Validating Environmental and Human Health Improvements Associated with Wastewater Treatment Upgrades in Arctic Communities

北方社区的市政供水和污水处理基础设施的建设和运营由于极端气候和社区偏远而具有挑战性。 因此，加拿大北部的大多数社区使用被动废水处理系统，如泻湖和湿地。无源系统具有较低的运营成本和维护要求，并且在极端气候下更具弹性。然而，在加拿大北部运行的被动式废水处理系统的设计准则需要在现场规模上进行改进和测试。该项目将侧重于对努纳武特贝克湖社区现有和升级的废水处理系统进行全面评估。工业合作伙伴Agnico-Eagle正在与社区合作开发新的废水处理系统。一个跨学科小组将研究与了解和尽量减少城市废水排放对加拿大北极社区水生环境和公共卫生的影响有关的关键问题。 该项目的主要成果之一将是验证在加拿大北极地区运行的被动废水处理系统的设计和规划标准。 该项目团队由环境工程、水生生态学、毒理学和环境微生物学领域的专家组成，将利用这一独特的机会，将废水系统的改善与生态和人类健康效益联系起来。共有15名HQP将接受培训，其中包括来自努纳武特北极学院环境技术方案的几名学生。

The construction and operation of municipal water and wastewater infrastructure in northern communities is challenging due to the extreme climate, and remoteness of the communities. The majority of communities in the Canadian North therefore use passive wastewater treatment systems such as lagoons and wetlands. Passive systems have lower operational costs and maintenance requirements and are more resilient in extreme climates. However, design guidelines for passive wastewater treatment systems operating in the Canadian North need to be refined and tested at the field scale. This project will focus on a holistic assessment of a current, and upgraded, wastewater treatment system in the community of Baker Lake, Nunavut. The industrial partner, Agnico-Eagle, is partnering with the community on the development of a new wastewater treatment system. An interdisciplinary team will study key questions related to understanding and minimizing the impacts of municipal wastewater effluent discharges on aquatic environments and public health in Canadian Arctic communities. One of the primary outcomes of the project will be the validation of design and planning criteria for passive wastewater treatment systems operating in the Canadian Arctic. The project team is comprised of experts in the fields of environmental engineering, aquatic ecology, toxicology and environmental microbiology, and will capitalize on this unique opportunity to link wastewater system improvements to ecological and human health benefits. A total of 15 HQP will be trained including several students from the Nunavut Arctic College's Environmental Technology Program.