[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，水处理系统的人均成本，特别是运行成本，可能超过城市中心成本的10倍[2]。即使有足够的资金，最大的挑战通常是这些社区无法获得具有有效运行常规水处理系统所需技能的技术人员。这种能力的缺乏在任何时候都会转化为加拿大各地小社区的1000多个开水建议。原住民受到的影响尤其大，有170多个社区正在接受开水咨询，其中许多已经实施了10年以上[3]。联邦政府承诺在未来几年提供20多亿美元的额外资金，仅在第一民族社区就应对水质挑战。虽然这将有助于缓解原住民社区的财政困难，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)具有高级技能的运营商相关的挑战。需要有效、廉价且最重要的是操作简单的新技术(即不需要高技能的操作员)来应对小型/偏远社区的水处理挑战。*拟议的探索计划(计划)侧重于开发两种新技术，它们已显示出在满足许多小型/偏远社区的需求方面的巨大潜力：生物离子交换(BIEX)和被动膜(PM)。这些技术特别有前景，因为它们有效、简单(只需最少的操作技能或注意力)，并可能在短时间内极大地改变水处理实践(预计技术将在计划时间表结束前或之后不久准备好商业化)。*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，向其居民提供高质量的水；2)具有必要技能的HQP，在未来几十年解决加拿大和国际上的水质和处理挑战。

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.