June 2007
June 27th, 2007
BCWWA is involved with knowledge sharing primarily in BC and the Yukon but also in other parts of Canada. This week I am participating in a conference entitled - Moving Forward: Wastewater Biosolids Sustainability: Technical, Managerial, and Public Synergy which is being held in Moncton, New Brunswick. In addition to serving as a presenter I am proud to represent BCWWA, one of the supporters of this important event. With support from other organizations from across Canada and the northern United States this event is a great opportunity to both teach and learn. Not all jurisdictions are managing biosolids with the same degree of knowledge or success and events such as this help to spread the knowledge and expertise needed to do it well. Since the BC Organic Matter Recycling Regulation was implemented in 2002 many municipally-run biosolids composting operations have started in this province. The City of Kelowna’s operation has been particularly successful and it is a pleasure to cite its processes and public acceptance. BCWWA was the host of this event in 2003 when it was held in Penticton and we are looking at the possibility of hosting in BC again in the future.
June 20th, 2007
Can Water be Green?
With the increasing focus on climate change and the need to ensure all of our activities meet the challenge of reduced energy consumption it is clear that some things need to be altered. BCWWA is pleased to be part of the discussions around reduced energy use for wastewater systems and looks forward to presenting, in partnership with BC Hydro, a session on that topic as part of the 2008 conference in Whistler. One of BCWWA’s commitments to our membership is to follow and share knowledge on current, timely issues and energy consumption, as it relates to everything, is certainly one of those topics.
In the meantime we are following, with great interest, the development of water and wastewater systems that, in addition to dealing with traditional purity and clean water issues, address the need to do these things in a manner that results in reduced energy consumption. For example, the Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration Plant has been developed to make use of a geothermal exchange which will reduce greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by over 300 tonnes per year as compared to a traditional heating system.
The need to be aware of the energy use impacts of the water and wastewater systems our members are working with is important. Being ‘Green’ is another challenge for all of us in the water and wastewater industry. Hopefully the water won’t be green, but we can be.
June 13th, 2007
The discharge of untreated domestic wastewater can lead to significant risks. What is sometimes overlooked is the amount of work being done to minimize these risks by the people involved in the water and wastewater industry. Facility managers and operators in these facilities work, every day, with the goal in mind of protecting human health and the environment. As well, the facilities are constantly being monitored, reviewed and modified to better address the challenges. Wastewater treatment deals with many of the concerns that are sometimes raised and activities already underway address a significant portion of other concerns. But water and wastewater are not resources that exist all by themselves. Secondary treatment, such as that which is currently being implemented in three plants that discharge into the Fraser River, will not necessarily deal with some of the concerns that often come up. For example, pharmaceuticals are not removed from the effluent by treatment. But an extended producer responsibility program that seeks to prevent these materials from entering the waste-stream at all may deal with this issue where it should – before it creates the problem at all. As Marvin Hunt, the Chair of the GVRD’s Waste Management Committee, has recently pointed out, wastewater treatment plants are conduits for, not producers of, pollutants and reducing the amount and nature of contaminants entering the wastewater system in the first place is often the best solution. BCWWA is pleased to be working with a variety of partners, both within and outside the water and wastewater industry, to help to better manage the challenges we all face.
June 6th, 2007
Flood Watch!
Most of the time the water that we rely on is just there, a non-issue, for the millions of people who live in British Columbia. But for those of us in the industry, water issues do seem to ebb and flow, from shortages at some points to flooding at others. Currently we are hearing, on an almost constant basis, of the potential for rivers to overrun their banks and homes, businesses and livestock to get very wet and in some cases we are being advised that this has already happened. Flood dangers are tied to weather and if it stays warm and record snow packs continue to melt, or if it continues to rain, we are looking at ongoing flood danger throughout the province.
Local governments are being briefed every morning via conference call about the potential risks in their areas. Early this week the expectation was that dikes in the Lower Mainland would hold back the record Fraser River water levels. In the north, the expectation is less positive, flooding is already happening in the rural northwest and it could continue for some time. We have heard from the Public Safety Minister that flooding is almost guaranteed in some areas not protected by dikes. What can we do? First, stay away from river banks. Next, and as important, check out the information provided by the Ministry of Health about managing flood situations. Some of this information is on our website, more is available on the linked MoH website.
Ensuring that the systems will handle the demands, both in low water situations and in excess water ones as well, is a challenge that we all face. Managing water systems in the province is something that members of BCWWA work on every day of the year.
