Appropriate Water Treatment Technology for Remote and Northern Communities

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The Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act was enacted in December 2002, in response to recommendations made after unsafe drinking water in Walkerton, Ontario sickened thousands of people, resulting in seven deaths. In 2008, more than 1,700 Canadian communities were affected by boil water advisories or at high risk of waterborne disease due to inadequate water treatment technologies. The proposed project will address the lack of safe drinking water in small and remote Canadian communities, including First Nations. Though there are many effective ways to provide safe drinking water, many small communities face practical restrictions such as space, costs and system complexity. MS Filter Systems Inc (MSF, the industry partner) has a proven system for small communities consisting of ozone, roughing biofilter and slow sand filtration; limitations include the large area (footprint) required and need for chemicals and expertise. MSF wants to integrate their pre-treatment process with ultrafiltration membrane technology to decrease the footprint and operational burden. The experiments will be set up at the Ottawa water treatment plant over 24 months. The new technology will evaluate different ozone levels and the role of phototherapy under prolonged cold water temperatures. Water samples will be tested and compared to the current standard, which uses chemical coagulation. This proposal builds upon a current study establishing a method to combine ozone and filtration for a membrane system to remove dissolved organic carbon, disinfection byproducts and microbial parameters (eg: E. coli). Benefits: Humber and Carleton will strengthen their applied research agendas and collaborative partnership, enhance student learning and build the skills of future professionals. MS Filter Inc will expand their client base in small and remote Northern communities and assist with the creation of up to 50 new jobs in Ontario over the next 10 years. Small and remote Northern communities will have a more efficient option to access safe, clean drinking water. Finally, the water industry benefits by advancing the field of treatment processes and adding highly qualified personnel (HQP) in the water treatment field.