Passive membrane filtration: addressing drinking water quality challenges in small, rural and/or marginalized communities

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In Canada, over 70% of First Nations communities' drinking water systems are at risk of contamination. Of the communities with high-risk systems, hundreds are under boil water advisories to this day. Although the ~$2.7 billion pledged by the Federal Government to end these advisories will help address financial challenges, the funding will not completely address technical challenges - First Nations communities simply do not have the technical personnel required to operate conventional (i.e. complex) water treatment systems. Passive Membrane Filtration was developed by UBC researchers over the past 5 years specifically for use in small, remote and/or marginalized First Nation communities that face drinking water quality challenges because of system complexity. Passive Membrane Filtration use gravity and naturally occurring microorganisms to generate the driving force for permeation and to clean the membrane, thereby enabling the production of high-quality water with limited system complexity. Because of the limited complexity of Passive Membrane Filtration, the Hupacasath First Nation, in partnership with UBC, Indigenous Services Canada and the First Nations Health Authority, is adopting this novel approach to provide high quality water. However, further research is immediately required implement and ensure the long-term success of Passive Membrane Filtration. The overall goal of the proposed research partnership is to address these immediate research needs and develop the operating protocols required for the successful implementation of Passive Membrane Filtration to provide high quality drinking water for the Hupacasath First Nation.