NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Management and Surveillance of Drinking Water Quality from the Watershed to the Citizen's Tap

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Emerging contaminants, more stringent regulations for drinking water and greater public expectations concerning tap water all contribute to the need for more information and sophisticated management and surveillance strategies. In addition, the decision-making tools for the surveillance and management of water quality require innovative and effective approaches that can be easily transferred to end-users. The renewal of this Industrial Research Chair (IRC) is a logical continuation of previous research. It will consolidate partnership-based research that addresses the urgent need for municipalities to incorporate tools to efficiently protect and manage drinking water quality. IRC objectives will be achieved through the development of a multidisciplinary research program represented by four complementary themes: 1) Impacts of source water quality variability in the context of a changing climate; 2) Occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern; 3) Revisiting residual disinfectant management in distribution systems; and 4) Assessing smart tools for water quality management and surveillance. With a robust research infrastructure including full-equipped laboratories and innovating field instruments, the emphasis will be placed on collecting, from source to tap, robust spatio-temporal information on water quality, as well as implementing pioneering management and surveillance models. In partnership with two municipalities, two industrial partners and a watershed agency, this IRC will contribute directly to the training of a dozen PhD, MSc, post-doctoral fellows and professionals, and several undergraduates over the next five-year period. Anticipated benefits include the reduction of the health risks associated with the consumption of tap water and better cost/benefit outcomes of financial investments in management, surveillance and monitoring. For industrial partners, the research results will allow them to consolidate their expertise in specific areas considered in the program, strengthen their research & development capacities and improve their competitiveness.