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

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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.