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Watermark > Summer 2001 > Features: "Doctor T." Talks Decentralization to BC's Water Quality Leaders

Features

"Doctor T." Talks Decentralization to BC's Water Quality Leaders

Colwyn Sutherland, Chair, Decentralized Waste Treatment Committee

Dr. George Tchobanoglous, Professor Emeritus of the University of California at Davis and author of industry standard wastewater engineering textbooks, delivered a strong message to BC water quality professionals at the BCWWA Annual Conference in Penticton last month. His passion for managing water resources close to the point of use was clear both in his energetic keynote address and in a lecture he delivered to a standing room only crowd in a technical session later in the day. Dr. Tchobanoglous brought timely insights to British Columbia, as the province develops new water quality legislation, local governments begin to integrate decentralized treatment in liquid waste management plans, and many regions experience severe water shortages this summer.

Colwyn Sutherland, Chair, Decentralized Waste Treatment Committee


In a keynote address to a record number of conference registrants on April 8, 2001, Dr. Tchobanoglous urged water quality professionals to "eliminate the word 'disposal' from the English language," and presented several examples of how innovation allows small, simple treatment systems to reliably yield very clean effluent. He emphatically discouraged time-honoured onsite design features such as deep, gravel-filled trenches and provided examples of newer technologies that stand to dramatically improve the performance of many types of small wastewater systems. Dr. Tchobanoglous explained how he has developed a passion for decentralized infrastructure after a career at the forefront of municipal wastewater engineering: Municipal services will never be available to everyone, and the water quality profession has a duty to provide better tools for water resource management in areas that are poorly suited to the "Big Pipe".

After lunch, Dr. Tchobanoglous opened a technical program on decentralized wastewater management with a 90-minute overview of technology developments and their potential impact on typical onsite systems of the future. He explained that advancements over the past several years, such as synthetic trickling filter media, membranes, dosing valves and powerful yet affordable control and remote monitoring technologies, could be combined to create systems that are safe, efficient and reliable. He emphasized the elegance of simplicity in design and management of decentralized wastewater infrastructure, and piqued the interest of the audience to learn more about decentralized wastewater management through subsequent talks by John Rowse of the Ministry of Health and Dr. Ken Hall of UBC.

Through the remainder of the conference, references to Dr. Tchobanoglous and his ideas appeared frequently in technical talks and conversations over coffee. While such references are a testament to his mastery of the art of educating, they also demonstrate increasing interest in decentralized treatment among water quality professionals in BC. In a province with vast tracts of relatively undisturbed land and abundant, pure water, decentralized treatment already has significant impact on our environment. Unfortunately, in most cases the impact is low-level pollution of those otherwise pure ground and surface water systems on the periphery of our urban centres.

Dr. Tchobanoglous, Mr. Rowse, Dr. Hall and most Environmental Health Officers in BC share the knowledge that continuing to rely on "traditional" onsite systems of conservative design without monitoring or maintenance will result in steady degradation of our precious water resources. Coastal areas of BC are already suffering direct economic impacts of this problem, where failing septic systems on small waterfront lots result in unacceptable fecal coliform counts for shellfish farming. In many areas, complex treatment is required for individual water systems due to coliforms in groundwater that originate from poorly performing onsite systems. The logical path from poor management of decentralized systems to environmental and economic harm, and even human health risks, is short and clearly defined.

As treatment standards for all sizes of wastewater systems are becoming more universal, large systems are becoming much more expensive to operate, and capital upgrades impose immense financial burdens on local governments. If decentralized treatment is managed effectively, it can provide a flexible alternative to increased loading or expansion of centralized infrastructure. Many of the treatment technologies that Dr. Tchobanoglous described are already in use in small systems throughout BC, and decentralized systems for one or one thousand homes can be deployed quickly to provide a high level of treatment. Sophisticated control and monitoring technology allows close observation of many systems from one or two central locations in a manner that emulates the control room of a large treatment facility.

Looking ahead, the need for improved decentralized wastewater infrastructure and the technology to provide it are coming together in BC. Small municipalities with immense wastewater challenges such as Belcarra and Anmore in the Lower Mainland, and North Saanich and Union Bay on Vancouver Island, have developed standards or bylaws to govern operation and maintenance of decentralized systems. Entire regions such as the Sunshine Coast and Greater Victoria are tackling decentralized systems in their Liquid Waste Management Plans. BC suppliers, consultants and design-build companies possess industry-leading technology capabilities. Effective decentralized infrastructure development is imminent, although a few important details remain outstanding.

The missing links for effective decentralized infrastructure are uniformly applied performance-based design standards, management and enforcement programs, skilled, certified managers and operators, and public awareness of the real cost of effective sewage treatment. Until standards that allow the construction of inexpensive "traditional" systems on marginal sites are replaced with standards that require adequate treatment, new infrastructure will not develop to support higher levels of treatment. Until provincial and local governments, in concert with the private sector, implement standards to ensure adequate performance of all decentralized systems, new infrastructure will not adequately protect health and the environment. Until we have developed a province-wide workforce of skilled, certified small system operators and infrastructure managers, adequate performance will not be sustainable. Finally, until homeowners comprehend the complete cost of wastewater management associated with their choice of residence, decentralized management infrastructure will not be adequately funded.

The missing links for decentralized infrastructure in BC must be forged cooperatively by government and private industry. Governments must continue the process of developing performance-based standards, and phase in enforceable operation and maintenance requirements for all decentralized systems over the next few years. Designers, installers, operators and inspectors of small wastewater systems must seek training and certification through programs such as those being developed by Royal Roads University and the BC Onsite Sewage Association. And industry associations such as BCWWA must continue to deliver the message to the public that managing waste costs money.

The BCWWA Decentralized Wastewater Management Committee will continue to support the development of regulation and training, while educating the public through the BCWWA website, sponsorship of community events such as the June 1 and 2, 2001 "Flushing out Possibilities" forum in Sechelt, and introducing visionaries like Dr. George Tchobanoglous to our professional community.

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