Development of subsurface wastewater treatment systems for municipal wastewater management in northern Canada

北部社区市政基础设施的建设和运营面临许多挑战，包括气候、偏远和能力。地下废水处理系统，在一些北美管辖区被称为快速渗透池或土壤含水层处理系统，可能是小型、偏远、北方社区的有效废水管理替代方案。一些社区已经使用地下污水处理的形式在北卡罗来纳州，但性能和环境风险的做法在北方环境还没有得到研究。该项目将产生北方具体的指导方针，为选址和设计地下废水处理系统在加拿大北部，并涉及一个强大的伙伴关系之间的达尔豪西大学和关键的政府机构负责监管和实施市政废水处理系统在西北地区。这项研究将涉及使用地下废水处理系统对北方社区的永久冻土动态、地下水流和污染物迁移进行详细的实地调查。这些信息将用于校准和验证新的数值模型，这些模型能够模拟这些类型的系统在各种环境条件下的性能，包括不断变化的气候。这项研究项目有可能产生新的废水管理解决方案，这将有助于保护北方和土著居民的健康和他们生活的环境。

There are numerous challenges with respect to the construction and operation of municipal infrastructure innorthern communities, including climate, remoteness, and capacity. Subsurface wastewater treatment systems,termed Rapid Infiltration Basins (RIBs) or Soil Aquifer Treatment (SATs) systems in several North Americanjurisdictions, could be an effective wastewater management alternative for small, remote, northerncommunities. Several communities already use a form of subsurface wastewater treatment in the CanadianNorth, but the performance and environmental risks associated with the practice in northern environments havenot been studied. This project will generate northern specific guidelines for both siting and designingsubsurface wastewater treatment systems in the Canadian North, and involves a strong partnership betweenDalhousie University and the key government agencies responsible for both the regulation and implementationof municipal wastewater treatment systems in the Northwest Territories. The research will involve detailedfield investigations of permafrost dynamics, groundwater flow and contaminant transport in northerncommunities using subsurface wastewater treatment systems. This information will be used to calibrate andvalidate new numerical models capable of simulating the performance of these types of systems under a varietyof environmental conditions, including a changing climate. This research project has the potential to generatenew wastewater management solutions that will help protect the health of northern and indigenous Canadiansand the environments they live in.