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Association News

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New Utility Quality Improvement Committee Approved By BCWWA Board

By Bob Jones, Past President

The management of quality has moved to the front of the class when it comes to assuring the quality of a product. Recent water-related tragedies in Walkerton and North Battleford provide excellent examples of the need to emphasize quality in all parts of utility operation. Existing AWWA programs such as QualServe and the International Water Treatment Alliance have been designed to help utilities to improve quality in all aspects of their business. Kelowna’s recent experience with QualServe (see Watermark Fall, 2001 issue) demonstrated the universal value of that program.

At its December meeting the BCWWA Board approved the establishment of a new Utility Quality Committee which will oversee the roll-out of AWWA quality programs in BC and the Yukon. Activities of the committee, which is chaired by Bob Jones of the GVRD, will include sponsoring seminars on quality improvement and working with regulators to include Quality Improvement Programs and Accreditation in the monitoring and performance measurement criteria for Utilities. The committee will also promote the participation of utilities in existing programs such as QualServe and the International Water Treatment Alliance, which will be sourced through BCWWA. This will set the stage for the participation of BC/Yukon utilities in the AWWA Accreditation Program for utilities which is currently being developed. Accreditation will establish uniform standards and promote industry self-regulation. Recognized independent companies will audit utilities in accordance with standards developed by AWWA and WEF. Conducting the accreditation audit process through independent partners will add credibility and authentication to a program designed to incorporate self-regulation. It will serve water and wastewater utilities and their customers, owners, and government regulators, by promoting service quality and management efficiency. For more information, contact Bob Jones at: bob.jones@gvrd. bc.ca.

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Final Report on Walkerton Tragedy Released

In view of the widespread media and press reports on the Walkerton Report, we are not reviewing the Report in this Watermark. You are encouraged to visit the Inquiry’s web site for full details: www.walkerton.com.

 

New Technical Chairs Comment on Direction for the Year 2002

Kim Stephens
Chair, Water Use Efficiency Committee

Kim Stephens has taken over from Mike Darbyshire as Chair of the Water Use Efficiency Committee (WUEC). He previously served as Chair from 1994 through 1996. An engineer-planner and Vice-President with CH2M HILL, Kim specializes in public policy and administration as it relates to urban watershed planning, and has had a leadership role in a series of Provincial initiatives related to water conservation, watershed-based storm water management, and low impact development.

Kim was a member of the Provincial Working Group that developed the British Columbia Water Conservation Strategy (1997-1998). As a member of the WUEC Executive Committee, he then helped implement the Partnership Agreement (1998-2001) on behalf of BCWWA. “WUEC believes the interim report on the Drinking Water Act reflects the increased interest in water use efficiency. Also, David Anderson and Joyce Murray at the Federal and Provincial levels, respectively, have both indicated their support. Our goal is to translate political support into a funding agreement so that BCWWA can implement the ‘Framework for the Future’ that WUEC has proposed.”

John Rowse
Chair, Decentralized Wastewater Management Committee

After two successful years under the dynamic leadership of Colwyn Sunderland the BCWWA’s Decentralized Wastewater Committee will be getting a new chair. John Rowse will be picking up where Colwyn left off. John is presently the Ministry of Health Services Land Use consultant and is responsible for guiding health policy on on-site wastewater, biosolids, biomedical waste, and solid waste issues. John has a twenty year background in both the public health and the acute care sector. Johns looking forward to the challenges of chairing the committee, “I think that it will be a challenge to keep this committee as vital a committee as it has been under Colwyn’s leadership”. John says “Colwyn was able to lead the committee on the development of wastewater treatment guidelines, begin the long job of developing web based decentralized wastewater information site and develop a very successful program for last years AGM.” Additionally, “I’m counting on the continued support of Colwyn and all the committee members to continue the work that Colwyn and the committee have started”.

With regard to the direction of the committee for 2002, John states, “ the committee is looking forward to an exciting year! We will be completing our work on our web based decentralized wastewater site and the committee will be developing another exciting program for the AGM this year in Whistler. This is an exciting committee dedicated to the development of decentralized wastewater management as a viable long term infrastructure option; I look forward to chairing this committee!” BCWWA looks forward to hearing more from this committee in the future and welcomes John to his new role as chair.

Sean Brophy
Chair, Drinking Water Committee

Sean Brophy has over 20 years experience in the water field and is the Vice-President of Dayton & Knight Ltd. Sean specializes in water supply, treatment and quality issues and is the chair of the Drinking Water Committee. After graduating with a BSc. Eng. degree in 1980, he spent a brief period with a large contracting company before “seeing the light” and entering the engineering consulting field. Sean is actively involved in the BCWWA and is particularly interested in providing public educational opportunities on water quality and treatment. He has two teenage daughters and enjoys the outdoor recreational activities available on Vancouver’s North Shore.

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BCWWA Drinking Water Quality Committee and the American Water Works Association Presented Live via Satellite at a Location Near You!

THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2002
THE BASICS OF WATERBORNE PATHOGENS

Registration and Coffee 8:00 to 9:00 am
Seminar Duration: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Cost Of Seminar: $50.00 members / $85.00* non-members + GST
GST # 128755352
(* Includes one year membership with the BCWWA)

Please contact the co-coordinator at the location nearest you to confirm your attendance. (Conference delivery at certain locations subject to sufficient participation)

If you are a water industry professional who is interested in the basics of waterborne disease and outbreaks detection, then you’ll want to plan on participating in this all-new program presented live via satellite. Whether you’re new to the field or just looking for refresher information, a panel of leading experts will enlighten you with practical solutions and guidelines on how to detect organisms in water and how to treat them. You’ll also find out how to make the best decisions for treating problem organisms and what technologies are available.

ATTEND THE TELECONFERENCE AND YOU’LL RECEIVE:

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE:

Join colleagues from across North America for this information and convenient program. Case studies and questions-and-answer sessions will also be included. Take advantage of this outstanding opportunity and register now to participate!

LEARN FROM A PANEL OF LEADING EXPERTS

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Township of Langley Examines Quality of Municipal Drinking Water

The Township of Langley is considering ways in which the quality of groundwater — the municipality’s primary source of drinking water — can be protected.

According to the Langley Times, several concerns and recommendations regarding the quality of local groundwater were highlighted in a recent report released by Golder Associates on the Township’s Water Resources Management Strategy. The current source of a large portion of the municipality’s drinking water, groundwater is also used by agriculture, aquaculture and industrial operations as well as private well owners. Among the key concerns raised in the Water Resources Management Strategy report were a general lack of knowledge about the vulnerability of aquifers, the potential for contamination from commercial, industrial and agricultural operations as well as elevated levels of nitrate due to agricultural activities.

Recommendations aimed at protecting the quality of groundwater included the creation of an action plan, the establishment of a technical working group tasked with developing a groundwater quality monitoring program and regular updates to the Township’s web site regarding the quality and level of groundwater.

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UBC Students to Receive BCWWA Bursaries

BCWWA announces that it will be awarding bursaries of $500 to Messrs. Jianpeng (Jim) Zhou, P. Eng and Ahren Britton to assist in the completion of their graduate studies.

Jim Zhou, P. Eng is in the completion stages of his Ph. D research, on Thermophilic Sludge Digestion. On leave of absence from a local Consultant, Jim was awarded a NSERC-IPS scholarship to return to UBC to do his doctorate. He is also a former member of the Editorial Board of BCWWA.

Ahren Britton did his undergraduate BASC at Waterloo, in the co-op program, and was employed initially in consulting in Ontario, before joining the UBC MASc program. He currently holds an NSERC scholarship and upon completion of his MASc thesis , he will switching over to the Ph.D, program. His research involves Phosphorus recovery, through crystalbrastien, at pilot-scale level in Penticton, BC.

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Norm Staff Fondly Remembered

The BC water and wastewater industry has lost one of our heroes. Norm Staff passed away on January 18th, 2002 after a courageous and dignified battle with cancer. All of us are extremely saddened by this news, as Norm was a friend to all. Norm managed the water system for the City of Coquitlam for most of his career. The staff who worked with Norm considered him a friend, as he always treated everyone with respect, care and understanding. Norm was an expert in his job, and made a point of passing his knowledge on to others. In addition to Norm’s regular work, he contributed a monumental amount of time and effort to the BC Water and Waste Association. Since the late ‘70’s, Norm was an extremely active member of the Operator Education Committee. The great success success of the UBC Annual Conference is a direct result of Norm’s hard work, as Norm chaired this event for 9 years. In recognition of Norm’s dedication and commitment to the water and wastewater industry, Norm received the BCWWA Personal Recognition Award in 1999. Norm also received the EOCP Vic Terry Award in 1993, recognizing his support for the Environmental Operators in British Columbia. For anyone who knew Norm, they would all say that Norm was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. His antics at the Annual Conference were always a source of entertainment. Norm’s patience, industry knowledge, and smile will be missed. Please take a moment to remember a great friend. Donations to the BC Cancer Foundation in Norm’s name would be greatly appreciated.

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BCWWA Announces “NORM STAFF” Operator’s Bursary

A special bursary in honor of Norm Staff will be offered at the UBC Operators School in May, 2002. The bursary covers registration fees and manuals. For full particulars on how to apply for the bursary, visit our web site www.bcwwa.org

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