[Re]Engineering water treatment systems for small communities

许多社区，特别是小型、偏远和原住民社区，由于资金和技术限制，无法提供有效的水处理。对于这些社区来说，水处理系统的人均成本，特别是运营成本，可能是城市中心成本的10倍以上[2]。即使有足够的资本，最大的挑战通常是这些社区无法获得具有有效操作传统水处理系统所需技能的技术人员。这种能力的缺乏转化为加拿大各地的小社区在任何时候都有1000多个开水供应站。第一民族受到的影响尤其严重，有170多个社区使用沸水供水系统，其中许多已经存在了10多年[3]。联邦政府已承诺在未来几年提供20多亿美元的额外资金，以解决仅第一民族社区的水质挑战。虽然这将有助于缓解第一民族社区的财政困难，但它不会解决其他小/偏远社区面临的挑战，也不会解决与需要和获得（和留住）具有先进技能的操作员有关的挑战。需要有效、廉价、最重要的是操作简单（即不需要高度熟练的操作员）的新技术来解决小型/偏远社区的水处理挑战。拟议的发现计划（计划）侧重于开发两种新技术，这些技术在满足许多小型/偏远社区的需求方面具有巨大潜力：生物离子交换（BIEX）和被动膜（PMs）。这些技术特别有前途，因为它们有效、简单（只需最低限度的技能或注意力即可操作），并且可以在很短的时间轴内大幅改变水处理实践（预计这些技术将在计划时间轴结束时或之后不久准备好商业化）。该计划的主要成果将是：1）小型和偏远社区可以采用的简单技术，为其居民提供高质量的水; 2）HQP拥有必要的技能，以应对加拿大和国际上未来几十年的水质和处理挑战。

Many communities, especially small, remote and First Nation communities, cannot provide effective water treatment because of financial and technical constraints. For these communities, the costs per capita for water treatment systems, and in particular the operating costs, can be greater than 10 times the costs in urban centres [2]. Even when sufficient capital is available, the greatest challenge is generally that these communities do not have access to technical personnel with the skills necessary to effectively operate conventional water treatment systems. This lack of capacity translates into more than 1000 boil water advisories in small communities across Canada at any time. First Nations are particularly impacted, with over 170 communities on boil water advisories, many of which have been in place for more than 10 years [3]. The Federal Government has pledged over $2 billion in additional funds over the coming years to address water quality challenges in First Nation communities alone. Although this will help alleviate financial constraints in First Nation communities, it will not address the challenges faced by other small/remote communities, or the challenges associated with the need for and the availability (and retention) of operators with advanced skills. Novel technologies that are effective, inexpensive, and most importantly, simple to operate (i.e. do not require highly skilled operators) are needed to address water treatment challenges in small/remote communities.***The proposed Discovery Program (Program) focuses on the development of two novel technologies that have demonstrated substantial potential at addressing the needs of many small/remote communities: Biological Ion Exchange (BIEX) and Passive Membranes (PMs). These technologies are particularly promising as these are effective, simple (only minimal skill or attention to operate) and could substantially change water treatment practices within a short timeline (technologies are expected to be ready for commercialization by the end of the Program timeline, or soon thereafter).***The main outcomes from the Program will be: 1) simple technologies that can be adopted by small and remote communities to provide high quality water to its residents; and 2) HQP with the skills necessary to address water quality and treatment challenges in Canada and internationally over the decades to come.