Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine September 2008

Moncton's new water systemTracking Legionnaire's DiseaseWastewater plant optimization

Biosolids pelletizationGroundwater remediation

September 2008

www.esemag.com

Sept08:ES&E Magazine 9/16/08 11:52 AM

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Introducing theUniversal Voice of Reason.

Sept08:ES&E Magazine 9/22/08 9:26 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 . . . . . 84-89

Environmental News . . . 90-98

Professional Cards . . . . . 90-96

Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

ISSN-0835-605XSeptember • 2008Vol. 21 No. 4Vol. 21 No. 4Issued September 2008

7 Horror stories of past obscured by romantic images of rustic living - Editorial comment by Tom Davey

10 Stormwater bypass and treatment project protects sensitive cold water stream – Cover story

12 Alberta company develops novel wastewater treatment system

14 Moncton undertakes major new water supply project

16 Innovative culvert reline project protects Québec’s Mount Orford National Park

18 Japan’s wastewater systems tailored to its unique requirements

22 The greatest value of forests is sustainable water supply

24 Energy self-sufficiency for Toronto’s Exhibition Place

28 An overview of Legionella analyses

34 An alternative flowmeter for wastewater treatment

36 A natural water supply solution – catching rain in Guatemala

38 Federal government unveils its climate change action plan

42 Sludge pelletization plant continues to perform well 13 years after startup

46 Upflow sludge blanket filtration used at BC ski resort

50 Evaporators increasingly used for zero liquid discharge facilities

52 BCWWA annual conference sets attendance record

54 Windy City to host WEFTEC 2008

55 Charlottetown to host 61st Atlantic Canada Water Works Association’s annual conference

56 Assessing arsenic treatment residuals in drinking water

58 Project recovers wasted energy from mill wastes

60 Remediating groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents

68 Over 17,000 vortex valves now control stormwater detention system flows

73 Decanter centrifuges used for industrial wastewater treatment

76 Mining industry adopting new wastewater treatment processes

78 Improving EHS performance through integrated management systems

82 Improved clarifier operation by eliminating sludge dilution

Page 51Page 51

Page 16Page 16

ContentsSept08:ES&E Magazine 9/22/08 9:26 PM

5 | September 2008www.esemag.com


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Comment by Tom Davey

ogy rivaled that of manufacturing.A packhorse carrying cotton goodsfromYorkshire to Liverpool couldonly haul about 60 kilograms as itwound along Lancashire’s hilly ter-rain. The same horse pulling acanal barge could move severaltonnes directly into the great port.Indeed, it was a canal that con-verted Manchester from an inlandcity, into a port with a global reach.The barges later brought back

foods from around the world tofeed the factory workers, complet-ing a cycle in the revolution thatwas to encircle the world. Fiftypercent of Britain’s economicgrowth following the IndustrialRevolution was due to better nutri-tion, according to economist andNobel laureate Robert Fogel.But nutrition alone does not al-

ways lead to better health. Crowdedslums around the factories led tolethal outbreaks of disease until thedevelopment of sanitary engineer-ing drastically improved publichealth. Many diseases, which tragi-cally are still endemic in the ThirdWorld, are now found only in thehistory books of modern societies,a direct benefit of the IndustrialRevolution.Perhaps the biggest benefit is

the one most overlooked: that

Science, chemistry, and en-gineering were the cuttingedges of the Industrial Rev-olution which was initially

undeniably brutal. Child labour,worker exploitation, dangerousworking conditions, and environ-mental degradation were all part ofthis revolution which reshaped ourworld forever. Twelve-year oldboys went down coal mines, whilethe girls went into cotton factories,working 12 hour days.Charles Dickens brilliantly cap-

tured urban squalor in his fiction,written in the 1800s.Social scientist Peter F. Drucker,

in a 1994 essay: “The Age of SocialTransformation” noted that, whileindustrial workers were indeedpoorly paid at first, they were stillpaid better than most farm orhousehold labourers. Moreover,factory workers worked specifiedhours, unlike servants andfarmhands who were often keptworking at the whim of employers.Drucker noted that infant mortalityrates dropped immediately whenfarmers and domestic servantsmoved into factory work eventhough many toiled amid toxic airor dust.It should be added that technol-

ogy led directly to the emancipationof women as knowledge and intel-lectual skills increasingly displacedbrute muscle power in the industrialmarketplace. Ultimately, the devel-opment of a skilled working class,along with the wealth generated bymass production, freed a long-abused rural class from centuries ofmisery and deprivation.

The development of canals,roads, ships, railways, and planesincreasingly slashed the costs offood, goods, and services ineconomies previously serviced bypackhorses and camels.To the economies of scale were

added the economies of scope, asadvances in transportation technol-

democracy usually displaces des-potism when citizen empowermentreplaces feudal systems. The dy-namic that gave the workers manu-facturing skills also gave thempolitical power. Drucker notedpointedly that the three most de-structive people of the age – Hitler,Stalin and Mao – produced little intheir lifetimes except chaos.Despite technology’s sterling

record of producing wealth, foodand longer life expectations, tech-nology is often contemptuouslyabused by ill-informed critics. Tothese people, the works of the re-markable Frenchman, FernandBraudel, should be required read-ing. Conventional history tells usmuch about Pharaohs, Caesars,Kings and Queens but surprisinglylittle about the lives of averagepeople. However, in his Structuresof Everyday Life, the French histo-rian rectified this vacuum by show-ing how ordinary people lived andworked over the ages.

Braudel wove an intricate tapes-try from historical facts, which dis-pels many of the romantic illusionsthat some environmentalists haveof pre-industrial society. He ig-nored the more regal focus of hisliterary contemporaries and re-

Horror stories of past obscuredby romantic images of rustic living

continued overleaf...

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is shown passing by Wigan Pier in the early to mid1900s. Cotton mills are seen in the background.


Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine8 | September 2008

Environmental Science& Engineering

Editor TOM DAVEYE-mail: [email protected](No attachments please)

Managing Editor SANDRA DAVEYE-mail: [email protected]

Sales Director PENNY DAVEYE-mail: [email protected]

Sales Representative DENISE SIMPSONE-mail: [email protected]

Circulation Manager DARLANN PASSFIELDE-mail: [email protected]

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

Publisher STEVE DAVEYE-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

Dr. Robert C. LandineADI Systems Inc., New Brunswick

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 ad-vice. Articles being submitted for review should bee-mailed to [email protected].

Canadian Publications Mail SalesSecond Class MailProduct Agreement No. 40065446Registration 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 bereproduced by any means without written permission ofthe publisher. Yearly subscription rates:Canada $75.00 (plus $3.75 GST).

searched births, marriages, and lifeexpectancies in society at large.He also examined energy sourcesand uses, economics, socialchange, and urbanization – areascommonly neglected by many or-thodox historians.Some ecologists and environ-

mentalists have emotionally linkedacid rain with William Blake’s “Sa-tanic Mills” and some regard allindustry and technology negatively.They would undoubtedly beshocked by Braudel’s findings. Inpre-industrial societies, millionslaboured in appalling conditions sothat a few might live in luxury.Even at the turn of the 19th centuryit was said that Britain was heavenfor 30,000 people but a living hellfor millions.However, to read Braudel is to

reveal that even the rich in the mid-dle ages lived in conditions thatwould disgust modern Canadians.If the stench of the nobility’s housescenturies ago would nauseate ustoday, the hovels of the poor, by farthe overwhelming majority, musthave been unbearable. As Braudelso eloquently puts it, the world,prior to industrial development, wasa brutal, disease-ridden, and hungryplace for its inhabitants.Every human being born before

the 20th century was actually luckyto have lived. Most babies simply

did not survive and those hardyones who did, for the most part,had short lives punctuated by crip-pling diseases. Without contempo-rary science, there were no drugsto ease the pain, or machines to di-agnose many medical conditionsthat can easily be treated today.The most comfortable inhabi-

tants of those times were the fleas,lice, rats and other vermin whichinfested the houses of rich andpoor alike.But some of our militant ac-

tivists seem unaware that many lessfortunate countries, lacking ourtechnology, relentlessly continue aprotracted and unequal battle withnature. Even more tragic is thatmost poverty-stricken people arepolitically powerless, unable toprotest their miserable conditions.Unclean drinking water is said

to have killed more people than allthe wars of recorded history. Today,scientists and engineers in both theUS and Canada are doing sterlingservice through Water for People.All donate their expertise to bringclean water to Third World villageswithout using complex treatmentequipment.

Tom Davey is the editor ofEnvironmental Science

& Engineering.

Comment by Tom Davey

The Law of BusinessWise words about the hazards oflow bid ethos are not only not new,they have been emoted by legendarywriters in the past. For example:

“There is hardly anything in theworld that someone cannot make alittle worse and sell a little cheaper,and the people who consider pricealone are that person’s lawful prey.”

“It is unwise to pay toomuch, butit is also unwise to pay too little.”

“When you pay too much, youlose a little money, that is all.”

“When you pay too little, yousometimes lose everything becausethe thing you bought is incapable ofdoing the thing you bought it to do.”

“The common law of businessbalance prohibits paying a little andgetting a lot…It can’t be done.”

“If you deal with the lowest bid-der it is well to add something forthe risk you run.And if you do thatyou will have enough to pay forsomething better.”


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Cover Story

needed equipment, without accessingthe privately owned adjacent property.The private landowner granted accesspermission after being contacted byAquatech’s staff. Then the general con-tractor immediately constructed an ac-cess road and a staging area. Once thiswork was completed, Aquatech startedinstalling the pumping and filtrationequipment.Working round the clock en-abled startup of the pumping and treat-ment systems within a few days. Oncestarted, the system was able to conveystormwater through the bypass pumpingand filtration system as planned.

After startup, numerous adjustmentswere made to accommodate higher rainevent flows. Fine tuning the filtrationsystem has continued to significantlyimprove water quality results to levelsthat now far exceed expectations andthe stringent guidelines.

This bypass and filtration systememploys numerous fully automatedelectric and diesel powered pumps, gen-

erators, light towers, integral organicflocculent, weir tanks and micron fil-tration (sand media and pressurized mi-cron filtration filters).

It has been very successful and ef-fective, lowering nephelometric turbid-ity units levels from 800 NTU to 2 NTU.These results were thought by many asbeing unattainable on this project, with-out the use of non-organic methods.

For more information, please [email protected]

Aquatech Dewatering was re-cently retained to intercept,bypass and filter exceedinglyturbid stormwater passing

through a large drainage ditch, whichran through an area under constructionbefore entering a natural water course,located in the Greater Toronto Area.

The main challenge was to design,install and commission a system thatwould handle flows ranging from 76litres to 7,600 litres per minute (de-pending on weather conditions). Aquat-ech also had to design the filtrationsystem to handle varying flows andwater quality to ensure that dischargesalways met the stringent water qualityguidelines of a natural creek deemed a“cold water fisheries habitat”. Anothermajor challenge was to install this largesystem quickly on a site with very lim-ited footprint.

The system was designed quickly byAquatech, but it was discovered thatthere was insufficient space to install the

Stormwater bypass and treatment project protectssensitive cold water stream

Aquatech equipment used on-siteincluded:• three 2” (gst 10) submersible pumps• one 3” (gsp 25) submersible pump• one 4” (gsp 80) submersible pump• four cd150 6” diesel silenced pumps• one cd103 4” diesel pump• five automatic float panels (a91)• one 26kw generator (ghp26kw-rc)• two 20kw generators (ghp20kw-rc)• two light towers (glt416)• two 18,000 gallon weir tanks• two 4-pod sand media filters• four pressurized micron filtercanisters

After startup, numerous adjustments were madeto accommodate higher rain event flows.

The main challenge was to design, install and commission a system that would handle flows ranging from 76 litres to7,600 litres per minute.


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Wastewater Treatment

The aeration system performs thefollowing functions:• Wastewater aeration.• Sludge recirculation from the

secondary clarifier to the bioreactorand transferring waste sludge back tothe primary settling tank.

• Wastewater recirculation from thebioreactor to an anoxic, or anaerobictank.

• Wastewater recirculation to theupper zone of the bioreactor as asupplemental organic carbon sourcefor denitrification.A multi-functioning recirculation

pump minimizes the number of pump-ing units required. The system is usuallypreceded by a primary settling tank.One aeration unit and one bioreactor areused in small plants. Two to three aera-tion units and dual bioreactors are pre-ferred in medium size systems. Amodular design, with several bioreac-tors and aeration units, is used in largesystems.

The aeration system and the bio-reactor can operate in several differentmodes:• Continuous aeration and mixing.• Intermittent (cyclic) aeration, without

mixing, between the aeration cycles.• Intermittent (cyclic) aeration and

mixing between the aeration cycles.

An Alberta company has de-veloped a new wastewatertreatment system, which canbe adapted to small, medium

and large size plants. Aeration is ac-complished by using a wastewater re-circulation pump and a patented airaspirator-mixer. It largely takes placeoutside the biological reactor, althoughsome aeration does take place inside it.Air blowers are not used.

The air aspirator-mixer is a combi-nation of a venturi type air aspirator andscrew type mixers and is designed forlong-term non-plugging operation andhigh oxygen transfer efficiency. It canhandle fluctuating wastewater, air flow,mixing and oxygen transfer rates. To ex-tend the life span of the device and forthroat size flexibility, the venturi has areplaceable throat liner. Air supply tothe bioreactor can be monitored and ad-justed by controlling the air inlet to theair aspirator-mixer.

Recirculation is done by a centrifu-gal wastewater effluent pump.

Using the recirculation pump forsludge return and waste from the sec-ondary clarifier eliminates the need formechanical scrapers. This design alsoensures a denser secondary sludge is re-turned to the bioreactor and to waste.

This treatment system can operate asan activated sludge secondary treatmentprocess. Or, it can operate as an acti-vated sludge tertiary treatment process,with the bioreactor providing nitrifica-tion only, or nitrification and de-nitrifi-cation. Phosphorus removal can beaccomplished within a cyclic aerationand mixing mode.

The treatment process is controlledby a computer program which operatescontrol valves. It receives inputs fromflow, suspended solids, sludge depth,and oxygen level meters. The system iscompact and easy to maintain, due tothe location of the aeration system, out-side the bioreactor.

The air aspirator-mixer is fabricated,shop tested and supplied by J.K. Engi-neering Ltd. Two small, site-assembledsystems are currently in operation.

Jan Korzeniowski is withJ.K. Engineering. E-mail

[email protected]

Alberta companydevelopsnovelwastewatertreatment system

By Jan Korzeniowski,M.Sc.,P.Eng.

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Internal components of the control panel.

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Water Supply

Tower Road, approximately 5 km up-stream from the existing dam, near theexisting roadway bridge. A total storageof 16.5 million cubic metres may be de-veloped at this site. The proposed TowerRoad Dam may be developed using aconcept similar to the existing TurtleCreek Dam. Development is expected tobe completed in two stages, by addinggates at a later date to increase the stor-age from an initial storage of 10.0 to16.5 million cubic metres. Availabilityof funding, demand for water, and thefinal design of the reservoir and spill-way will determine when the total avail-able ultimate storage is developed.

A pre-design report will determinethe physical size and construction ma-terials used for the construction of the

Moncton City Council hasretained Touchie Engi-neering, a division of R.V.Anderson Associates Ltd,

to provide design and construction serv-ices for the proposed Tower Road Damand Reservoir in Turtle Creek, NewBrunswick.

Background and project historyRaw water supply for the Cities of

Moncton and Dieppe and the Town ofRiverview is currently obtained fromthe Turtle Creek watershed, which has acatchment area of 170 km2. Previously,surface water supplies were obtainedfrom the McLaughlin Road reservoir,on a tributary of Halls Creek.

The existing Turtle Creek Reservoirwas designed and constructed between1963 and 1966, to act as the primarywater supply source for the City ofMonc-ton. Since 1963, 129km2, or 76 percent ofthe watershed draining to theTurtle CreekReservoir, has been gauged by Environ-ment Canada to measure the stream flow.

As a result of very dry summers andfalls in 1989 and 1994, the city experi-enced drought conditions. The reservoirdid not fill until December 8, 1989 andJanuary 15, 1995 respectively. As a re-sult, gates were installed at the existingdam in 1996 and 1997 to raise the waterlevel by 2.1 metres, thus providing anadditional 1.8 million cubic metres ofstorage. In 2000, the city experiencedanother dry summer, and the droughtconditions resulted in the reservoir notbeing filled until October 31, 2000. Avery dry summer was once again expe-rienced in 2001, with the reservoir notfilling until March 1, 2002.

The City wishes to ensure that an ad-equate supply of water is available tomeet the current and future needs of thetri-communities.

Proposed Tower Road damFrom a comparison of the average

and minimum stream flows, and theyield values in the watershed, there is apotential to increase the Turtle Creekwatershed yield substantially by provid-ing additional reservoir capacity to storerunoff, which is now discharged overthe existing spillway.

A second dam is to be constructed at

dam, but it is anticipated that the maindam would be approximately 20 m inheight, and extend 1.2 km along TowerRoad. It would be constructed of eithera homogeneous section of compactedimpervious fill, or a central core of im-pervious fill with quarried rock orgravel upstream and downstream.

An estimate of the equivalent popu-lation served from the watershed, fromthe existing and proposed reservoirs,has been developed based on the calcu-lated yields. The equivalent populationthat could be served from the increasedstorage increases from 80,510 to175,450 with the addition of the TowerRoad Dam.Allowances for commercial,industrial, and institutional users havebeen included.

Moncton undertakes major water supply project

The proposed Tower Road Dam will bedeveloped similarly to the existing TurtleCreek Dam (pictured here) incorporating theearthen dam, reservoir, spillway, and bridge.

Diagram shows wherethe new reservoir will

be installed, relative tothe old reservoir.



A second catchment area providesadditional reliability and security for acontinuous supply of water to theMoncton Water Treatment Plant. If, forany reason, the existing dam, intakestructure, tunnel, low lift pumping sta-tion, or forcemains to the treatmentplant were out of service, or the exist-ing reservoir became contaminated,there would be no means of maintain-ing an adequate water supply to theMoncton Water Treatment Plant. A fu-ture pumping station and forcemainfrom the proposed Tower Road Dam tothe water treatment plant would providea second supply line.

ScheduleCollection of data and site surveys

will commence immediately. The pre-design report is scheduled to be com-pleted in early 2009. A project web sitewill be maintained throughout the de-sign and construction phases. Public in-formation sessions will be held oncompletion of the pre-design report.Detailed design will be completed bythe summer of 2009, and it is expectedconstruction will commence in thespring of 2010. Construction on the cur-rent scope of work is expected to becompleted by the summer of 2012.

Cost estimatesCost estimates for the proposed proj-

ect were presented to the City of Monc-ton in 2002. It was estimated in April2002, that for Tower Road Dam, pump-ing station, and gates for additional stor-age, costs would be approximately$18.5 million dollars. Land acquisition(an ongoing program by the city), legalsurveys and legal costs were not in-cluded in those estimates.

With the busy state of the construc-tion market, and the understanding thatthe construction of the project wouldbegin in the spring of 2010, it is antici-pated that the costs for construction ofthe dam, spillway, and reservoir wouldbe approximately $19-20 million dol-lars. Construction of the future pump-ing station, forcemain and gates wouldbe $6-8 million dollars.

For more information, [email protected]

Water Supply

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Infrastructure

tres long and situated under the highestcover. It had been extended on bothends at some point in time with 8 and 9metre lengths of 2970 mm diameterround pipe. It was calculated that a cor-rugated steel pipe (CSP) with a 2800mm inside diameter, a length of 58 me-tres and 125 x 25 mm corrugationscould be slipped inside, carry the flowand maintain barrel velocities that thenatural fish population could navigate.Madame Dany Lambert, owner and

engineer of the highway and bridge con-tractor, Lambert &Grenier Inc., met withrepresentatives of CSPI to discuss theproject. Relining construction methods,tips and challenges that have beenlearned from many years of experiencewere reviewed. Like so many reliningprojects it became clear that this one hadunique challenges that would require cre-ative new solutions from the contractor.The relatively large “inner chamber”

would require large amounts of grout to

The innovation and ingenuitythat is exhibited by some ofQuébec’s highway and bridgeengineers and contractors is as

refreshing as the waters that tumblefrom the pristine parklands of MountOrford National Park.The stream under Ministry of Trans-

portation (MTQ) Route 220 in Québec’sEastern Townships passes through alarge culvert. The culvert that had al-ready been extended once was now ap-proaching the end of its design servicelife. It needed to be replaced or rehabil-itated. With eight metres of fill over theexisting culvert and an environmentallyastute and involved local community,non-obtrusive rehabilitation was themost obvious choice.A major challenge that MTQ design-

ers faced was maintaining sufficient endarea in the new liner to carry the moun-tain runoff. The original culvert with 5.7metre span by 3.3 metre rise was 41 me-

Culvert reline at Mount Orford National Park by David J. Penny

Challenges of eight metres ofcover and a flowing stream. Inlet

end of completed reline.

2800 mm diameter corrugated steelpipe liner in place showing cappedgrout fittings.

fill the void between the host pipe andliner pipe. This introduced challengesfor grout delivery as well as increasedrisks for excessive pressure, floatation,liner shifting and venting. The small en-trance and exit portals were only 70 mmlarger than the new liner pipe. This leftlittle room for error and the inverts ofthe two host pipes were not fullyaligned with one another. To add ex-citement, the fast-flowing stream couldnot be stopped or diverted. Generallyoperations would be carried out in wetconditions with the risk of floodingfrom mountain storms always a factor.The pipe insertion took 18 hours and

the grouting was completed a little fasterthan planned in just three days, in advanceof an approaching summer rainstorm.Theproject was completed in 20 days.

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

[email protected]

Dany Lambert

Complete groundwater engineering andhydrogeologic services which include:groundwater resource assessments, wellhead protection studies, explorationprograms, groundwater flow modeling,well design, large diameter high capacitywell construction and testing, well rehabil-itation and re-development programs, wellvideo inspection, geophysical logging,supply, installation, and maintenance ofvertical and submersible turbine pumps.

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Wastewater & Globalization

ous topography limit the fast expansionof traditional sewers in Japan.

These challenges would require thesolution to be a sophisticated and com-pact treatment unit allowing surface dis-charge. The solution was the JapaneseJokaso (pronounced “Joe-ka-so”). Thisarticle chronicles the history of theJokaso in Japan, describes its treatmentprocess and performance, and announcesthe advent of this technology to the NorthAmerican market.

Jokaso historyModern sewerage systems were first

constructed in Japan during the MeijiRestoration Era (1868-1912). Borrow-ing European technology, the Japaneselaid pipes that carried only stormdrainage and greywater. Human excre-ment, which historically had been sepa-rated in vault toilets and used asagricultural fertilizer, was excludedfrom this primitive sewer. In the early20th century, new sanitation lawsbanned the flushing of excreta intoditches and other public water bodies.Instead, the waste was to be treated in agovernment approved tank. A precursorto the modern Jokaso, the unit served ascombination septic tank/trickling filterand was dubbed a “filth treatment tank.”The term “Jokaso,” which is literally

Benjamin Franklin famouslylisted death and taxes as theonly two certainties in life.He could have mentioned two

others: wastewater and globalization.We should go easy on Franklin for fail-ing to foresee the inevitability of ourcurrent economic reality. However, it ispuzzling to understand why the mancredited with inventing the flexiblecatheter missed the fact that humanswill certainly produce waste.

It remains to be seen whether global-ization is an ultimate good. However, it isundeniable that one of the benefits ofheightened global connectedness is whatformer Bank of Japan governorToshihikoFukui called the “international spillover ofknowledge.”Along these lines, celebratedexecutive Jack Welch once remarked thatglobalization changed General Electricinto a company that “searches the world,not just to sell or to source, but to find in-tellectual capital – the world’s best talentsand greatest ideas.” One of the world’sgreatest ideas is the Japanese solution tothe ubiquitous challenge of wastewatertreatment.

Japan has plenty of reasons to protectits environment through proper waste-water management. Among these is thefact that the island’s 30,000 km of coast-line harbours one of the world’s largestcommercial fishing fleets, which hauls innearly 15% of the world’s catch. It haslong been recognized that untreatedwaste contains numerous organic pollu-tants and leads to the eutrophication ofwater bodies – a condition that has dele-terious effects on aquatic organisms.

The challenge of environmental pro-tection through wastewater treatment iscompounded by Japan’s significant spacelimitations. In fact, if all the people inCanada lived in Newfoundland, Japan’spopulation density would still be greater.Two-thirds of the population lives indensely inhabited districts (DIDs) - de-fined as those regions having more than4,000 persons per square kilometer.Thus,there is no space for additional treatmentthrough soil absorption. Furthermore, thehigh cost of infrastructure and mountain-

translated “purification tank,” first ap-peared in the 1944 Standards for Build-ing Site Sanitation Facilities.

The Jokaso’s modern history beganin the wake of World War II. The rapidindustrialization of Japan during thisperiod resulted in cities densely popu-lated with residents seeking modernWestern amenities, such as flush toilets.In areas not served by sewers, the tan-doku-shori Jokaso was developed tohandle the blackwater generated bythese flush toilets. Since “tandoku”means exclusive and “shori” meanstreatment, the terminology itself testi-fies to the fact that the early Jokaso wasonly capable of treating the waste gen-erated from toilets. Other domesticwaste, discharged directly as untreatedgreywater, was soon recognized to sig-nificantly contribute to the pollution ofpublic water bodies.

In the 1970s, Japanese researchersMasayasu Kusumoto, Takane Kitao, andothers developed the small scalegappei-shori Jokaso. This was a “com-bination” treatment tank, capable oftreating the full range of domesticwastewater. With this development, theJokaso system began to spread rapidlythroughout the country.

It soon became evident that the proper

A contractor prepares to attach access risers to the first Jokaso installed inNorth America.

Japan’s wastewater systems tailored to itsunique requirements By David Theobald and Toshiro Otowa




manufacture, installation, and mainte-nance of Jokaso systems had to be es-tablished through standardization andregulation. To this end, the “Jokaso Law”was established in 1983. The law is agovernment initiative that qualifies andregisters Jokaso manufacturers and op-erators and establishes construction, per-formance, and maintenance standards.

In 2000 and 2001, Japan’s Ministry ofthe Environment made important revi-sions to the Jokaso Law. One change out-lawed the installation of primitivetandoku-shori systems, rendering the term“Jokaso” synonymous with the gappei-shori style. Another revision elevated theimportance of performance standardsover structural standards.This change ledto the proliferation of unique Jokaso de-signs such as compact models and thoseoptimized for the removal of nutrientssuch as nitrogen and phosphorus.

In 2006, the Ministry of the Environ-ment reported that nearly 11 million peo-ple were served by Jokaso technology inJapan. In other words, in unsewered areasof the country, this effective treatmentsystem is relied upon almost exclusively.Thus, the technology is well established,regulated, documented, and proven.

Treatment processIn Japan, over 50 manufacturers pro-

duce hundreds of different Jokaso mod-els. Though these models differ greatlyin terms of size and treatment capabil-ity, they all share a common basic struc-ture. The country’s most prolific Jokasomanufacturer is Fuji Clean Co., Ltd.The company possessed a share of over

a quarter of the country’s Jokaso mar-ket in 2007. Fuji Clean’s CS seriesJokaso serves as an example of a stan-dard residential treatment unit. The unitis a fiber-reinforced plastic tank andcontains four functional chambers.

The first compartment is a sedimenta-tion chamber wherein the rawwastewatersettles into distinct sludge and scum layersunder anaerobic conditions.The relativelyclear effluent flows through twin bafflesinto the next chamber.This second cham-ber is the largest in the unit, providing res-idence time for the slow process ofanaerobic biodegradation.

In contrast to a standard septic tank,the anaerobic treatment process in theJokaso is enhanced with the use of fil-ter media. Retained in the bottom halfof the chamber, these media are de-signed to provide surface area opti-mized for biofilm development. Theresult is a biologically rich elevatedsludge blanket through which the waterflows and is treated.

The water is baffled again as it flowsinto a third chamber, the site of aerobictreatment. Air, supplied by a linear com-pressor, travels through a perforatedpiping system and escapes into a col-umn of smaller propylene media. Thesemedia are also designed for optimalbiofilm formation. The action of the airconstantly circulates the media in thetop two-thirds of the chamber, creatinga fluidized bed. Aerobic bacteria thrivein this rich, oxygenated environment,resulting in a high degree of treatment.

Media in the chamber’s lower third

remain stationary and filter suspendedsolids. The programmable compressorautomatically backwashes the wholecolumn of media for 5 or 10 minutes,one or two times each day and transfersresidual solids back to the head of thesystem for further digestion.

The fourth chamber stores the treatedwater awaiting discharge. In addition, anair lift pump (powered by the compres-sor) recirculates a specific amount oftreated water into the head of the systemfor denitrification and flow equalization.Finally, the treated water is disinfectedas it flows past a tablet chlorinator, be-fore being discharged to a storm seweror a nearby body of water.

Treatment performanceThe fact that treated effluent empties

directly into Japan’s public water bod-ies without resulting in contaminationis a testimony to the high degree oftreatment achieved by Jokaso technol-ogy. To verify that systems are per-forming properly, the Jokaso Lawstipulates that newly constructed sys-tems must submit to an annual per-formance analysis.

Table 1 presents data obtained fromall 46 provincial health departments inJapan, with reference to the perform-ance of Fuji Clean’s CS Jokaso. Sam-ples were collected from 34,739different sites and underwent a third-party laboratory analysis to determinethe five-day biochemical oxygen de-mand (BOD5), a standard waste qualityindex. Collection and analysis protocolconformed to Standard Methods for theExamination of Water and Wastewater.

These data are important for a num-ber of reasons. First, the results are ob-tained from nearly 35,000 data points –a huge sample size that is surely repre-sentative. Second, the way the data arepresented provides a picture of how sec-ondary and tertiary treatment devicesoperate in the real world.

Manufacturers of advanced treat-ment units in North America tend topublish “static” performance data. Forexample, we may read that a certainNorth American aerobic treatment unit(ATU) achieves 15 mg/L BOD5 and 10mg/L TSS (total suspended solids).These published numbers are typicallythe average results given by a single

continued overleaf...Vigorous aeration occurs in the Jokaso’s third chamber, resulting in a highquality effluent.




67.3% of Fuji Clean’s CS units are treat-ing wastewater to under 15mg/L BOD5.Of these, 10,666 units (nearly a third ofthe sample) achieved under 5 mg/LBOD5. These realistic results alsodemonstrate that, at any given time, 15%of the units sampled are not performingwithin the secondary standards of 30mg/L BOD5. The primary reason for thisis the variation in the influent wastestream – a factor with which all onsitesystems in the world must contend.The right side of Table 1 shows Fuji

Clean’s own data for their CS units at165 sites. It is clear that 165 units serveas a representative sample, since FujiClean’s results approximate those ob-tained by the local health departments.Most North Americans are slow to

embrace a fact that the Japanese havelong understood: Performance of onsitewastewater systems is directly propor-tional to the priority placed on regularsystem maintenance. Thus, in Japan,Jokaso are inspected every four monthsand undergo an annual desludging ofthe anaerobic chambers.

Jokaso in North AmericaOver the last few years, this Japanesewastewater technology has been intro-duced to the North America market,largely through the partnership and effortsof Fuji Clean, Ltd. and the Louisville,Kentucky-based Zoeller Pump Company.Branded the Fusion Series WastewaterTreatment Systems, Zoeller’s three Jokasomodels (ZF-450, ZF-600, and ZF-800)are designed for the daily flow (in US gal-lons per day) designated by the model’snumerator. The Jokaso is distributedthroughout much of northern and westernCanada by Polywest Ltd.

third party test. However, they are oftenpublished in such a way as to indicatethat the ATU performs to that degreeevery single day in every single appli-cation. Without taking into considera-tion variables such as homeownerhabits, climate, and influent character-istics, “static” performance presenta-tions are simplistic and unrealistic atbest and dishonest at worst.The Japanese present much more

“dynamic” results. For example, the datain Table 1 indicate that at any given time,

Table 1



As well as enjoying NSF Standard40, Class 1 certification, the Fusionunits have received a number of indi-vidual state, county, and provincial ap-provals. Dozens of units are nowinstalled throughout the continent, anddata obtained from regular monitoringand sampling reveal performances con-sistent with the Japanese counterpart.

To ensure optimum performance, theunits are inspected and maintained atsix-month intervals. The simple mainte-nance procedures can be performed inapproximately 30 minutes, and a pumpout is indicated only when the sludgereaches predetermined levels in theanaerobic chambers.

Since direct discharge of treated ef-fluent is uncommon in the United Statesand Canada, the Jokaso is typically usedin conjunction with standard soil dis-posal methods, such as leaching cham-bers, shallow buried trenches, and lowpressure pipe networks. Because of thehigh quality of the treated wastewatercoming from the unit, many jurisdic-tions allow for drainfield size and verti-cal separation reductions. In addition,the effluent quality allows for alterna-

tive disposal methods, such as subsur-face drip distribution.

The recent spillover of Japanesewastewater treatment expertise into NorthAmerica is one effect of globalization forwhich we ought to be thankful. In time,Jokaso technology will be recognized asa simple and reliable means of obtainingadvanced wastewater treatment in the

United States and Canada. As Ben mighthave said, it’s inevitable.

David Theobald is withZoeller Pump Company. Contact:

[email protected] Otowa, Ph.D. is with Fuji

Clean Co., Ltd. Contact:[email protected]


Cut-away schematic of Jokaso unit.



Preserving and managing forestsmay help sustain water supplies andwater quality from headwaters in the fu-ture, but forest management is unlikelyto increase water supplies, they con-clude.

“Historically, forest managers havenot focused much of their attention onwater, and water managers have not fo-cused on forests,” said Julia Jones, aprofessor of geosciences at OregonState University, and vice chair of acommittee of the National ResearchCouncil, which released the report(dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/forest_hy-drology_final.pdf) on the hydrologic ef-

The forests of the future mayneed to be managed as muchfor a sustainable supply ofclean water as any other goal,

researchers say in a new US federal re-port. Even so, forest resources will offerno “quick fix” to the insatiable, oftenconflicting demands for this preciousresource.

This new view of forests is evolving,scientists say, as both urban and agri-cultural demands for water continue toincrease, and the role of clean waterfrom forests becomes better understoodas an “ecosystem service” of greatvalue.

fects of a changing forest landscape.“But today’s water problems demandthat these groups work together closely.”

The science of how forest manage-ment affects water quantity and quality,Jones said, has produced a solid foun-dation of principles. But forests in theUnited States are changing rapidly, andadditional research may reveal ways toprovide a sustainable flow of fresh,clean water.

Among the findings of the report:• Forests cover about one-third of theUS land area, and although they haveroles in timber production, habitat,recreation and wilderness, their most

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Ecosystemsimportant output may be water.• Forests provide natural filtration andstorage systems that process nearly two-thirds of the water supply in the US.• Demand for water continues to risedue to population growth, while forestacreage is declining and remaining for-est lands are threatened by climatechange, disease epidemics, fire andglobal climate change.• Forest vegetation and soils, if healthyand intact, can benefit human watersupplies by controlling water yield,peak flows, low flows, sediment levels,water chemistry and quality.• Increases in water yield after forestharvesting are transitory; they decreaseover time as forests re-grow, and in themeantime water quality may be re-duced.• Impervious surfaces such as roadsand road drainage systems increaseoverland flow, deliver water directly tostream channels, and can increase sur-face erosion.• Forest chemicals, including thoseused to fight fire, can adversely affectaquatic ecosystems, especially if theyare applied directly to water bodies orwet soil.• One of the biggest threats to forests,and the water that derives from them, isthe permanent conversion of forestedland to residential, industrial and com-mercial uses.

The report also outlined a number ofresearch needs for the future, especiallyto improve specific predictions aboutthe implications of forest harvests, dis-turbances by fire, insects and disease,climate change, land development, andshifts in forest species composition.

Modern forest practices have helpedto protect streams and riparian zones,but more needs to be learned about theimplications of such practices as thin-ning or partial cuts. Development of“best management” practices couldhelp balance timber harvest with sus-tainable water flow and quality. Globalwarming, which affects timing andamount of snowmelt runoff, wildfires,and insect and disease outbreaks, is ahuge variable.

The study also cited the value of wa-tershed councils and citizen groups ingetting more people involved in water,stream and land management issues ata local level, increasing the opportuni-

ties for all views to be considered, andconflicts avoided.

Support for this project, which in-volved numerous representatives fromacademia and private industry in theU.S. and Canada, was provided by theU.S. Department of the Interior and theDepartment of Agriculture.

“Times have changed,” the authorswrote in the report. “Thirty years ago,no one would have imagined thatclearcutting on public lands in the Pa-cific Northwest would come to ascreeching halt; or that farmers would

give up water for endangered fish andbirds; or that climate change would pro-duce quantifiable changes in foreststructure, species and water supplies.”

Those changes demanded a new as-sessment of current conditions, an un-derstanding of rising tensions, and anevaluation of future needs, the re-searchers said.

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Safeguarding the natural basis of our existence is something which concerns us all. Endress+Hauser supports its customers in tackling this challenge by providing excellent devices, innovative services and intelligent automation solutions. In this way we ensure processes which are safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective. This benefits people and also protects the environment.

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Energy

in order to achieve greater energy effi-ciency. It is an economic way to improveenergy efficiency, improve reliability,and decrease demand on an alreadyheavily stressed electricity grid duringpeak times. TH Energy provided conceptdevelopment, engineering design andconstruction management for the tri-gensystem, delivering the system in under12 months from project approval with anin-service date of July, 2007.

System basicsThis is how it works. Tri-gen replaces

or augments fuel-fired boilers and elec-tric chillers, which are the most commonsystems in use today, for heating, do-mestic hot water, and cooling. With tri-gen, natural gas is utilized to produceboth electrical energy and thermal en-ergy, and it is the thermal energy thatmeets the heating and cooling needs.

The system at Exhibition Place uses

Exhibition Place in Toronto en-joys a long and proud history.Consisting of 200 acres ofparkland with a variety of

modern and historical buildings ownedby the City of Toronto, it hosts morethan a hundred special events every yearand, in the process, attracts some 4.5million people. It is home to the Cana-dian National Exhibition, which hasbeen running for 129 years and is thelargest annual fair in Canada and one ofthe largest in North America. It alsohosts such events as the Royal Agricul-tural Winter Fair and the Molson Indycar race, not to mention major trade andconsumer shows.

On the energy front, Toronto HydroEnergy Services (TH Energy) has workedwith Exhibition Place on a number of sig-nificant firsts. Back in January 2003, theTH Energy wind turbine went into serv-ice on the grounds. The first grid-scaleurban wind turbine in North America, itstands 92m tall and generates 1,050MWh annually, which is equivalent to theelectricity needs of over 200 homes. Thiswind turbine’s production capacity helpsdisplace up to 380 tonnes of CO2 annu-ally and provides a unique interactive, ed-ucational experience for thousands ofOntario school children groups each year.

TH Energy designed and constructedthis $1.8M project, which is jointlyowned and operated with WindShare, aToronto-based community investmentco-operative. This high-efficiency windturbine utilizes a direct-drive, variablepitch, variable speed design optimizedfor inland wind resources. The wind tur-bine is a beacon visible to the thousandsof commuters traveling into downtownToronto every day.

The tri-generation system is anothersignificant first at Exhibition Place. Itis the first such system for a municipal-ity anywhere in Canada and can serveas an energy model for other munici-palities, businesses, industrial facilities,schools and hospitals where substantialthermal loads exist.

Tri-generation, or tri-gen, involvesintegrating cooling, heating and powersystems, utilizing multiple technologies,

a 1.6MW natural gas reciprocating en-gine to generate electricity and eitherspace heating or space cooling forbuildings at the east end of the grounds.With tri-gen, the engine’s electrical out-put displaces grid-supplied electricityand waste heat is recovered, either todrive a 220 ton absorption chiller dur-ing summer, or to augment hot waterboilers during winter and shoulder sea-sons.

In this way, Exhibition Place’s elec-trical load demand is reduced during pe-riods of high electricity prices (generally9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays) by displacingsome of the work done by the electricchillers. System dispatch is based onprevailing market electricity and naturalgas pricing and coincident facility loads.

Meeting the energy demands at a fa-cility like Exhibition Place is no simple

Tri-generation, ortri-gen, involves

integrating cooling,heating and power

systems, utilizingmultiple technologies.

Energy self-sufficiency for Toronto’s Exhibition PlaceBy Jack Simpson



220 Trillium Court Building 3, P.O. Box 160, Walkerton Ontario NOG 2V0Phone 519-881-2003 Fax 519-881-4947 Email [email protected]

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Energy

feat. Along with those 4.5 million visi-tors a year are individual venues rangingfrom 4,500 square feet to one millionsquare feet, not to mention parking for7,400 vehicles. It is a year-round facil-ity and the energy needs are substantialbecause of the high air change volumesand large buildings.

When announced in 2007, the tri-gensystem at Exhibition Place established abenchmark in high-efficiency genera-tion, exceeding 80 per cent overall effi-ciency, versus only 40 per cent withconventional systems. In the summer, tri-gen’s waste heat is transformed into cool-ing energy with an absorption chiller; inthe winter, waste heat is used for spaceheating loads. This provides the tri-gensystem’s high overall efficiency.

In contrast, a conventional large-scale, simple-cycle gas combustion tur-bine is approximately 40 per centefficient, before distribution losses,which can account for an additional lossof 5 per cent. This translates into lowerenergy costs and greater energy securityfor distributed generation plants like tri-gen, which is located at the customer’sload. The cost of the project was $4.4M,with projected energy savings of $30million over the 30-year life of the sys-tem. The simple payback is ten years,based upon projected market rates forelectricity and natural gas.

An additional benefit of the tri-gensystem is the annual greenhouse gassavings of 7,400 tonnes of CO2. Howmuch is that? It’s the equivalent of tak-ing almost 1,500 cars off the roadsevery year.

Lessons learnedWe have learned some important les-

sons at Exhibition Place in commission-ing, weather resiliency and chilleroperation. The first is that the commis-sioning of a system takes longer thanplanned in retrofit construction, up to sixmonths, in order to ensure that all con-trols are harmonized and coordinatedwith the various systems involved. Thisis because existing systems need to beintegrated with the new tri-gen systemto efficiently transfer heat energy.

Commissioning through both summerand winter seasons has further optimizedthe system and corrective measures forexisting valves, instrumentation, controlsoftware and metering have been com-pleted. The system’s weather resiliencywas tested this past winter with the veryheavy snowfall inToronto. Small featuresand details make a difference; for exam-ple, we have installed a snow shield abovethe system’s remote heat radiator, to bet-ter protect against snow sliding off adja-cent structures.

Another lesson is that system train-ing should be ongoing because of natu-ral staff turnover and communication ofany system operating protocols or up-grades. We have also revised the controlalgorithm for the new absorption chiller,valves and pumping to provide morestable operation as the absorption chillerwill shut itself off to protect itself fromsolution freeze if wide load variationsare experienced.

Market optimizationProjects like this are subject to mar-

ket conditions, specifically the spark

gap between prevailing gas and elec-tricity prices. The tri-gen’s first year ofoperation faced fairly low electricityprices with the Hourly Ontario Electric-ity Price (HOEP) averaging $56/MWhon-peak. Natural gas was stable andprices averaged $9/GJ at burner tipthrough the same period. This has pro-vided lower savings than anticipated.

Two new market opportunities are ar-riving to improve the economic picturefor Exhibition Place. This tri-gen systemis designed to accommodate either De-mand Response 3 (DR3) or Clean En-ergy Standard Offer Program (CESOP).Both DR3 and CESOP are capacitybuilding initiatives from the OntarioPower Authority (OPA) to support theelectricity grid. OPA announced thesetwo initiatives to encourage the businesssector and institutions to invest in dis-tributed generation electricity projects.

CESOP is limited to project capacityof 10 MW or less, reduces barriers tosmall generators who generate powerusing clean fossil fuels or under-utilizedenergy streams. It supports small, clean-energy generating alternatives includingheat, power and electricity generated asa by-product of another process. Tri-genqualifies as an embedded, behind themeter generator, with all requisite ap-provals obtained. CESOP provides apremium payment above market elec-tricity prices for eligible, small cogen-eration projects.

DR3 provides a capacity payment tobe “available” for load curtailment orpeak-shaving during 1600 peak hoursper year. In addition, a utilization pay-ment is provided when capacity is actu-ally dispatched, which is expected toaverage only 100 or 200 hours withinthat 1600 hour annual window. It is ex-pected that DR3 will provide the bestmatch, given the event-driven operationof the Exhibition Place site.

Without question, tri-gen is a tech-nology that is of great benefit now, andwill be of even greater benefit in the fu-ture. It contributes to Exhibition Place’ssecurity and energy self-sufficiency, andis environmentally friendly and envi-ronmentally sustainable.

Jack Simpson is the Vice President ofGeneration, Toronto Hydro Energy

Services

Antique midway swing ride at the Canadian National Exhibition.


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Public Health

Unless control measures are conductedproperly and routinely, the biofilm,scale, and corrosion that builds up overtime in these systems will protect the or-ganism and allow it to multiply.Contaminated aerosolized water from

cooling towers, whirlpool baths, nebu-lizers, faucets, and showerheads be-comes airborne.When a susceptible hostinhales the contaminated aerosol, le-gionellosis can occur. It can cause a se-vere form of pneumonia (Legionnaires’Disease), often accompanied by seriouslong-term health effects, or the mild flu-like illness called Pontiac Fever. Otherinfected organs, and asymptomatic in-fections may occur.Risk factors include age, gender, com-

promised immune systems, and pre-ex-isting medical conditions such as chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, cancer,and diabetes. Men over 50 years of agewho are heavy smokers and drinkers areat greatest risk. However, there have beencases of the disease in healthy, youngerpeople. Premature, immuno-compro-

The first recognized outbreak ofLegionnnaires’ Disease oc-curred in the US at the Ameri-can Legion Convention in

Philadelphia during the summer of1976. There were several hundred peo-ple who were stricken; thirty four peo-ple died from the disease. As a result ofthe efforts of the US Centers for DiseaseControl (CDC), this was the first timethe bacteria were cultured and identified.Earlier outbreaks of the disease went un-diagnosed. Since that time, there havebeen many identified outbreaks, prompt-ing professional organizations andhealth departments worldwide to imple-ment guidelines for diagnosing and re-porting the disease, and monitoring theorganism.

Transmission and epidemiologyUbiquitous in all aquatic environ-

ments, Legionella bacteria are found ingroundwater as well as fresh and marinesurface waters. The bacteria enter ourplumbing systems, whirlpool spas, andcooling towers via these water sources.

mised, or ventilated neonates are also atrisk from hospital acquired infection. Forthese reasons, many health departmentshave guidelines that recommend routinemonitoring of Legionella in critical carehospitals and nursing home facilities.Although the disease is under-re-

ported, travel (cruise ships), hotel, andresort related outbreaks are reportedeach year. These are mostly associatedwith the use of whirlpool spas. Whilecommunity-acquired outbreaks involv-ing cooling towers and whirlpool spasreceive the most media attention, stud-ies indicate that potable water sourcesaccount for most of the infections.

Choosing sampling methodsProper methods for collecting and

analyzing samples are necessary to en-sure defensible results. Since the bacte-ria in water are present in very lowlevels, 1000 ml potable water samplesare recommended by the CDC. Thissample size allows for the bacteria inthe water to be concentrated, providinga more sensitive detection and quantita-

An overview of Legionella analyses By Diane Miskowski



Public Health

tion limit. Many professional guidelinesrecommend semi-annual sampling forpotable water sources.

In non-potable water sources such ascooling tower water, a 250 ml samplesize is sufficient. Professional guide-lines suggest these sources be moni-tored quarterly.

Sampling should be conducted in away that maximizes recovery of the or-ganism and mimics the route of expo-sure. Legionella samples should becollected wherever water aerosolizationmay occur.

Sampling aerosolized water alone,however, will likely miss the real sourceof the organism. This source is thebiofilm or slime that is often found inour plumbing systems, cooling towers,and whirlpool baths.

Biofilm consists of other bacteria,blue-green algae, amoeba, and proto-zoans. Biofilm protects Legionella fromdirect exposure to ultraviolet (UV)light, desiccation, and the chemicalsused to control its growth. In addition,the Legionella bacteria are ingested bythe protozoans and amoeba and willcontinue to multiply inside these organ-

isms. Once these organisms die, largenumbers of Legionella bacteria will bereleased into the surrounding environ-ment.

Because biofilm protects the organ-ism and enhances Legionella multipli-cation, incorporating swabs in yoursampling protocol is very important.Very often, biofilm swab samples

demonstrate the presence of Legionellaundetected by water sampling alone.

While collecting air samples for Le-gionella mimics the route of exposure, itis generally not recommended for rou-tine monitoring purposes. Legionellaare unlikely to survive the exposure toUV light and dessication for long peri-

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Outbreaks of Legionellosis on cruise ships are reported each year.



Public Health

Take care not to generate any aerosolswhen collecting the samples. Only ster-ile, appropriately preserved bottles andswabs obtained from your lab should beused. Potable water bottles should bepreserved with sodium thiosulfate toneutralize chlorine in the water sample.

ods of time. During air sampling, thebacteria will likely be killed from theimpaction of the bacterial cells on thecollection media.When taking samples, a high effi-

ciency particulate respirator, safetyglasses, and gloves should be worn.

After collecting a water sample, besure to leave an air space in the bottle.Since Legionella require oxygen fortheir survival, an air space in the bottlewill ensure that aerobic conditions aremaintained during shipment to the lab.Samples should be packed and

shipped to minimize the multiplicationof non-legionella bacteria. Since Le-gionella remain viable at low tempera-tures, using an insulated cooler withfreezer packs is recommended. Samplesshould be shipped overnight to the lab.

Analytical methods - cultureLegionella are aerobic, fastidious

bacteria; they have very strict require-ments for growth. Two of these require-ments are iron and L-cysteine. They areweakly gram negative and grow slowlycompared to other bacteria. Legionellaare often overgrown by faster growingbacteria, inhibited by some bacteria, orwill not grow on standard microbiolog-ical media. For this reason labs shoulduse methods that are selective for iso-lating and identifying the organism.Currently the definitive method

worldwide for identifying Legionella inclinical and environmental samples is

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Public Healththe culture method. This method uses animproved procedure developed by theCDC when it first isolated the organismafter the American Legion outbreak inPhiladelphia in 1976. The method usesbuffered charcoal yeast extract agar(BCYE) as the base formulation.

For potable water, the samples must beconcentrated in order to enhance thequantitation limit. This is usually done byfiltering the entire 1000 ml through asterile membrane filter. The filter is thenvortexed in 5 ml of sterile, distilled water.

Non-potable water often has a largeconcentration of bacteria that surpassesor inhibits the growth of Legionella.Since Legionella are more resistant toacidic pH levels, these samples are pre-treated with a buffered acid solution toeliminate the non-legionella bacteria.

Equal sample aliquots are thenplated onto the BCYE agar containingiron and L-cysteine (BCYE+), BCYEagar with Polymixin B, Cycloheximide,Vancomycin (PCV), PCV with Glycine(GPCV), and PCV without iron and L-cysteine (PCV - ). These plates are in-cubated at 35 - 37˚C. Because theLegionella bacteria from environmentalsamples may grow slowly, the plates areincubated for 10-14 days.

After 72 to 96 hours, the colonies areexamined using a dissecting microscopewith UV light. Legionella colonies ap-pear as convex, circular white colonieshaving a center that resembles groundglass. The edges of the colonies oftenexhibit a blue, green, purple or red auto-fluorescence.

These suspect Legionella coloniesare streaked onto BCYE plates that donot contain iron and cysteine. If thesecolonies do not grow on the BCYEplates, they are presumptively identifiedas Legionella.

The presumptive colonies are then an-alyzed using direct fluorescence antibody(DFA) technique to confirm the identifi-cation of species and identify the serto-types. Since Legionella in environmentalsamples grow slowly, a confirmed non-detected sample result should be pro-vided only after the tenth incubation day.

Due to cross reactivity and the po-tential for false positive and false nega-tive results, DFA should be used only onpure colonies obtained after incubation.DFA should not be used directly on en-

vironmental samples as some laborato-ries claim.

While 90% of the outbreaks in the USare caused by L. pneumophila serotype1 or 6, there are other serotypes of L.pneumophila and even other Legionellaspecies that can cause the disease. Notall labs employ the same method for iso-lating the organism. Ascertain whetheryour lab uses the method to give you thelevel of identification and quantitationyou need.

The results for the culturable method

are expressed as colony forming units(CFU)/ml or per volume sampled.Whileit is standard microbiological conventionto express results as CFU/ml, this cansometimes be confusing to non-microbi-ologists who are taking samples manytimes larger than 1 ml. For this reason,some labs prefer to express the results asCFU/volume sampled.

Analytical methods -polymerase chain reaction

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a




Public Healthtiveness of a treatment program.Unlike culture analysis where inter

and intra-laboratory variability is high,PCR results are reproducible, accurate,precise, and very sensitive. The detec-tion limit is theoretically a single DNAfragment. PCR measures the DNA as-sociated with both viable and non-vi-able Legionella. (The culture methodonly measures viable bacteria whichwill grow on the selective media.)The primary disadvantage of PCR is

the potential for sample matrix effects.

genetic test which looks for the de-oxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is spe-cific for Legionella. While PCR is notconsidered the “gold standard” for Le-gionella analysis, it may be very usefulfor quickly determining the presence orabsence of Legionella in a sample.Since same day qualitative results canbe obtained, the quick turnaround timecan be useful for confirming the pres-ence of Legionella during an outbreakwhen time is critical. PCR may also beuseful for rapid assessment of the effec-

The presence of common divalentcations in the sample such as calcium,magnesium, or silver, and the divalentform of copper will cause false negativeresults unless the samples are processedproperly. This requires that the lab havea strict Quality Assurance program thatincludes positive, negative, and samplematrix controls.Another disadvantage of PCR is that

it is a species specific test. While mostPCR labs can identify L. pneumophila,there may be other species colonizingyour water system or causing the diseasethat you would like identified.

Non-microbiologists often confuse theterms genus, species, serotype and strain.These are independent terms for the iden-tification of organisms and each is usedto reach a successively more specificlevel of identification. (i.e., Legionellapneumophila, serotype 1, Philadelphia 1is the identification of the bacteria thatcaused the 1976 outbreak in Philadel-phia.)The culture method provides quan-

tification and identification of Le-gionella species and serotypes.Currently, the limited number of com-mercial labs using PCR will only iden-tify to species level. Species andserotype identification is insufficientfor determining the actual source of the

The analytical method useddetermines the type and accuracyof the results.



contamination during an outbreak. Dur-ing an epidemiological investigation, itis necessary to employ strain identifica-tion to determine if the bacteria in theclinical samples match the bacteriafound in the environmental samples.

Currently in the US, pulsed field gelelectrophoresis (PFGE) is most com-monly used to identify strains within L.pneumophila serogroup 1. However, anewer molecular technique, sequencebased typing (SBT), is used by CDCand the European Working Group forLegionella Infections (EWGLI) for sub-typing L. pneumophila serogroup 1.EWGLI has proposed the use of SBT asthe standard method for strain identifi-cation for travel-related outbreaks in theEuropean Union.

Intent of the risk assessmentThe intent of your Legionella risk as-

sessment will determine the type of datayou need. Proactive monitoring is con-ducted to determine the effectiveness ofan existing maintenance program in theabsence of suspected cases of legionel-losis. With this type of monitoring aqualitative, present/absent result or aquantitative result of Legionella spp. issufficient. Species and serotype identi-fication is optional. Strain identificationor subtyping is not needed.

Reactive monitoring is conductedwhen a suspected or confirmed case oflegionellosis occurs. In this situation,species and serotype quantification andidentification is necessary. If the case oroutbreak was diagnosed as L. pneu-mophila serotype 1, strain identificationwill be useful to link clinical isolates tothe environmental samples to identifythe source.

Whether your risk assessment isproactive or reactive, the results shouldindicate non-detectable amounts of thebacteria. This is the OSHA recom-mended performance goal.

The actual concentration providesuseful information concerning the de-gree of contamination. However, itshould be understood that the concentra-tions are relative and are not an absolutenumber. Bacterial populations are in al-ways in flux; bacterial cells are multi-plying, dying, or dormant. Since bacteriamultiply logarithmically, an order ofmagnitude difference (10x) in the resultsis significant. A difference of a few

CFUs or a low single digit multiplicationof results is not significant. The goal isto demonstrate a history of non-de-tectable results over time.

To recap, the analytical method useddetermines the type and accuracy of theresults. While using BCYE agars to iso-late Legionella is the recognized “goldstandard” worldwide, there are stillsome labs using other methods. Also,the reagents and methods used for Le-gionella identification are not standard-ized. This makes comparing lab results

very difficult. Be sure to identify theisolation method the lab is using. Thiswill ensure you obtain the informationyou need.

Diane Miskowski has 30 years ex-perience in the areas of microbiology,laboratory management, and indus-

trial hygiene with a focus on aerobiol-ogy and exposure to pathogens. She iswith EMSL Analytical, Inc. New Jer-sey. E-mail: [email protected]

Public Health



Instrumentation

pressure generated follows the squareroot relationship of Bernoulli’s theoremfor computation of flow rates, using es-tablished state-of-energy equations.

Coupled with the ability to measure atReynolds numbers as low as 500, thewedgemeter may be an ideal solutionfor some slurry and high viscosityprocesses. Wedgemeters do not rely onsharp edges or machined bores for accu-rate measurement. Solids and other de-bris easily pass through the meter, whilethe inherent ruggedness of the restrictionresists damage to the measuring edge.

The ABB flowmeters also have theadvantage of employing large diameter,remote pressure seals to eliminate im-pulse line plugging. Depending on thestatic pressure limits and erosive natureof the process stream, differential pres-sure transmitters with remote seals caneither seat flush to the process piping(chemical tee type) or be raised off therun pipe (wafer type). The wafer typeseals suit the more aggressive and ero-sive applications.

Flush seals keep the process fluidcontained within the pipe profile with no

Flow measurement in the waste-water industry often representsa difficult application becauseof the presence of solids, fats,

grease, and other debris in the process-ing streams. A variety of metering tech-nologies are found at many differentpoints in the process, providing the per-formance levels required by local andnational regulations. Regardless of theflowmeter used, erosive conditions, highsolid content, and high viscosities canresult in inconsistent readings, unwar-ranted maintenance costs, and generalmistrust of the measurement.

While no meter will provide com-plete immunity to all adverse conditions,the ABB WedgeMeter II flowmeterclaims advantages worth considering.This flow measurement device places aV-shaped restriction into the flow to gen-erate a differential pressure. The flowsees a measurement bore profile like thatof a segmental orifice. The differential

dead zones under the seal area forsludge and waste buildup. When sizedto the proper velocity, a natural washingover these seals and restriction occurs,keeping the meter in a clean conditionfor maintaining performance. For fluidsnear the end of the treatment processesthat are relatively clean, one-half inchNPT pressure taps on ABB WedgeMe-ters connect to standard DP transmitters.

Just as an orifice bore can be relatedto a calculated beta ratio, wedgemetersare characterized by the H/D ratio,where H is the height of the opening forfluid flow and D is the pipe inside di-ameter. These H/D ratios come in fixedsteps (0.2, 0.3, 0.4, etc.) that allow awide range of flowmeter sizing within aparticular pipe size. The ratios can bemathematically equated to an equivalentbore and beta ratio. The manufacturerdetermines the meter coefficient, iden-tified as Kd2 within sizing equations, bycalibrating with water. The resulting ac-curacy is +/-0.5% of flow rate or better.

Applying wedgemetersto wastewaters

Waste treatment processes vary fromplant to plant and region to region andfrom heavy industrial to low-level resi-dential. Not all subsystems of a waste-water treatment system are suitable formeasuring flow with wedgemeters, butwhat follows are relatively commonpoints within the wastewater process withcomments on their use and installation.

Plant influent (raw sewage)As this is the beginning of the

process and may contain anything andeverything, this process point is not rec-ommended for wedge installation. Theproblem is possible damage to remoteseals. Full bore meters are usually themeasurement choice at this stage.

SludgeSludge that settles to the bottom of

the primary clarifier typically contains5-6% solids and 2-3% grease/fats withmaterial pumped to a digester. Becausethe amount of liquid is high, thewedgemeter with 3-inch wafer typeseals may be a good choice at thisprocess point as these seals reduce thechance of damage from solids. Fluid ve-

An alternative flowmeter for wastewater treatmentBy Steve Pagano

Typical connection arrangement forwedgemeter and DP pressure trans-mitter.

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Instrumentation

locities should be maintained at 5-10ft/sec, and temperatures should be suchthat grease and fats do not coagulateand build up in the area under the seals.Added protection of a purge ring underthe wafer seal, along with periodiccleaning, is recommended.As the sludge thickens and contains

high concentrations of solids, grease,and fats, flow measurement becomesdifficult for any flow measurement de-vice.While use of a wedgemeter is pos-sible at this process step, periodiccleaning and inspection of the seals willraise maintenance costs. The ability tomaintain recommended fluid velocitiesmay become difficult, which will affectflow readings. Plugging of pressure tapscan occur.Wedgemeters are a last resorton thickened sludge.

Digester re-circulationRe-circulated sludge will be high in

solids content, but concentrations of fatsand grease are lower than in previousstages.Temperatures are generally higher,typically 95F. The higher temperatureswill aid in preventing grease build up;however, as in previous process steps,using a wedge requires attention to peri-odic cleaning of 3-inch wafer seals. Fluidvelocities should be kept above 5 ft/sec,and the wedge restriction should be nosmaller than half the inside pipe diameter.

Digester supernatant liquor,mixed liquors

Supernatant liquor, being removedfrom between the top scum layer andthe sludge layer, is relatively low insolids content. These conditions pointto use of the flush (chemical tee type)remote seal. But fluid velocities shouldbe kept above 5 ft/sec. The higher thevelocity, the less likely the seals willcoat, even if the fluid is still saturatedwith grease and fats. Seals can be in-spected and cleaned during normal

maintenance shutdowns.Mixed liquors afford even more ver-

satility in the selection of a wedgemeteras the fluid is relatively free of solids,grease and fats. In this case, meters withsimple ½-in NPT pressure taps makesense, reducing both installed and main-tenance costs. Properly installed, the DPtransmitters can be isolated from impulselines, eliminating a need to shut downprocess flow to service the transmitter.

Return activated sludge, wasteactivated sludge

As both of these process points willbe low in grease and fat, either the pipetap or flush remote seal will satisfy theapplication. Velocities can be as low as2-3 ft/sec.

Plant effluentBecause these flows are generally

clean water to EPA rules, this is mostlikely the easiest of all measurementswithin the wastewater process. Awedgemeter using ½-inch NPT pipe tapswill generally perform well. However, tokeep process fluid within the pipingstructure, the flush remote seal versionmay be more suitable a choice.

Chemical feedsIntroduction of chemicals at various

points in the process stream requiresflow measurement and associated con-trol. Some chemicals fall within therange of nearly all flow measurementtechnologies with the exception of non-conductive fluids. Given the versatilityof wedgemeters, almost any additivecan be measured using either pipethreaded pipe taps or flush remote sealscombined with a suitable differentialpressure transmitter.

Steve Pagano is withABB Instrumentation, Pennsylvania.


Wedge restriction creates a differential pressure that is a function of fluid flowrate.

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completed Water For People-supportedrain catchment project (and associatedcisterns), when the rains came, the wa-ters were lost, rolling freely down themountainside.

To meet family needs for drinking,washing clothes, dishes, and bathing,villagers often walked 20 to 30 minuteseach way carrying heavy jugs of watergathered from natural springs. Thesetrips might be made as many as fivetimes a day. Unfortunately, the waterthey collected was often unsafe and car-ried microbiological contaminants thatcould cause diarrhea and other debili-tating, and even deadly, diseases.

Searching for a solutionMayan people have populated the

rich, rugged mountains and valleys of theCuchumantes Mountains in Guatemala’sWestern Highlands for centuries. Likethe rains, disease and death were felt tobe natural as well, until last year. That’swhen the village leaders contactedWaterFor People partner, Aqua Para la Salud,(a local NGO) to support them in pursu-ing a practical, affordable solution tohelp meet Visivan’s water needs.

Various political candidates hadpromised the people of Visivan a watersystem for years, but a lack of ground-

In the midst of a light but constantsheet of rain, two young smilingMayan girls stand in the middle ofthe schoolyard. Leaning toward

each other, hands joined, they form abridge for all the pushing, squealingsmaller children to squirm playfullythrough below. Off to the side twoyoung boys play tag, slipping and slid-ing as they shift directions in the mud.

Nearby the rain falls on the corru-gated tin roof of their schoolhouse, rollsdown into a gutter that collects and fun-nels it into a pipe that gravity feeds itinto the cistern that sits below by theschool building. Filled, the cistern holdsmore than 500 gallons of water that canbe used for drinking and washing chil-dren’s muddy hands, as well.

Here in the small village of Visivan,Guatemala, rain is an almost daily real-ity. The village is situated high in themountains, 11,500 feet above sea level,and receives more than 100 inches ofrain per year. But before the recently

water and uncooperative landownersmeant the promises never came true. Fol-lowing a study, it was determined rain-water catchment tanks would be the mosteffective technology for the community.

The rain catchment solution was asnatural as it was simple. It involved at-taching PVC gutters to the roofs of in-dividual homes (and the school) tocatch rainwater during the rainymonths. A PVC pipe was attached to thegutter to feed the rainwater to a closedconcrete cistern that was constructednext to each house. The cistern couldhold up to 530 gallons of water andwould have one or more faucets.

The rain catchment solution providesa plentiful, convenient supply of waterduring the long rainy season and helpsbridge supply needs during the drymonths. As a precaution, villagers areencouraged to boil collected rain waterfor drinking and cooking to ensure itssafety. The rain catchment solution re-duces the community’s reliance on un-safe, remote water sources and enablesvillagers to concentrate on more pro-ductive endeavors.

Building it togetherTogether the community and Aqua

Para la Salud representatives developed a

A natural solution - catching rain in GuatemalaBy David Stevenson

A natural part ofVisivan village life –playground giggles,games, and rain.

A natural solution:the rain flows down theroof, is captured in agutter and flows througha pipe into a cisternnear each house.

Visivan childrentake the hygiene

educationportion of the

project to heart.

Water for washingclothes, washing hands,cooking and drinking is

close at hand, givingvillagers more time for

family, work, school,and play.




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project proposal. The proposal included awork plan that identified how communitymembers would be involved, what contri-bution they could provide, and how thecommunity would help maintain the sys-tem once installed. Aqua Para la Saludwould provide technical assistance, mate-rials, hygiene education training, andskilled labor. Visivan residents were toprovide additional local materials, con-struction labor, and participate in hygieneeducation training.Water For People wascontacted and agreed to help fund theproject and assist with its implementation.

The project began January 3, 2007,and was completed May 4, 2007. AquaPara la Salud masons began by trainingvarious Visivan residents to help trainother village participants. Each home-owner was involved in the constructionof their rain catchment gutters, pipes,and cisterns. Everyone pitched in, in-cluding the children, to complete therain catchment system for the school.

Rain catchment and moreNow, all 31 families and the school

have a convenient water source at theirfingertips all year long.

The hygiene education programhelped school children learn the impor-

tance of hand washing, and how andwhen to wash their hands effectively. Thehygiene component was important forteaching villagers the basic steps (boil-ing, solar disinfection) to follow duringdry season, when the cisterns run low, toensure the water they gather from othersources is clean and safe as well. Fami-lies learned the importance of householdcleaning, dishwashing, and personal hy-giene. Additionally, they learned moreabout sanitation, various common dis-eases, and how to recognize them.

With less time spent gathering waterand armed with more knowledge abouthygiene, families are spending lessmoney on healthcare and more on food,education, and clothing.

We’re sure the laughter of little chil-dren will continue to echo through thesehigh mountains far into the future. Andwe know that their simple, natural raincatchment solution will continue to en-hance their quality of life.

David Stevenson is a freelance writerwho lives in Denver, Colorado.

For more information, visitwww.waterforpeople.org



Climate Change

cement; aluminum and alumina; lime;titanium; potash; chemicals; fertilizers.

These sectors will be required to re-duce their GHG emission intensity (i.e.the amount of GHGs emitted per widgetproduced) to 18% below 2006 levels by2010. In every subsequent year, emis-sion intensity must improve by 2%.There will be a three-year grace periodfor new facilities, i.e. those opening in2004 or later. After the third year, theywill be required to improve their emis-sion intensity by 2% annually.

Where an existing facility undergoesa major expansion or transformation in2004 or later, the expanded or trans-formed portion of the facility would besubject to the rules for new facilities. Thetargets for new facilities would be deter-mined in accordance with a "cleaner fuelstandard", the details of which have yetto be fully articulated. This is meant toencourage new facilities to adopt theleast GHG-intensive fuels.

Both existing and new facilitieswould have a 0% target for fixedprocess emissions, which are emissionstied to production and for which there isno alternative reduction technology (therevised Framework now includes a moreprecise, technical definition of fixedprocess emissions than what appearedin last year's version).

Regulated industries would have cer-tain options for compliance. In additionto making operational changes toachieve their targets, firms could obtaincompliance credits by contributing to atechnology fund that would invest inGHG reduction technology. The fundwould be administered by "a third-partyentity, at arm's length from govern-ment". The cost of contributing to thefund would be set at $15 per tonne ofcarbon dioxide equivalent for the period2010 to 2012, rising to $20 per tonne in2013, and subsequently rising annuallyat the rate of Canada's economicgrowth. Contributions would no longerbe permitted after 2017.

Instead of contributing directly to thetechnology fund, firms could earn cred-

OnMarch 11, 2008, the federalgovernment released detailsconcerning its strategy to"turn the corner" on climate

change. The two main components ofthis strategy are (1) mandatory emissionstargets for certain industry sectors, and(2) an offset system enabling non-regu-lated businesses to earn carbon credits byvoluntarily cutting emissions, whichcould then be sold to regulated busi-nesses to help them achieve their targets.

Although the broad contours of thisstrategy have been known for some time,the announcement provides both regu-lated and non-regulated businesses withgreater certainty and provides a strongimpetus to begin taking immediate ac-tion in anticipation of the climate changeregulations which are expected to comeinto force at the beginning of 2010.

Regulatory Framework for Indus-trial Greenhouse Gas EmissionsThe centrepiece of the announce-

ment is the "Regulatory Framework forIndustrial Greenhouse Gas Emissions"which elaborates on the "RegulatoryFramework forAir Emissions" unveiledin April 2007. It is the government'sblueprint for achieving the previouslyannounced target of an absolute 20% re-duction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-sions from 2006 levels by the year 2020,which translates into a reduction of 330megatonnes below projected levels.(The Framework and supporting docu-ments are available on EnvironmentCanada's website at www.ec.gc.ca/de-fault.asp?lang=En&n=75038EBC-1#m10.)

The Framework applies to the fol-lowing industry sectors: electricity gen-eration; oil sands; petroleum refining;upstream oil and gas; natural gaspipelines; pulp and paper; iron and steel;iron ore pelletizing; base metal smelters;

its by investing in certain large-scaleprojects that were pre-certified by thegovernment. The Framework states thatthe government will consider pre-certi-fying carbon capture and storage proj-ects in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Until2018, firms in the oil sands, electricity,chemicals, fertilizer and petroleum re-fining sectors will be allowed to makecontributions of up to 100% of their reg-ulatory obligation in these pre-certifiedcarbon capture and storage projects.

As a further alternative to making di-rect contributions to the technologyfund, firms could invest in other fundswith an equivalent mandate to the tech-nology fund. These could include fundsestablished by provincial governmentsand possibly private sector funds. Inorder for the firm to earn credits forsuch contributions, the fund would needto be accredited by the federal govern-ment for this purpose.

Firms that went beyond their targetswould obtain credits which could thenbe sold to other regulated firms orwhich could be banked for future use.The Framework also contemplates anoffset system whereby non-regulatedentities could voluntarily undertakeGHG emission reduction programs andearn offset credits which could then besold to regulated entities.

In addition, regulated entities couldpurchase Clean Development Mecha-nism (CDM) credits under the KyotoProtocol. Each firm would only be al-lowed to meet up to 10% of its targetwith these CDM credits.

Finally, firms that took action between1992 and 2006 to reduce GHG emissionscould apply for a one-time credit for earlyaction. The purpose is to avoid penaliz-ing firms that voluntarily undertook cli-mate change initiatives before thedevelopment of the federal regulatoryregime. The government would only al-locate 15megatonnes worth of credits forearly action; if demand were greater, the15 megatonnes would be divided be-tween the applicants in proportion to theircontribution to total emission reductions.

Mark Madras Ian Richler

Federal government unveilsclimate change action planBy Mark Madras and Ian Richler




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Climate ChangeThe revised Framework includes an

important innovation from the original2007 version. This is the introduction ofadditional rules that apply only to theoil sands and coal-fired electricity sec-tors and will effectively require thesesectors to establish carbon capture andstorage mechanisms for new facilitiesopening in 2012 or later. Although thedetails concerning these rules have yetto be released, the government indicatesthat "growth in the oil sands must occurresponsibly", and that the rules "will ef-fectively end the construction of dirtycoal-fired plants".

Another new commitment is to es-tablish a "clean electricity task force" to

work with provinces and industry toachieve a further reduction of 25 mega-tonnes from the electricity sector by2020. The revised Framework is shorton details, but does say that:

"Specific measures could include:development of an East-West transmis-sion grid and sub-sea cable on the At-lantic coast; development of furthermajor hydroelectric projects, such asPeace River C and Lower Churchill; in-

troduction of new nuclear reactors; andretirement of fossil-fuel electricity gen-eration facilities at the end of their ex-pected life."

The revised Framework recognizesthe specific challenges faced by the ce-ment and fertilizer sectors. The Frame-work says that the cement regulationswill include an incentive to use wastematerial from other industries instead ofclinker. It also promises a task forcecomprising a Member of Parliamentand an industry representative to makerecommendations for fertilizer emissiontargets that take these challenges intoaccount but are "consistent with theoverall framework".

GHG emissions reductions from theoil sands and electricity sectors are ex-pected to account for 55% of the totalreductions from industry by 2020. Thereductions from industry as a whole willonly go halfway towards meeting thenational 20% target by 2020. The rest ofthe reductions will come from otherregulatory initiatives, including newfuel consumption standards for cars,light trucks and sport utility vehicles,and new energy efficiency requirementsfor certain commercial and consumerproducts, such as dishwashers and com-mercial boilers.

In addition to GHGs, the initial ver-sion of the Framework in 2007 also ad-dressed emissions of air pollutants suchas sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides andparticulate matter. The revised draftdeals exclusively with GHGs, sayingonly that the regulatory framework forother air pollutants will be finalized inspring 2008 and that the regulations willreflect this.

It is important to recognize that therevised Framework is still just an out-line. The actual draft regulations will bepublished in the Canada Gazette in thefall of 2008. The regulations are ex-pected to be finalized the following yearand to come into force on January 1,2010. The full impact on industry, in-cluding the penalties for missing emis-sion targets, will not be known until theregulations are unveiled.

Canada's offset system for GHGsIn addition to the final Regulatory

Framework, the government has re-leased a discussion paper regarding thedesign of the offset system. This indi-




Climate Change

cates that the offset system will be administered by Environ-ment Canada under the authority of the Canadian Environ-mental Protection Act, 1999. The paper outlines the basicrequirements for registering an offset project, reporting andverifying the emissions reductions, issuing the offset credits,and trading the credits.

The paper enumerates five principles on which the offsetsystem is built:1. Environmental benefits - Offset projects achieve green-

house gas reductions and a net environmental benefit.2. Reductions occur in Canada - greenhouse gas reductions

are domestic.3. Maximum scope - the system promotes projects in as

many sectors and for as many project types as practical.4. Administratively simple - the system is as simple and

cost-effective to administer as possible, and the burden forparticipants is minimized.

5. Build on experience - the system builds on the experiencegained from the Canadian pilot projects and project-basedcrediting systems in other jurisdictions.The proponent of a GHG reduction project will be respon-

sible for steering the project through the offset process. The

first step will be to register the project with EnvironmentCanada. Before accepting the project for registration, Envi-ronment Canada will ensure the project meets eligibility re-quirements and will post information about the project on anoffset system website.

Next, the proponent will implement the project and meas-ure the actual GHG reductions that ensue. These reductionsmust be verified by an independent third party. EnvironmentCanada will then issue electronic offset credits which are de-posited into the proponent's account. The proponent can thensell the credits to a regulated entity (e.g. a fertilizer company)which could apply it towards its mandatory GHG target orbank it for future use.

Alternatively the proponent could sell the credits to anywilling buyer, such as a bank or investment fund, which couldtreat the credits much like any other tradable financial instru-ment or else "cancel them (withdraw them from circulation)for the benefit of the environment".

The value of offset credits will be determined by supplyand demand. The actual transfer of credits from one person toanother will take place electronically; every participant in thecarbon market will have an account in the "unit tracking sys-tem". Initially, the offset system will not be linked to othercarbon markets (e.g. the EU Emission Trading Scheme). How-ever, the offset paper notes that:

"If formal linkages are established with other regulatory-based systems in NorthAmerica or abroad, arrangements willseriously be considered for the transfer of credits among sys-tems. Especially, if a greenhouse gas regulatory regime andoffsets system is developed in the United States, cross-bordertrading in emissions credits and offsets will be pursued."

Only projects that comply with an approved quantificationprotocol will be eligible to earn offset credits, and only for re-ductions achieved after January 1, 2008. A project proponentmay submit a protocol for any given type of project (e.g. land-fill gas capture) for approval. Protocols will be expected tocomply with the international standard developed by the ISO,namely ISO 14064 Part 2. One of the principles enshrined inthis standard is the use of conservative assumptions to ensurethat GHG reductions are not overestimated.

The paper also notes that "where possible, quantificationapproaches should build on best practices. Existing peer-re-viewed protocols (for example, Clean Development Mecha-nism methodologies) may provide a good basis on which tobuild a Base Protocol."

Registration of an offset project is effective for eight years,beginning from the date the project is actually registered orthe date the project is commissioned, at the proponent's op-tion. The registration can be renewed for a further eight years.In order to register a project, the proponent must satisfy thefollowing six eligibility criteria:1. Scope:• the project must take place in Canada;• the project must achieve reductions in one or more of the

following greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane,nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluoro carbons,and sulphur hexafluoride;

• the activity must be included in the federal GHG inventory



Climate Change

which is prepared annually in accordance with the UnitedNations Framework Convention on Climate Change(forest management projects that are not included in theinventory will nonetheless be considered).

2. GHG reductions must be real:• the project must result in a net reduction of GHGs;• each quantification protocol will contain guidance on

this criterion.3. The project must be incremental:• the project must have started on or after January 1, 2000;• credits may be issued for reductions achieved after

January 1, 2008;• reductions achieved must go beyond the baseline defined

for the project type in the quantification protocol;• reductions must be surplus to all legal requirements

(e.g. provincial operating permits);• reductions must be beyond what is expected from receipt

of other governmental climate change incentives.4. The GHG reductions must be quantifiable:• the reductions must be quantified in accordance with

an approved quantification protocol.5. The GHG reductions must be verifiable:• the reductions must be verified by a recognized third

party verifier.6. The GHG reductions must be unique:• offset credits will normally not be issued for GHG

reductions that have already earned credits throughanother mandatory or voluntary system;

• each credit will be assigned a unique serial number.The paper says that "proponents may aggregate similar

projects and bundle projects with similar effects (for exam-ple, projects that together impact total fuel consumption)".This will provide an incentive to invest in multiple small proj-ects that, on their own, might not attract carbon financing.

There is intended to be an active Canadian carbon marketto propel GHG reduction projects outside the directly regu-lated industry sectors. The types of projects that could poten-tially earn offset credits include, among many others, carboncapture and storage projects, renewable energy projects, en-ergy efficiency and demand-side management projects, andprojects to convert vehicle fleets to hybrids.

A number of guidance documents concerning the offset sys-tem will be published later this year. In the meantime, commentson this general scheme are being solicited by EnvironmentCanada.

Other climate change documentsThe government has also released a paper outlining how cred-

its will be issued for early action. It sets out, in general terms, theeligibility rules and the process for allocating credits. Firms wish-ing to apply for credits had to submit initial information by June27, 2008, and the credits will be allocated in July 2009.

Finally, the government has released a paper outlining theeconomics of its climate change strategy. The paper concludesthat the Framework combined with other federal and provincialclimate change measures will be enough to achieve the targetof reducing GHGs by 20% by 2020. The paper also concludesthat there will be an economic cost to these measures. By 2020,the paper estimates that these measures will erode GDP by

0.4% annually. In other words, GDP in 2020 will be 0.4%below where it would have been in the absence of these cli-mate change initiatives. The paper acknowledges that some in-dustrial sectors will be harder hit than others.

ConclusionAlthough the actual regulations to put the federal climate

change plan into action will not be published until this falland will not come into force until January 1, 2010, the an-nouncement in March has provided companies in the targetedindustry sectors with greater confidence in the government'sregulatory direction. The plan is designed to create incentivesfor these companies to act now. Waiting until the regulationsare in force before undertaking GHG mitigation could provecostly. Similarly, the plan provides a clear signal to non-reg-ulated companies that they ought not to wait for the finaliza-tion of the offset system rules to begin exploring possibleoffset projects - GHG reductions achieved after January 1,2008 are eligible to earn credits.

The opportunity to gain a foothold in the carbon market -not only for potential project proponents such as electricityplants, landfills, farms, and trucking firms, but also for in-vestors, brokers, financial institutions, technical consultantsand credit aggregators - has already begun.

Mark Madras and Ian Richler are with Gowling LafleurHenderson LLP, Toronto, E-mail:

[email protected] or [email protected]

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Biosolids Management

signed to process 100 dry tonnes per day.By contract, however, the City of Balti-more provides 50 dry tonnes daily toeach facility, thereby providing 100%excess capacity at each plant.

This article describes the pelletizerfacility at the Back River WWTP thatutilizes the Seghers indirect drying sys-tem (referred to as the Pelletech®

Like many large municipalities,the long-term biosolids man-agement plan established by theCity of Baltimore, Maryland, is

based on a variety of technologies. Uti-lizing land application, composting andheat drying, the City has developed a re-liable and sustainable program that willserve the community for the foreseeablefuture.Critical to this program are two long-

term service contracts, both between theCity of Baltimore and Synagro–Balti-more L.L.C., for heat drying and pel-letizing at the Back River WastewaterTreatment Plant (WWTP) and the Patap-scoWWTP. The Back River WWTP hasa design capacity of 680,000 m3/day andproduces between 68 to 90 dry tonnes(metric) per day of biosolids via two egg-shaped anaerobic digesters. The BackRiver and Patapsco facilities are each de-

Process), which was delivered undera design/build/operate procurementprocess through a long-term servicecontract between the City of Baltimoreand Baltimore L.L.C., a Synagro sub-sidiary.The plant began commercial opera-

tions in 1995, and has been in success-ful operation for 13 years, remaining theonly facility in North America that uti-lizes this type of indirect dryer.The other two installations of the

same type of dryers are currently in thefinal stage of commissioning. One is atthe Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant inToronto (with R.V. Anderson AssociatesLimited as the City of Toronto’s repre-sentative), and the other is at the Stick-neyWater Reclamation Plant in Chicago.Both are being delivered under design-build contracts by Veolia Water NorthAmerica.

Sludge pelletization plant continues to perform well13 years after startupBy Valera Saknenko and Thomas Maestri

The plant begancommercial operations in1995, and has been in

successful operation for 13years, remaining the onlyfacility in North Americathat utilizes this type of

indirect dryer.




Heat drying and pelletizingfacility overview

The Back River heat drying and pel-letizing facility utilizes the Seghers in-direct drying system, a process in whichbiosolids are heated to a temperatureand dried to a moisture level that satis-fies the United States EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s requirements forClass A pathogen reduction and vectorattraction reduction. As a Class A prod-uct, processed biosolids from the BackRiver facility are approved by theUSEPA for use as an organic fertilizerfor farms, park land, mine reclamation,and other uses without restriction.

The processThe Pelletech Process consists of

three totally independent process trains,each capable of processing approxi-mately 34 dry tonnes daily. In Step 1,anaerobically digested biosolids mate-rial at approximately 2.7% dry solids isreceived by the facility in liquid form,screened and dewatered via centrifugesto about 24% dry solids. Following de-watering, the biosolids drop to a livebottom receiving bin located beneath the

During the visit to the Pelletech Facility in June 2008, Valera Saknenko (right)met with (left to right) Thomas Maestri, Joe Hurt and Karl von Lindenberg ofSynagro Technologies Inc.





centrifuge floor.In Step 2, the biosolids are conveyed

to a twin shaft mixer where the 24% drybiosolids are mixed with previouslydried material (~ 92% dry solids) in ra-

tios that result in a mixed material at ap-proximately 60% to 70% dry solids. Im-portantly, it is in the mixer that thepelletizing process occurs. Dried parti-cles of biosolids form the nuclei of the

pellets which, in turn, become coatedwith the wetter biosolids cake and grad-ually grow to the desired size, much thesame way as a pearl is formed around agrain of sand.

The blended material exiting themixer is conveyed (Step 3) to the top ofthe Seghers dryers where the process ofevaporating moisture begins. Becausethe pelletizing activity occurs in themixer as described above, the dryingprocess itself (Step 4) requires that onlythe outside coating of each pellet bedried. The Seghers dryer used at theBack River facility consists of a seriesof heated trays of alternating large andsmall diameters.

Externally heated circulating thermaloil is the source of heat for the trays. Thenewly formed pellets are fed to the toptray of the dryer and are swept in a spi-ral pattern by rotating rake arms. Thepellets fall to the next tray and similarlyto each succeeding tray until exiting thebottom of the dryer. By the time it exitsthe dryer, the material has reached ClassA status in terms of pathogen reductionand vector attraction reduction. Thedried pellets then are transported via abucket elevator to be screened and clas-sified (Step 5) according to pellet size.

Through use of a vibrating screen,pellets are separated into properly sized(roughly 2 to 3 mm in diameter) pellets,oversized pellets and fines. The over-sized pellets are sent to a crusher, mixedwith the fines, and sent to a recycle binto be used to form pellets in the mixeras described in Step 2.

As evident from this process descrip-tion, any given pellet may be returned(or recycled) and run through the mixerand dryer a number of times. With eachsuccessive pass, the pellets grow in sizeuntil they are able to pass through thescreen. Such properly sized pellets aresent to a storage silo for ultimate trans-port to the marketplace.

Air pollution controlAir pollution control for Synagro’s

Back River facility is achieved throughthe following process.

The dryer air, containing variousodours and the water vapour evaporatedfrom the biosolids, is treated in a con-denser where WWTP effluent cools andcondenses the moisture in the airstream. The dry air then flows to a ven-



pellets by becoming active in the fieldof renewable fuels. Over the past severalyears, Synagro has provided pelletsfrom its various facilities, including its

Back River and Patapsco facilities, as afuel alternative to coal and natural gas.Introducing pellets as an alternative fuelcomponent provides Synagro with an-

turi scrubber where particulate matter isremoved. Finally, the dry, clean air issent to the burner of the thermal oilheater where it is used as combustionair, thereby destroying any volatile or-ganics and odorous components con-tained in the air stream.

Pellet marketingPellets produced at the Back River fa-

cility typically contain around 4% nitro-gen and traditionally have been marketedto fertilizer blenders as an organic fertil-izer. To realize maximum value withinthis market, it is important that the pel-lets exhibit certain qualities. In additionto nutrient value (primarily in the formof nitrogen), pellets must be of uniformsize (2 to 3 mm in diameter is desirable)and with consistent bulk density of about640 to 720 kg/m3.

Odours must be kept to a minimum(note that the Back River WWTP diges-tion process provides important stabi-lization and consequent low odour level)and dust levels must be as close to zeroas possible.

Synagro has expanded its market for

other market for its product and can as-sist the facility utilizing the pellets in re-ducing its carbon footprint, improvingemissions, and saving on fuel costs.

SummarySynagro’s Back River WWTP heat

drying and pelletizing facility was notwithout startup issues and various chal-lenges, both minor and major, along theway. Without exception, however, eachchallenge was addressed successfully.The facility now has been in a stable op-erating mode for almost 13 years, pro-ducing a Class A product that is in highdemand as an organic fertilizer and as apotential fuel alternative to coal andnatural gas.

Valera Saknenko is Senior Associate ofR.V. Anderson Associates Limited,

Toronto. Contact:[email protected] Maestri is Director of

Business Development of SynagroTechnologies, Inc.,Baltimore, Maryland.

Contact: [email protected]


Synagro has expandedits market for pellets bybecoming active in thefield of renewable fuels.

Over the past several years,Synagro has providedpellets from its variousfacilities, including its

Back River and Patapscofacilities, as a fuel

alternative to coal andnatural gas.



Wastewater

by Nippon Cable Company Limited andthe resort's name was changed to SunPeaks. Nippon's strategy for Tod Moun-tain was to upgrade the ski lift and trailsystem and transform the area into amajor four-season, mountain resort withall the amenities.In 1993, the resort operator, Sun

Peaks Resort Corporation completedthe Tod Mountain Master Plan and en-tered into an agreement with the Provin-cial Government to take the resort froma winter-only ski hill to a year roundcommunity that will eventually supportas many as 24,000 residents and visitorsduring any period.Sun Peaks' base development has been

rapidly expanding since 1993. As a con-

The upflow sludge blanketfiltration (USBF) wastewatertreatment system is a singlesludge denitrification biologi-

cal treatment process that incorporatesall processes required for biologicaltreatment in a single circulation loop. Itutilizes fluidized bed filtration as amethod of mixed liquor clarification.The process delivers high treatment ef-ficiency, including biological nitrogenand phosphorus reduction, and avoids acommonly encountered problem of theconventional biological plant – gravityseparation.Over one hundred plants have been

installed in Canada, the United Statesand the Caribbean. The plant at SunPeaks Resort, Kamloops, British Co-lumbia, was one of the first in 1999.Sun Peaks Resort is situated at the

base of Tod Mountain, approximately40 kilometres northeast of Kamloops,BC. Tod Mountain, with a summit ele-vation of 2,152 metres, was originallydeveloped as a ski operation in the early1960s. In 1972, the former operator de-cided to develop a few residential lotsand formed a private utility to operate asimple community water supply andwastewater leaching field that was re-placed in 1987 with a simple lagoonsystem. While the permit granted amaximum disposal of 230 m3/day, dis-charge was intermittent, if at all.In 1992, the property was purchased

sequence, wastewater flows at the SunPeaks Utilities' treatment facility havebeen steadily increasing. Sun Peaks Util-ities Co. Ltd. (SPUCL) has made a num-ber of improvements to the lagoon systemto keep pace with the increasing hydraulicand organic loading.These improvementsrange from surface aerationmixers to sub-surface fine bubble diffusion piping.After the 1998 Christmas period

when the holding time in the 6,000cubic metre lagoon dropped to under sixdays, Sun Peaks Utilities decided to re-place the lagoon with a system thatcould deal with the growing flows.After evaluating a few alternatives,

SPUCL decided to go with the upflowsludge blanket filtration (USBF) systemsupplied by Ecofluid Systems Inc. Thedesign/build contract was awarded toKnappett Construction Ltd. in the latterpart of July 1999, the constructionbegan onAugust 24, 1999 and the plantstarted receiving wastewater on No-vember 19, 1999. By December 15, theeffluent was below 10 mg/l BOD5 and10 mg/l Total Suspended Solids.

Phase 1The design had to be flexible and allow

for flows that change ten-fold within amonth and double on weekends fromweekdays.Additionally, the design had tobe modular and expandable to allow forthe resort and the population growth.The first phase installed in 1999 in-

cluded two bioreactors with three sludgeblanket filters and a waste sludge storagetank.

Upflow sludge blanket filtration used at BC ski resort

Sun Peaks wastewater treatment plant – Phase 1

Plant expansion - 2003.



Wastewater

Plant upgrades and expansionsThe resort’s growth required a num-

ber of upgrades and expansions. In2001, a fourth sludge blanket filter wasadded, and in 2002 a sludge dewateringcentrifuge was installed.

However, the flows kept increasing.(See Table 1) Consequently two addi-tional modules were installed in 2003and in the summer of 2008 anothermodule was added.

Flows vary dramatically from winterto summer. Each beginning of the win-ter season is like starting up a new plantwhen the plant flow triples from mid tothe end of December.

Ski resorts (and this may apply toresorts in general) are not ‘typicalwastewater’ generators. Flows changedramatically from day to day and holi-day period to holiday period.

At Sun Peaks, a plumbing code wasimplemented for water conservationand the average daily flow per person iscurrently 220 litres and dropping (theCanadian average is 375 litres). Dayvisitors add about 40 litres per personper day (very high ammonia content).The Utility has learned to track lift tick-ets sales and occupancy rates, holidaysand weather trends. It is surprising howpowder ski or rainy days affect flows.

Influent characteristicsTo get a better reading of the incom-

ing influent, 24-hour composite sam-ples collected every hour throughout theday were taken and analyzed. The re-sults illustrate a very uneven pattern ofinfluent characteristics throughout theday as demonstrated by one such sam-ple in Table 2.

The highly variable biological loadingthroughout the day is only one of the chal-lenges. The water in the resort is fromwells and it has poor buffering capacity tobegin with. Up to 3,000 day skiers add alot of ammonia to the wastewater stream,resulting in reduced alkalinity during thetreatment process. Possibly due to the typeof cooking oils and cleaning detergentsused in the resort’s restaurants and hotels,uncommonly high COD is encountered attimes. Very high peak hourly flows, andthe fact that the influent temperature maychange 5-7 degrees C within a matter ofdays, complete the picture.

Plant operationTo cope with the variable biological

loading, the air blowers are controlled bya continuous DOmonitor/VFD (variablefrequency drive) system.

To ‘control’ alkalinity as much as100 kg/day of slaked lime (Ca(OH)2)has been added into the anoxic and aer-ation compartments. (In the 2006-07season close to one hundred 25 kg bagsof lime at $11 per bag were used).

Effluent parametersThe permitted effluent parameters

are at 30 mg/l each for BOD5 and TSS,

which is not very demanding and theplant delivers much better. BOD5 is typ-ically less than 10 mg/l, TSS from 5 to20 mg/l, ammonia less than 1 mg/l andtotal nitrogen in the 10 to 20 mg/l range.When the supernatant from the sludgedewatering process is not returned backinto the influent, the total phosphorus isbiologically reduced to 2 to 3 mg/l.

Table 3 records an analysis of grabsamples taken at about 11 am on March


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Wastewater

7, 2007, immediately after the highestflow of the day period and after USPresident’s week (2nd highest annualoccupancy).

BOD was not analyzed; however,based on the rest of the numbers, it issafe to assume that it was less than 10mg/l. Together with averages of 5.7 mg/lfor TSS, 0.074 mg/l for ammonia, and7.9 mg/l for total nitrogen the resultswould satisfy most very stringent re-quirements. The average total phospho-rus of 7.1 mg/l is much elevated fromwhat has been experienced before thecentrifuge installation. Almost all ‘bio-logically up-taken’ phosphorus returnsto the system with the centrifuge super-natant recycle to the equalization tank.

Capital costsThe total capital cost from 1999 to

2007, including the initial constructionof the plant, the expansions and thesludge dewatering system, all work outcumulatively to approximately $2,500per m3/d, or $7,500 per kg BOD/d.

Operating costsTotal operating costs include many

contributing costs of which the main

‘direct costs’ are electricity, wages andbenefits, chemicals, waste sludge dis-posal, and lab analysis.

The operating costs are year-roundaverage costs and they are, of course,negatively affected by the high season-ality of the operation.

General operating experienceOne of the challenges in the past was

coping with the resort’s fast growth. Toallow for better planning of the plant ex-pansions, Sun Peaks Resort has devel-oped ‘per bed factors’ to gauge bothwater demand and the biological loading.

There are many restaurants in the re-sort and fat, oil and grease (FOG) hasentered the plant in the past. Upstreammanagement of FOG has become veryimportant and SPUCL is working withthe restaurants to become more proac-tive in dealing with their grease trapsand oil trapping systems.

Another challenge is the effluent dis-posal. The current use of rapid infiltra-tion (RI) trenches allows for a maximumdaily discharge of 850 cubic metres only,and since the resort is built on the moun-tainside, land for additional RI trenches

is limited. Options currently under studyinclude stream augmentation, snowmaking and golf course irrigation. Thechallenge with the last two options isweather.

One of the key challenges at SunPeaks is that, in addition to the waste-water treatment plant, the utility oper-ates three water treatment plants and agas distribution system. Like manysmall utilities, getting, training andkeeping operators is an increasing chal-lenge, no matter what type of systemone operates.

The ownership of the resort is veryhappy with the modular expansion op-tions of the USBF system and its abilityto expand the system as needed. Afterall, expansion costs are paid by newusers being added to the system ratherthan by the existing customers.

This article is based on a presentationby Pat Miller, Sun Peaks Utility Corp.,

at the BCWWA 2007 AnnualConference. For more informationE-mail: [email protected]

Table 2 - Influent Characteristics Variation

Table 3 - Grab Sample Analysis

2007 24-hour Low mg/L Hour 24-hour High mg/L Hour Average mg/L

BOD5 120 6:30 am 590 9:30 am 385COD 310 5:30 am 1300 9:30 am 813N-NH4 30 1:30 pm 107 8:30 am 61

Table 1 – Annual Flow Increases

Season 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008

Winter High 930 997 1,244 1,206 1,303 1,362 1,431

Summer Low 35 42 127 157 186 198

Bioreactor 1 Bioreactor 2 Bioreactor 3 Bioreactor 4TSS mg/l 5.7 9.7 3.7 3.7Ammonia (as N) mg/l 0.067 0.077 0.073 0.079Nitrate (as N) mg/l 6.75 4.17 7.42 6.58Nitrite (as N) mg/l 0.0504 0.0969 0.0545 0.0468Total Nitrogen mg/l 8.1 7.6 8.9 6.96Total Phosphorus mg/l 6.86 9.87 5.78 6.04Chloride mg/l 110 111 112 109pH mg/l 7.99 7.70 7.78 7.80Conductivity 853 900 900 880



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Wastewater

With the high importanceof water quality and con-servation, zero liquid dis-charge (ZLD) regulations

are becoming more common in manyplants around the world. Many of theseplants use spray dryers, or crystallizers,to evaporate and dispose of wastewatergenerated by the facility. However, byusing a wet surface air cooler (WSAC)as a first stage evaporator, the quantityof wastewater to be disposed of can bereduced, while at the same time coolingor condensing liquids or gases. Accord-ing to the Niagara Blower Company, theWSAC can significantly reduce initialcapital cost, operating cost and totalinput energy required to meet ZLD re-quirements.

In an upcoming project, the companywill engineer and manufacture a WSACto be used in a ZLD regulated plant. Thedesign calls for 100% of the plant’s dis-charge water to flow into the WSAC for

first stage evaporation. The WSAC willevaporate a portion of the total dischargestream in order to reduce the downstreamflow to the spray dryer equipment.At thesame time, it will produce cold water foruse elsewhere in the plant. The WSACwill evaporate and concentrate the ma-jority (about 80%) of the wastewater, byspraying it over the outside of speciallydesigned closed-loop tube bundles. For aheat source (on the inside of the tubes)water that would otherwise be cooled inthe primary cooling tower is used. Highlyconcentrated blowdown (pre-concen-trated wastewater) from the WSAC isthen sent to spray dryers for final evapo-ration and disposal.

SinceWSAC parasitic power usage isfrom low head pumps and fans, the totalenergy required to treat the same amountof wastewater is reduced. Compared tothe original design, the WSAC/spraydryer combination requires far less en-ergy than operating the spray dryer by it-

self. The dryers use heat energy, usuallyin the form of natural gas or electricity.With the new combination, the operat-ing cost is reduced by 75%, based on acost per GPM evaporated.

Also, because the total flow to thedryers is reduced, the overall capital costto purchase the dryers is less. TheWSAC for this project will feature alloytubes and special materials of construc-tion to resist the aggressive low qualityconcentrated spray water. Even with therelative high cost for materials of con-struction, the net result is a 50% reduc-tion in the total capital cost for coolingand wastewater disposal equipment.

Not only will the wet surface aircooler evaporate wastewater, but it alsoproduces cooling water for the facility,about 85˚F at design conditions. TheWSAC operates thermally, as a directapproach to the wet bulb temperature.In a WSAC, the process fluid to becooled is pumped through the tube bun-

Evaporators increasingly used for zero liquiddischarge facilities



Wastewater

dles. The basic principle of this tech-nology is that heat is rejected directlyfrom the process stream by means of la-tent (evaporative) heat transfer.A WSAC operates in lieu of a cool-

ing tower and heat exchanger combina-tion. Warm process fluids, or vapours,are cooled in the closed-loop tube bun-dles. Open-loop water is sprayed and airis induced over the tube bundle, result-ing in the cooling effect. The process

fluid being cooled never comes in con-tact with the environment. Since circu-lating spray water is not pumped througha heat exchanger (as in an open tower),higher cycles of concentration can beachieved, with lower quality water.There are a wide variety of material

and component configurations that canbe optimized for each heat transfer ap-plication, based on the stream to becooled or condensed (inside the tubes)

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and the quality of the spray water (out-side the tubes). The WSAC has beenutilized as a water treatment device inzero or limited discharge plants, be-cause of its ability to operate with lowquality water, at high cycles of concen-tration. The WSAC can also use a widevariety of sources as makeup water..




The British Columbia Waterand Wastewater Association’sannual conference, held thispast April in Whistler, BC,

was the largest ever, attracting 1,364delegates. The event featured 127 pre-sentations and 28 sessions.

One of the keynote speakers was BobSandford, Canadian Chair of the UnitedNations International Decade ‘Water forLife’, and Director of the Western Wa-tersheds Climate Research Collabora-tive. He also sits on the ExecutiveCommittee for the Alberta Water Re-search Institute.

Mr. Sandford cited several reasonswhy it has been difficult to convince thepublic that climate change is happening.One is that the most rapidly occurringand accelerating changes are takingplace where there are the fewest people,i.e. at the poles and in the highest moun-tain ranges. He also noted that more ofthe population lives in urban settingsand are far less likely to be in daily con-tact with changes in natural rhythms.People spend more time than ever insideand are isolated from these changes byman-made infrastructure projects.

He also said that humanity’s un-precedented level of mobility makes ithard to see if a place is changing overan extended period of time.

An energy efficiency technical trans-fer session was co-hosted by BC HydroPower Smart and the Utility QualityAs-surance Committee, and featured dis-cussions on recent Power SmartPrograms and offers available to munic-

ipal customers. As operation costs formunicipal facilities continue to in-crease, there have been increasing ef-forts to look for ways to become moreefficient. Power consumption is a majorcomponent of facility operation costsand has become a growing focus forwater and wastewater system owners,managers and designers. The technicaltransfer session provided an overview ofindustry trends in energy efficient de-sign and operation of water and waste-water systems.

BCWWA’s SCADA and IT Commit-tee organized SCADA 101 forWater andWastewater.To enhance the learning ex-perience, the session featured a ‘live’pumping station with instrumentationand control equipment, including avideo surveillance system.

A workshop entitled Our Climate isChanging… Now What? included pre-sentations from scientists, policy-mak-ers and practitioners who addressed theissue and challenges of climate changefrom their perspectives. A documentaryentitled Adapting to Climate Change inMetro Vancouver identified the issue ofsea level rise, and the implications itmay have upon land use planning andinfrastructure in BC’s Lower Mainland,

including the potential impact upon theFraser River Flood Control System.

Award winnersJames Tomma of the Little Shuswap

Indian Band was recognized with theVictor M. Terry Award for Operator oftheYear. TheWater Environment Feder-ation’s William D. Hatfield Award wentto Rudy Palsenbarg, the former MetroVancouver Deputy Manager of Waste-water Operations and Management. TheAmerican Water Works Association’sGeorge Warren Fuller Award was pre-sented to Eric Bonham of Victoria.

For more information,visit www. bcwwa.org

BCWWA annual conference sets attendance record

BCWWA Report

Keynote Speaker Bob Sandford.

Past Fuller Award recipients gatheraround 2008 winner Eric Bonham(centre bottom).

William D. Hatfield Award RudyPalsenbarg, Metro Vancouver


If you can only attend one water quality event during the year…make it WEFTEC and discover why it is the largest water quality event in North America.

WEFTEC offers the best water quality education and training available and is the leading source for water quality developments, research, regulations, solutions, and cutting-edge technologies.

Collection Systems | Facility Operations | Membrane Technologies | Microconstituents/EDCsNutrient Removal | Residuals and Biosolids | Stormwater Management | Sustainable PracticesUtility Management | Wastewater Treatment | Water Reuse | Watershed Management

McCormick Place | Chicago, Illinois, USAConference: October 18-22, 2008Exhibition: October 19-22, 2008

Visit www.weftec.org for more details81st Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference

If it’s about water, it will be at

WEFTEC.08 is just around the corner. Register online today at www.WEFTEC.org



Convention Preview

John Anthony Allan, the 2008Stockholm Water Prize Laureateand a professor at King’s CollegeLondon in England and the

School of Oriental and African Studies,will deliver the keynote address atWEFTEC.08, which will take place Oc-tober 18-22, in Chicago, Illinois.Professor Allan was recognized for

introducing the concept of “virtualwater” which measures how water isembedded in the production and tradeof food and consumer products. Thisconcept has major impacts on globaltrade policy and research, especially inwater-scarce regions, and has redefineddiscourse in water policy and manage-ment.WEFTEC’s technical program of 115

technical sessions, 31 workshops andtours to several facilities, is categorizedinto more than 20 technical educationfocus areas, ranging from collectionsystems and leading-edge research tosustainable water resources manage-

ment and water reclamation and reuse.To keep attendees up-to-date on the

most pressing water quality challengesand solutions, the program also includesseveral “hot topic” workshops and “fea-tured” technical sessions throughout thefive-day event:

Hot topic workshops• Green Infrastructure: The Windy Cityand Beyond

• Wastewater Treatment in Tomorrow’sClimate Change-Driven World

• Strategic Workforce Planning forLeaders at All Levels

• The Big Picture: Reclaimed Water asa Water Resource

• Nutrients Removal: What the USEPA, WERF, and Others are doing tohelp address this Challenge

Featured technical sessions• Water Scarcity and the Potential Roleof Distributed WastewaterManagement

• Lab Practices Detection andQuantitation: New Methods and

Perspectives of US EPA’s FederalAdvisory Committee

• Clean Water Policy 2008• Protecting Our Nation’s Most CriticalAsset: US EPA’s CollaborativeApproach to Water/WastewaterResiliency and Security

• Global Sanitation: Current Situationand Innovations for the Future

• Addressing Water Quality Standardsin Long-Term Control PlansWEFTEC will offer the expected

18,000 attendees a 900 exhibitortradeshow and a number of tours in-cluding: Collection Systems Tour:Chicago's Deep Tunnel; John G. SheddAquarium; Chicago River Tour. Indus-trial Tour: Abbott Laboratories Waste-water Pretreatment Plant; JardineWaterPurification Plant; Chicago Center forGreen Technology; and the StickneyWater Reclamation Plant.

For more information, visitwww.weftec.org

Windy City to host WEFTEC 2008



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

Convention Preview

Charlottetown to host 61st Atlantic Canada WaterWorks Association’s annual conference

• Choosing BNR for the NewSummerside WPCC

• Drinking Water Source Protection -the Ontario Example

• Validation and Commissioning aDrinking Water Pilot

• Monitoring GUDI Sources -a Case Study

• HRWCs Application of Technologyto improve Meter Reading andCustomer Service

• Full-Scale Evaluation of ManganeseRemoval during Biological Filtration

• Active Leak Detection using DistrictMeter Areas (DMAs)

• Tracer and Fluid Dynamic Studies ofWater Treatment Plants

• Molecularly-Oriented PVC Pipe• “Bump in the Road; adjust your

Thinking” - Adjustable StreetCasting ApplicationsThe fourth annual Top Ops Compe-

titionwill be held on October 21. This is

an opportunity for Atlantic Canada’sfinest operators to test their skill andknowledge in all aspects of water distri-bution and treatment. Teams of three op-erators from water utilities in AtlanticCanada will compete against each otherin a competitive, fast-paced, questionand answer tournament.

A tradeshow, sponsored byACWWAin cooperation with the Atlantic BranchEquipment Association, will also beheld on October 21. The event will alsofeature tours of the CharlottetownTher-mal Generating Station and the Char-lottetown Wastewater Treatment Plant.

For more information,visit www.acwwa.ca, or E-mail

[email protected]

Dr.David Scott’s keynote pres-entation to the 2008ACWWAannual conference will focuson achieving excellence both

as an individual and as a member of ateam. He encourages strategies that em-brace ideas such as preparing for change,dealing with setbacks, motivating andregulating thoughts and behaviour, andworking with others. Dr. Scott is an As-sociate Professor of Sport Psychology inthe Faculty of Kinesiology at the Univer-sity of New Brunswick.

Technical session topics for theevent, which will take place October 19-21 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Is-land, include:• Lead Occurrence following New

Canadian Lead Guidelines for a NovaScotian Community

• Greater Grand Sudbury Project• Sustaining Water Supplies for the

Developing World



November 5 - 6, 2008International CentreToronto, ON Canada

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2008 Industry Partners

Drinking Water

Assessing arsenic treatment in drinking watervironmental and chemical factors im-pacting the release of arsenic from resid-uals, and evaluate methods to stabilizearsenic against release from a variety ofresidual materials.A recent reduction in themaximum al-

lowable contaminant level for arsenic inmunicipal drinkingwater in theUS has in-creased the need for effective strategies toremove arsenic from drinking water, and

AWWA’s Water ResearchFoundation has released a re-port entitled “Assessment ofArsenicTreatment Residuals:

Analysis and Stabilization Techniques”.The objectives of this research were toconduct a general physical and chemicalcharacterization of arsenic-contaminatedresiduals generated in the laboratory andat operating water utilities, evaluate en-

has led to the increased generation of ar-senic-contaminated residuals from watertreatment systems. Arsenic is commonlyremoved by adsorption onto oxides or hy-droxides of iron or aluminum. These ma-terials must be disposed of in a mannerthat ensures that arsenic will not be re-leased after disposal.According to the report, the release

of arsenic from water treatment residu-als was lower from iron-based residuals,compared to aluminum-based residualsor residuals produced by lime/soda ashtreatment. Arsenic release was deter-mined by residual composition and pre-dominant arsenic species, but was alsohighly impacted by pH, counter-ion, andthe presence of competing ligands.More favorable arsenic retention was

generally achieved with iron-basedresiduals, with arsenate compared to ar-senite, and at pH values approachingneutrality. Increasing desorption of ar-senate was observed at pH valuesgreater than 8; however, this pH effectcould be largely eliminated with calciuminstead of sodium as the counter-ion.The research team undertook the fol-

lowing steps, during the course of theproject:1. Produced residuals in the laboratoryand contaminated them with arsenate orarsenite.2.Measured the release of arsenic underconditions of the Toxicity Characteris-tics Leaching Procedure (TCLP) testand over a range of pH and concentra-tions of phosphate, sulfate, or chloride.3. Examined the ability of residuals tomaintain pH in regions of low arsenicrelease.4.Measured the effect of calcium on ar-senic release.5.Determined arsenic release fromresiduals from water treatment plantsand pilot plants in TCLP tests and in thepresence of phosphate.6. Treated two residuals by Portland ce-ment, lime, fly ash, and ferrous sulfateand measured arsenic release from them.

Key findings of the report1. Sorption/ desorption studies - Theextent of arsenic release decreased inthe following order: iron-based wasgreater than aluminum-based, which


57 | September 2008

Drinking Water

was greater than calcium carbonateresiduals. Release was affected by pH,with higher release at extreme pH val-ues within the range of pH 4 to 10,probably due to dissolution of the solidphase. The presence of sulfate or chlo-ride had little effect on arsenic release,but phosphate increased release.2. Buffering capacity of residuals -Residuals can affect the pH of leachingsolutions, and thereby affect the amountof arsenic released. Models can be de-veloped to predict this effect.

3. Inhibition of desorption by calcium -The presence of calcium reduced the re-lease of arsenic, whether the calciumwas present during the formation of theresiduals, or whether it was added onlyduring the desorption experiment. Thiseffect could be due to formation of solidphases containing calcium and arsenic,or by interactions between calcium andthe surfaces of the residuals.4. Analysis of field samples - Phosphatestimulated arsenic release, but sulfate andchloride had little effect.Arsenate release

was greatest at pH 10, while arsenite re-lease was greatest at pH 4.5. Stabilization techniques - The addi-tion of lime resulted in reduced arsenicrelease, probably by forming calcium ar-senate solid phases.

Impact of residualsAccording to the report, both labora-

tory generated and field residuals retainedarsenic well under typical environmentalconditions of pH and water quality. How-ever, increased leaching at extreme pH in-dicates that such conditions should beavoided. Arsenic release was associatedwith dissolution of solid phases in theresidual, so an intact residual is evidencethat arsenic will be retained well.The detrimental effect of high pH can

be mitigated by also providing sufficientcalcium. Solidification/stabilization pro-cesses using Portland cement/lime can beeffective. The presence of chloride andsulfate had little effect on arsenic release,so their presence in landfill leachatesshould not promote arsenic release.

For more information, visitwww.awwarf.org

www.esemag.com



Energy Management

process. However, only the newest hogboiler was meeting particulate emis-sions levels; the other two were out ofcompliance.

The mill had several options, includ-ing downsizing the hog boiler combus-tion chamber or the installation of a newelectrostatic precipitator (ESP).

Mesar-Environair inc. revised theplant’s energy balance and identified anopportunity to save tremendous operat-ing costs for the mill. Figure 1 summa-rizes the overall energy balance.

Process descriptionA direct contact heat exchanger was

designed to meet the mill’s require-ments. The process consists of pumping

the log pond water through showers in avessel in a counter-current direction tothe humid OSB dryer flue gas. The en-ergy is transferred from the gas to thewater, essentially through the conden-sation of the vapor.

The hot gas from the chip dryer is in-tercepted at the stack through ductworkto the FGHR condenser which wasspecifically engineered for the applica-tion.

Since pressure control in an OSBdryer is critical, an exhaust fan was in-stalled at the vessel’s outlet to compen-sate for pressure loss through thecondenser.

The customized equipment recov-ered most of the wasted heat and trans-

Figure 1 - Schematic ofthe energy recoveryproject design.

Figure 2 - Processschematic of the energy

recovery system.

Project recovers free wasted energy from an OSBdryer while eliminating a hog boilerBy André Normandin, Stéphane Lévesque,Yves Laflamme and Rémi Charron

With today’s increasingenergy costs, mills nowhave new project oppor-tunities involving heat

recovery and process efficiency that arebecoming more and more cost-effective.Considerable amounts of recoverableenergy are wasted to the atmospherethrough stacks when this could be usedin various process steps.

This is what the Mesar/Environairteam has succeeded in doing by recov-ering the heat from the stack of an OSBdryer to heat the log ponds and elimi-nate the need for an old, out of spec hogboiler.

Many oriented strand board (OSB)mills produce sufficient wood waste(bark, fines) to supply their hog boilerswith cheap valuable fuel.

An OSB plant located in theprovince of Québec decided to optimizeits energy balance with the installationof a Flue Gas Heat Recovery system(FGHR) developed by Mesar-Environ-air inc.

Process engineeringThe challenge of this project was not

only to capture the energy from a con-siderable volume of waste heat, but alsoto find an application in the process tore-valorize it.

In mid 2006, the company was askedto review the overall OSB plant energybalance. The plant was using three hogboilers to heat thermal oil for their

Unit In OutGas out of the condenserFlow SCFM 58300 58300Temperature oF 231,0 125,6Humidity %V/V 32,2 13,7

Water flow to log pondsRecirculation flow GPM 2000 2000Water Temperature oF 86 129,2

Dryer operating ConditionsDry wood flow MT/h 11 11

Table 1- Typical operating conditions of the FGHR process.



Energy Management

ferred it to the plant’s log ponds. Coolprocess water from the log ponds is re-circulated through the condenser tocatch the wasted energy. Figure 2 showsthe process schematic.The main hog boiler and the chip

dryer efficiency was around 80%. TheFGHR process was designed to recover85% of the wasted energy that was di-rected to atmosphere. Instead of lettingthat energy dissipate, the FGHR processuses a cool process water spray to trans-fer the heat from the flue gas back intothe OSB process. Typically, this heat re-covery unit can generate temperaturesof 70 to 80°C depending on flue gasflow, temperature and humidity.The piping for the new system was

installed in June 2007, the FGHR con-denser was installed in July, and thecommissioning was completed in Sep-tember 2007. The overall constructionschedule was around eight months.

ResultsAll operation parameters were mon-

itored during the commissioning periodon the plant’s distributed control sys-tems and with local gauges. Flue gastemperatures, dew point, and staticpressure at the dryer outlet were moni-tored via a pitot tube and standard in-struments following method 1/RM/8from Environment Canada. On thewater side, temperature was measuredand the flow was induced from thepump supplier’s curve. This data al-

lowed Mesar/Environair to close the en-ergy balance around the FGHR system.Table 1 demonstrates the enthalpy

balance, between recovered energy andthe sensible/latent heat loss from theflue gas at a ±0.5% tolerance. Conse-quently, heat loss through the condenseris negligible since it is insulated.Figure 3 presents results from eight

trials made after the commissioning inSeptember 2007. The dotted line showsthe old hog boiler heat production towarm-up the log ponds (16 MMBTU/h). The FGHR process is able torecover over 32 MM BTU/h, twice theold hog boiler capacity.The main benefits of the FGHR sys-

tem installed at this mill include heat-ing process water without additionalfuel input and shutting down an old hogboiler. Environmentally, there will beless carbon dioxide emission and lessNOx going out the stack as well as lesswarm air being released.The project capitalization is around

one million dollars. Based on a recoveryrate of 20 MM BTU/h, the equivalentcash flow represents around $480,000/year based on $6/MM BTU and 4,000hours per year.

André Normandin, StéphaneLévesque, Yves Laflamme and RémiCharron are with Mesar/Environair

inc. Contact: E-mail:[email protected]

Figure 3 - Typical performance of the FGHR process.



Remediation

The fibrous organic carbon compo-nent of Daramend is nutrient rich, hy-drophilic and has high surface area;thus, it provides ideal support forgrowth of bacteria. As the bacteria growon the carbon particles, they ferment thecarbon and release a variety of volatilefatty acids (acetic, propionic, butyric),which stimulate degradation of the con-taminants in the soil.These independent lines of research

have led to the development of power-ful technologies to promote the degra-dation of common chlorinated solventsin groundwater such as trichloroethene,carbon tetrachloride, and vinyl chloride.

Zero-valent iron PRBsThe University ofWaterloo discovery,

which became known as iron permeable

Chlorinated solvent contamina-tion of groundwater is a recog-nized barrier to both potablewater use and brownfield site

redevelopment in Canada.Several high-profile trichloroethene

(TCE) contaminant issues such as thosein Cambridge, Ontario, and in Shannon,Québec, have increased public awarenessof this problem, and also stimulated theCanadian consulting community to con-sider the use of in situ chemical reduction(ISCR) technologies to address this typeof contamination. In particular, zero-va-lent iron based ISCR remedies, while es-tablished worldwide since the mid 1990s,have only recently been recognized as aviable remedial alternative in the Cana-dian marketplace.In the early 1990s, the use of granular

zero-valent iron (ZVI) to degrade chlori-nated organic compounds in ground-water was first suggested by researchersat the University of Waterloo (Gillhamand O’Hannesin, 1992). Under highly re-ducing conditions and in the presence ofmetallic surfaces, certain dissolved chlo-rinated organic compounds in ground-water degrade to non-toxic products suchas ethene, ethane and chloride via abioticreductive dehalogenation. The iron metalserves to lower the solution redox poten-tial (Eh) and as the electron source in thereaction.Using granular iron as the reactive

metal, reaction half-lives (the time re-quired to degrade one half of the originalcontaminant mass) are commonly sev-eral orders of magnitude lower than thosemeasured under natural conditions.At roughly the same time (Seech et

al., 1992), integrated particles of iron,other multi-valent metals, and plant de-rived carbon particles (Daramend®)were being developed to treat chlori-nated pesticides and polycyclic aro-matic hydrocarbon (PAH) compoundsin soil. In this reactive media, iron isused to establish a low redox potentialto facilitate anaerobic biodegradation ofthese compounds, as well as contribut-ing to contaminant degradation via di-rect contact with the iron.

reactive barrier or PRB technology, hasbeen described as ‘leading a paradigmshift in groundwater remediation’ (OCE,2006). In situ PRB technology involvesthe construction of a permeable wall orbarrier, containing appropriate reactivematerials, across the path of a contami-nant plume.As the contaminated ground-water passes through the PRB, thecontaminants are removed.To date, granular iron PRBs have

been installed at over 150 sites in theUnited States, Canada, Europe, Japanand Australia. These PRBs have beeninstalled at Superfund sites; as part ofbrownfield site redevelopment; at vari-ous active manufacturing, DOD andDOE facilities; at former dry cleaning

Figure 1. Installation of a permeable reactive barrier at an Industrial Site inToronto.

Remediating groundwater contaminated withchlorinated solvents By John Vogan and Kerry Bolanos Shaw

continued on page 64...


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facilities; and at landfills. The earliestcommercial application occurred inCalifornia in early 1995, and has nowbeen in operation successfully for thepast 13 years. Warner et al. (2005) pres-ents 10 years of geochemical data fromthis application.

The first Canadian application didnot occur until 2004, at a former indus-trial facility in Toronto, Ontario. Sincethen another five PRBs have been con-structed in Canada, predominantly aspart of brownfield redevelopmentwhere there was a desire to halt themovement of these contaminants acrossproperty boundaries. A good example isat an industrial site in Toronto (Przepi-ora et al., 2007) where a shallow PRBwas emplaced to prevent migration ofVOCs off the property (Figure 1).

While four of the five PRBs have in-volved excavation of native saturatedsoils and installation of a mixture ofiron and sand across the plume todepths of 10m or less, a pilot-scale sys-tem installed at a Canadian Departmentof National Defense site in Valcartier,Québec (Tossell et al., 2007) involved

injecting iron using pneumatic fractur-ing methods to a depth of over 20 m.

Combined carbon and irontreatment technology

Through several years of research,the integrated particles comprisingDaramend soil treatment media have

To date, granular iron PRBs havebeen installed at over 150 sites in the

United States, Canada, Europe,Japan and Australia.

Remediationcontinued from page 60


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Figure 2. CT plume before and after EHC injection.

Remediation

been modified into a finer grained ma-terial (EHC®) suitable for injection intocontaminant plumes. Unlike a discretewall or treatment zone of iron particles,EHC is injected in small percentages(normally less than 1% by weight)throughout the zone of contamination.

The treatment material is mixed withpotable water into a slurry and injectedusing direct push technology, mixing,hydraulic fracturing, pneumatic fractur-ing, or soil mixing.

Following placement of EHC into thesubsurface environment, processes anal-

ogous to those occurring in Daramendmedia combine to create very strong re-ducing conditions that stimulate rapidand complete dechlorination of organicsolvents (and immobilization of certainmetals) in the groundwater environment.As they grow on the particle surfaces, in-digenous heterotrophic bacteria consumedissolved oxygen, thereby reducing theredox potential in groundwater. Thevolatile fatty acids diffuse from the siteof fermentation into the groundwaterplume and serve as electron donors forother bacteria, including dehalogenatorsand halorespiring species.

The small ZVI particles (<5 to 45μm) provide substantial reactive surfacearea that stimulates direct chemicaldechlorination and an additional drop inthe redox potential of the groundwatervia chemical oxygen scavenging.

The fibrous organic carbon and ZVIor other reduced metal that comprisesEHC will remain in the location whereit is injected. It will not only treat con-taminants that migrate into the treatedarea, but it will also have a ‘halo’ or‘zone of influence’ of low redox and el-



evated dissolved organic carbon condi-tions that will extend beyond the in-jected media itself, increasing itseffectiveness.This combined carbon and ZVI

material was first demonstrated in thefield at a former agricultural facility totreat a carbon tetrachloride (CT) plumein the southern US in late 2003. The in-jection of this material successfully de-graded the CT present as well as itsbreakdown products, trichloromethaneand dichloromethane (Mueller et al.,2006). (Figure 2).The first Canadian EHC injection

occurred at an industrial facility insouthern Ontario in the spring of 2006.This combined carbon and ZVI treat-ment material has since been applied atthree other locations for chlorinated sol-vent remediation, and at two other sitesfor precipitation of copper, cobalt andnickel (McGregor et al., 2008).Most installations to date have been

performed using Geoprobe direct pushtechnology, although one installation wascompleted as an excavation backfill.Figure 3 shows the contaminant con-

centration in groundwater both before

and after EHC injection at a Departmentof Defense site in the US. Six monthsfollowing the injection (0.08% soil massapplication rate), performance monitor-

ing showed that trichloroethene (TCA)levels decreased by 94% (from 24,000 to1,400 ppb) at the hottest area at Building

B, without accumulation of problematicintermediates. TCA levels remained non-detect at Building A. TCE levels de-creased by 91% (from 49,000 to 4,400ppb) at BuildingA, with a slight increasein DCE levels (from 3,027 to 5,819 ppb).TCE levels decreased by 84% (from7,400 to 1,200 ppb) and total DCE levelsdecreased by 72% (from 5,300 to 1,488ppb) at Building B.Both ZVI PRBs and EHC injected

treatment zones share the following ad-vantages:• Low maintenance costs;• No operating costs;• Long-term passive treatment;• Absence of waste materials requiringtreatment or disposal;

• Absence of invasive surfacestructures and equipment; and

• Conservation of groundwaterresources (no pumping required).Although other types of amendments

(e.g. molasses) have seen some use forstimulation of anaerobic biodegradationof chlorinated solvents, none has thebenefit of ZVI in promoting contaminantdestruction. In particular, in these ZVI-based remedies, chlorinated compoundsare degraded with production of few, ifany, hazardous (chlorinated) organic by-products.Three iron PRB installations and four

EHC injections are scheduled to occurin various locations in Canada later in2008, indicating that these types ofISCR technologies are rapidly gainingacceptance in the Canadian marketplace.

John Vogan is with EnviroMetalTechnologies Inc

Kerry Bolanos Shaw is with AdventusAmericas Inc. E-mail:

[email protected]


Remediation

Figure 3. Full scale removal of CVOCs in groundwater using EHC.

The first Canadian EHCinjection occurred at an

industrial facility insouthern Ontario in the

spring of 2006.


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Stormwater Management

systems. Many older communities inCanada, Europe and the United Statesstruggle with outmoded combined sewersystems that carry sanitary sewage andstormwater in the same pipes. During dryweather or light rain, the combined flows

Water industry officialsthroughout Europe – andin a growing number ofmunicipalities in North

America – tend to think of vortex valvesas a novel technology for outlet flowcontrol on a stormwater detention sys-tem. Most of these 17,000+ valves in-stalled around the world are, in fact,implemented on stormwater detentionschemes because use of a valve can re-duce the required storage volume by upto 50% while still meeting the maxi-mum discharge requirement.

But vortex valves actually have manyother uses in stormwater, wastewaterand combined sewer systems, includingerosion control, re-oxygenation of waterand flow equalization in wastewatertreatment plants.

Inlet control for inflow reductionA common use of vortex valves is to

alleviate overflow problems prevalent incombined sewer and stormwater drainage

are conveyed efficiently to the wastewatertreatment plant. However, during heavyrains, the total combined flow may ex-ceed the capacity of the treatment plantand cause discharge to overflow untreatedinto nearby rivers and streams.

Over 17,000 vortex valves now control stormwaterdetention system flows By Robert Y.G. Andoh, Mike Faram and Dave Scott




This means that pathogens, suspendedsolids, toxins, and floatable matter – es-sentially untreated sewage and other de-bris – is being washed right into thereceiving water. To allay fears aboutwater degradation and health effects tothose in contact with the receiving waterafter a period of overflow or discharge,the US Environmental ProtectionAgencymandated that all communities withCSOs either eliminate or minimize thenumber of sewer overflows to preventsewage from discharging into bodies ofwater untreated.

The problem is that digging up citystreets and separating these pipes is anextremely costly endeavor that most com-munities cannot afford to undertake.

That’s where vortex valves come in.CSO communities such as the City ofOttawa are using these devices to con-trol the flow of stormwater that entersthe combined sewer system.

The valve operates on simple fluidhydraulics. Designed with a snail orconical shape, high stormwater flowsinitiate a vortex within the valve that re-stricts the flow of water that can pass

through the device.When head pressurebuilds, water circulates in a vortex pat-tern, allowing an air core to form withinthe device to prevent surging of waterto the combined conveyance system.

Under low-flow conditions, the valve

acts as a large orifice where water anddebris pass directly from the inlet to theoutlet. As flow increases and reachesthe flush flow point, high peripheral ve-locities start to throttle. As pressure in-creases, an aerated core, accompaniedby substantial backpressure, effectivelyrestricts the flow through the outletaperture. Attenuated flow can be tem-porarily stored in underground tanks,surface ponds or on the street for slowrelease into the sewer system, therebypreventing overflow of the treatmentsystem.

A recent report released by the City ofOttawa revealed that 730,000 cubic me-tres of combined sewer water overflowedfrom 18 overflow points in the nine-month rainy period of 2007. The City iscurrently working on a $25 million planthat will eliminate most of the overflows.Phases I and II of the plan, to be imple-mented over the next two years, incorpo-rate approximately 1,000 vortex valveunits in catch basins around the City toprevent excess stormwater from enteringthe sewer system and causing overflows.


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Flood controlThe incidence of major flooding has

increased around the world as global ur-banization has continued apace. Conse-quently, major flood preventionschemes are being engineered all overthe world, from California to EuropeandAsia. Many of these schemes utilizedams to create a storage reservoir up-stream of a community at risk of flood-ing. Vortex valves are becoming anincreasingly common outlet flow con-trol for such dams because they can re-

quire less than half the area of landbeing submerged upstream of the damduring times of heavy rainfall.A number of these flood storage

reservoirs incorporating vortex valveoutlets on dams have been built in theUK, with the largest to date built in1999 in Weedon, England. Larger vor-tex valve flow controls will be used onthe City of Glasgow, Scotland’s ongo-ing £50 millionWhite CartWater FloodPrevention Scheme, designed to protect1,750 homes and businesses in Glas-

gow. Five vortex valves, the largest ofwhich will stand more than six metrestall, will be used to control the dis-charge from dams which will be con-structed to create the flood waterstorage areas.

Erosion controlThe flow control capabilities of vor-

tex valves also makes them ideal forpreventing erosion where outlet pipesrelease water to a channel bed. Duringlow flow conditions, a vortex valve actsas a large orifice and slowly conveyswater from a pipe into a receiving chan-nel. As flow increases, water spinsaround in a vortex pattern, allowing anair core to form within. As the headcontinues to increase, the air core stabi-lizes, throttling back the valve dischargeto a flow rate equal that of a smaller ori-fice. Thus, the flow of water released tothe channel is reduced.Due to the air core in the valve, the

discharge from the valve at its exit is inthe form of a fan-shaped spray withmuch less erosive velocity than a jetstream of flow exiting an orifice. Thishelps to prevent dangerous sinkholesfrom occurring near drainage pipes.Another advantage of the resulting

water spray is the re-oxygenation ofemitted water. When stormwater isstored underground, its oxygen levelsbegin to get depleted, diminishing thewater quality. High oxygen levels arenecessary to support aquatic life. Thus,it is detrimental to nearby animal andplant life to merely discharge waterstored underground right into a river orstream without first improving the oxy-gen quality. As flow is released fromsystems using vortex valves, the result-ing water spray helps to reintroduceoxygen and improve water quality.

Capture and control offloatable trash

Vortex valves can also be tied to inletcontrol systems to prevent trash fromentering a drainage system. This is par-ticularly beneficial for drainage systemsthat discharge into nearby water bodies.Typically, municipalities install a tech-nology called a hood or snout (whichlooks much like an oven hood). This de-vice acts like a baffle, keeping floatabletrash in the catch basin instead of al-lowing it in to clog pipes.Vortex valves offer an alternative to

hoods or snouts, but with more effective



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Stormwater ManagementOutlet control

Vortex valves are most commonlyapplied to alleviate the high cost of stor-ing stormwater runoff. Typically, greenspace is a natural filter for absorbingand cleaning stormwater. However, asmore and more land succumbs to devel-opment of impervious structures suchas homes, buildings and parking lots,managing stormwater becomes moredifficult. Thus, developers are requiredto install stormwater detention systemswhenever developing or redeveloping a

property.One of the most common storm-

water treatment and detention systemsis the retention pond. However, in urbansettings where land value is at a pre-mium, a stormwater pond is often un-economical or physically impossible.Thus, developers often must use under-ground storage vaults to capture storm-water runoff.This was the problem facing Chevy

Chase Bank when it began planning the

flow control and water quality benefitssuch as the re-aeration of flows.

Flow equalizationThese innovative devices are also

useful within treatment plants. Waste-water treatment plants must contendwith surges in flow during peak usagetimes, such as early morning hourswhen many residents are taking show-ers. Combine these peak usage timeswith large amounts of rain and the plantwill see a huge surge of flow that over-whelms treatment processes, causingthe loss of solids from clarifier tanksand washout of activated sludge fromaeration basins.

With flow equalization, excess storm-water is diverted to temporary storage,and the maximum allowable flow is sentdirectly to the treatment plant. Once thestorm subsides, the excess flow is di-rected back to the treatment plant. Thisapproach ensures that water receives theappropriate level of treatment and doesnot by-pass the system without receivingadequate levels of treatment.Vortex valves are now being used to

control the flow through each stage of thetreatment system, thereby preventing hy-draulic overloading. This, for example,prevents flows from being pushed forwardfrom the primary treatment stage to thesecondary treatment stage before theyhave received adequate levels of treat-ment.This is also an effective means of

combating flow surges from saturatedgroundwater, high water tables, or ille-gal hookups to the drainage system.Since municipalities often have no wayof knowing where illegal hookups areconnected to their drainage system, itis often difficult to predict when unex-pected flow surges will occur and willoverload the system. Properly placedvortex valves control this flow to pre-vent unexpected surges from taxing thesystem.


This is also an effectivemeans of combating flowsurges from saturated

groundwater, high watertables, or illegal hookupsto the drainage system.


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creation of a new branch in Darnesville,Maryland. Initially the site engineer wasrecommending the use of a 826 cubic-metres storage tank to keep the depth ofwater in the tank shallow enough so thatthe head pressure didn’t drive too muchwater out of a 51 mm diameter orifice,

the minimum allowable outlet size inmost American and Canadian storm-water storage applications.

However, in the end, the firm used a76 mm vortex valve in place of the 51mm orifice. The valve passes more flowat low head and throttles the flow back

under higher head conditions. Thus, theengineers could increase the depth of thestormwater storage tank without causingthe system to over discharge. By reduc-ing the volume of the tank and associatedconstruction labor costs, the vortex valvesaved over $150,000 (US) on the project.

ConclusionThe ability of vortex valves to con-

trol the flow of water and provide opti-mal discharge flow makes them aversatile device for a range of stormwa-ter and wastewater applications. Thesevalves alter their behavior automaticallyin response to low and heavy rain con-ditions, improving flow rates while pre-venting troublesome system overflows.

The innovative ways vortex valvesare being applied is helping communi-ties tackle some of the most vexingflooding and pollution challenges theyface today.

Robert Y.G. Andoh, Mike Faram andDave Scott are with Hydro

International. For more informationE-mail: [email protected]


C-Type Valve in a CSO Application.



Wastewater

commonly employed to remediatewastewater streams, and often bothmethods are required to attain accept-able discharge clarity. The following listis an attempt to provide a starting pointfor an interested party’s investigation:Removing coarse to very fine solids:Screens (drum, static, vibratory) ..... FlocculationPolymer injection ................ PrecipitationCoagulation ........................ SettlingFlotation (DAF) .................. Centrifugation

Sludge treatment:Dewatering .......................... StabilizationThickening ...........................Drying

Super cleaning:Membrane filtrationOxidation (chemical, ultraviolet, wet air)Solids removal from industrial

wastewaterThis article will focus on the use of

decanter centrifuges in the treatment ofindustrial wastewater.

The centrifuge is fed as shown at thefar right of Figure 1. The heavy phase(solids) is almost immediately g-forcedto the outside of the chamber where it is

North American industrialwastewater discharge is heav-ily regulated, and enforcedwith surcharges, fines, and the

threat of permit rejections. Some manu-facturers are modifying their productionprocesses to produce the minimum waste-water possible, thereby reducing the vol-ume and/or severity of treatment requireddownstream. But, at the end of the day,there remains a significant amount of in-dustrial wastewater that cannot be dis-charged “as is”.

Furthermore, in many plants thewastewater is circulated and re-circu-lated in other areas of the facility. Theremay be equipment in place to removecoarse materials, but a significantamount of solids can remain in the cir-culating water volume. If the solids areabrasive, the result can be expensive asinstruments, pumps, right angle pipe el-bows, nozzles, etc., can experience se-vere erosion over a brief period of time.

Some plants shut down for onemonth each year to repair this erosiondamage as well as for other annual pre-ventive maintenance work. Eliminatingerosion damage, or at least reducing theerosion damage, could limit plant“down-time” and increase productivity.

The measures required to treat in-dustrial wastewater are as varied as theindustries themselves. Oil, grease,emulsion, complex organic chemicals,biodegradable organics, heavy metals,acids and alkalis are but a few of the un-desirable wastewater contents that in-dustrial manufacturers must eliminateor reduce in order to remain in business.Chemical and mechanical methods are

conveyed to the right, up the Beach, andout the solids discharge ports. The liquid,which is collecting closer to the cen-trifuge centerline, travels to the leftwhere it is finally discharged through theliquid weirs, and returned to the process,or to the water authority.

The difference in speed between thebowl (outer vessel) and the conveyor(helical interior scroll) can be adjustedto optimize the separation result. A highdifferential speed removes the solidsquickly and is often used when thesolids are very dense and plentiful,which helps to avoid packing the ma-chine with solids and forcing a shut-down. A low differential speed is usedwhen the specific gravity is low andcake dryness is difficult to achieve. Liq-uid discharge weirs and pump feed vol-ume can also be adjusted to maximizethe performance of the centrifuge.

Depending upon the contents of thefeed liquid, the following process pa-rameters can be met:

Decanter centrifuges used for industrialwastewater treatment

Feed stockParticle Size Dist. Micronsd10 4.342d25 9.702d50 34.25d75 230.1d90 658.8MAX 1041

Microns < - 5 6-10 11-20 21-40 41 - >Solids % 12% 15% 15% 10% 48%

Post centrifugeParticle Size Dist. Micronsd10 0.244d25 0.392d50 1.625d75 2.562d90 4.448MAX 11.83

Microns < - 2 3-5 6-10 11-20 21 - >Solids % 62% 30% 7.9% 0.1% 0.0%


Table 1.

Figure 1.

Table 2.



Wastewater

• Feed stock from 3 to 12% solids.• Remove particles greater than 6 to 10microns.

• 24% to 50% solids discharge.Typical industrial applications1. Steel manufacturing: Decanters

are currently in use at steel plants wherethey separate grit, slag, and other heavysolids from water waste streams. Due tothe extreme abrasive characteristics ofthe feed stock, the centrifuges are fittedwith sintered tungsten carbide wear pro-tection, and monitored often for wear.

Down time for centrifuge recondi-tioning is minimized by keeping a sparerotating assembly (bowl and conveyorunit) on site. When required, the rotat-ing assemblies are swapped out, the re-pair of the worn-out rotating assemblyis performed, and the reconditioned ro-tating assembly is returned to the site.

The centrifuges produce a cakewhich is transportable, and an effluentwhich, while not crystal clear in ap-pearance, is essentially free of the abra-sive components of the feed stock. Thecost benefits of the separation include:reuse of the water, reduced solids dis-

posal cost, and reduced instrument,pump and piping repairs (annually).

2. Plastic recycling: Plastic recy-clers consume an enormous volume ofwater per day. The water is mainly usedto clean the raw incoming plastic stockmaterial, which varies from load to loadand from plant to plant. Some plants ac-cept everything: plastic bottles of allsorts, plastic pallets, plastic parkbenches, trash bins, etc. Other recyclingplants are more selective about whatthey will treat.

With the stock material comes vary-ing amounts of un-consumed milk, soda,and other food residue, as well as labels,dirt and unidentifiable substances. Sim-ilar in nature to municipal waste dewa-tering, the liquid/solids separation oftenrequires the addition of coagulant andpolymer. The economic drivers for im-plementation of waste clean-up systemsare the regulatory limits which local/re-gional water authorities place on BODand water discharge volumes.

3. WESP flush line clean-up: Aswith steel manufacturing, the main ben-efit of cleaning WESP (wet electro

static precipitators) flush lines is to re-duce maintenance costs. WESPs areused to clean smoke discharge fromboilers used for power generation. Thefuel source from the boilers can be coal,wood, or other flammables. When thefuel source is dirty, such as when woodbark is used, the cost benefits in cen-trifuging the flush water are extremelyattractive. ROI can be realized withinone year.

Selected test resultsTable 1 and 2 show the before and

after results of running a diatomaceousearth and water slurry through a de-canter centrifuge.

Removing solid contaminants fromindustrial wastewater quite often is anoverwhelming undertaking full of sur-charges and fees. There are severaltypes of equipment that can help youwith this process, and with the properequipment and the appropriate knowl-edge you may be able to eliminate a lotof those costs.

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Disaster Management

ing wet materials and video clips onhandling damaged objects. Other videoclips can be found at the HeritagePreservation Foundation.Other experts can be found through

the "Selecting a Conservator" page oftheAmerican Institute of Conservation.The Library's collaboration with theSmithsonian Institution, National

Archives, and National Park Service hascreated “A Primer on Disaster Pre-paredness, Management and Response:Paper-Based Materials”.Recommended links for flood-re-

lated emergencies are given at the Li-brary’s Flood Response Web page,www.loc.gov/preserv/emergprep/flood.html.

Today marks the third anniver-sary of Hurricane Katrina’sdevastating impact on NewOr-leans and the Gulf Coast. In

commemoration, and in light of the cur-rent hurricane season, the Library ofCongress announces a Web site titled“Learning fromKatrina,” which providesinsights for better responses to recordand artifact damage by hurricanes.On this site, www.loc.gov/preserv/

emergprep/katrinarespond.html, visitorscan hear seven interviews with profes-sional conservators who helped salvagecollections affected in August 2005.In the interviews, responders discuss

the lessons learned, their motivations, ex-pectations and preparations, and their ex-periences.The interviews were conductedin 2006 at the Library of Congress by thePreservation Directorate, in collaborationwith the Federal Library and InformationCenter Committee (FLICC) and theAmerican Folklife Center.Hurricanes can damage collections in

several ways. High winds, flying debris,driving rain and rushing and rising wa-ters can break windows, blow papersaround, scatter and tear documents, andknock over bookshelves. Water can dis-solve inks, colorants and other compo-nents of letters, prints, photographs andbooks. More importantly, floodwatersarising from a hurricane’s pelting rain areoften contaminated, depositing soil, mudor toxins on precious family treasures.Following rain or flooding from hur-

ricanes, residual dampness can lead tothe growth of mold, which can causehealth problems for humans and disfig-ure books and papers. Some papers,such as clay-coated illustrations, canalso stick or “block” together.Despite these dire possibilities, there

are actions that can be taken to salvagecollections of hurricane-damaged papers,prints, books and even audiovisual mate-rials such as films, tapes, CDs and DVDs.The Library's Preservation Direc-

torate's Emergency Preparedness web-page links to many helpful publicationsand organizations. The Family Treasurespage on “Preserving Treasures AfterDisaster” includes information on dry-

Library of congress announces new“learning fromKatrina”web page

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Wastewater

efforts. Reverse osmosis has been in usefor some time but the systems can beexpensive, and a large percentage of thewater processed can still end up in wastestreams.Newer sulphide and ion exchange

technologies can allow operations to re-cycle well over 90% of the water usedin processing at less cost. A single min-ing facility in the western United Statesusing this type of technology, for exam-ple, is now able to reuse 2.8 billion litresof wastewater per year.One of the main contaminants of

water in the mining industry is acidmine drainage, a phenomenon that oc-curs at about 70% of the world’s minesites. This naturally occurring process isa result of water and oxygen reactingwith exposed sulphide minerals in wasterock, tailings, rock cuts and under-ground workings. In the process, theacid wastewater picks up a variety ofheavy metals, including copper, zinc,cadmium, nickel, cobalt and arsenic, re-sulting in a toxic cocktail of water anddissolved metals.Sulphide and ion exchange technolo-

While industrial wastewatercan be treated for reuse,or discharge to the envi-ronment, in most cases it

does not meet standards for potable con-sumption.As the world becomes “drier”,government and industry alike are look-ing closely at water usage practices andwater recycling/reuse options.One of the most voracious con-

sumers of water is the mining industryand many within the industry are takingon a leadership role in adopting tech-nologies to improve water recyclingprocesses and treat contaminated waterfor safe discharge. Major mining opera-tions in China, South America and theU.S., where excessive water usage andimpending shortages abound, have beenextremely proactive in advancing watertreatment practices.There are technologies in place that

have been relatively effective in treatingwastewater from mining activities. Limetreatment, for example, has been usedfor years in treating acid mine drainage.However, this process can create a toxicsludge that requires costly remediation

gies are now being adopted that allowindustrial and resource industries tomeet regulatory requirements, minimizeenvironmental impact, and increase re-cycling capacity to near 100% levels.They also address the newer require-ments for sulphate removal. In bothcases, these technologies not only pro-duce clean water that can be safely dis-charged to the environment or tomunicipal treatment systems for pro-cessing, they also enable the recovery ofmetals and other by-products from con-taminated water for resale.The sulphide process uses hydrogen

sulphide gas generated biologically at thetreatment site to selectively remove andrecover metals from contaminated water.Where a biological sulphide source is not

Mining industry adopting new wastewatertreatment processes By Dr. David Kratochvil

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Wastewater

warranted, a chemical sulphide processcan be used. In both cases, the sulphidereagent is introduced to a contactor tankthat contains the contaminated water tobe treated. Solution chemistry in the tankis adjusted to selectively precipitate met-als as pure metal sulphides.

Precipitated metals and treated waterare pumped to a clarifier tank whereclean water is separated from the metalsolids and either discharged to the localenvironment, or recycled. Metal solidsare then filtered to remove excess water,producing a high grade metal productsuitable for refining.

Metals that can be recovered includecopper, nickel, zinc, and cobalt. Other

toxic metals, such as arsenic, antimony,cadmium, lead, selenium, molybdenumand manganese, can also be removedfrom the water. This metal recoverytechnology is now fully deployed at fouroperating and/or closed mine sites in theUnited States, Canada, Australia, andChina, with new projects in develop-ment in Mexico and Chile.

Ion exchange processing is specifi-cally designed to remove sulphate tovery low levels and produce clean waterthat meets tightening regulations forsulphate discharge. In addition, thisprocess creates a saleable gypsum by-product that can be used in fertilizermanufacturing and building products.

Ion exchange can be deployed at com-paratively low capital and operatingcosts. In addition, there is no residualproduct that requires special disposal.

The process employs two differentresins to remove calcium and sulphateions from water. The complete processcycle includes resin loading, regenera-tion and rinsing, and can be applied totreating any process stream or waste-water high in total dissolved solids(TDS) or hardness caused by calcium ormagnesium.

Future prospectsIncreasing our ability to reuse and re-

cycle wastewater is becoming a para-mount issue.With the proper technologiesin place, a significant percentage of cur-rent wastewater reserves can be treated forreuse in industrial applications. Alterna-tively, water can be properly treated forsafe discharge to the environment and/orreuse for agricultural and municipal pur-poses.

David Kratochvil is the President andChief Operating Officer of BioteQEnvironmental Technologies.



EHS

will, therefore, have to create a compre-hensive, integrated system for organiza-tion-wide EHS management. It can beachieved in three steps:1. Breaking down departmental silos.EHS and corporate social responsibility(CSR) issues cut across departmentsand functions. For example, the sourc-ing function wants to find the lowest-cost suppliers, while CSR tries to reducethe environmental and social impacts ofthe company’s supply chain; these goalscan be at odds. Only an organization-wide EHS system can align such poten-tially competing interests.2. Replacing inefficient information sys-tems. Excel, financial reporting and con-solidation tools, and local environmentalmanagement systems are simply inade-quate to meet the requirements of today’scomprehensive, global, real-time man-agement of EHS. A new breed of soft-ware and technology solutions is now

Environmental Health andSafety (EHS) management nolonger means simply address-ing narrow issues of compli-

ance. It now encompasses the entireenterprise, affecting – and threatening –every aspect of a company’s business.

In the regulatory and legal arena, poorEHS performance can mean high costsof compliance, regulatory penalties, andpotentially ruinous litigation. On the op-erations side, EHS performance directlyfigures into the costs of production, ma-terials handling, remediation, and prod-uct safety. In the marketplace, greenercompetitors stand ready to take marketshare.And with the public, which simplyexpects socially-responsible products, areputation for corporate irresponsibilityrisks degrading the brand and, ultimately,the value of the company.

With the entire enterprise at risk, thestakes could not be higher. Companies

available to provide the technological in-frastructure for an integrated system.3. Creating an EHS culture. Leadershipmust make it clear that EHS manage-ment must be seen as a shared respon-sibility at all levels of the company andmust ensure that rewards and incentivesare designed to reinforce that culture.

It sounds daunting but the good newsis that integrated EHS managementgenerates significant business benefits;achieving it is not as difficult as it mightappear; and there are some proven bestpractices that have evolved among com-panies that are doing it successfully.

The business potentialIn most companies, the most important

and potentially valuable EHS informationis found at the local level. Local EHSmanagers and other front-line employeesknow EHS issues through first-hand ex-perience; they see the consequences ofpoor performance up close; and they often

Improving EHS performance through integratedmanagement systems

By Philippe Tesler



EHS

have great insight about how to preventincidents and improve operations.But there is much that they don’t

know: what other facilities are doing toaddress similar issues, how local per-formance fits into company perform-ance and objectives as a whole, and howbest to meet the new requirements thatseem to be heaped on their shouldersdaily. They have neither the means toshare their data and knowledge with thewider company in a timely fashion nora way to benefit from such informationfrom other facilities.Meanwhile, corporate executives,

lacking real-time reporting, monitoring,and information from widely dispersedfacilities struggle to coordinate company-wide EHS management and thereby im-prove EHS performance.But with an integrated system to col-

lect and consolidate data, automate re-porting, and allow enterprise-wideinformation sharing, companies can tapthe full potential of data that currentlylanguishes in outmoded informationsystems at the local level. Integratedsystems can enable the company to:• Identify best practices and share

them throughout the organization.• Set performance targets and monitor

progress toward meeting them.• Assess compliance at all sites and at

the company level.

• Identify risks and mitigate them.• Gain a thorough, in-depth view of

performance.• Benefit from more reliable,

auditable, and readily availableEHS data.

Getting startedWhile many companies have de-

voted enormous energy to mastering en-vironmental science and engineering inorder to improve their EHS perform-

Fig. 1 - Example of an integrated management platform.

Enablon Integration EHS Management Platform




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EHS

ance management, performance man-agement, and incident management, allresting on a shared technology platformacross the company (Figure 1).

Armed with the knowledge of thedesign and capabilities of this newbreed of solutions, you can easily andefficiently establish an integrated EHS

ance, they are often laggardly at mas-tering the systems necessary to makesure that those efforts aren’t wasted bypoor management of EHS data.These companies may be unaware

that an entirely new generation of soft-ware and technology solutions hasbrought fully integrated EHS manage-ment systems within easy reach. Or theymay fear that such technology projectsentail time-consuming and costly im-plementations on the scale of enterpriseresource planning systems (ERP). Infact, integrated system solutions are notonly readily available, but they can alsobe up and running – and generating im-mediate benefits – in as little as three tofour months with immediate return oninvestment (ROI).The flexibility, ease of implementa-

tion, and resulting high ROI of thesenew solutions stem in part from theirmodular design, which allows compa-nies to adopt only the modules theyneed to address their specific needs. Thebest of these solutions are also compre-hensive, offering modules for virtuallyany need: audit management, compli-

management system by following thesekey steps:1. Prioritize your requirements: Not allcompanies have identical needs or iden-tical priorities in EHS management. De-pending on their industry, the structureof their organization, the regulatory en-vironment, and the state of their currentEHS management system, differentcompanies will emphasize different as-pects of EHS. Some companies mayneed greater transparency in their data;others may focus on reducing supplychain risk or environmental costs, whilestill others concentrate on informationsharing or reducing non-compliance risk.For example, a company in the in-

dustrial sector will be more concernedwith issues of environmental compli-ance, CO2 emissions tracking, or site re-mediation. A consumer goods companymight be more interested in productsafety across its supply chain. In anycase, these priorities should be reflectedin the modules and functionalities ofwhatever system you create or acquire.2. Assess the existing system: Inventoryyour current EHS management systemand, if it meets most of your prioritiesor could be made to do so through a lit-tle tweaking, then by all means keep it,assuming, of course, that you have alsoassessed its capabilities against those ofthe new generation of solutions. If,however, a process map of your currentsystem looks like a Rube Goldberg de-vice or depicts a hodgepodge of discon-nected and inconsistent processes, you


Building Laboratory Excellence

CALA Training - For laboratories around the world. Rated bygraduates at www.caeal.ca/t_summaries.html.

Visit www.caeal.ca or call 613-233-5300 for multiple methods oftraining in the following subjects:

• Laboratory accreditation and 17025• Developing quality manuals• Root causes analysis for enduring solutions• Using PT results to improve lab processes• Internal auditing and internal calibration• “Care and Feeding” of a laboratory QMS• Leadership within laboratories

• For lab clients – “The Value of Accreditation”• For lab clients – “What is Uncertainty?”

81 | September 2008

EHS

www.esemag.com

likely need to plan on some fairly ex-tensive changes that could range fromintensive integration with your legacysystems to getting rid of them entirely.

Compare the cost of replacing yoursystemwith the cost of integrating it witha new solution. It is often cheaper andfaster, with less drain on IT resources, toreplace the system altogether.3. Weigh running the system in-houseversus a subscription service: Each al-ternative has its advantages. Outsourcingthrough a subscription service enablesyou to get up and running more quicklyand requires less capital expenditure upfront. But, if a great deal of integrationwith the existing system is required, it isusually easier to do it internally.4. Select a solution: The most effectiveway to sort through the inevitably com-peting claims of solution vendors is toask your peers at other companies abouttheir experiences. In those conversationsand in your own evaluations of differentsolutions, keep in mind that it is the front-line user at the facility level who holdsthe key to unlocking the hidden value inyour EHS operations. If those users don’tlike the solution and don’t see the value init, they won’t use it effectively and yourinvestment will be wasted.5. Pursue a phased implementation:Attempting to implement the new sys-tem throughout the company at oncecan be highly disruptive. It is far betterto begin with a pilot project that allowsyou to get a feel for the full potential ofthe solution and to make sure that it fitsthe needs of all levels of the company,

not just corporate. Once you have suc-cessfully piloted it, you can then roll itout more widely, being sure to allocateadequate resources of people and timeto set-up and full-scale implementation.

For the most efficient use of people re-sources during rollout use a “train thetrainer” approach rather than training theend-users individually. It is not only more

efficient and less costly but also, if youfind it necessary to train the end-users in-dividually, the solution you’ve chosenprobably isn’t user-friendly enough.

Philippe Tesler is the co-founder ofEnablon, a sustainable developmentreporting and management software

solutions provider.



Pulse transfer thickening (PTT)is a term developed by FLSDorr-Oliver Eimco, which de-scribes the capability of its air-

operated diaphragm pump (ODS) pumpto eliminate dilution, when sludge iswithdrawn from a clarifier. The com-pany says this pump has the ability tomatch the pumping rate to the settlingrate in pulse transfer thickening. Pumptransfers at low flow rates enhance theability of the solids to settle in the clar-ifier, maximizing efficiency.An ODS pump operates by displac-

ing its pumping cavity in less than twoseconds, which generates scouring ve-locities equal to electrically drivenpumps, moving in excess of 200 gallonsper minute through the piping. The puls-ing action of the pump prevents pipingfrom plugging, says the company.Standard practice in designing pump-

ing systems for withdrawing primarysludge has been influenced by the fol-lowing parameters:

1. With a waste stream containing200 ppm of suspended solids, typicallyan accumulation rate of 2400 gallonsper day of 5% primary sludge is soughtfor each MGD of influent, or 1.67 gal-lons per minute on a continuous basis.2. Piping of 6 to 8 inches in dia-

meter is generally mandated.3. It is common practice to design for

a minimum veloc-

Wastewater

ity of 2.5 feet per second withdrawalrate to prevent clogging.Because the sludge accumulation

rate in the clarifier is low, it is standardpractice to use some kind of timed cyclewithdrawal, where the pumps operate athigh rates for several minutes at a time,somewhere between 50 and 200 gallonsper minute, to prevent clogging of pipes.The pulse transfer thickening capa-

Improving clarifier operation by eliminating sludgedilution

ODS pumps displace their operating cavities in less than two seconds.



Wastewater

bility of the ODS pump enables it to re-move sludge continuously from the set-tling tank, pumping sludge from thebottom of the sludge blanket at the rateat which it accumulates. In other words,the pumping rate is automaticallymatched to the sludge accumulation rate.Required velocities are maintained au-tomatically, without any loss of the tur-bulent scouring velocity to keep solidsin suspension and without risk of clog-ging the pipes. PPT works efficiently, nomatter how low the sludge accumulationrate, says the manufacturer.

Based on the experiences encoun-tered by treatment plants utilizing PPT,the company claims an average increasein sludge consistency of about 60%.This is because rather than drawing offhundreds of gallons of sludge in a timedcycle, as in conventional pumping sys-tems, with the ODS pump only 4.5 gal-lons of sludge is withdrawn with eachpulse.

For more information, contact BevHouse, ICRWater Technologies Inc.E-mail: [email protected]

Evaluating watercontaminant warning

systems

AWWA’sWater Research Foundation haspublished a new report on a simulationtool to assess the performance of contam-inant warning systems for water utilities.

The Foundation co-sponsored thestudy, on which the report is based, withSandia National Laboratories, to providewater agencies with a method to evalu-ate contaminant warning system designsbefore purchasing and installing. Con-taminant warning systems provide waterutility personnel with early detection ofpotential chemical or biological contam-inants in their water distribution systems.

The simulation method developed inthe study models different contaminationscenarios, so that various sensor typesand locations within a water distributionsystem can be evaluated.

The simulation tool allows utilities torealistically gauge how different opera-tional parameters influence overall sys-tem performance. By using the tool,specific sensor attributes can be config-ured in the simulation so that different

commercial sensor options in a utility-specific contaminant warning system de-sign can be compared.To obtain a copy of the report, visit

www.awwarf.org

Siemens to help restoreChina's Taihu Lake

The Chinese city of Wuxi, in Jiangsuprovince, has selected Siemens to helpupgrade its municipal wastewater plantand help restore the water quality ofTaihu Lake.

An important water source for 30 mil-lion people, the lake has been heavilypolluted by municipal sewage and indus-trial wastewater. Siemens will supply aMembrane Biological Reactor (MBR)system for the upgrading of WuxiXincheng Wastewater Treatment Plant,one of the city’s three main wastewatertreatment plants. The MBR system willtreat 30,000 cubic meters of wastewaterper day, and will play an important rolein helping the city to treat more than 90percent of its wastewater by 2010.

The system is scheduled for commis-sioning at the end of 2008.

NEWS


Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine84 | September 2008Pro

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ACG Technology

Armtec

BakerCorp

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

The HAWK line of ra-dial flow odor controlsystems is designed tobe a low cost, highlyeffective system forremoving H2S andother compoundsfrom municipal waste-

water applications. The system utilizesradial flow operation, with the foul airentering from the outside, then diffusedthrough the media bed. Contaminatesare then removed and the clean air iscollected in the inner portion of the ves-sel and exits the exhaust stack.Tel: 905-856-1414, Fax: 905-856-6401 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.acgtechnology.com

Odor control systems

Bay Products Odor-Digest DuO systemsare a line of stagedcompartment sys-tems capable of re-

moving odorous compounds from avariety of sources. Air is pulled orpushed from the source to the bottom ofthe system whereby odorous air entersthe bioscrubber section and diffuses upthrough the BPI’s BioScrub-XL foam.Humidified and hydrogen sulfide freeair exits the top of the bioscrubber sec-tion and is transferred to the bottom ofthe biofilter compartment plenum. Tel: 905-856-1414, Fax: 905-856-6401 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.acgtechnology.com

Bioscrubber and biofilter

BakerCorp specializes in vapour andliquid, organic and inorganic, high flowand low flow filtration solutions andservices for temporary and permanentapplications. Baker’s product line includes 10K filtration systems, highand low pressure carbon and specialtymedia vessels, sand filters, duplex car-tridges, duplex bag filters, odor controlsystems and auxiliary equipment.Tel: 905-545-4555, 1-800-BAKER 12Web: www.bakercorp.com

Filtration solutions

AQUATECH is acomplete serviceprovider of special-ized dewatering, bypass pumping andenvironmental equip-ment for all fluid han-dling, filtration andtesting applications.

Aquatech also offers a complete line ofspecialized pumping equipment includ-ing diesel, hydraulic and electric pow-ered centrifugals, electric submersibles,wellpoint pumps and emergency re-sponse services.Tel: 905-907-1700, Fax 905-907-1701E-mail: [email protected]: www.aquatechdewatering.com

Environmentally responsiblesolutions

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

AWI

AWI

Phoenix Panel System

• Upgrades and optimizes all types of filters

• Removal of existing underdrain not required

• Eliminates the need for filter gravel• Improves backwash distribution• Longer filter runs and lower turbidity effluent

Tel: 403-255-7377, Fax: 403-255-3129E-mail: [email protected]: www.awifilter.com

Phoenix Underdrain System

• Optimizes vertical and horizontal pressure filters

• Low profile, filtered water pick-up lateral orifice is <25 mm

• Manufactured from corrosionresistant stainless steel

• Custom hydraulic distribution• Guaranteed uniform air scour

distribution. Tel: 403-255-7377, Fax: 403-255-3129E-mail: [email protected]: www.awifilter.com

Canadian Safety

Manhole barrier

New “All in One”manhole barrierwith built-in tripodfrom Pelsue issmall, lightweightyet offers the 5000lb rating for fall ar-rest. It can be usedwith man-ratedwinches and/or selfretracting lifelines.It was designed to

fit inside most Pelsue one piece pop-uptents for inclement weather. Tel: 800-265-0182, Fax: 905-272-1866E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cdnsafety.com

ACG Technology Aquatech Dewatering Co., Inc.



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Contor Terminals

Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute

Endress + Hauser

Contor has become an industry leaderin the design and manufacture of qual-ity built, portable steel buildingsand container modifications. Contorbuilds custom enclosures for a widerange of industrial applications,including electrical and mechanicalrooms, portable water filtration hous-ing, fuel cell and generator enclosures.For more information visitwww.contor.com

Portable steel buildings

CSPI has announced the winners of itsNational Team Design Competition for2007-2008. First place ($2,500) goes toC. Hartford, C. Thibert, and C. Carriere,while 2nd place ($1,500) goes to J.Dukovcic, I. Khan, J. Toth and(W.Clements), all from the Universityof Windsor. It is part of CSPI’s Educa-tional Outreach Program. For entry inthis year’s program, visit www.cspi.caTel: 866-295-2416, Fax: 519-650-8081.E-mail: [email protected]

Engineering Student Awards

Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG inSwitzerland, the company’s new calibra-tion facility, sets standards worldwide.The facility produces measurementsthat deviate no more than ±0.015 per-cent from the reference value – equiva-lent to about the contents of onechampagne glass in one thousand litresof water. Endress+Hauser operates inaccordance with internationally ac-cepted standards for the accreditation ofits products.Web: www.ca.endress.com

New calibration facility

Claessen Pumps

Grindex’s new stainlesssteel pump line combinesthe integrity of years oftested design with the in-genuity and durability ofnew technology. Inoxpumps can be used in ap-plications that would de-

stroy their aluminum predecessors. Theirstainless steel construction enables themto endure pH values from 2 – 10, mak-ing them ideal for extreme environmentswith highly acidic or alkaline contents.They are ideal for use in copper mines,coal power plants, saltwater fish farms,shipyards, etc.Tel: 705-431-8585, Fax: 705-431-2772E-mail: [email protected]: www.claessenpumps.com

New stainless steel pumps

Denso

Proven worldwidefor well over 100years, DensoPetrolatum Tapesoffer the best,most economical,long-term corro-

sion protection for all above and belowground metal surfaces. Requiring onlyminimum surface preparation and envi-ronmentally responsible, Denso Petrola-tum Tape is the solution to your corrosionproblems in any corrosive environment.For applications in mines, mills, refineries,steel mills, pulp & paper, oil & gas, and thewaterworks industry.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. De-watering is generally not required. Depthsto 35 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 tech-nology, deep environmental horizontal col-lection trenches, reactive barriers, andslurry walls are installed in a single passdirectly into contaminated water and soil.There is no need to dewater or remediate.Tel: 616-875-7580, Fax: 616-875-7334E-mail: [email protected]: dewinddewatering.com

One-Pass trenching

Degremont Technologies/Infilco

TheAquaDAF® Clarifier High-RateDissolvedAir Flotation System is a vi-able alternative to conventional settlingand DAF clarifiers. TheAquaDAF is ahybrid of conventional DAF and opti-mally designed system components. It ishighly effective for the treatment of arange of raw water characteristics includ-ing troublesome waters exhibiting lowturbidity, high TOC, color and algae.Web: www.infilcodegremont.com

Dissolved air flotation system

The Handbook ofSteel Drainage &Highway Con-struction Productshas been reprintedand is once againavailable (January2007). There areminor changes tothe 2002 version.Most significant

are design examples for large soil steelstructures that illustrate proceduresusing Canadian Highway Bridge DesignCode (CHBDC).Tel: 866-295-2416, Fax: 519-650-8081E-mail: [email protected]: www.cspi.ca

Engineering Textbook

Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute


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Glentel Inc.

SCADA-based monitoring

Glentel provides integrated MSAT andVSAT solutions for real-time missioncritical communications and data man-agement. SCADA solutions allow formonitoring and controlling vital waterflows, and sending data from and con-trol signals to PLCs, meters, valve andpump controls.

Tel: 1-800-GLENTELWeb: www.Glentel.com

Firestone MultiLiner is a reinforcedpolypropylene-based membrane thatenhances the physical properties of themembrane by inserting a strong, poly-ester fabric (scrim) between the top andbottom plies. This combination gives itits extremely high breaking/tearingstrength and puncture resistance. It isideal for geomembrane applications.Tel: 888-292-6265, Fax: 877-666-3022 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.firestonebpco.ca

Reinforced membrane

Firestone Building Products CanadaGardner Denver Engineered Products Division

Genuine parts Quick

Ship program

Gardner Denver offers Quick Ship pro-grams for many common bearing andseal kits. Only genuine Gardner Denverparts can reliably meet the performancestandards of the original blower design.This program ensures superior factoryparts and fast delivery.Tel: 770-632-5000, Fax: 770-486-5629E-mail: [email protected]: www.gardnerdenver.com

The JetMix Vor-tex Mixing Sys-tem can be usedin bio-solidsstorage wheresolids suspen-sion is impor-

tant. Benefits of using the JetMix systeminclude: Intermittent operation saves 60-90% in power consumption; expensivetank cleanout and scheduled maintenancenot required; easily installed in existingtanks; multiple tank mixing using a cen-tral pump house. JetMix was a recipientof a 1997 Innovative Technology Awardfrom the Water Environment Federation. Tel: 519-469-8169, Fax: 519-469-8157 E-mail: [email protected]: www.greatario.com

Greatario Engineered Storage Systems Greenspoon Specialty Contracting

Heron Instruments

Remediation/Demolition

Greenspoon Spe-cialty Contract-ing has beenactively engagedin the Demolition

and Environmental Remediation indus-try for over 50 years. Spanning acrossthe commercial, industrial and govern-ment sectors, GSC is proficient in allareas of demolition (implosion and dis-mantlement), asbestos, mould and leadabatement, soil remediation and site de-commissioning. Proficient in LEEDsprojects. Offices in Toronto, Winnipeg,Buffalo.Tel: 800-928-8812, Fax: 905-458-4149E-mail: [email protected]: www.greenspoon.net

The GrundfosAlldos DDI rangewas designed foraccurate and pre-cise dosing de-mands. Offeringmodels with FlowMonitor makesthis an all-in-onedosing solution.This product isclosely examined

and illustrated in this 39 page ProductGuide. To receive your FREE copy,please email [email protected]. Tel: 1-800-644-9599, Fax. 1-800-265-9862 Web: www.grundfosalldos.com

Technical Product Guide

Grundfos is aglobal leader inpumps andpumping solu-tions and offers acomplete range ofmetering pumpsto provide youwith “The RightMix” of watertreatment prod-ucts. To request

your FREE copy of this full colour 15page brochure, please email [email protected]. Tel: 1-800-644-9599, Fax. 1-800-265-9862 Web: www.grundfosalldos.com

Get the Right Mix

Grundfos Grundfos

Geneq, Inc.

Geneq’s SXBlueII, a next genera-tion submeter,BluetoothTM

wireless GPSmapping receiver

allows you to use off-the-shelf Bluetooth-enabled PDA/notebook computers to col-lect GPS map data. It offers improvedtracking/accuracy under tree canopy, im-proved accuracy in open sky conditions,integrated battery pack, battery pack “gasgauge”, 200 metre long-range Bluetooth,USB port and improved form factor.Tel: 514-354-2511, Fax: 514-354-6948E-mail: [email protected]: www.geneq.com

GPS mapping receiver

Groundwater data logger

The Heron dipperLog is the answer toyour long-term groundwater level moni-toring program. It measures andrecords groundwater levels and temper-atures over long periods of time.ThedipperLog is a high resolution, accurate(0.05% F.S.) datalogger available at anextremely economical price and is very user-friendly. Visit Heron’s new website at: www.heroninstruments.com andtry our demo to see how easy loggingcan be.Tel: 800-331-2032, Fax: 905-634-9657E-mail: [email protected]: www.heroninstruments.com



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Hoskin Scientific

Metcon Sales & Engineering

NorthAmerican Green Parkson

Industrial Scientific

A DS2 DockingStation™ is nowavailable for theGasBadge® Plussingle gas monitor.The GasBadge Plusis a two-year, low-

cost, personal gas detector. The DS2Docking Station recognizes individualinstrument serial numbers, performscalibration and bump testing and itsinstrument diagnostics and record keep-ing functions limit safety hazards andliability concerns.

Tel: 800-338-3287, Fax: 412-788-8353E-mail: [email protected]: www.indsci.com

Personal gas detector

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.comVisit us atWEFTEC – booth #27171

Septage Receiving Station

The user-friendly,maintenance-freeHelisieve Plus®Septage Receiv-ing Station pre-treats septage andprotectsdownstream

processes. This self-contained systemremoves troublesome solids and dewa-ters them for landfill.It's fast, easy and effective, and odorsare contained in the stainless steel re-ceiving tank.Tel: 514-636-8712, Fax: 514-636-9718E-mail: [email protected]: www.parkson.com

New Website

North AmericanGreen has a newwebsite, www.nagreen.com,which provides themost comprehen-sive coverage oferosion and sedi-

ment control solutions. The new site in-cludes downloadable resources forproject planning and installation, as wellas in-depth technical support. Amongthe resources available is a free softwareprogram, Erosion Control Materials De-sign Software (ECMDS®).

Tel: 1-800-772-2040Web: www.nagreen.com.

Dynamic Probe

The Dynamic Probemakes differentialpressure gauges andloss of head a thing ofthe past, by providingthe information re-quired to optimize

pretreatment, filtration and filter back-wash. The dynamic probe allows forcontinuous bi-directional differentialpressure measurement across multiplelayers of the bed in one instrument. Thesmart analyzer combines multiple in-struments, unique to the industry, intoone intelligent transmitter package.Tel: 905-738-2355, Fax: 905-738-5520E-mail: [email protected]: www.metconeng.com

Titrator

The Series 17T2000Amperometric Titratoris an analytical instru-ment for the electricaldetermination of the endpoint of a titration forfree, combined, or totalchlorine residual.It can also be used to determinebromine, iodine, ozone, permanganate,and chlorine dioxide residuals. The in-strument is suitable for use in water andwastewater plants, swimming pools, re-search laboratories, and industrial plantswhen fast, accurate titrations are re-quired.Tel: 905-738-2355, Fax: 905-738-5520E-mail: [email protected]: www.metconeng.com

Web-based monitoring system

The HOBOU30/Wi-FiRemote Moni-toring Systemis a web-basedmonitoringsystem that

provides real-time, remote access to en-ergy and environmental data over anyWi-Fi network. HOBOlink™ is a newweb-enabled software platform that canbe used to access current and historicaldata, set alarm notifications and relayactivations, and control the system fromtheir computer. The HOBO U30/Wi-Fiprovides around-the-clock monitoringof various types of renewable energysystems.Web: www.hoskin.ca

Weather station

The HOBO Remote Monitoring System, astate-of-the-art weather station, providesinstant access to data via the internet. Thenew system combines research-gradehardware with built-in GSM cellular com-munications and HOBOlink™, a newweb-enabled software platform.

Web: www.hoskin.ca

Landia

Chopper pumpsLandia chopper pumps solve the toughestproblems when pump-ing difficult-to-handleliquids with high solidcontents. Chop and re-duce solids particlesize while pumpingwith our special knifesystem. Eliminateclogging problems andprevent costly break-downs. Landia chop-per pumps areoperating in: raw un-screened effluents,food industry effluents, paper mills, slur-ries and sludges, and much more.Tel: 604-552-7900, Fax: 604-552-7901E-mail: [email protected]

Metcon Sales & Engineering


Hoskin Scientific


Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine88 | September 2008Pro

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Pro Aqua, Inc.

Pro Aqua, Inc.

SEW-Eurodrive

ProMinent Fluid Controls 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

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

Primary Fluid Systems Primary Fluid Systems

ACCUDRAW Cali-bration Cylindershave been developedfor the accurate cali-bration of meteringpumps. Standardfeatures include:

• Translucent• Chemical and break resistant• Threaded or socket• PVC size 100 – 20000 ml• POLY sizes 100 – 4000 ml• PVC has dual scale USGPH and ml.

Tel: 905-333-8743, Fax: 905-333-8746E-mail: [email protected]: www.primaryfluid.com

PFS InjectionQuills have beendeveloped toallow chemicalinjection into thecentre stream of

the flow. Standard features include:• 6 materials of construction• Two standard sizes• Pressure to 3000 PSIG• Threaded or socket• Custom materials and sizes available.

Tel: 905-333-8743, Fax: 905-333-8746E-mail: [email protected]: www.primaryfluid.com

Injection quillsCalibration cylinders

The Huber Rake-Max® is a barscreen with a spac-ing from 1/4" to 6"(6 to 150 mm). Inspite of its outstand-ing discharge heightof up to 65 ft (20 m)

above the channel floor, it fits into virtu-ally any building. The bar rack is an in-tegral part of the sturdy frame, whichensures perfect meshing of the raketeeth with the bar screen. Positive andreliable cleaning is thus guaranteed.Tel: 416-861-0237, Fax: 416-861-9303Web: www.proaquasales.com

Mechanical bar screen

HSI High SpeedTurbo Blower linehas over 10 modelsranging from 5HP to300HP (1-250kW),with flow rangesfrom 10 – 10,000

SCFM (15-15,000 nm3/hr) and pres-sures to 25 psi (1.7 bar). They require nolubrication nor maintenance besidesinlet filter changes, achieve sound levelsbelow 85 dBA, and operate with virtu-ally no vibration.Tel: 416-861-0237, Fax: 416-861-9303Web: www.proaquasales.com

High speed blowers

Sanitherm, a di-vision of PeakEnergy Services,has perfectedcontainerizingtheir SaniBrane®MBR. The containerizedSaniBrane isportable, provides

excellent effluent on start-up, is operatorfriendly and comes pre-wired, pre-plumbed and tested. The system for any-where needing reliable waste treatmentwith a small footprint!Tel: 604-986-9168, Fax: 604-986-5377E-mail: [email protected]: www.sanitherm.com

Membrane bioreactor

Sanitherm, a division of Peak Energy ServicesRocky Mountain Soil Sampling

Site investigations

RMSS specializes in difficult access siteinvestigations. Our equipment is easilybroken down into helicopter, ATV andman portable packages so you can getyour job done without huge mobilizationcosts. Soil sampling, monitoring wells,geo-technical testing, we go anywhere.Tel: 604-947-RMSS (7677), Fax: 604-947-9500 Web: www.rmsoil.com

Industrial gear units

The in-housedevelopmentof SEW-Euro-drive’s new X-Series heavyindustrial gearunits is nearly

unrivaled with its fine size graduationthat covers the medium torque rangefrom 43,000 to 129,000 ft-lb. The largenumber of pre-defined accessories offersa high degree of flexibility for adaptingto a broad range of application situa-tions, with a minimum of components atmaximum utility.Tel: 905-791-1553, Fax: 905-791-2999E-mail: [email protected]: www.sew-eurodrive.ca



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USF Fabrication

Wachs Canada Ltd.

Cleantech funding available

If you have aninnovative cleantechnology,Sustainable De-velopmentTechnology

Canada (SDTC) wants to hear from you.The SD Tech Fund™ is open for State-ments of Interest from September 3 toOctober 22, 2008. SDTC supports thedevelopment and demonstration of cleantechnologies by Canadian companies.Visit the funding section of our websitefor more information on how to apply.Tel.: 613-234-6313E-mail: [email protected]: www.sdtc.ca

Valve maintenance system

Wachs Canada introduces the ERV-750,Truck and Trailer Mount Valve Mainte-nance System with intelligent automatedvalve exercising equipment. You will al-ways have enough torque to turn thevalve; you will always use the absoluteminimum torque to do so.

Tel: 1-888-785-2000, Fax 905-830-6050E-mail: [email protected]: www.wachsco.com

SiemensWater Technologies

Siemens providesinnovative watertechnologies:• Vantage®

NF/RO FiltrationSystems

• TRIDENT® HSC and Trident®HS Packaged Water TreatmentSystems

• MEMCOR® Membrane FiltrationSystems

• CenTROL® Filter Systems• MULTIBLOCK® FilterUnderdrains

Tel: 800-525-0658 or 724-772-1402E-mail:[email protected]: www.siemens.com/drinking_water

Water treatment Water treatmment

Siemens also offersthese technologies:• MULTICRETE®

II FilterUnderdrains

• CONTRAFAST®Clarifier

• GFH® Arsenic Removal Media• Barrier® M and Barrier® A UV

Disinfection Units• OSEC® On-site Hypochlorite

Generation System

Tel: 800-525-0658 or 724-772-1402E-mail: [email protected]: www.siemens.com/drinking_water

SiemensWater Technologies Smith & Loveless

Victaulic

Depend-O-Lok is the new standard forjoining pipe to 144”. Engineered for re-strained and unrestrained systems, De-pend-O-Lok allows angular deflectionand pipeline thermal expansion/contrac-tion while maintaining seal integrity.Specify in systems to 600 PSI forstrength, reliability and ease of mainte-nance.Tel: 905-884-7444E-mail: [email protected]: www.victaulic.com

Join pipe to 144 inches

Grit chamberThe Smith & LovelessPISTA® Grit Chambermaintains the highestproven grit removal effi-ciencies over a widerange of daily flows be-cause of its exclusive

forced vortex design. It removes grit andother discrete particles, separates organ-ics and inorganics, and reduces grit ac-cumulation in downstream basins,channels, weirs and piping. This resultsin reduced wear on mechanical equip-ment. Complete grit pumping, dewater-ing and washing components areavailable.Tel: 913-888-5201, Fax: 913-888-2173E-mail: [email protected]: www.smithandloveless.com

Waterra Pumps Waterra Pumps

Waterra'sClear PVCEcoBailersare avail-able in threesizes, 0.5"OD, 0.7"OD and1.5" OD x36" in length. These are high qualitydisposable bailers for quality samplingresults.

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

Disposable bailersWaterra nowmanufactures a0.2 micronInline Dispos-able Filter, theCAP300X2,which features300 square cen-timetres of thesame high quality PES media providinga fast and efficient, economical optionfor specialized filtering requirements.

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

In-line filters

Hatch safety netThe lightweightHatch Safety Net isdesigned to be per-manently installedand easily re-tractable in floorand roof openings where the risk of fallthrough is present. When closed, thenet system allows people to movefreely around confined space openingswithout fear of falling into the opening.It also allows visibility of inspectionsand accessibility for limited mainte-nance and float adjustments. Whenentry/exit is required, the net can beeasily unhooked on all but one side ofthe opening.Tel: 604-552-7900, Fax: 604-552-7901E-mail: [email protected] Development

Technology Canada



NEWS

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

• ANTHRACITE • QUALITY FILTER SAND & GRAVEL• CARBON • GARNET ILMENITE • REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

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Call for clean technologyfunding applications

Sustainable Development TechnologyCanada (SDTC), the largest single fun-der of clean technology in Canada, hasannounced that the $550M SD TechFund™ is open for Statements of Interest(SOI) for its fourteenth round of fundinguntil October 22, 2008. SDTC is a not-for-profit corporation created by theGovernment of Canada to finance andsupport the late-stage development andpre-commercial demonstration of cleantechnologies. SDTC provides seed-stagefunding to clean technology projects atthis critical juncture when capital andscaling costs become formidable chal-lenges and the risk profile deters mostother investors.

In particular, SDTC sees tremendousgrowth potential for technologies that ad-dress issues related to clean water andclean soil. Water purification, conserva-tion, waste and stormwater treatment, inaddition to soil decontamination and soilquality improvement solutions, are areasin which SDTC is seeking to fund proj-ects.

www.sdtc.ca/en/SOIinfo.htm

Water For People receivesfour-star rating

Charity Navigator has given Water ForPeople its highest 4-star rating for soundfiscal management and the ability to ef-fectively manage and grow its resources.This is the sixth consecutive year that ithas received this honor. Only 2% of thethousands of charities rated by CharityNavigator have received at least six con-secutive 4-star evaluations, indicatingthat Water For People consistently exe-cutes its mission in a fiscally responsibleway and outperforms most other Ameri-can charitable organizations.

One of the key metrics used in the rat-ing process is the functional allocation ofresources, which measures the percent ofrevenues used for program expenses asopposed to administrative and fundrais-ing expenses.Year after year, Water ForPeople has consistently improved itsranking in this area. In 2007, 84.3 per-cent of funds raised were directed to in-ternational programs.

www.charitynavigator.org.



NEWS

MARKHAM, ONTARIO [email protected] www.bv.com

“Specialists in non-intrusive ground investigations”

• UST's, buried metal, debris & fill• Former excavations & structures• Leachate plumes• Voids and fractures• Stratigraphy• Pipes and utilities

Tel: 905.458.1883Fax: 905.792.1884E-mail: [email protected]: www.geophysics.ca

Get a clear view of:

Worldwide Engineering, Environmental, Construction, and IT Services

More than 30 Years of Water & Wastewater Solutions

Wastewater Collection/Treatment

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2,700 Staff 90+ Offices

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validation efforts – bacteriophage and collimated beam analysis

• Pathogen detection (Legionella spp. accredited test)

Phone: 519-681-0571Fax: 519-681-7150

Email: [email protected]

Internationally recognized laboratory – accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 Standard (CAEAL)

Name change for ITT Flygt

ITT Flygt has changed its name to ITTWater & Wastewater. Operating in some140 countries, ITT Water & Wastewatermanufactures and markets a range ofwater and drainage pumps, units for pri-mary, secondary and tertiary treatment,and products for treating water throughbiological, filtering and disinfectionprocesses. Headquartered in Sweden,ITT Water & Wastewater has 6,000 em-ployees worldwide and production plantsin North and SouthAmerica, Europe andAsia.

www.ittwww.ca

Ontario working on new tirerecycling program

The Ontario government has directedWaste Diversion Ontario to develop aprogram that will recycle 90 per cent ofOntario’s used tires within five years andclean up existing tire stockpiles asquickly as possible. The program is to beself-funding, with an industry organiza-tion collecting program fees from tireproducers. No fees will go to the gov-ernment.

Over 10 million used tires need to bemanaged each year in Ontario. Currently,about half are being shipped out ofprovince for use as fuel, or are beingstockpiled, many illegally. Stockpiledtires are a serious fire hazard and can bebreeding grounds for mosquitoes if notmanaged properly. The rest are being re-cycled or shredded for use as landfillcover.

This new program is to include alltruck and car tires, off-road tires, and in-dustry/farm vehicle tires. It must also en-sure there are greater incentives forreusing and recycling.

Federal government bansmore chemicals

The federal government is to publish finalregulations to reduce the levels of Poly-brominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)that could be entering the environment.

PBDEs are used to slow the spread offire in a wide variety of plastics, fabrics,glues, sealants and foams. While theywere not found to be harmful to humanhealth, they are toxic to the environment




NEWS

H2FLOW EQUIPMENT INC., Concord, OntarioTel: (905) 660-9775 Fax: (905) 660-9744Email: [email protected] Website: www.h2flow.com

• Centrifugal & PD Blowers• Industrial Treatment• Oil / Water Separators• Package Treatment Plants• Stormwater Treatment• Tanks & Tank Covers

• Drinking Water• Screening / Filtration• Separation / Flotation• Sludge Dewatering / Collection• Biotreatment / Aeration• UV DisinfectionSuppliers of Water And

Wastewater Equipment

Consulting EngineersConsulting Engineers

Hydromantis, Inc.Hydromantis, Inc.Experts in Water, Wastewater, Environmental Planning, and Simulation Software

�

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420 Sheldon Drive, Cambridge, Ontario, N1T 2H9Tel: (519) 624-7223 Fax: (519) 624-7224

1685 Main St. West, Suite 302, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 1G5Tel: (905) 522-0012 Fax: (905) 522-0031

E-mail: [email protected]: www.hydromantis.com

1 James Street South, Suite 1601, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 4R5

GROUNDWATERTECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTSEngineers & Hydrogeologists

Serving the Groundwater Industry for 75Years

342 Bayview Drive, Box 310,Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4M 4T5

Tel: (705) 733-0111, Fax: (705) 721-0138E-Mail: [email protected]

INTERNATIONALWATER SUPPLY LTD.WWW.IWS.CA

because they build up and last a long timein the environment. PBDEs are not man-ufactured in Canada but are imported foruse in commercial and consumer prod-ucts. There are three commercial mix-tures that contain PBDEs:• PentaBDE is used mostly in flexiblepolyurethane foam, which is used ascushioning in upholstered furniture, au-tomotive seating and carpet backing.• OctaBDE is used in acrylonitrile bu-tadiene styrene (ABS) plastics as a flameretardant for computer housings, pipes,appliances and automotive parts.• DecaBDE is primarily used in thehigh impact polystyrene component ofelectronic equipment housings, and isalso the main commercial PBDE prod-uct used as a flame retardant in uphol-stery and drapery textiles.

The new regulations will prohibit themanufacture of all PBDEs and restrictthe import, use and sale of PentaBDEand OctaBDE which meet the criteria forvirtual elimination under the CanadianEnvironmental Protection Act, 1999.

www.chemicalsubstances.gc.ca

Ontario and Great Lakesmunicipalities sign pact

The Ontario government and municipalofficials from around the Great Lakeshave signed a Memorandum of Cooper-ation on issues of municipal interest andresponsibility around the Great Lakes.

Ontario has agreed to consider the ad-vice and recommendations of the GreatLakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiativeon the implementation of the Canada-OntarioAgreement Respecting the GreatLakes Basin (COA). The Cities’ Initia-tive agrees to involve its Ontario mem-bers and the broader municipal sector inproviding input into decisions that affectthe municipalities around the GreatLakes. It is a binational coalition of over50 mayors and other municipal officialsfrom Canada and the US interested in thehealth and well-being of the Great Lakesand St. Lawrence River system.

Federal and NWTgovernments partner to

improve water infrastructure

The Canada-Northwest Territories Mu-nicipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF)is a cost-sharing program between Infra-

For more information: 420 Weber Street North, Unit G Waterloo, ON N2L 4E7 519.886.7500

Specializing in:

From multi-billion dollar Fortune 100 companies to family-run Owner-Manager enterprises, Geomatrix serves industrial and commercial clients locally and around the world from our18 North American offices.

Focused on the Special Needs of Industrial and Commercial Clients for More Than 20 Years

www.geomatrix.com



NEWSstructure Canada and the Government ofthe Northwest Territories, Department ofMunicipal and Community Affairs. Thefederal government’s contribution to mu-nicipal water-related projects includes:• $684,767 towards a $2.5 million projectto upgrade sewage treatment infrastructurein Hay River; the NWT government willcontribute $973,564.• $471,650 for water and sewer mainreplacement in Fort Simpson; the NWTgovernment will contribute $392,228.• $433,333 for intake ground stabiliza-tion, a geophysical assessment and up-grades to the water treatment plant inFort Smith; the NWT government willcontribute $603,333.

Under the Canada-Northwest Territo-ries MRIF Agreement, the federal andterritorial governments each committed$16 million to the fund, with an addi-tional $3.2 million announced in May2007.

Groundwater informationavailable online

A new interactive digital map of NovaScotia offers improved access to infor-mation about groundwater regions andthe boundaries of watersheds in theprovince. Other online enhancements onthe government website offer more in-formation about water wells, recent andhistorical groundwater levels, and relateddata.

The interactive groundwater mappingwebpage was developed by the Depart-ment of Environment in collaborationwith the Department of Natural Re-sources. Another online digital mapshows the province's six major ground-water regions. The Nova Scotia WellLogs database is also new online. It con-tains information about nearly 107,000drinking-water wells constructed in NovaScotia between 1940 and January 2008.

The webpage for the Nova ScotiaGroundwater Observation Well Networkhas been updated. This monitoring net-work has been used to check ground-water levels in the province's aquiferssince 1965. Water levels in 24 observa-tion wells are automatically measuredevery hour and the wells are periodicallysampled to test groundwater chemistry.

The province's website also holds arecently-added collection of 29 annual




NEWS

1-800-265-9662

www.rjburnside.com

tel 416 497 8600 www.rvanderson.com

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engineering managementoperations

King City, OntarioCANADA

tel: +1.905.833.6738

fax: [email protected]

Consulting Engineer

Environmental Engineering Services

Peter J. Laughton, P. Eng.

reports on Nova Scotia's groundwater.Improved availability of groundwater in-formation online should help meet somecommitments of the EnvironmentalGoals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.The act calls for the development of astrategy to better manage the province'swater resources. That work will be com-pleted by 2010.

Nova Scotia to upgradeseptage handling facilities

Sixteen septage lagoon operators will beawarded about $900,000 to upgrade fa-cilities by Nova Scotia's Septage Treat-ment Facility Assistance Program.Pumper truck operators and homeown-ers with septic tanks will also benefitfrom the program, because septage la-goon operators will be able to improveoperations and service without passingall costs on to homeowners.About 400,000 Nova Scotians rely on

27 facilities to handle material pumpedfrom home septic tanks. Under the assis-tance program, operators of septage han-dling facilities are eligible for assistanceof up to $50,000 for upgrades to facili-ties, or up to $100,000 for the construc-tion of replacement facilities and newtechnology to meet new guidelines.

www.gov.ns.ca

Alberta company orderedto clean up

The Alberta government has issued anEnvironmental Protection Order to Pe-tenco Resources Ltd., in response to apipeline break that resulted in a releaseof salt water to a wetland adjacent to thecompany’s lease site.During repair of Petenco’s pipeline in

March, a contractor for the company ex-cavated soil from the area and filled inthe excavation with contaminated soil.Atthe end ofApril, anAlberta Environmentinvestigator conducted a site visit andobserved the original spill site and a sec-ond unknown spill. Neither spill was re-ported toAlberta Environment, nor werethe spill sites remediated. Remedial workis required at both contaminated areas,and Alberta Environment has recom-mended that the impacted soil be exca-vated and disposed of at an appropriatewaste management facility. At comple-



NEWS

[email protected] www.tsh.ca

• Hazardous Site Clean-up & Remediation• Decommissioning and Demolition• Asbestos and Mould Abatement• Contaminated Soil Removal• On-site Water Treatment

Tel: (905) 823-7965Fax: (905) 823-7932www.pcbdisposal.com

• MECHANICAL• ELECTRICAL • STRUCTURAL• ARCHITECTURAL• ENVIRONMENTAL• CIVIL

Experience, Innovation,Diversity, Teamwork& Commitment

www.trg.ca

tion of the remediation, soil samplesmust confirm the soil is no longer con-taminated.

Under the Order, Petenco had to sub-mit a remediation plan to Alberta Envi-ronment before July 31 including aproposal for the remediation of all sub-stances both on and off-site, includingareas where substances may have mi-grated. In addition, Petenco must com-plete an assessment of the entire lengthof pipeline to ensure that there are noother unknown breaks or deformities inthe pipeline that may have caused, ormay cause, spills into the environment.

Jacques Whitfordacquires NTL

Jacques Whitford Ltd. has acquired Win-nipeg-basedNationalTesting LaboratoriesLimited (NTL), a full-service geotechni-cal engineering, materials testing and en-vironmental services firm. NTL has beenproviding services in Manitoba for morethan 85 years. With the province expect-ing steady growth in the construction in-dustry over the next few years, theirexpertise and reputation as a well-estab-lished consulting company will be greatassets to JacquesWhitford.

JacquesWhitford has focused on con-tinued growth in Western Canada, in-cluding numerous joint ventures and therecent acquisition of The Sheltair Group,a Vancouver-based firm specializing insustainability consulting.

www.jacqueswhitford.com

US proposes aircraftdrinking water regulation

Aircraft passengers and crews should beable to drink safer water under new reg-ulations proposed by the US Environ-mental ProtectionAgency. The proposedAircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR)will tailor existing health-based drinkingwater regulations to fit the unique char-acteristics of aircraft public water sys-tems.

In 2004, EPA tested aircraft drinkingwater quality and reviewed air carrier com-pliance with regulations. EPA found that15 percent of tested aircraft tested positivefor total coliform bacteria.The agency also




NEWSfound that air carriers were notmeeting ex-isting regulations, primarily because thoseregulations were designed for stationarypublic water systems. In response, EPAbegan a process to tailor the existing regu-lations for aircraft public water systemsand placed 45 air carriers under adminis-trative orders on consent that are in effectuntil aircraft drinkingwater regulations arefinal.

While the proposed rule only ad-dresses aircraft within US jurisdiction,EPA is also supporting an internationaleffort led by theWorld Health Organiza-tion to develop international guidelinesfor aircraft drinking water.www.epa.gov/airlinewater/regs.html

Green investment couldcreate two million jobs

A new report commissioned by the Cen-ter for American Progress shows that theUnited States can create two million jobsover two years by investing in a rapidgreen economic recovery program. Thereport, "Green Recovery: A Program toCreate Good Jobs and Start Building aLow-Carbon Economy," was prepared bythe Political Economy Research Instituteat the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.The $100 billion packagewould:• Create nearly four times more jobsthan spending the same amount ofmoney within the oil industry and300,000 more jobs than a similar amountof spending directed toward householdconsumption.• Create roughly triple the number of

good jobs, paying at least $16 dollars anhour, as spending the same amount ofmoney within the oil industry.• Reduce the unemployment rate to 4.4percent from 5.7 percent (calculatedwithin the framework of US labour mar-ket conditions in July 2008).• Bolster employment especially inconstruction and manufacturing. Con-struction employment has fallen from 8million to 7.2 million jobs over the pasttwo years due to the housing bubble col-lapse. The Green Recovery program can,at least, bring back these lost 800,000construction jobs.

The recovery program aims to boostprivate and public investment in six en-ergy-efficiency and renewable energystrategies: retrofitting buildings to im-prove energy efficiency; expanding masstransit and freight rail; constructing“smart” electrical grid transmission sys-tems; and increasing the production ofwind power, solar power, and next-gen-eration biofuels.

www.greenjobsnow.com

Regina company honored

Ground Effects Environmental ServicesInc. (GEE) won two major awards at the23rd Annual Canadian Advanced Tech-nology Alliance (CATA) InnovationAwards in Ottawa.

GEE’s President, Sean Frisky, re-ceived the 3M Canada Award for Excel-lence in Emerging Technology and theNorthern LightAward as the “Best of theBest”. The Regina company was recog-

nized for its latest innovation in cleaningup soil and groundwater, the EK3 Elec-trokinetic Remediation System whichuses electrokinetics, or direct electricalcurrent technology, to clean up salt andheavy metals from contaminated siteswith minimal environmental impact. Saltcontamination is a billion dollar problemin Alberta alone.

The GEE EK3 technology was devel-oped with funding support provided byfederal and provincial governmentsunder theWestern Economic PartnershipAgreement and administered through theCommunities of Tomorrow research anddevelopment partnership.

www.groundeffectsenergy.org

UWindsor teams finishone-two in engineering

design competition

Pauline Lebel, strategic projects engineerwith the Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute (farright), congratulates the members of Clover-field Engineering (seated, from left) CaseyCarriere, Charles Hartford, and Chris Thib-ert; and Bridgetech Engineering (standing,from left) Joel Toth, Joseph Dukovcic andImran Khan. Missing from photo: WilliamClements.

Two teams of civil engineering studentsfrom the University ofWindsor, Ontario,finished atop a new national design com-petition to promote the use of corrugatedsteel pipe. Cloverfield Engineering –Casey Carriere, Charles Hartford, andChris Thibert – split a $2,500 first-placeprize for their design of a bridge span tosupport four lanes of traffic with side-walks. Bridgetech Engineering –William Clements, Joseph Dukovcic,Irman Khan and Joel Toth – split the sec-ond-place award of $1,500 for their pro-posal for an arch to span a creek andprovide three lanes of highway.

The competition was created by theCorrugated Steel Pipe Institute, a Cana-dian trade association of manufacturers




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Company Page E-mail Website

ACG Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.acgtechnology.com

AECOM Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . .www.aecom.com

Aquatech Dewatering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aquatechdewatering.com

Aqueous Operational Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aqueousoperational.com

Armtec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 21 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.armtec.com

Ashtead Technology Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 . . . . . [email protected] . . .www.ashtead-technology.com

Associated Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ae.ca

BakerCorp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bakercorp.com/ineeditnow

Baycor Fibre Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.baycorfibre.com

C&M Environmental Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . .75 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cmeti.com

CALA Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.caeal.ca

Canadian Safety Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cdnsafety.com

Canadian Waste & Recycling Expo . . . . . . . . . . . .56 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cwre.ca

Cancoppas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cancoppas.com

CANECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.canect.net

CH2M HILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .www.ch2mhillcanada.com

Claessen Pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.claessenpumps.com

Contor Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.contor.com

Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cspi.ca

Degremont Technologies Infilco . . . . . . . .35, 37, 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.degremont-technologies.com

Delcan Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.delcan.com

Denso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.densona.com

DeWind Dewatering and Trenching . . . . . . . . . . . .67 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dewinddewatering.com

Earth Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.earthtech.aecom.com

Endress + Hauser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ca.endress.com

Envirogate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61, 62, 63

EPIC Educational Program Innovations Center . .78 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.epic-edu.com

Fluidyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fluidynecorp.com

Gardner Denver Engineered Products Division . .54 . . . . . [email protected] . . . .www.gardnerdenver.com

Greatario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.greatario.com

Greenspoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.greenspoon.net

Grundfos Alldos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.grundfos.ca/esea

Grundfos Alldos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.grundfos.ca/esef

H2Flow Tanks & Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.h2flow.com

Heron Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . .www.heroninstruments.com

Hoskin Scientific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hoskin.ca/ysi600

Hoskin Scientific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hoskin.ca/weather

Hoskin Scientific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hoskin.ca/waterlevel

Industrial Scientific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.indsci.com

International Water Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.iws.ca

IPEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ipexinc.com

ITT Water & Wastewater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ittwww.ca

KSB Pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .www.ksb.ca

Landia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 . . . . . [email protected]

Master Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.mastermeter.com

Maxqsoft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.maxqsoft.com

McNally Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . .www.mcnallycorp.com

Metcon Sales & Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.metconeng.com

Mueller Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.muellercanada.com

Ontario Water Operators Training Centre . . . . . . .49 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .www.owotc.com

Orival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.orival.com

Parkson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.parkson.com

PCB Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .www.pcbdisposalinc.com

Pressure Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .www.pressuresystems.com

Pro Aqua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.proaquasales.com

ProMinent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.prominent.ca

Saf-T-Flo Chemical Injection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.saftflo.com

Sanitherm, a Division of Peak Energy Services . .51 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sanitherm.com

ScanTron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . .www.scantronrobotics.com

SEW-Eurodrive Company of Canada . . . . . . . . . .77 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sew-eurodrive.ca

Siemens Water Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.siemens.com/weftec

Smith & Loveless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . .www.smithandloveless.com

Stantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.stantec.com

Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.vacuum.tuthill.com

USF Fabrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 . . . . . [email protected]

Victaulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.victaulic.com

Wachs Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wachsco.com

Walkerton Clean Water Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wcwc.ca

Waterloo Biofilter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . .www.waterloo-biofilter.com

Waterra Pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.waterra.com

WEFTEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.weftec.org

XCG Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.xcg.com

YNC Pipe Coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 . . . . . [email protected]



NEWSand material suppliers. The entries wereconducted by the students as their fourth-year capstone projects, which emphasizeteamwork.

Wilderness water increasesrisk of contracting

waterborne illnesses

A new article published in WildernessMedicinemagazine discusses the pitfallsof being exposed to water found in thewilderness. Although wilderness watermay appear to be clean and safe to drink,it is likely that ingesting it will result inillness caused by such pathogens as bac-teria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites.

This report documents the factors thatdetermine the risk of contracting a wa-terborne illness and explains that knowl-edge of the source of water exposure,length of symptoms, and incubation pe-riod for diseases will greatly assist inmaking an accurate diagnosis. A tablepresents some of the more commonpathogens and their mode of transmis-sion and symptoms.

Also presented are methods for disin-fecting water found in the wilderness,

including their advantages and disadvan-tages. For example, boiling water is themost reliable method of destroyingpathogens; however, it is inconvenientand time-consuming. In addition, chlo-rine dioxide is effective against all mi-croorganisms, but to date this method hasnot been adequately tested in the field.

The article isWildWater Everywhere,But Is It Safe to Drink (or Play in)? Bet-ter Safe Than on the Run from Water-borne Illnesses in the Wild by NancyPietroski, PharmD.

www.allenpress.com

WEF adds to InternationalPavilion Program

The Water Environment Federation(WEF) has added two new trade shows toits International Pavilion Program for2009. First announced last year, the pro-gram makes it easier for WEF membersto exhibit at major water quality showsaround the world.

As part of the Federation’s continuedeffort to increase member benefits aswell as its global presence, the programoffers pre- and onsite management and

Visit us at WEFTECBooth #33127

St. Philip's, NL0.10 MGD, 2 Tank ISAMTM

Dorchester, ON0.015 MGD, 1 Tank ISAMTM

marketing services as well as a lower riskapproach to purchasing booth space ininternational forums.

Following a successful first year atGermany’s International Trade Fair forEnvironmental Protection (IFAT) andChina’s Water Supply & Drainage andWaterTreatment Exhibition (WSDWTF),WEF is providing members with the op-portunity to exhibit at the followingshows in 2009:

WETEX –Water, Energy, Technologyand Environment Exhibition, March 10-12, 2009, Dubai International Conven-tion & Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UnitedArab Emirates (UAE). Wasser Berlin,March 30 –April 3, 2009, Messe Berlin,Berlin, Germany. China Water Show(formerly WSDWTF), April 28-30,2009, INTEX Shanghai & ShanghaiMart, Shanghai, China.

Under the program, WEF purchasesexhibit space at all of the major interna-tional water quality shows and constructsa 2,500 square foot pavilion with boothspace set below the minimum requiredby the international shows.

Contact: [email protected]


*Conditions apply; complete details available.

Sometimes all it takes is a little thing to start a revolution. Presenting the Flexrakestorm and wastewater screen from Duperon Corporation. Perfect for stormwater, intake protection or wastewater applications, the Flexrake is available in coarse orfine screens, doesn’t require routine maintenance and its motor and bearings onlyrequire semi-annual maintenance. And because it has no bottom shaft, bearings orchain guides the need for underwater maintenance is eliminated altogether. Plusthere’s no jamming or stalling regardless of debris size. With all these features andmore than 400 installations worldwide, it’s no wonder that the Flexrake comes witha 5-year limited warranty.* For complete details on how this landmark innovationcan help you, contact ACG Technology Limited.

SIMPLY INCREDIBLE. YET INCREDIBLY SIMPLE.

FLEXRAKE® SELF-CLEANING BAR AND FINE SCREEN

water solutions: pure and simple

131 Whitmore Road, Unit 13 Vaughan ON L4L 6E4t. 905.856.1414 f. 905.856.6401 [email protected] www.acgtechnology.com

Water EnvironmentAssociation of

Ontario Ontario Pollution Control Equipment Association


Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine September 2008

Documents

Transcript of Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine September 2008