available in a range ofshapes with spans up to 31m.Tel: 519-822-0210, Fax: 519-822-1160E-mail: [email protected]: www.armtec.com

Concrete arch bridges

Stormwater solutions

Armtec provides awide range ofCONTECHstormwater qualitymanagement systems through-out Canada. Prod-ucts includeVORTECHS hydrodynamic

separation systems and VORTFILTERfiltration systems. These systems areamong the best for capturing suspendedsolids, oils, grit and trash from storm-water runoff.Tel: 519-822-0210, Fax: 519-822-1160E-mail: [email protected]: www.armtec.com

Avensys Solutions

The Land Model4500 Mk III fromAmetek achievesthe highest avail-able performance

specifications as defined by ASTMStandard D6216-Standard Practice forOpacity Monitor Manufacturers to Cer-tify Conformance with Design and Per-formance Specifications. It is anaccurate and reliable stack opacitymeasurement and dust concentrationmonitoring instrument ideally suited forall types of industrial applications. Tel: 888-965-4700 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.avensyssolutions.com

• Upgrades and optimizes all types of filters• Installs directly over existing underdrain system• Eliminates the need for base gravel layers• Improves backwash flow distribution• Provides longer filter runs and lower turbidity effluentTel: 403-255-7377, Fax: 403-255-3129E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.awifilter.com

Phoenix Panel System

AWI

• Optimizes all types of filters• Extremely low profile; lowest available• Manufactured from corrosion-resistant stainless steel• Variable custom orifice sizing• Custom hydraulic design• Guaranteed uniform air scour distribution• Rapid, low-cost installationTel: 403-255-7377, Fax: 403-255-3129E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.awifilter.com

Phoenix Underdrain System

AWI

Canadian Safety Equipment

Lightweight ground tents

The PELSUElightweight groundtents are one pieceincluding all fiber-glass poles (inte-grated into theshell) and set up in

seconds.The tents are manufacturedfrom flame retardant 250 denier poly-ester and are used for protection fromthe elements during equipmentrepair.They are also used as portableshelters, Haz-Mat Decon, field officesand rest areas. Sizes include 6’ x 6’, 8’ x8’, 10’ x 10’, 12’ x 12’ and 14’ x 14’.Tel: 800-265-0182, Fax: 905-272-1866E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cdnsafety.com

Claessen Pumps

Grindex’s new stainlesssteel pump line com-bines the integrity ofyears of tested designwith the ingenuity anddurability of new tech-nology. Inox pumps canbe used in applicationsthat would destroy theiraluminum predeces-sors. Their stainlesssteel construction en-

ables them to endure pH values from 2 –10, making them ideal for extreme envi-ronments with highly acidic or alkalinecontents. Tel: 705-431-8585, Fax: 705-431-2772E-mail: [email protected]: www.claessenpumps.com

New stainless steel pumps

Opacity measurement anddust compliance

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Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute

Polymer laminated coating

Polymer Lami-nated CorrugatedSteel Pipe pro-vides protectionagainst the uncer-tainties of tomor-row.This tough,mill-applied coat-ing protects both

the steel and galvanized coating from at-tack by a multitude of agents. The coat-ing has performed well in extremelyaggressive environments and is expectedto provide continuous protection formore than 100 years.Tel: 866-295-2416, Fax: 519-650-8081E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cspi.ca

Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute

Guideline for CSP culverts

Use the CanadianPerformanceGuideline for Cor-rugated Steel PipeCulverts as yourlocation in Canadamay affect thelong-term per-formance of yourinfrastructure. Un-derstanding your

local environment helps you to selectthe steel material best suited to yoursite, for optimum performance andvalue.Tel: 866-295-2416, Fax: 519-650-8081E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cspi.ca

Degremont

Dissolved air flotation

The AquaDAF® Clarifier High-RateDissolved Air Flotation System is a vi-able alternative to conventional settlingand DAF clarifiers. It is highly effectivefor treatment of a range of raw watercharacteristics including troublesomewaters exhibiting low turbidity, highTOC, colour and algae.Tel: 201-794-3100Web: www.degremont-technologies.com

Denso

Proven worldwidefor well over 100years, DensoPetrolatum Tapesoffer the best,most economical,

long-term corrosion protection for allabove and below ground metal surfaces.Requiring only minimum surface prepa-ration and environmentally responsible,Denso Petrolatum Tape is the solution toyour corrosion problems in any corro-sive environment. For applications inmines, mills, refineries, steel mills, pulp& paper, oil & gas, and the waterworksindustry. The answer is Denso!Tel: 416-291-3435, Fax: 416-291-0898E-mail: [email protected]: www.densona.com

Denso Petrolatum Tapes

DeWind Dewatering & Trenching

DeWind provides one-pass installation ofgravel filled trenches with simultaneousinstallation of horizontal HDPE screensnear trench bottom; also, trenches forgroundwater collection, free-product re-covery, or air-sparging applications. Dewa-tering is generally not required. Depths to35 feet building up to 57 feet in keytrenches.Tel: 616-875-7580, Fax: 616-875-7334E-mail: [email protected]: dewinddewatering.com

One-pass trenches

DeWind Dewatering & Trenching

With DeWind's One-Pass trencher technol-ogy, deep environmental horizontal collec-tion trenches, reactive barriers, and slurrywalls are installed in a single pass directlyinto contaminated water and soil. There isno need to dewater or remediate.Tel: 616-875-7580, Fax: 616-875-7334E-mail: [email protected]: dewinddewatering.com

One-Pass trenching

Endress + Hauser

The Liquiline CM44 is a four-wire multi-channel transmitter from Endress+Hauser, compatible with a full complement of digital Memosenssensors for all parameters. The largebacklit screen, navigation wheel, dropdown menu structure and adaptivesoftware make operation simple and intuitive. Tel: 800-668-3199, Fax: 905-681-9444E-mail: [email protected]: www.ca.endress.com

Multi-channel transmitter Geneq has in-troduced anOmniSTAR-compatible re-ceiver forsub-metermapping

wherever OmniSTAR VBS is broad-cast.The SXBlue II-L also incorporatesits SBAS signal processing for usingWAAS/EGNOS/ MSAS, and futureSBAS signals. The ability to select fromeither OmniSTAR or SBAS providesGIS professionals with a sub-metermapping solution virtually anywhere inthe world. Tel: 800-463-4363E-mail: [email protected]: www.sxbluegps.comGeneq Inc.

Sub-meter mapping

Degremont

Vertical UV lamp system

Ozonia’sAquaray® 3XVertical LampSystem offers ahigh amount ofUV outputwithin a re-duced foot-print, whileproviding thedegree of disin-

fection required for even the most strin-gent of effluent criteria.Operator-friendly, the 3X is ideally de-signed for large wastewater plants. Tel: 201-794-3100Web: www.degremont-technologies.com

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The Terminatoremergency shut-off system se-quentially closes150 lb. cylindervalves containingtoxic gas in less

than three seconds when activated fromremote sensors and switches.The Gem-ini controller has a self-contained bat-tery system that guarantees theoperation of the motorized closingmechanism even during a power failure.The latest Fire Codes recognize and ap-prove the “automatic-closing fail-safeshutoff valve” system in lieu of scrubbertreatment systems. Tel: 877-476-4222, Fax: 949-261-5033Web: www.halogenvalve.com Halogen Valve Systems

Emergency gas shutoff

The new Stormcep-tor® OSR fromHanson Pipe andPrecast is a verycost-competitivestormwater qualitydevice. The OSR issmaller, easier toinstall, competi-tively priced andmeets Ministry ofthe Environment re-quirements with the

same proven Stormceptor performance.

Tel: 888-888-3222, Fax: 519-621-8233E-mail: [email protected]: www.hansonpipeandprecast.com

Hanson Pipe and Precast

Oil and sand removal

The yellow, tensilesteel tape makes theHeron dipper-T avery accurate waterlevel indicator. Themarkings in feet and100/th of a foot areprotected under thepolyethylene jacket-ing. The dog bone design makes this ano stick tape. Fully encapsulated, waterresistant electronic module with A/Csignal eliminates probe corrosion.Beeps and flashes when in water. It’sthat easy!

Tel: 905-634-4449, 800-331-2032 Web: www.heroninstruments.com

Heron Instruments

Water level indicator

The TransitTime FlowMeter (TTFM)from Hetek So-lutions is easyto use, with ac-curacies betterthan ±1%. TheNI-MH batteryprovides up to

12 hours continuous use, and the datalogger can store up to 2000 lines ofdata.

Tel: 888-364-3835, Fax: 519-453-2182E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.hetek.com or www.hetekusa.com

Hetek Solutions

Flow meter

The YSIProODOTM hand-held DO meterprovides extremedurability for themeasurement ofoptical, lumines-cent-based dissolved oxygenfor any field application.

Web:www.hoskin.ca

Hand-held DO meter

The YSI Profes-sional Plus hand-held multi-parameter meterprovides extremeflexibility for themeasurement of avariety of combi-nations for dis-solved oxygen,conductivity, spe-cific conductance,salinity, resistivity,total dissolved

solids (TDS), pH, ORP, pH/ORP combi-nation, ammonium (ammonia), nitrate,chloride and temperature.Web: www.hoskin.ca

Multiparameter meter

Hoskin ScientificHoskin Scientific

Streamliner CR relining pipe from IdealPipe is a strong, light corrugated HDPEpipe designed to ‘streamline’ the up-grading of old metal culverts. In-placerelining with Streamliner CR eliminatesthe trouble and expense of road recon-struction while improving drainagethrough the culvert. Tel: 800-265-7098 Web: www.idealpipe.ca

Ideal Pipe

Relining pipe

ITT Water and Wastewater

Small mechanical face seals

ITT Water & Waste-water has launchedGriploc, a new generation of robustmechanical faceseals. To facilitatemounting, the newFlygt seals featureone uniform mount-ing procedure, andeach seal comes witha disposable, easy-to-use mounting tool.Fewer versions canalso reduce spare partinventory.

Tel: 514-695-0100, Fax: 514-697-0602Web: www.ittwww.ca

ITT Water and Wastewater

Energy efficient mixer

The motor in thenew Flygt 4650LSPM mixer re-lies on Line-Started Perm-anent-Magnet(LSPM) technol-ogy to deliver op-

timal efficiency in terms of mixer thrustand electrical input. It can provide about10-20% lower energy consumption,15% higher motor efficiency and 40%lower current consumption. Applica-tions include biological wastewatertreatment, denitrification, sludge han-dling, etc.Tel: 514-695-0100, Fax: 514-697-0602Web: www.ittwww.ca

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Membrane bioreactor

Sanitherm Inc.

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KSB offers pumps optimized for sea-water desalination. The efficient multi-stage high-pressure pumps meet themost challenging requirements of re-verse osmosis applications. They covera wide range of capacities (up to 1,500m3/h) and heads (as high as 950 m). Allcritical parts are made of duplex stain-less steel. Tel: 905-568-9200E-mail: [email protected]: www.ksb.caKSB Pumps Inc.

Desalination pumps

KSB pro-vides conven-ient spareparts kits forits popularAmarex KRTsubmersible

pumps used in water and wastewater ap-plications. The all-inclusive service kitshelp to reduce time and cost for sched-uled maintenance. They are stocked inCanada – and contain all parts for tune-ups in a complete package, offered atapproximately 30% less than individualparts’ prices.Tel: 905-568-9200E-mail: [email protected]: www.ksb.ca

KSB Pumps Inc.

Spare parts for pumps

Orival

Water filters

Stainless steel, carbon steel, NSF coat-ing, Hastelloy, titanium – whatever ma-terials are required, ORIVAL will meetall customer specifications when manu-facturing fully automatic self-cleaningfiltration systems, in sizes ranging from¾” to 24”. Tel: 1-800-567-9767E-mail: [email protected]: www.orival.com

DynaSand® continu-ous backwash, up-flow, deep bed,granular media fil-ters handle high lev-els of suspendedsolids, and mayeliminate the needfor pre-sedimenta-tion or flotation.They have few mov-ing parts, easily han-dle plant upsets, andrequire little operator

attention and maintenance.Tel: 514-636-8712, Fax: 514-636-9718 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.parkson.com

Parkson

Granular media filters

ProMinent Fluid Controls

Metering pumps

Feature-richand dependableSigma seriesmeteringpumps fromProMinent helpkeep yourchemical feedunder control.

Sigma pumps operate in capacities of upto 1000 LPH and pressures up to 174psi. Microprocessor controls are easy touse, with backlit LCD for rapid and reli-able adjustment.

Tel: 888-709-9933, Fax: 519-836-5226E-mail: [email protected]: www.prominent.ca

ProMinent Fluid Controls

Metering pump

The award-winningdelta® withoptoDrive®provides di-verse controland operatingcapabilities ina capacity

range of 7.5 - 75 l/h, 362 psi - 29 psi.The delta from ProMinent has many ad-vanced features: pulsed or continuousdosing; automatic detection of airlock,low pressure and high pressure; and anautomatic degassing option.Tel: 888-709-9933, Fax: 519-836-5226E-mail: [email protected]: www.prominent.ca/delta

SAF-T-FLO Chemical Injection manu-factures a complete line of chemical in-jection equipment for all types ofchemical feed systems. A large inventoryof retractable and non-retractable injec-tion quills and sampling probes are avail-able to meet your needs. In addition,experienced technical sales staff can an-swer your questions or help solve yourproblems. Tel: 800-957-2383, Fax: 714-632-3350E-mail: [email protected]: www.saftflo.com

Chemical injection equipment

SAF-T-FLO Chemical Injection

Sanitherm hasperfected con-tainerizing theirSaniBrane®MBR. The containerizedSaniBrane isportable, providesexcellent effluenton start-up, is op-

erator friendly and comes pre-wired, pre-plumbed and tested. The system foranywhere needing reliable waste treat-ment with a small footprint!

Tel: 604-986-9168, Fax: 604-986-5377E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.sanibrane.com

Membrane bioreactor

Sanitherm Inc.

Serfilco, Ltd. an-nounces a new cata-logue. The companyhas been a worldwidesupplier of fluid treat-ment equipment andtransfer pumps to thechemically demand-ing process fluids in-

dustry for nearly 50 years. A review oftheir new 2009 catalogue will give youan idea of the diversity of their productline. For your hard copy of this 400page catalogue, contact your local rep orcall the main office.Tel: 800-565-5278, Fax: 905-820-4015E-mail: [email protected]: www.service-filtration.com

Service Filtration of Canada

New catalogue from Serfilco

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SEW-Eurodrive’s patented keyless hol-low shaft design TorqLOC® mountingsystem adds advantages to the F-Series(the Snuggler®), K-Series (helical-bevel) and S-Series (helical-worm) re-ducers, resulting in benefits for usersand original equipment manufacturers.

Tel: 905-791-1553, Fax: 905-791-2999Web: www.sew-eurodrive.ca

SEW-Eurodrive Company of Canada Smith & Loveless

Wastewater Pump Stations

Energy-saving Smith &Loveless wastewaterpump stations are idealfor collection systemand WWTP influentpumping for municipali-ties, private develop-

ments and industry. Proven lift stationdesigns minimize delays because S&Lstations arrive at the jobsite completelybuilt and thoroughly factory-tested. Nowavailable with expanded pump sizing: 4"- 12" piping (100-300 mm); horsepower:1.5 to 300 HP; capacity: up to 50,000GMP (3155 lps).Tel: 913-888-5201, Fax: 913-888-2173E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.smithandloveless.com

Solinst Model 101 Water Level Metersfeature extremely durable and accurate flat tape that is very easy to re-pair. For narrow applications, the Model102 Water Level Meters feature flexible coaxial cable, precisely laser markedevery 1/100th foot or millimetre.

Tel: 905-873-2255, Fax: 905-873-1992E-mail: [email protected]: www.solinst.comSolinst Canada

Water level meters

Team-1 Academy Team-1 Academy

Tuthill Vac-uum &Blower Sys-tems has up-datedBlowerX-pert™ 8, a

widely used rotary blower selection tool.It is available for download, (WinXP/Vista, 2.5 MB, v8.0). New features in-clude the incorporation of relative hu-midity into air applications, and theaddition of links to CDC/NIOSH onlinePocket Guide to Chemical Hazards foraccess to information about gases.Tel: 800-825-6937, Fax: 417-865-2950E-mail: [email protected]: www.tuthill.com

Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems

Blower application software

Waterra's newAquaread™GPSAquameter™gets you fast,reliable, accu-rate and de-pendablewater qualityreadings. At-

tach one of the eight available multipa-rameter probes to measure dissolvedoxygen, conductivity, turbidity, tempera-ture, pH and ORP.

Tel: 905-238-5242, Fax: 905-238-5704E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.waterra.com

Waterra Pumps

Water quality meters

Whipps,Inc's lowleakagewater con-trol gateshave beenfield-provenin water and

wastewater applications since 1977.Equipment such as slide gates, sluicegates, hand-pull stop gates, stop logs,flap gates, shear gates, tilting weirs andtelescoping valves are produced at thecompany headquarters in Athol, Massa-chusetts.

Tel: 978-249-7924, Fax: 978-249-3072 Web: www.whipps.com

Whipps, Inc.

Water control gates

Waterloo Biofilter

Trickling filters

Waterloo Biofilters® are efficient, modular trickling filters for residentialand communal sewage wastewaters, andlandfill leachate. Patented, lightweight,synthetic filter media optimize physicalproperties for microbial attachment and water retention. The self-containedmodular design for communal use is now available in 20,000L/d and 40,000L/dISO shipping container units - ready toplug in on-site. Tel: 519-856-0757, Fax: 519-856-0759E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.waterloo-biofilter.com

Hollow shaft mounting systems

Confined space entry and rescue training

Are you finding the cost of equipment,maintenance and training for confinedspace rescue to be too costly? Team-1Academy, emergency response and res-cue specialists, have the solution -Standby Rescuers for hire. They supplythe equipment and manpower.

Safety through action...success through commitment!

Web: www.team1academy.com

Team-1 Academy specializes in con-fined space entry and rescue training.All of their instructors are active profes-sional emergency responders with yearsof training experience. Your staff will betaught correctly the first time and everytime!

Safety through action...success through commitment!

Web: www.team1academy.com

Confined space rescue

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Help for rural Alberta water plants

The Alberta Federation of Rural WaterCo-operatives recently completed a bestpractices manual on enhanced opera-tional guidelines. A $100,000 grant willbe used to establish workshops to discussand develop customized emergency re-sponse plans and operational proceduresfor each unique facility. The federationrepresents 77 rural water co-ops in Al-berta addressing the diverse needs of theprovince’s rural residents and ensuringsafe, secure water supply for both domes-tic and agricultural uses.

www.environment.alberta.ca

NF studies corrosion ofdrinking water piping

The Newfoundland government recentlyreleased results of a 2009 pilot studywhich was carried out to determine theextent of corrosion in public water sup-plies. Based on the findings, it is con-cluded that corrosion is not a major issuein most of Newfoundland and Labrador’swater supplies. Only three per cent ofsamples taken were above the recom-mended guidance for lead as a corrosionindicator.

The key objective of the study was todetermine the extent to which corrosionmay affect plumbing systems in homesand public buildings in the province. Atotal of 352 samples were taken. Thestudy was also used to determine the fea-sibility of specialized lead monitoringprocedures in measuring the corrosivepotential of municipal water supplies,rather than the standard lead monitoringprocedures. In the study, lead was used asthe indicator of corrosion, and the sam-pling procedures focused on the concen-trations of lead only. Public watersupplies in the province are routinelytested for pH, lead and all other metals.

Feds to fund new GreatLakes projects

The federal government recently an-nounced $410,000 in funding from theGreat Lakes Sustainability Fund for fourprojects to clean up the Detroit RiverArea of Concern. Thirty-seven projects

20 Sharp Road, Brantford, Ontario N3T 5L8 • Tel: (519) 751-1080 • Fax: (519) 751-0617E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.anthrafilter.net

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throughout the Great Lakes are receiving$2.2 million in funding this year.

During the LaSalle Riverfront ParkHabitat Restoration project, the Essex Re-gion Conservation Authority and theTown of LaSalle will be using soft shore-line engineering techniques to restore astretch of Detroit River shoreline in a waythat will create and enhance wetland andfish habitat. Irregular rock shoreline habi-tats will be built to encourage fish habitat.

Three additional projects focused onwater quality and habitat improvementswill be undertaken in the Area of Concern.

Biosolids task group develops GHG calculator

The Canadian Council of Ministers of theEnvironment (CCME) has established aBiosolids Task Group (BTG) which is de-veloping a Canada-wide approach for themanagement of wastewater biosolids, in-cluding: developing an inventory of emerg-ing contaminants in Canadian biosolids;reviewing current Canadian legislativeframeworks for biosolids; and, developinga calculator tool, the Biosolids EmissionsAssessment Model (BEAM) for determin-ing greenhouse gas emissions from variousbiosolids management practices.

For BEAM, the task group undertooka review of literature and leading GHGaccounting and verification protocols,and developed a model for calculatingGHG emissions from biosolids manage-ment. Using the model, GHG emissionsestimates were calculated for nine scenar-ios across Canada.

The literature review was completedto verify potential GHG sources andemission factors for biosolids and sludgemanagement processes in the model de-velopment. Values, emission factors andassumptions were corroborated by mul-tiple sources to ensure the use of themost current and accurate informationpossible.

A review of existing GHG accountingand verification protocols was completedto ensure the terminology and reportingmethods adopted in the model were con-sistent with these protocols. Developmentof the model was based on leading pro-tocols to facilitate the use of the model asa tool that is widely accepted as a verifi-


Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:33 PM


NEWS

Consulting EngineersConsulting Engineers

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able method of determining carbon cred-its which can be sold or traded to offsetthe cost of biosolids management.

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Easter Island hotels choose ADI

Easter Island is the site of a new ADISystems’ wastewater treatment plantbeing installed at the Hanga Roa Hotel.The new system will treat the hotel’swastewater, so that it can be directly dis-charged to a local stream. For two yearsan existing ADI plant has operated suc-cessfully at Hotel Explora, another lux-ury resort located on the island.

The island is a popular tourist destina-tion, noted for its long-lost civilizationthat carved the giant heads, a perfect cli-mate and beautiful landscapes. Its sensi-tive environment, and limited fresh waterresources, present a challenge to localsand to the tourism industry.

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Abu Dhabi treatment plant to expand

In 2008, the sewage and sanitary author-ity in Abu Dhabi, UAE, decided to con-vert two of the existing concreteemergency storage tanks at the MafraqWastewater Treatment Plant into an SBRsystem. The system was designed totreat 50,000 m3 per day.

Napier-Reid Ltd. was awarded a con-tract to design and supply a two-train se-quential batch reactor (SBR) system thatwould meet stringent effluent dischargelimits. Treated water will be reused fornon-potable applications. Under thiscontract, Napier-Reid provided detailedprocess design and supplied mostprocess equipment, including four 18m

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Parkson meets ISO9001:2008 standards

Parkson Corporation has expanded itsquality management systems to increasecertification from the ISO 9001:2000standards to the amended ISO 9001:2008certification levels.

The ISO 9001:2008 standard expandscoverage of all key processes and includesproscribed monitoring activities to ensureeffectiveness. In addition, this standard isrelevant to checking procedures, to eval-uating operations and to a comprehensivereview of procedural results.

The scope of Parkson ISO 9001:2008certification upgrade includes design,engineering and project management ofwater and wastewater treatment systems.

www.parkson.com

New water sector workercompetency model

The American Water Works Association(AWWA) and the Water EnvironmentFederation (WEF) have released theWater Sector Competency Model, whichdefines the necessary knowledge, skills,and abilities, for prospective water pro-fessionals and encourages careers in thewater sector.

It is designed to increase the pool ofcertified and experienced water sectorprofessionals through a variety of train-ing and career advancement solutions.AWWA and WEF are committed to sup-porting the competency-based trainingand certification in the water sector toensure experienced and certified watersector professionals are available to sup-port public water systems and waste-water treatment plants in the future.

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Water For People selectedfor Malawi project

The Blantyre Water Board, operated bythe government of Malawi, recently se-


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NEWS

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lected Water For People to provide tech-nical support for a 31-million-euro initia-tive funded by the European Union (EU)Water Facility and European InvestmentBank (EIB), to bring safe drinking waterand improved sanitation to more than540,000 people in 21 low-income areasin the region.

Water For People, a nonprofit interna-tional development organization, has sup-ported and implemented sustainableprograms designed to increase water andsanitation coverage in Malawi since2000. The Denver-based nonprofit organ-ization will receive more than $1.56 mil-lion (USD) as the Facilitation ServicesProvider for the program.

“The Blantyre Water Board is verysuccessful in providing water and sanita-tion facilities, while Water For People hasproven experience in creating and imple-menting services that can be delivered ina sustainable way,” said Elias Chimu-lambe, a Water, Sanitation, and Commu-nity Development Specialist at Water ForPeople–Malawi.

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Ontario hopes innovation intoxics reduction will help

build green economy

The Ontario government will invest$13.6 million in GreenCentre Canada, lo-cated at Queen’s University in Kingston.The centre, which will be operated byPARTEQ Innovations, will connect greenchemistry discoveries in Ontario univer-sities with companies to develop alterna-tives to toxic chemicals and get them tothe marketplace faster.

In its first five years, the centre ex-pects to create several start-up companiesand at least 250 jobs, while strengtheningthe global competitiveness of Ontario’s$21-billion chemical industry.

The province is also asking for publiccomment on the draft regulation that willspell out how industry must comply withthe Toxics Reduction Act to help protectpublic health and the environment. Bothmeasures were initiated to support the gov-ernment’s commitment to reduce toxicsubstances by supporting green chemistryand innovative new technologies to reduceindustrial reliance on toxic substances.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:33 PM


NEWSHuge cooling water pump

for Saudi Arabia

KSB Aktiengesellschaft is set to delivera huge vertical tubular casing pump foran intake structure in Saudi Arabia.Driven by a powerful, highly energy-ef-ficient 4200 kilowatt synchronous motor,the SEZA 24-160 pump unit will handlemore than 16,000 litres of seawater persecond; the water will be pumped into apiping system to supply Yanbu's indus-trial park. The complete pump unit willweigh about 100 tonnes, while the pumpalone weighs around 60 tonnes.

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New study done on PLE arsenic removal process

The newly implemented arsenic maxi-mum contaminant level (MCL) of10μg/L in drinking water is impactingthousands of water utilities in the UnitedStates.

The Water Research Foundation hasreleased the results of a study on thepilot-testing of a selective ion exchangeprocess, based on a polymeric ligand ex-changer (PLE).

Pilot-testing results confirmed that thecopper-loaded PLE was highly selectivefor arsenate over other competing anionssuch as sulfate and chloride that are om-nipresent in natural groundwater. ThePLE can effectively remove As(V) undertypical groundwater conditions and in thepH range of 6.5–8.3, with the lower pHbeing more favorable. It was uniquely se-lective for arsenate.

The study notes that the most notablemerit of this technology is its unique se-


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lectivity for arsenate, reusability of theresin, and much reduced waste processresidual. While the technology appearspromising for a broad range of ground-water conditions, the high arsenic selec-tivity of PLE is best utilized for treatingwater of high sulfate and relatively lowalkalinity.

www.waterresearchfoundation.org

AET Group wins RCO award

AET Group recently won a Gold award atthe Recycling Council of Ontario's WasteMinimization Awards for SustainableProduct/Service. This award evaluatesproducts, or services, that improve the

management of resources and/or mini-mize negative environmental impacts.AET was judged in six primary cate-gories: reducing non-renewable re-sources; reducing energy and waterconsumption; reducing pollutants; recy-clability; environmental design; and, en-vironmental leadership.

Dr. Saad Jasim elected Chair

of IOAʼs Pan Am Group

Dr. Saad Jasim, CEO of the WalkertonClean Water Centre, has been elected asChair of the International Ozone Associ-ation-Pan American Group. His two-year

term will begin in January 2010. He also currently serves as Vice Pres-

ident of the Ontario Water Works Associ-ation, is a Member of the Council ofGreat Lakes Research Managers with theInternational Joint Commission, and is amember of the NSF Joint Committee onDrinking Water Treatment Units - NSFInternational.

Environmental Employer of the Year Awards

ECO Canada has teamed up with Envi-ronmental Science and Engineering Mag-azine for the annual EnvironmentalEmployer of the Year Awards. This part-nership provides a new platform for par-ticipating organizations to showcase theirinnovative human resource (HR) practicesdirectly to environmental professionals.

Taking place at GLOBE 2010 in Van-couver, the Environmental Employer ofthe Year Awards recognize employerswithin Canada’s environment industryfor their commitment and dedication toHR excellence. It is also one of Canada’sonly awards in which winning organiza-tions are selected based on the feedbackand scoring of those who are most im-pacted by a company’s HR initiatives—the employees.

As part of the application process, allorganizations are required to distribute anemployee satisfaction survey to theirstaff. These results are used by an inde-pendent selection committee, consistingof human resource professionals, to se-lect three finalists in each category. It isnot until this stage of the awards processwhen management is consulted to supplyan essay describing the HR initiatives ofthe organization.

All participating organizations receivea comprehensive report of the survey re-sults for free. These results assess en-gagement levels and also highlight quicksolutions to improve satisfaction levels.Winners in both categories also receive afree HR consultation, to help further im-prove HR and workplace practices.

Organizations have until December 18,2009, to complete an Environmental Em-ployer of the Year application form. Full el-igibility requirements and applicationforms can be found at www.eco.ca/awards.

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How consultants can improve recognition fortheir expertise and knowledge - con’t from page 47

shifting from “funniest home videos” ter-ritory into being a viable medium for dis-playing expertise.

Despite the growth of these media, myview is that the individuals with budgetsto spend still rely more on print publica-tions.5. Original thought

A thought-leader needs to, well, be athought-leader. You need to be pushingthe frontiers of your area of expertise.Develop new insights, new methodolo-gies, new technologies, bring togetherideas that haven’t been brought togetherbefore.

This is where publishing in peer-re-viewed journals comes in, for many envi-ronmental professionals, as a significantsource of credibility. This can also be a lotof work for a limited and uncertain returnas there is a high likelihood that the paperwill not be published. And, do you reallywant to provide your competitors withyour insights?

Implementing a program to buildyour profile as a thought-leader is a se-rious investment in time and money. Butthe rewards are great, with more billablework at a higher rate, challenging pro-jects that help you grow professionally,and your chance to make a greater con-tribution to your profession and to theworld at large.


2. Speaking engagementsPublic speaking gives you a chance to

demonstrate your expertise and to speakafterwards with potential clients. Arrang-ing speaking engagements is much likefinding article-writing opportunities;look for organizations that reach yourtarget market and present them with aconcept for a presentation to their mem-bers. While having good speaking skillsis helpful, they’ll be more interested inyour content and expertise, so havingsome published articles to show themmay help them say “yes” to your ideamore readily.

One of the best ways to build yourspeaking skills is through the interna-tional speaking club Toastmasters; visittoastmasters.org to find a club near you,join it and go through their program.3. Media relations

Getting yourself quoted in newspa-pers, magazines, television, radio andonline media is a great way to get third-party credibility for your positioning asan expert. Build relations with reporters,editors and producers by sending themnews items, and offering yourself as aninformed source. 4. Creative use of the Internet

This is a fast-moving target. Currently,LinkedIn is expanding from a site display-ing what are, in effect, online résumés,into a networking tool. FaceBook is mor-phing from a toy to a tool. YouTube is

there are five “pillars of thought-lead-ing.” Here’s my view on how these applyin the environmental sciences sector.1. Articles published in magazines, authoring books

In deciding which publications to writefor, remember who you want to reach.While you may want to write for environ-mental industry publications you’re famil-iar with, to reach your intended marketyou will need to step further afield. If yourclients are in mining, for example, writefor mining-sector publications. For yourwater and wastewater skills, seek publicworks and manufacturing magazines.There is a magazine for virtually everybusiness sector you can imagine.

You can find those magazines reach-ing your market through on-line searches,media directories in the larger public li-braries, or just asking the people youwant to reach, what they read.

To publish an article, do not just sitdown in a fit of creativity, dash off 3,000words and then try to find an editor whowill publish it. That’s like doing a base-line study and then trying to find some-one to pay for it. Rather, suggest the ideato the editor first, modify it as needed,and gain the editor’s buy-in.

Do this with what journalists call a“query letter” or “pitch.” It describes thearticle concept, shows why the readers ofthis particular magazine will be inter-ested, gives a point outline of yourproposed article, and lists your qualifi-cations. An editor will never promise topublish an article without seeing it first,so you’ll always be writing “on spec.”Most editors will chop out anything thatsounds like self-promotion, so don’tbother putting it in.

Publishing a book can be straight-forward once you have enough contentfrom your article-writing program. In-creasingly, self-publishing is a viableway to get your message into book formand “having a book” is quite possibly thesingle most effective way to demonstrateexpertise.

Public speaking gives you a chance to demonstrate your expertise.

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:34 PM

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Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:34 PM

Nov09_ES&E:ES&E 11/23/09 4:34 PM

Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine November-December 2009

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Transcript of Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine November-December 2009