Fracture - Water Canada

Transcription

september/october 2010
The Fear
Fracture
Does Canada’s
Shale Gas Potential
Pose a Threat to
Water Resources?
Connecting Water
to the Smart Grid
Pricing for
Conservation
PLUS: Is Water
a Human Right?
6
$ 00
wat e r c a n a d a . n e t
Contents
11
18
38
WATER CANADA
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2 0 1 0 FEATURES
31Meter Made
Collingwood gets smart.
By Ed Houghton
7Worth Every Penny
Conservation-oriented
water pricing.
By Kirk Stinchcombe,
Oliver M. Brandes and
Steven Renzetti
11The Fear Fracture
Canada’s new shale gas
potential is exciting developers
from all over the world.
But could its extraction
affect our water resources?
By Kerry Freek
48Slick Science
The science of oil spills and
their effect on water quality.
By Sylvie Hill and
Bruce Hollebone
EFFICIENCY
6Connecting Water to Grid
2
Uncovering hidden revenues could
turn cost centres into profit centres.
By Holly Dollinger and
Wilf Argue
28Getting IT Right
How to handle threats to
water data security.
By Andrew Lewis
43
VOLUME 10 NUMBER 5
COLUMNS
21Liquid Assets
Success strategies for companies
with new technologies.
By Usha Srinivasan
34Wasted Energy
The focus on energy efficiency
should include a review
of water waste.
By Mira Shenker
38Fine Print
Is water a human right?
By Ian Richler
51Bottle Matters
Project Water helps the homeless.
REMEDIATION
18Dirty Work
Protecting water through
soil remediation.
By Alan Walker
54To Tap and Back
Dealing with backflow and
cross connection.
By Kevin Wong
58H2Opinion
The future of water infrastructure.
By Mason White
REGIONAL FOCUS: ONTARIO
0More than Toilets and TAPs
4
Why Ontario’s proposed plan of
action makes good cents.
By Matt Binstock and
Carol Maas
DEPARTMENTS
5Editor’s Note
What we don’t know could hurt us.
By Kerry Freek
43Cause for Change
How Ottawa’s 1911 outbreak
led to a new treatment plant.
By Pauline Graf
6Letters Canada’s Premiers
sign a Water Charter.
46Business Profile
Thunder Bay’s Pumps & Systems.
52News What’s happening
in the water industry.
47Ontario News
The latest from the region.
56Events Value of Water, IWA,
WEFTEC, and more.
51
58
WATER CANADA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010
3
EDITOR’S NOTE
September/october 2010
VOLUME 10 NUMBER 5
Missed Information
Editor
Without proper data, we’re stuck
By KERRY FREEK
in a cycle of claims.
Kerry Freek
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Lee Scarlett
Just before we went to press
PUBLISHER
with this issue, I caught Chanda
Todd Latham
ART DIRECTOR & DESIGNER
Donna Endacott
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Mira Shenker
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Wilf Argue, Matt Binstock, Oliver M. Brandes,
Holly Dollinger, Pauline Graf, Sylvie Hill,
Bruce Hollebone, Ed Houghton,
Andrew Lewis, Carol Maas, Steven Renzetti,
Ian Richler, Usha Srinivasan,
Kirk Stinchcombe, Alan Walker,
Mason White, Kevin Wong
Circulation Manager
Sharlene Clarke [email protected]
ADVERTISING
Lee Scarlett [email protected]
Todd Latham [email protected]
Chris Tully [email protected]
ADVISORS
Jane Addie, John Nicholson, James Sbrolla
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ISSN 1715-670X
Proud member of:
Water Environment
Federation
Water Environment
Association of Ontario
Chavannes’ Living Downstream
documentary. The film follows Sandra
Steingraber—American ecologist,
author, and cancer survivor—as she
tours North America giving talks
about the potential links between
her cancer and carcinogens in her
immediate environment.
The screening was unexpectedly
timely—it happened on the same
day that researchers Erin Kelly
and David Schindler released a
report linking Alberta’s oil sands
operations to toxins found in the
Athabasca River. Just two weeks
prior, the National Liberal Water
Caucus released its own report on
water and the oil sands.
Caucus chair and MP for LacSaint-Louis, Point Claire, Francis
Scarpaleggia, told me that current
industry monitoring of the oil
sands region is inadequate. “The
government has diluted and
devolved its responsibilities—the
Alberta government, the federal
government, and industry have dug
in their heels to propagate the idea
that the toxins in the Athabasca are
naturally caused,” he said.
Alberta’s environment minister
has in fact said that some toxins
are naturally occurring in bitumenrich soil. If that’s the case, the claim
further supports the need for the
better documentation and data for
which Scarpaleggia is campaigning.
“We want to rebuild federal water
science capacity,” he said.
Steingraber’s story also supports
the need for long-term, thorough
data. When she began to suspect
her cancer was linked to her
environment, she researched
her area’s history. Her childhood
home in small-town Illinois was
surrounded by industry, and her
neighbours’ health issues pointed to
a cancer cluster. They campaigned
for an investigation but received
little attention.
While she can’t prove that
her cancer formed as a result of
her surroundings, Steingraber’s
message remains strong and
simple, conjuring a Silent Springera Rachel Carson. “People have
the right to know what’s going on
in their environment,” she says in
the film.
In this issue, we look at the recent
activity around the Utica Shale in the
St. Lawrence Lowlands. The region
has great potential to produce shale
gas, but some groups are concerned
that the hydraulic fracturing method
used to extract the gas from the
ground could harm water resources
(see “The Fear Fracture,” page 11).
These groups have linked fracturing
to contaminated wells, flaming
taps and other environmental and
health-related side effects, but the
actual causes are questionable.
Some scientists and engineers
believe that the 60-year-old practice
is perfectly safe, as long as it’s
conducted with due diligence.
The same has been said about oil
sands mining and other industrial
operations. Without proper research,
neither group—the proponents nor
the protesters—has a leg to stand
on. The more data researchers
can collect, the more informed
all parties will be about potential
environmental and health risks, and
the better armed we will be to take
measures to mitigate those risks.
We should be honest about the
risks so we can start taking steps to
neutralize them—the water industry
is full of entrepreneurs with
innovative technologies to address
contamination, but they need to
know what they’re up against. WC
Contact [email protected]
WATER CANADA
5
feature contributors
alan walker
Alan Walker is a senior project
manager with SNC-Lavalin
Environment in Burnaby,
British Columbia.
letters
An Endorsement for the Future
pg 18
usha Srinivasan
Usha is director of market
intelligence at MaRS
Discovery District.
pg 21
Matt binstock
Matt is a policy researcher
at the Canadian Institute
for Environmental Law.
pg 40
carol maas
Carol is the innovation and
technology director at
the POLIS Water
Sustainability Project.
pg 40
pauline graf
Pauline is with
CH2M HILL.
pg 43
IN THIS ISSUE
A.D Latornell 17th Annual
Conservation Symposium 46
ION Exchange 39
A.D Latornell 17th Annual
Conservation Symposium 55
Kaeser Compressors Canada 19
AC Plastiques Canada Inc. 17
Acuro Inc. 21
ITT Water & Wastewater 4
KSB Pumps Inc. 35
Maxxam Analytics 53
MMM Group 21
Advance Chemicals Ltd. 41
Myron L Company 50
AGAT Laboratories 30
Nimbus Water Systems 59
Aquatic Informatics 29
Calgon Carbon Corporation 15
Canadian Water Network 17
Ontario Public Works
Association 47
PETWA (WaterGroup
Companies Inc.) 41
Canadian Water
Quality Association 47
RÉSEAU environnement –
Americana 2011 51
Canadian Water
Quality Association 54
StormTrap 42, 43
CEDA Environmental
Fluid Solutions 36
Sustainable Technology
Development Canada 45
CIPHEX West —
Canadian Institute of
Plumbing & Heating 25
The Water Clinic 31
CH2M HILL 8
EcoWater Canada 24
VIQUA – A Trojan
Technologies Company 2
FER-PAL Construction Ltd. 35
Water Canada – Water’s Next 51
GHD 10
George Brown College 23
Water Canada – 2011 Annual
Buyer’s Guide 36
H2O Innovation 45
Watts Industries Canada Inc. 49
Hoskin Scientific Limited 33
XCG Environmental Engineers
and Scientists 52
University of Toronto –
Centre for Environment 19
Waterite Technologies, Inc. 39
Global Water Intelligence –
American Water Summit 2010 57 Waterite Technologies, Inc. 60
Hydrotech (WaterGroup
Companies Inc.) 37
ZCL Composites Inc. 27
Coming in november/december:
How will the farms of the
future use water wisely?
Call 416.444.5842, ext. 114
to be part of the next issue.
The deadline is October 6, 2010.
about the cover
Credit: Aqua-Pure Ventures
The Canadian shale gas
opportunity is rapidly
developing, but some groups
are concerned about the
water-intensive methods
used to extract gas from
brittle shale formations.
Will our natural resources
suffer from the rush to produce?
6
WATER CANADA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2 010
Water moves us and powers us.
these common issues. The Charter
It nourishes our bodies and our is also a roadmap for the provincial
spirits. Water is our playground and a water ministers in our work, and a
powerhouse of economic opportunity. challenge to all Canadians, businesses
It makes life on earth possible.
and governments to do what they
But we use too much water in this can to protect water quality and be
country and we use it inefficiently.
smarter about how much we use and
Canada is ranked 29 out of 30 how we use it.
countries for per capita
water consumption by the
On August 6, 2010, all of Canada’s
Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development
Premiers endorsed the Council of
(OECD). Statistics from the
the Federation Water Charter.
OECD show the average
Canadian uses 1,420 cubic
metres of water per year. That is
We can use water more efficiently
equivalent to leaving your kitchen tap through a balanced mix of voluntary
flowing for nearly three months, and actions, incentives and mandatory
is twice the amount used throughout measures that change the behaviour of
the European Union and quadruple individual Canadians, municipalities,
the amount used in countries such as industries and businesses.
Sweden and Denmark.
We can also encourage the
We can do much better.
development of new water technologies
That’s why on August 6, 2010, all and services, which amounts to a
of Canada’s Premiers endorsed the $400-billion global market. On this
Council of the Federation Water front, the Premiers have renewed a
Charter, which recognizes the commitment to share and support the
collective obligation of Canadians and research, development and adoption
their governments to be responsible of innovative technologies identified
water stewards.
by leading Canadian researchers to
With a growing population advance water conservation and quality.
and our changing climate already
British Columbians can begin
impacting water resources, it’s a timely to meet this challenge through the
collaboration. In the past year, we Province’s Living Water Smart plan.
have seen parts of the country faced The plan includes a commitment to
with the challenge of too much water science and information, modernizing
and high flood risks. Other parts have water laws to ensure adequate
experienced drought conditions that stream flows, ecosystem health, more
have negatively affected drinking water community involvement, protection
supply, fish habitat and industry usage. of groundwater and drinking water
While conditions vary across the sources, strengthening flood protection,
country, we have the same basic stronger efficiency targets and working
needs and opportunities. A high with all sectors to reduce consumption.
level of water quality is essential for
I know there is good work happening
sustaining both healthy communities in other jurisdictions, and now the
and healthy ecosystems. A safe water challenge is for all of my fellow
supply is critical for every community ministers to work together to make the
and provides for the health and Water Charter come alive. WC
welfare of its residents. Ensuring
water quality in rural and remote
Barry Penner is
areas is also critically important.
British Columbia’s
Through the Water Charter, the
Environment Minister.
Premiers have agreed to take timely
measures and work together on
Worth
Every Penny
Conservation-oriented water pricing.
Kirk Stinchcombe,
Oliver M. Brandes and
Steven Renzetti
By
Canadians pay remarkably little
for the water supplied to our homes and
businesses compared to other developed
countries (see figure 1). It’s no coincidence
that we are also among the highest per
capita consumers of water in the world.
The environmental consequences
of water overconsumption are by now
well established. They range from
greenhouse gas emissions associated
with unnecessary water heating and
pumping, to impacts on natural habitat
from premature or over-construction of
dams or treatment plants, to impacts on
receiving aquatic environments when
disposing excess wastewater.
In recent years Canadian communities
and water service providers have
responded by implementing a range of
demand management measures, from
product rebates for toilets to education
programs for school children and families.
What may surprise some people is the
related finding that Canadian municipal
water service providers typically do not
collect enough revenue through water
bills to cover basic operational costs.
In fact, Statistics Canada (2008) figures
show that in 2007, expenditures by water
service providers were, on average, 30 per
cent higher than the revenues collected
from water bills. As a result, system
reliability and infrastructure in many
towns and cities are deteriorating. This
means municipalities have to depend on
frequent injections of subsidy funding
from federal and provincial governments
just to keep systems operating
adequately. The alternative is to let the
pipes, treatment plants and other capital
assets decay—increasing the so-called
infrastructure deficit (Renzetti, 2009).
Figure 1: International comparison of municipal water prices.
Source: Based on OECD (2010)
WATER CANADA
7
An
obvious
response,
both
environmentally and economically, is to
begin charging households and businesses
for the real costs of water services.
What is conservation-oriented
water pricing?
Conservation-oriented water pricing
is a rate structure adopted by water
service providers where costs are fully
recovered. Individual customers are
metered and pay for the volume they
use, and the price charged is sufficient
to influence customer decisions to make
better choices. This includes behavioural
choices to consume less water and
choices to purchase water-efficient
fixtures and appliances more often. Most
people and organizations will change
their behaviours simply because they
recognize that conservation will lead to
financial savings.
By collecting the same or more
revenue while supplying less water, as a
general rule the financial performance
of water service providers will improve.
8
WATER CANADA
Revenue generated by conservationbasic things like drinking and personal
oriented pricing can be reinvested in
hygiene. Rather, it is the luxury use for
the water supply system to repair aging
things like excessive outdoor irrigation,
infrastructure, develop and enhance
car washing or swimming pools that we
conservation programs, and protect
want to target.
water sources.
Another benefit of
Why should users who waste water
improved water pricing
and place excess demand on the
is that it can encourage
innovation and diffusion
system pay about the same as those
of technology. Faced
with more appropriate
who do their best to conserve?
prices, consumers will
have incentive to invest their scarce
How do we get there?
dollars in products and services like
A key initial step for any water service
low-flow toilets or the most efficient
provider wanting to improve its pricing
washing machine. Responding to this
structure is to get metered (see “Meter
signal, inventors, engineers and investors
Made,” page 31). Metering of individual
will further improve water using
customer connections is a prerequisite
technologies.
for volume-based pricing. It’s also
It’s also a question of fairness. Why
a beneficial general management
should users who waste water and place
practice that allows providers to better
excess demand on the system pay about
account for water use and measure
the same as those who do their best to
performance. As of 2006 (the most
conserve? As discussed below, the goal is
recent year for which data are available),
not to overprice the water that we use for
only 63.1 per cent of customers living
in single-family dwellings in Canada
were metered (Environment Canada,
2009). In other words, over one-third
of Canadian homes still do not have
a water meter. This is puzzling when
one considers that universal metering
is commonplace and expected in other
utility sectors, such as electricity or
natural gas. In these sectors, we would
be very surprised indeed if usage were
not metered. The extent of metering
is also highly variable from province
to province, with a few jurisdictions
clearly bringing up the rear (see figure 2).
Once the metering hurdle is
surmounted, most water service
providers will also need to look at
improving their financial accounting
and billing systems. The objective
of conservation-oriented pricing is
to recover the full costs of providing
services,
including
operations
and maintenance, administration,
overhead, reserves, costs of complying
with regulations, financial costs
(depreciation, debt servicing, et
cetera) and capital costs. Beyond these
obvious items, full cost accounting
should ideally also cover soft costs,
including environmental externalities—
Figure 2: Percent of Canadian resident customers that are metered.
Source: Based on Environment Canada (2009)
for example, the costs of aquatic habitat
restoration or source water protection.
Senior governments can play a
crucial role here by providing guidelines
and best practices manuals on things
like accounting practices. They can
also provide advice on matters such
as asset management and water use
accounting. Most importantly, they
can create conducive and supportive
regulatory environments. Existing
legislation can sometimes create
barriers to change by limiting how costs
can be recovered, which may constrain
progressive municipal governments from
implementing improvements.
Overcoming the challenges
The path to pricing reform is not
necessarily a smooth one. Water service
providers will almost certainly face a
number of challenges, not the least of
which is the potential impact on revenue
stability. When reliance on volume-based
pricing increases, revenue will almost
certainly fluctuate. Customers use more
water when it is hot and dry, less when
it is raining, and much less if faced with
watering restrictions during a drought.
As a result, some water managers and
elected officials believe that increasing
per unit costs will create unacceptable side of operations. Through this path,
revenue variability.
many utilities around North America
Fortunately, there are many options to have successfully implemented pricing
minimize impacts on revenue and avoid improvements without financial ruin.
budget shortfalls. First and foremost,
Another frequently voiced concern is
careful planning goes a long way. that price increases might disadvantage
Organizations need to ensure that they low-income families by asking them to
cautiously and conservatively forecast the spend a disproportionate amount of
impact that price change and other water their earnings on water bills. Options
use efficiency measures and trends will are available to avoid this imbalance.
have on future consumption. Other tools For example, service providers can
include use of “rolling average” pricing, provide those in need with a “lifeline
where the price is
set for a number of
There are certainly technical challenges,
years and designed to
conservatively account
but the greatest barrier to pricing
for projected shortimprovements is political.
term
fluctuations
in demand. Service
providers can then establish reserve block” at low cost or no cost, or
funds that can be tapped during lower subsidize part of the basic connection
demand years when there may be a charge, equivalent to enough water to
shortfall. They can also link a healthy meet a family’s basic requirements.
part of the bill to a fixed component Incentive programs like rebates for
(a “connection charge”) that does efficient toilets can also be targeted at
not change with the volume of water disadvantaged groups. It’s also worth
consumed. Understanding their local noting that, depending on the extent of
situation and using these kinds of rate changes, like all users, some lowmechanisms allows water managers to income people may actually experience
implement pricing reform over time and a decrease in their bills because they
with minimal disruption to the business will have more control over their costs.
WATER CANADA
9
Political barriers
There are certainly technical challenges,
but the greatest barrier to pricing
improvements is political. Many
politicians and senior managers worry,
with very good reason, that they will be
criticized by their communities for trying
to change water prices—especially by
those whose rates may increase. When
water rates go up, some residents will
view it as nothing more than a tax grab.
Others may feel that their past efforts to
save water are being punished by a price
increase, arguing that greater efficiency
results in lower revenue for the water
service provider, which will then simply
raise rates to make up the shortfall.
Tackling the political problem takes
courage, leadership and planning. There
is no substitute for building community
support through an effective consultation
and public education campaign. No
reforms, no matter how beneficial, will
be well received unless they are clearly
understood. Most municipalities will
want to take a cautious and gradual
approach to implementing pricing
improvements, sometimes over a
number of years. This allows time
to ensure that potentially negative
impacts are mitigated and helps build
community consensus.
Another helpful approach is to
highlight successes already happening
around North America. A number of
water utilities in the United States
have used robust conservationoriented pricing approaches for many
years, including in Seattle and San
Antonio. In Canada, a number of cities,
including Toronto, Guelph and Halifax
have started down the road of price
restructuring with good success. Others
can learn from their experiences.
The best water conservation programs
will use a variety of tools, of which
pricing is only one. But improving our
current approach makes sound sense
from both economic and environmental
perspectives. The objective is simply to
cover the costs of supplying water and
maintaining assets over the long term.
This is also one of the most powerful
instruments available to impact shortterm water demand, thereby improving
environmental performance. WC
Kirk Stinchcombe is principal
of Econnics, a Victoria-based
consulting firm that specializes
in water use efficiency.
Oliver M. Brandes is the
associate director and leader
of the POLIS Water
Sustainability Project.
Steven Renzetti is a professor
at Brock University and
one of Canada’s leading
water economists.
This article is based on a new University of
Victoria report intended to stimulate a national
dialogue on conservation-oriented pricing
as part of a sustainable approach to water
management. Developed by the POLIS Water
Sustainability Project, Worth Every Penny –
A Primer on Conservation-Oriented Water
Pricing, introduces water pricing options for
water managers, policy makers and municipal
leaders across Canada. Visit polisproject.org
10
WATER CANADA
Set-up for
a shale gas
fracture job
in Texas.
The Fear Fracture
Canada’s new shale gas potential is exciting developers from all over the world.
But could its extraction from the ground affect our water resources?
“There’s a significant amount of
uncertainty when it comes to the future
of Canada’s—and North America’s—energy
mix,” says Mike Johnson, a market analyst
at Canada’s National Energy Board.
He’s right. While fossil fuel resources
grow scarce, adoption of “green” energy
alternatives, such as hydroelectric, solar,
and wind power, is not happening quickly
enough to meet demand.
While we busily diversify the energy mix,
natural gas looks like it could fill the gap. A
lower carbon fuel, it’s easily transportable,
it burns cleaner than coal or oil—and it
appears Canada’s got lots of it.
According to a May 2010 report from
the Canadian Society for Unconventional
Gas, we’re sitting on nearly 4,000 trillion
cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas, including
unconventional natural gas like shale
gas, which accounts for 1,111 tcf (of
which 128-343 tcf is marketable). With
resources identified in Western Canada,
Quebec, the Maritimes and a very small
By
Kerry Freek
area in southern Ontario (less than one a small field of shallow shale gas in the
tcf), shale gas is seen as a potential game Wildmere region of east central Alberta.
changer in the energy market.
For over 60 years, oil and gas
“Some policy makers have discussed the companies have used a method called
possibility of using natural gas as a bridge hydraulic fracturing (also known as
fuel while North America moves towards fracking) to extract petroleum resources
less carbon-intensive forms of energy,” from more than a million wells around
says Johnson. “If
this happens, or if
“We have to get approval of what
demand rises for
we take, how we’re treating the
another
reason,
Canadian shale gas
water, how we’re disposing of it. It’s
could help meet new
energy needs.”
very regulated, and so it should be.”
Tightly trapped
in shale formations,
—Hope Henderson
this fuel source has
been largely untapped. In the past, it has the world. When a solution of water,
been less expensive to find natural gas sand and chemicals is injected under
elsewhere. Extensive exploration work is high pressure into a well, the pressure
being conducted to quantify the resource fractures the shale and props open
potential, but so far sustained production fissures that enable natural gas to flow
is only occurring from the Horn River more freely out of the well, broadening
Basin in northeast British Columbia and the prospects for extensive shale play.
WATER CANADA
11
Aqua-Pure’s mechanical
vapour recompression
evaporator in operation.
Fracking issues
The Marcellus Shale, a unit of marine
sedimentary rock in the United States,
which extends through Pennsylvania,
Ohio, New York and West Virginia, is
estimated to contain between 168 to 516
tcf of natural gas—enough to power the
entire country for about two years. This
area presents an incredible opportunity
for eager developers, but some people
are worried that fracturing may cause
any number of problems, including the
threats posed to air and water quality.
Reports of methane causing flaming taps
and bubbling wells are making headlines.
Concerns are rising in Canada, too.
Just behind British Columbia’s Horn
River Basin, one of the country’s hottest
regions for shale gas exploration, is
Quebec’s Utica Shale. In a press release
this past August, the Quebec Federation
of Municipalities (FQM) voiced concerns
over industry regulation. While the
FQM acknowledged the “undeniable
economic potential of this new type of
operation for many regions of Quebec,”
but it expressed concerns about the
lack of clear and objective information
12
WATER CANADA
regarding environmental impacts and
public safety.
Among the numerous concerns
surrounding hydraulic fracturing, water
protection is among the most discussed.
Supply
to Binnion, it takes an estimated 20,000
cubic metres of water to fracture a well—
wells can be fractured up to 18 times.
Estimates vary depending on the well,
but most wells can last 15-20 years before
they’re plugged with cement and retired.
In its Lowlands project, Questerre will
use water from various sources, namely
the rivers and streams that feed into the
St. Lawrence River. Binnion is quick to
Calgary-based
Questerre
Energy
Corporation is one of the many players
in Canada exploring natural gas deposits
in shale. The company is
currently concentrating on
“The myth that hydraulic
establishing the commercial
viability of its Utica shale
fracturing is causing
gas discovery in Quebec’s St.
Lawrence Lowlands, where
groundwater contamination
it estimates there is probably
is a joke.”—Michael Binnion
25-50 tcf of recoverable gas.
The company hopes to launch
a demonstration project near Quebec point out that the company’s operations
City next June. “We want to show that lie at a point just before the St. Lawrence
we can drill a pad of wells without turns brackish. “There are virtually no
major problems,” says Michael Binnion, downstream users from us,” he says.
Maintaining stable water resources,
Questerre’s CEO. “We also want to show
that we can safely produce gas in Quebec especially as the climate changes—
this summer the St. Lawrence River
for sale and consumption in Quebec.”
Before it can drill, the company needs saw some of its lowest levels yet—is of
to ascertain water sources. According great importance to environmental and
industrial stakeholders alike. According
to Natural Resources Canada, the energy
industry withdrew 63 per cent of all
surface water used in Canada in 1996.
To ease the burden on water sources,
many companies have instituted water
reuse practices (see section on treatment,
page 14). Of the 20,000 cubic metres used
for one frack, about 30-50 per cent of
that water returns as flowback, which
can be recycled for use in the next well,
says Binnion. In theory, this means the
company can take less water from the
original source.
Additionally, industrial water use is
regulated at the provincial level, and
most provincial strategies have rules for
protecting natural resources. “Without
strong regulation, you may get companies
with inconsistent use,” says Hope
Henderson, Talisman Energy’s manager
of government and industry relations.
In British Columba, the province’s Oil
and Gas Commission (OGC) regulates
all aspects of the water used in oil and
gas activities, from both surface and
subsurface sources. According to an
OGC report released in August, the
scope of authority for surface water is
contained under the Water Act, Sections
8, 9, and 26. Operators must report water
withdrawals, injections, or disposals into
associated wells on a monthly basis.
The Commission can suspend Section
8 approvals when water levels in rivers
and streams become too low due to
extended summer heat, low snowfall
the previous winter or a combination
of both; standard approval conditions
address the prevention of water removal
during low flow conditions.
In Quebec, the oil and gas industry
is subject to withdrawal regulations laid
out in Bill 27, an Act that affirms the
collective nature of water resources and
provides for increased water resource
protection, implemented as part of
Quebec’s compliance in the Great Lakes–
St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable
Water Resources Agreement. If the
Minister of Sustainable Development,
Environment and Parks is of the opinion
that the water withdrawal presents a
serious risk for public health or aquatic
ecosystems, the Minister has the power
to order the cessation or limitation of the
water withdrawal.
Additionally, says Henderson, the
industry is audited. “We have to get
approval of what we take, how we’re
treating the water, how we’re disposing of
it. It’s very regulated, and so it should be.”
Binnion acknowledges that the St.
Lawrence River and the Great Lakes
have been experiencing lower levels,
but remains confident that shale gas
development will still use less water than
other industrial sectors. “The volume of
water used to develop a 400-well program
in Quebec is approximately 3,331,200
cubic metres,” he says. “In the same oneyear period, the Quebec pulp and paper
industry uses approximately six million
cubic metres, while in Quebec City
alone, water leakage is approximately 20
million cubic metres—we’d use less than
20 per cent of the water that is lost by
the City.” (For more stats, see “Measuring
Up,” page 17).
Contamination
Another major issue, shared by many
groups (in addition to the FQM) is the
possibility of groundwater contamination.
Changing conditions
Many groups are worried that
fracking may create pathways for fluid
migration that weren’t as hydraulically
active as before, allowing natural gas
to migrate and potentially contaminate
fresh water. But Maurice Dusseault, a
professor of engineering geology at the
University of Waterloo, believes these
pathways aren’t big enough to allow
contamination.
“The hydraulic fracture operation
creates volume by generating fractures
and
opening
existing
fractures
underground in a region around
the injection point,” he says. “These
fracturing operations are not large
enough in volume to breach to the
surface or to shallow groundwater. They
are carefully designed operations, and
many of them are also monitored during
the injection period.”
When the high pressure fracturing
injection phase ceases, says Dusseault,
the drop in pressure results in a partial
relaxation or closure of the aperture,
leaving an open aperture that is filled
with the fracturing fluid. Some of this
water may be absorbed by the shale—it
Casing Safety
Last
April,
Houston-based
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was ordered
to cap three wells with defective
casings in Dimock Township,
located in northeast Pennsylvania,
part of the Marcellus Shale region.
The company was accused of
drilling that led to gas migrating
from drill sites and causing water
contamination in the township.
One citizen claimed that the
amount of methane in her well
caused her water to bubble like
Alka-Seltzer.
In addition to capping the wells,
Cabot was ordered to stop drilling
in Dimock Township for one
year, remove the methane from
groundwater near the affected
homes, and pay a US$240,000 fine.
Gas wells are typically drilled
in two major stages. The first
involves drilling a larger hole to
accommodate surface casing—
the steel pipe that isolates the
well from aquifers. Underground
mapping allows engineers to
determine the deepest possible
aquifer, and the hole is drilled a
few hundred feet below it. The
steel pipe is inserted, and cement
is pumped under pressure to fill
the gap between the casing and the
hole’s walls. Testing ensures that
the cement, once dry, maintains
its integrity.
In the second stage, the main
well bore—intended to penetrate
the formation holding the gas—
is drilled. Another length of
production casing is placed in the
hole, spanning the length of the well
bore. Cement seals and secures the
area between the two casings.
Currently, the state of Pennsylvania
is undergoing changes to regulation
surrounding shale drilling and the
protection of aquifers. The adoption
of the new regulations is scheduled
for October. WC
WATER CANADA
13
Credit: Aqua Pure Ventures
Fracturing solution
before being treated
(left) and after (right).
Chemical
Conundrum
The 2010 U.S. documentary
Gasland, which focuses on the
impact of hydraulic fracturing,
is critical of the oil and gas
industry’s assertions of its safety.
In 2005, the country’s Energy
Policy Act exempted natural gas
drilling from the Safe Drinking
Water Act. One of the main
concerns surrounding what
is known as the Halliburton
Loophole is that oil and gas
companies are not required to
disclose the chemicals they use
during hydraulic fracturing.
But there’s been progress. In
June 2009, a House bill called the
Fracturing Responsibility and
Awareness to Chemical (FRAC)
Act was introduced. In theory,
it would close the loophole and
require natural gas companies
to disclose the chemicals used in
fracturing solutions. WC
14
WATER CANADA
becomes unavailable for flowback during
production—while some of it remains in
fractures that were induced, but for some
reason have lost connectivity to the fracture
system, and the water in that part of the
fracture is trapped by capillary forces. Binnion adds that many naturally
occurring contaminants may already
be present in aquifers. “In Quebec, for
example, I don’t think we have encountered
any groundwater that doesn’t have
methane in it,” he says. “As a standard, we
pre-test all of the nearby aquifers before we
drill. We want to be able to show if there’s
any change in the gas.”
A different solution
Water isn’t the only ingredient used
in the fracking process (see “Chemical
Conundrum,” page 14). Questerre’s
fracturing cocktail, for example, combines
anywhere from 10-15 compounds—
materials that amount to the volume of
a Coke can, says Binnion. The company
claims that 99 per cent of the solution is
made of water and sand. In an effort to
remain transparent, Questerre provides
a list of these compounds on its website,
along with examples of how they’re used
in common applications—for instance,
guar gum, used to increase viscosity and
keep sand in suspension, is also used to
prolong the shelf life of food products.
“[These solutions] cannot affect
groundwater,” says Dusseault. “As gas is
being produced, the pressure gradient
is in the direction of the wellbore, so the
water cannot flow ‘uphill.’ Once the well is
depleted in 5-20 years, the shale region is a
pressure sink, so the possibility of any water
flow to the surface is vanishingly small.”
Dusseault says he can see only two
ways that groundwater can be impacted
by hydraulic fracturing.
The first is migration along the outside
of the casing during the active fracturing
operation when the liquid is under a high
pressure, sufficient to go to the groundwater
level only if the steel casing is improperly
cemented into place (see “Casing Safety,”
page 13). “This should be checked before
fracturing through use of a cement bond
log before stimulation, which should be
mandated by the regulatory agency,” he says.
The second is leakage of surface pipes and
fittings or accidental spills during the surface
operations. Most examples of contamination
occur not due to fracking, but are the result
of surface spills, adds Binnion.
Treatment
“The myth that hydraulic fracturing is
causing groundwater contamination is a
joke,” says Binnion. “We know where our
fracks go; we have companies that do our
underground mapping.”
Credits: Questerre Energy Corporation
This drilling operation
in Gentilly, Quebec is
currently being tested.
Questerre’s first horizontal
well in St. Edouard, Quebec
is located in the St. Lawrence
Lowlands. Initial natural gas
rates were close to six million
cubic feet per day.
It is possible, however, to have water
handling problems on the surface,
Binnion admits. Is flowback water being
properly contained and recycled? Is it
being properly disposed of? Is there
potential for spills? These are some of the
biggest challenges for shale gas producers.
The existing methods of treating
wastewater, such as membranes and
ion exchange, are most effective when
treating water with consistent levels
of specific contaminants. Wastewater
generated from oil and gas operations,
however, creates a unique challenge—
it’s highly variable and therefore very
difficult to treat.
Calgary-based Aqua-Pure Ventures is
one company that specializes in treating
flowback water. In addition to additives
used in the fracture fluid, flowback can
return to the surface with a range of
contaminants that make it unsuitable for
environmental discharge.
In 2003, a company called Fountain
Quail made contact with shale gas
producers in the Texas Barnett field and
began a search for solutions to manage
shale gas water. Aqua-Pure Ventures
worked with Fountain Quail to design
the NOMAD 2000—a mobile, modular
version of Aqua-Pure’s process patented
mechanical vapour recompression (MVR)
evaporation technology, specifically for
operation in shale gas fields.
The NOMAD boils fracture fluids,
leaving contaminants in the liquid phase
while pure water vapour evaporates
and can be condensed to distilled water.
16
WATER CANADA
The process is energy-efficient—while
conventional boiling requires heat
source such as a boiler, MVR uses a
compressor to input the energy required
to generate steam—it uses the latent heat
of the condensing steam
as the primary energy
source. Boiling water
on the stove requires
1000 British thermal
units (BTU) of energy to
produce one pound of
steam. MVR evaporation
uses a theoretical 50
BTU of energy to produce one pound of
steam, which is five per cent of the energy
of conventional evaporation. When the
process is complete, approximately 85
per cent of the fracture water is returned
as distilled water that can be reused for
future fractures.
Additionally, treatment can save money,
making expensive shale gas extraction
more economically viable. Instead of
purchasing fresh water, transporting it
to the site, bringing it to a disposal well,
and paying for disposal, producers can
use Aqua-Pure’s equipment to evaporate
the water on-site and reduce costs by up
to 90 per cent.
After a fracture, flowback water
returns to the surface and is kept in a
containment system—usually steel tanks
or lined pits. “If the water’s been treated,
companies can use unlined pits [for
containment] or a less expensive way
to transport the water on the surface,”
says Patrick Horner, Aqua-Pure’s VP of
engineering. “A client in Texas wants to
return the flowback water, so we need
to treat it to be safe enough to put on
the ground and decrease environmental
liability and risk.”
While “clean” may not be an
entirely accurate term, there’s
no denying that shale gas is a
significant new source of fuel.
When flowback is no longer required
for new fractures, the water must be
disposed. If it meets the standards, treated
flowback can be taken to municipal water
treatment plants for further processing.
If not, it’s taken to an approved produced
water disposal well. The National Energy
Board’s Understanding Shale Gas Energy
Brief (2009) acknowledges that this is
a common practice in Western Canada,
and is strictly regulated by provincial
authorities.
The future
“Fracturing is one of the safest operations
in the oil industry,” says Dusseault. “I
have tried to understand the source of the
concern, but it seems to me to be greatly
overblown by the media and several good
communicators who basically adopt a
NIMBY attitude.”
Dusseault admits that industry isn’t
without blame. Despite his and other
experts’ assurances about safety, however,
people are still concerned, and their
voices are being heard. In early August,
in response to demands by local elected
officials and environmental advocates,
the New York State Senate voted to
extend a moratorium on issuing gas
drilling permits until May 2011.
Even so, industry charges ahead.
Calgary’s Penn West Energy Trust
recently signed an $850-million
natural-gas joint venture with Japan’s
Mitsubishi Corp, joining South Korean
and Chinese investors who are also
putting money into the Horn River
and Montney shale gas developments
in British Columbia. Around the
same time, twenty nations (including
Canada) gathered in Washington,
D.C. to review the future of shale
gas development. The United States
offered to help China and India
develop shale gas to replace coal and
reduce carbon emissions, calling shale
gas a “clean alternative.”
While “clean” may not be an entirely
accurate term, there’s no denying that
shale gas is a significant new source
of fuel. In fact, the National Energy
Board claims that shale gas could
allow Canada to meet its own need for
natural gas well into the twenty-first
century. It’s now up to governments
to regulate the industry with risk and
sustainability in mind, while it falls to
industry to maintain accountability
and transparency. Can we trust them
to abide? As Binnion says, “We’re
concerned about developing these
resources in a way that reduces impacts
to the environment, and we’re doing
our best to not hide from them.” WC
Measuring Up
Questerre
Energy
Corporation
estimates that 20,000 cubic metres
of water will be required to drill and
fracture a Utica shale gas well once.
To put it into perspective, 20,000
cubic metres is equal to the amount of
water used in New York City in eight
minutes, or in a 1,000-megawatt coalfired plant in 13 hours. It’s the same
amount used by a golf course in 28
days, and it can provide nine acres of
corn in one season. WC
Kerry Freek is the editor of this magazine.
Water’s Next:
A special supplement
coming in January 2011.
For more details, visit
watercanada.net/watersnext
WATER CANADA
17
REMEDIATION
Credit: SNC-Lavalin Environment
Aerial view of a soil
vapour extraction system
in British Columbia.
Dirty Work
Protecting water through soil remediation.
Soil is an essential component of
the water cycle, acting as a buffer and
a filter in protecting water resources, and
as a conduit for groundwater storage and
recharge. The protective capacity of soil
is not unlimited, however, and when it
is exceeded, the soil itself can become
a source of contamination, affecting
organisms that live in the soil and the
surrounding environment. The impact
on watersheds and local hydrogeology
from soil contamination can be severe
and long lasting.
Methods of remediation
There are a number of ways to
remediate contaminated soil through
the combination of sound engineering
and technology. Soil contamination
can be addressed through containment
(isolating the contaminants in the soil),
18
WATER CANADA
confinement (reducing the mobility of
the contaminants), removal (reducing
the concentrations of the contaminants
through in situ or ex situ methods), or
any combination of these. Remediation
can involve ex-situ approaches, where
the soil must be excavated, and in-situ
approaches, where the contaminants are
treated in place. The impacts on local
hydrogeology and watershed integrity are
primary considerations in selecting the
most appropriate and effective solutions.
One effective in situ remediation
technology is soil vapour extraction
(SVE), which reduces concentrations
of volatile constituents in petroleum
products adsorbed to soils above the
water table. In this technology, a vacuum
is applied through wells near the source
of contamination in the soil. Volatile
constituents of the contaminant mass
By
Alan Walker
volatilize and the soil vapours are drawn
through the soil matrix toward the wells
where they are extracted. The extracted
vapour is then treated as necessary
before being released to the atmosphere.
SVE technology has been proven
effective in reducing concentrations
of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
and certain semi-volatile organic
compounds (SVOCs) found in petroleum
products at contaminated sites at a
variety of locations. SVE is generally
more successful when applied to lighter
(more volatile) petroleum products such
as gasoline. Diesel fuel, heating oils,
kerosene and lubricating oils, which
are less volatile than gasoline, are not
readily remediated by SVE. Heating
soil, (for example, through injection
of heated air or other methods) can be
used to enhance the volatility of these
REMEDIATION
hydrocarbons because vapour pressure
generally increases with temperature.
This can result in a shorter overall
time frame for remediation, or extend
the usefulness of SVE as a remedial
technique in a wider variety of soil
conditions or contaminant types.
Application
SNC-Lavalin Environment (SLE), a
division of SNC-Lavalin Inc., recently
successfully completed the remediation
of a former petrochemical plant using
SVE. The site was on an island adjacent
to an environmentally sensitive estuary
of a major river in British Columbia. It
had a long history of farming before it
was developed for industrial use around
1960. During industrial development,
the organic silt/loam topsoil was
removed to improve geotechnical
conditions. Several metres of dredged
river sand fill were then placed on
overbank silt or inter-bedded silt and
sand deposits, which were underlain by
an alluvial sand aquifer.
A petrochemical plant was built at
this site and commissioned in 1963. The
major product produced by the plant
over its 30-year history was benzoic acid,
which is used as a food preservative. The
major raw material was toluene, which
was the major contaminant of concern.
SLE conducted several
site investigations and
analyses to determine
the optimal approach
to site remediation and
groundwater protection.
This included mapping of
the overbank silt deposit
(aquitard) using cone
penetrometer testing and triaxial testing
to determine vertical permeability of
the aquitard, SVE pilot testing, and
subsequent modeling of dewatering
requirements and SVE performance.
The final full-scale, low vacuum, dualphase (vapour and water) remediation
system consisted of two 40 horse power
vacuum blowers capable of 2,000 cubic
feet per minute vapour recovery with
100 litres per minute groundwater
pumping capacity to lower the perched
groundwater table and thereby exposing
more soil for remediation by SVE. The
vapour was treated through a thermal/
catalytic oxidizer, and then discharged
The impact on watersheds and
local hydrogeology from soil
contamination can be severe
and long lasting.
to atmosphere; groundwater was
processed through an existing on-site
biological oxidation plant. Operation
of the system recovered a total of over
450,000 kilograms of hydrocarbons.
Soil remediation to protect water
resources may require multiple
approaches on a single site. For SLE,
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WATER CANADA
19
REMEDIATION
Credit: SNC-Lavalin Environment
Distribution
and collection
headers for SVE
and air sparge.
there were two additional issues of
concern at this site. One was the
remediation of an effluent equalization
lagoon, where sludge and the underlying
liner were contaminated with separate
phase hydrocarbons that sank in water.
water table at this site was approximately
17 metres deep, and with the majority of
hydrocarbons at the site in soils located
at the water table, there was a dissolved
hydrocarbon plume in the groundwater.
While the deeper soils at the site (between
17 to 21 metres below
ground surface) had been
remediated to acceptable
standards after almost five
years of air sparging and
SVE (an estimated 14,500
kilograms of hydrocarbons
were remediated), there were
problematic hydrocarbon
concentrations in an area of 400 square
metres at depths of 10 to 17 metres below
ground surface.
The solution here was the construction
of two steel hot air injection wells with a
45-kilowatt inline heater, in conjunction
with a high vacuum extraction system
connected to ten extraction wells
that operated for seven months. The
combination of high vacuum extraction
plus supplemental heat injection for a
SVE reduces concentrations
of volatile constituents in
petroleum products adsorbed
period of three months successfully
remediated an additional estimated
1,800 kilograms of hydrocarbons from
the target area.
These case studies highlight the
importance of effective engineering
applications for groundwater protection
and site remediation. Soil is an integral
component of the hydrogeological system.
When soil becomes contaminated, integrated
site-specific solutions based on sound
engineering techniques are required. WC
to soils above the water table.
The second was the remediation of a
tar burning and disposal area that was
contaminated with heavy metals, benzoic
acid, non-chlorinated phenols, benzene
and toluene. In these cases, excavation
and removal of the contaminated
materials were required.
SLE used a more aggressive SVE
remediation approach at a former
fuelling and automotive service facility in
British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The
20
WATER CANADA
Alan D. Walker is a senior project
manager with SNC-Lavalin Environment
in Burnaby, British Columbia.
For more information about
groundwater remediation, attend
Canadian Brownfields 2010: Making
Great Places (November 1-3).
Visit
canadianbrownfields.ca
liquid assets
Trying to Make the Market
Success strategies for companies with new water technologies.
To say that the water technologies,
products and services market is a crowded
space would be an understatement. To
survive in this market, companies need
extraordinary capabilities and innovative
business thinking.
One of the primary reasons water
technology companies struggle to
survive is that the entrepreneur is
more technology savvy than business
savvy. Small to medium enterprises
(SMEs) make up a large portion of the
environmental/water sector in Ontario
and they are in need of programs,
incentives and investment that can
help them become more internationally
successful. Organizations around the
province (MaRS, OCETA, Bioenterprise,
eLorin, Ottawa Centre for Research
and Innovation, et cetera) are helping
these entrepreneurs to navigate the
commercialization process. In Ontario,
the proposed Water Opportunities and
Water Conservation Act would, if passed,
also encourage the creation and export of
innovative clean water technology.
This article explores a couple of different
ways in which some of the companies in
this space have tried to tackle the market.
Performance contracting
The traditional pump-and-treat method for
dealing with contaminated groundwater
has been the bread and butter of
environmental engineering firms, and
entrepreneurs with innovative products
traditionally have a hard time competing
with firms that have an established
relationship in the marketplace. There
are companies that have survived a long
time—not just by persevering, but also
through innovative business models.
By
Usha Srinivasan
California-based Regenesis is one
such company. An extremely successful
global enterprise, it has 16,000 projects
worldwide, five leading product lines,
and works with Fortune 500 companies.
The original product, ORC (Oxygen
Release Compound), was a one of the
kind product for in-situ treatment
of aerobically degradable petroleum
hydrocarbons. Since 1994, the company
has listened to its customers, anticipated
regulatory changes and continued to
focus on research and development to
develop new innovative products.
By offering performance contracting,
Regenesis made an initial move that was
both bold and risky. As more customers
began to see success using the product,
many of the engineering firms also began
to pay attention. Over the years, Regenesis
has developed a strong relationship with
WATER CANADA
21
liquid assets
environmental engineering firms and
understands that these partnerships are
crucial for success.
While the year-over-year expansions of
Regenesis indicates this initial strategy
did work, not many other companies
in the remediation business have seen
similar success, and that’s due to a
multitude of reasons: lack of leadership,
failure to understand customer needs,
competing in a crowded space, financial
constraints, et cetera. Although it may
seem to be a high-risk proposition to
get into performance contracting for a
young company with very little cash flow,
that type of extraordinary, confidencebuilding move is what is needed to be
successful in this market. It is also possible
to offset some of the risks by partnering
with or building relationships with
financially more stable environmental
engineering firms who are equally
convinced of the product capabilities.
Leveraging partnerships
In early 2002, H2O Environmental was
a remediation company with specialized
technologies, such as the Iso-Gen oxygen
delivery technology for groundwater
remediation.
Understanding
the
importance of providing a multi-phase
remediation solution that cannot be
provided by its technology alone, the
company took the initiative to establish
partnerships between varied service
providers in this market.
Their philosophy was to identify a
solution for a site, not to just sell products.
Remediation of a site all too often is not
specific to a particular contaminant
or matrix and therefore cannot be
addressed by one technology, product,
or service provider. Understanding the
need for a “one-stop shop” for the end
users in the remediation market, H2O
Environmental initiated the Technology
Alliance Partnership (or TAP) program.
It became the umbrella for a wide
range of engineering services and
remediation technologies, and included
six companies: H2O Environmental,
x
Bionutratech, MEC , RM Environmental
Ltd., Resource Control Corporation,
andTerra Systems Incorporated.
With this program, end users in need
of remediation solutions brought their
issues to H2O Environmental. The
22
WATER CANADA
company analyzed the remediation Environmental continues to grow as a
problem and engaged companies from company but has changed its strategy
within TAP to provide the client the best to address the emergency hazmat
options. In one example, site remediation response market. Some of the company’s
with one technology may result in former partner companies still continue
formation of other harmful byproducts to conduct business in this space, but
that can be addressed by another not under the TAP program. Similar
technology provider. A TAP program has technology partnerships in Canada and
the potential to assure the end-users that its provinces would help mobilize SMEs
the group is capable of handling full life- with limited technology portfolios. A
cycle solutions for their project.
collaborative approach with diversified
Another very important
benefit of TAP is bulk
One of the primary reasons
product
purchasing.
Traditionally, equipment
water technology companies
or spare parts are bought
on a project-to-project
struggle to survive is because the
basis that can be an
entrepreneurs are more technology
expensive proposition for
small-scale environmental
savvy than business savvy.
technology companies.
This TAP pooled the
financial resources of all its partners offering may help sell the companies
to take advantage of bulk purchasing capabilities beyond the local market.
of equipment, drawing the cost down
for projects and reducing the financial Facing the challenges
burden for the individual companies. The challenges of sustaining a business
H2O Environmental and TAP also shared in this space begin before entering the
the administrative burdens, including marketplace. Many entrepreneurs with
expenses related to sales and marketing innovative remediation/bioremediation
to better support the small businesses.
ideas cannot find a willing partner with
Additionally, the TAP program a remediation site. The legal implications
conducted surveys with its end users to of using an unknown product or nascent
find out what equipment or products technology on a corporate contaminated
may be needed in the current year or site deter most engineering firms. There
on a regular basis, and translating the is a definite role government could play
data to vendors, distributors, and even in providing access to some of the crown
manufacturers to get a discount rate. sites that may be contaminated to enable
This worked for not only the service ex-situ testing of technologies.
providers but also the end users.
Government can also initiate TAP-like
Many companies have taken to programs that can provide an umbrella
partnering with other companies to for SMEs to leverage each others
provide multiple services, especially capabilities, lowering their financial
during economic rough patches. risks and costs and enabling business
A program such as TAP can offer growth (see “The Power of Imagination,”
opportunities for small businesses— page 24). Too many of Canada’s SMEs
many of the innovative technology with breakthrough ideas do not see
solutions provided in the remediation the light of day as they struggle to
market come from very small companies grow their business. In these difficult
struggling to establish themselves among economic times, it’s even more pertinent
other giants in the market place.
to collaborate and join forces to build
In the end, although TAP was a great successful companies for the economic
business model in theory, the complexity benefits of the country. WC
of the partnership and its multiple
interests made it difficult to sustain and
the companies went in their own way Usha Srinivasan is director of market
after four years (2004 to 2007). H2O intelligence at MaRS Discovery District.
liquid assets
The Power of
Imagination
While the struggle to start up and gain
competitive advantage is real, there are
Credit: Fruition Sciences
Fruition’s sap flow sensor wraps around the
vine to measure how much water it’s using.
24
WATER CANADA
non-governmental programs that provide
assistance to SMEs and startups. One such
program is facilitated by Imagine H2O, a
global non-profit organization that offers
not only cash prizes for the best ideas, but
also an incubator program to help competing
engineers turn their plans into real-world
solutions by identifying problems that have
social impact and major commercial market
opportunities, choosing the most promising
plans, and bringing together world leaders
in water business, government, and social
enterprise to help contestants turn ideas into
self-funding, high impact solutions.
Scott Bryan, director of operations, says that
Imagine H2O’s focus is not exclusively on new
technologies. “In some cases, the technology
already exists and the challenge is to find the
right business model to bring them to the
market place,” he says. “Technology is certainly
liquid assets
an important focus that could solve
some pressing water challenges, but we
have a broader focus on innovation and
entrepreneurship in the water sector.”
Fruition Sciences won last year’s
competition, which included a cash
prize of US$100,000. The company is a
technology-enabled information business
that offers a solution for winemakers
and vineyard managers who want to
produce top quality, sustainably farmed
wines using optimized irrigation and
management practices.
“While we’ve made a lot of progress
on the science side, year after year, our
biggest challenge is educating potential
customers—they don’t often know
they have a problem,” says Sebastien
Payen, Fruition’s co-founder and chief
operations manager.
Since winning the competition,
Fruition has found it easier to make
those connections. The company has
seen substantial growth in interest about
its services, and witnessed increased
visibility among customers. As a result of
winning, Payen and co-founder Thibaut
Scholasch were invited to speak at the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California’s Global Water & Technology
Forum. They’ve also seen a significant
jump in web traffic.
“Our virtual incubator has provided
some important resources,” says Bryan.
“Indeed, start-ups are hungry for cash.
However, Fruition entered our program
more interested in connections, insight,
and services.” Bryan says Fruition has
received free legal consulting from
Cooley LLC’s cleantech practice, which
PricewaterhouseCoopers has provided
not only tax and auditing—“it has
opened up its Rolodex and made some
introductions for our winners.” Thanks to this boost, Fruition has big
plans for the next year. “In 2011, we’re
planning to start working outside of the
niche market of high-end wineries. In
particular, we plan on a few key highprofile customers in France, Washington,
and maybe Canada,” says Payen. WC
This year’s Imagine H2O
competition is a global search
for water businesses that save
energy—“This may be one of
the most important but least
visible issues of our times.
The fact that smart people are
being asked to think about
the water-energy nexus in
this competition is timely and
critically important,” says
Lynn Patterson, director of the
Royal Bank of Canada, Imagine
H2O’s founding partner.
The competition will be open
to entries from September 1
to November 15. Visit
imagineh2o.org for details.
—Staff
WATER CANADA
25
efficiency
Connecting
Water to Grid
Uncovering hidden revenues could turn cost centres into profit centres.
By
Holly Dollinger and Wilf Argue
The promise is decidedly bold —a
brand new, no-strings-attached source
of revenue for Ontario municipalities.
But Ron Dizy is confident his company,
Sempa Power, can deliver. The Canadian
company is applying smart grid
technology—two-way communications
systems that take place in real-time—
to help the electricity market connect
to the province’s water and wastewater
treatment facilities. The company’s
technology adjusts the way water and
wastewater treatment equipment (for
example, large pumps and blowers) uses
energy on a second-by-second basis.
“Based on the water system’s capacity
and inherent flexibility, adjusting realtime electricity usage is achievable,
without affecting water treatment or the
effective delivery of water to the enduser,” says Dizy.
“This is a true smart grid application,”
he says. “What we’re talking about is
taking advantage of the inherent flexibility
of the minute-by-minute operation
26
WATER CANADA
of a particular pump or aerator.” and respects the need for each piece of
The technology carefully manages a equipment to fulfill its primary duty.
network of assets through its intelligent Upon a municipality’s agreement to
proprietary optimization algorithm to participate in the program, Sempa
provide electricity system balance
capability to Ontario’s Independent
“Based on required regulation
Electricity System Operator
(IESO). This flexibility, also known
by the IESO, there is probably
as system regulation, is one of the
as much as $10 million in
ancillary services required by the
IESO to optimize efficiency. System
potential revenue to be had by
regulation is then sold to the
municipalities across Ontario
IESO, with the municipality (the
owner of the equipment) receiving
under the program.”
payment. “By receiving regulation
services using customer loads, the
—Ron Dizy
electricity system can then operate
its generators more efficiently, reducing studies its assets and how they are
the need for fossil fuel generation, and operated, eventually connecting them to
thus substantially reducing greenhouse the proprietary network platform. “It’s
gas emissions.”
essentially invisible to the facility owner,
The pilot project promises to be except for the cheque they receive,”
unobtrusive to the municipality says Dizy.
participant. When implemented, it has
Dizy says the amount of potential
benign impact on physical operations revenue will vary depending on the size
efficiency
of the community and the amount of
regulation they will be able to provide.
“Based on required regulation by the
IESO, there is probably as much as $10
million in potential revenue to be had
by municipalities across Ontario under
signed on to become one of Ontario’s
first municipal participants. “It’s exciting
to see locally developed smart grid
technology being used to deliver greater
energy efficiency in our region,” says
John Stuart, COO of the Windsor Utilities
Commission. “As the Windsor
Utilities Commission continues
“It’s exciting to see locally
to explore the modernization
developed smart grid technology
of our energy infrastructure,
we recognize that this kind
being used to deliver greater
of innovation is essential in
energy efficiency in our region.”
Ontario and in energy markets
around the world.”
—John Stuart
Upon learning of the
the program,” he says. “Clearly, a larger technology, the Ontario Clean Water
community would be able to generate Agency (OCWA) partnered with Sempa
more revenue. For example, a city the size Power to help promote the use of this
of Toronto could generate up to $2 million smart grid technology in Ontario water
per year while a smaller community’s and wastewater treatment facilities. “In
earning potential will be in scale with terms of environmental consciousness,
its water requirements—but the people this technology helps to free up hydro
we’re speaking with are telling us that any generators allowing them to run more
additional revenue is a good thing.”
often, placing more energy into Ontario’s
The City of Windsor, Ontario has grid,” says Nick Reid, OCWA’s vice
president of business development. “And
we’re also trying to do the right thing
for our clients—helping to introduce
them to a revenue stream they’ve never
had before, by simply leveraging their
existing assets in a new way.” WC
Holly Dollinger
is with Sempa Power.
Wilf Argue
is with OCWA.
Do you know of more examples
of water being integrated with
the smart grid in Canada?
Let us know. Email
[email protected]
WATER CANADA
27
efficiency
Get IT
Right
How to handle threats to
water quality data security.
By
Water and wastewater operations
are becoming increasingly complex and
challenging, as cities deal with growing
populations, aging infrastructure, and
stricter regulations that require more
testing, more extensive reporting, and
more crucial data to manage. Therefore,
improving the security of drinking water
and wastewater operations has become
a top priority. Significant actions are
being undertaken to assess and reduce
vulnerabilities to water and wastewater
systems and to implement new security
technologies to detect and monitor
contaminants and prevent data breaches.
Ultimately, water and wastewater
operations need to assure the public that
their drinking water is safe.
As a result, security of water quality and
other related information is a concern
for small and large municipalities
alike. Municipalities not only face
increasing quantities of information
but greater responsibility to absorb,
understand and act on information.
Day-to-day operational and long-term
planning and financing decisions are
being routinely made based on water
quality information.
The threat is real
How to begin to determine where critical
water and wastewater information may
be subject to security threats? First, let’s
differentiate what external and internal
threats mean to an organization.
28
WATER CANADA
The most well known threats are
external; we hear a lot about computer
hacking, malware, and viruses. Exposure
to these types of security threats may
occur whether users are on a home
computer or an internal office network.
External threats have become so common
in day to day business that a significant
amount of work has already been put in
place to handle them. In today’s world
external threats are
just a fact of life.
It is estimated that
less than one per cent
of all security risks are
external; the internal
threat is the most
compelling issue. As
water and wastewater operations become
more and more complex, municipalities
are starting to look at what security risks
may exist within their organizations. This
really comes down to taking a deeper
look at the information that has been
exposed to employees and what risks are
associated with the exposure. Internal
threats are real and need to be addressed.
Water and wastewater municipalities
face the following internal threats:
Andrew Lewis
Employees are an operation’s most
valuable asset, but they also pose a large
internal security threat. Municipalities
must be conscious of how employee
turnover and retirement affect water
and wastewater data security. When an
employee leaves the building, knowledge
about the business walks out the door.
In the next five years, approximately 50
per cent of employees in the water and
Ultimately, water and
wastewater operations need
to assure the public that
their drinking water is safe.
• Employees
• IT vs. operations keeping the
lines of communication open
• Non-secure and disparate
information management
solutions
wastewater industry will be retiring. It
will be crucial for municipalities to put
processes and mechanisms in place for
retaining information, in order to ensure
crucial historical data is not lost.
In order to lock out internal threats
it is imperative for operations to have a
solid relationship with IT teams. Often
times there is a lack of understanding
of each other’s needs or lack of internal
IT resources to support operations
that leaves them vulnerable to internal
security threats.
Having a reliable water and wastewater
information management solution in
place to consolidate all water quality
data is crucial to better track where
internal threats may occur and protect
efficiency
the organization from costly security
breaches. Ideally municipalities should
be imputing all of their data into one
secure
information
management
solution. However, 70 per cent of
municipalities in North America are still
relying on insecure paper-based and/
or spreadsheet file systems to manage
their water quality data. Keeping track
of all critical data on paper comes with
serious risks when it comes to preserving
and reviewing crucial data. These risks
include
• No backup in the event of fire, water
damage, et cetera;
• Requires manual review of historical
data to identify trends;
• Possibility of accidental or malicious
alteration or deletion of data;
• No audit trail of who viewed
or edited the data and when.
Data is the foundation for all informed
decision making in drinking water and
30
WATER CANADA
wastewater operations and planning and
it is vital to protect it so that the public
can be confident that it is being provided
with safe drinking water.
The evolution of
data management
Fortunately, there are now software
solutions that will help water and
wastewater operations utilize the best
available technologies to automate data
storage and verification, safely store and
backup their data, and use their data to
make informed and timely decisions.
These solutions are built with stateof-the-art cyber security and allow for
access control, to allow information to be
available to key personnel.
With so many data management
solutions available it is difficult to decide
on a solution that will meet all needs.
Water utilities will find some questions to
ask when reviewing solutions:
• Does the solution allow for access
control?
• Does the solution allow for certain
parts of the database to be locked
down from modification?
• Does the solution provide an audit
trail for who entered data and when?
• How often is the database backed up,
and where is the backup stored?
Spreadsheets and paper-based data
recording fail at providing the proper
security to ensure data is not lost
or tampered with, and do not have
backups in place to restore this critical
information. WC
Andrew Lewis the director of product strategy
at Vancouver-based WaterTrax.
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efficiency
Meter Made
Collingwood gets smart.
By
Ed Houghton
With the waters of Georgian Bay in
clear sight, it’s difficult for residents
of Collingwood, Ontario to ignore the
importance of conservation. In Collingwood,
the beauty of natural resources like
Georgian Bay and nearby Blue Mountain is
a daily reminder of the reasons necessitating
a lasting commitment from the town’s
leadership and its citizens to embrace
solutions for a more sustainable lifestyle.
When the Province of Ontario passed
one of the first electric smart metering
mandates in 2006, the potential was great,
but the true impact of the technology
remained uncertain. In Collingwood, the
electric utility, COLLUS Power, is on track
to complete its smart metering program on
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WATER CANADA
31
efficiency
COLLUS Power and Collingwood Public
Utilities further strengthened the case
for leveraging one infrastructure and
communications solution to support both
utilities. Electric deployment is nearly
complete, with the final adjustments the
communications process underway to
ensure 100 per cent accuracy in gathering
meter data over a 24-hour period.
Metering
or before May 2011. Once complete, the
smart grid will bring utility customers
solutions that conserve energy and help
clarify their energy usage, enabling them
to take advantage of lower, off-peak
electricity rates.
COLLUS Power’s sister company,
Collingwood Public Utilities, serves
the community’s water needs. During
the early stages of the smart metering
program, it became clear that the
technologies applied for the electric
utility could also help achieve the city’s
water management and conservation
goals. Collingwood began exploring
options for implementing a smart water
program.
Today, Collingwood serves as an
example for other utilities considering
making the transition to advanced
metering infrastructure (AMI) and
smart metering for their water needs,
and is often called upon to share key
lessons learned.
Choosing the right system
Prior to implementing an AMI and smart
metering solution, Collingwood meter
readers conducted walk-by reads using a
hand-held automated meter reader. This
32
WATER CANADA
Collingwood Public Utility was one of
the first municipalities to implement
an automated walk-by meter reading
system. They are now on the forefront of
implementing AMI, which supports twoway communications between a meter
and the utility. Meters communicating
via an AMI system allow the utility to
read meters remotely, freeing meterreading staff to be redeployed for other
assignments.
Collingwood is deploying intelligent
OMNI
commercial
meters
that
proactively identify leaks so that the
utility can provide early notification to
customers, before property is damaged.
Not only does this provide a higher level
of service for customers, it helps prevent
the loss of utility revenue.
The utility has also begun a pilot
program with the iPERL, an intelligent
residential water management system.
process required significant staff time
and resources such as trucks and fuel.
When Ontario passed the electric smart
metering mandate, AMI vendors were
invited to participate in a competitive
selection process that winnowed the field
down to ten vendors.
Next, 43 utilities
Even the Mayor of Collingwood is
decided to conduct
one pilot test for
involved, piloting one residential
each vendor, sharing
results among the
unit at his home and demonstrating
group. Subsequent
calls for proposals
the city’s support of the program.
were issued and
ultimately, Sensus,
one of Collingwood’s preferred vendors, This meter offers similar benefits to
was a winning candidate.
the OMNI including unprecedented low
Collingwood chose to deploy Sensus’ flow accuracy, two-way connectivity
FlexNet AMI network and smart meters, and a suite of alarms that identify leaks
as they met the utility’s priorities of and physical tampering with the meter,
supporting voltage and outage reporting, among other triggers. A number of
two-way command and control, ease of existing meters will be replaced with new
implementation, support for multiple meters during the year-long pilot.
meter sites, low cost-per-endpoint and
Both meters offer lower maintenance
high quality of data transmission.
requirements and pumping costs, helping
During this process, Collingwood the utility conserve manpower and
realized the benefits of using this revenue. Should the pilot be successful,
infrastructure to transmit data for the Collingwood will ultimately deploy over
water utility. The relationship between 10,000 smart water endpoints.
efficiency
Future plans
Collingwood will continue to monitor
the performance of its meters to identify
opportunities for conservation and will
compare performance of new meters with
the old, in many cases placing new meters
directly upstream from the old for clear
comparison. Even the Mayor of Collingwood
is involved, piloting one residential unit
at his home and demonstrating the city’s
support of the program.
Bringing AMI and smart metering
to water is exciting for Collingwood
as new opportunities are presented
to improve customer service while
preserving resources. For example, the
utility is developing a business case to
become one of the first municipalities
to offer time-of-use pricing for water.
Since time-of-use pricing on the electric
side will encourage people to do things
like run the dishwasher or laundry
at night, the utility recognizes that
offering similar discounted pricing for
water would give consumers even more
reason to change their behaviour. For
every bit of water saved, more people
understand and embrace conservation.
Collingwood has been monitoring
the true cost of water and wastewater
for the past five years and will use this
data when comparing the cost of water
after the new meters have all been
installed to support sustainable water
use. Collingwood is on track to meet
that sustainability level within three
years, ahead of the time frames being
proposed by the Ontario Municipal
Water Association and the Ontario
Water Works Association.
As the electric utility plans to
introduce time-of-use pricing in
summer 2011, they have developed a
series of planned communications to
customers that help lay a foundation
for a similar introduction for the water
utility in the future. The utility will
conduct shadow billing to illustrate
for customers what their current bill
would have been if the new time-of-use
pricing was in effect.
As Collingwood’s economy transitions
from its traditional industrial roots
to a knowledge and service-based
community, the city continues to
embrace new technologies both with
high-tech business campuses opening
in the city and by adopting city-wide
technology such as the AMI and smart
metering programs.
Collingwood is working with other
nearby municipalities to develop
sustainability action plans that will help
other utilities introduce AMI and smart
metering technologies. The utility will
continue to reevaluate its own business
plan, gathering and analyzing data
so that they continue to make critical
decisions based on solid intelligence,
making a strong business case for
sustainability. WC
Ed Houghton is president and
CEO of Collingwood Utility
Services Corp., and the executive
director of Collingwood
Municipal Utility Services.
WATER CANADA
33
efficiency
Wasted Energy
The focus on energy efficiency should include a review of water waste.
By
Mira Shenker
Across the country, provinces are
updating Building Code standards—
or implementing policies that would allow
provincial ministries to change standards.
Canada’s new building code, coming in
2012, will enshrine energy efficiency in
its objectives, making the standard for all
new homes much better than many of the
current provincial codes.
But the buzzword in many of these
updates is “energy.” Energy efficiency is a
major headline in the sustainability plans
of corporate social responsibility giants
like Wal-Mart and IKEA; it’s the focus
of labelling systems like Green Globes
and the Building Owners and Managers
Association’s (BOMA’s) program; it’s the
standard behind Energy Star, an entire
line of products and government-backed
building standards.
Energy consumption is also the
issue that bridges the commercial
and residential building sectors. But
according to Wayne Proulx, president
of e3 Sustainable World Solutions,
“The larger issue is that of electricity
consumption and its effect on water.”
Proulx, former director of BOMA
Toronto’s Conservation and Demand
Management Program, says energy gets
most of the focus because conserving
energy leads to immediate, recognizable
savings.
Water is only a big issue for owners of
multi-residential buildings because they
see a significant reduction in operation
costs very soon after replacing an old
boiler or switching to low-flow toilets.
Commercial operations may consume a
lot of water, but from an overall expenses
standpoint, it’s a drop in the bucket. “Most
would shrug their shoulders at increase in
cost and say ‘okay,’” says Proulx.
Proulx mentions another reason
34
WATER CANADA
landlords have been stepping up. Cities
like Toronto are putting incentives such
as the Residential Toilet Replacement
Program into place, in which residents
get a $60 or $75 cash incentive to replace
a water-guzzling toilet with a Cityselected, water-efficient model. Water
efficiency programs with cash incentives
exist for residential, multi-residential,
industrial and commercial buildings.
It seems that the next logical step is
to build those efficiencies into a revised
building code, rather than continuing to
hope building owners will comply with
new standards to save $75. Proulx says
“I suspect a lot of
[cities] have done
that—if they haven’t,
they need their asses
kicked.”
In fact, both cities
and provinces have
been working to
update
building
code standards in order to increase
efficiencies. But it’s a slow process.
Research undertaken by Sarah Wolfe
at the University of Waterloo and
Elizabeth Hendriks at the University
of Victoria found that relying solely on
municipal governments to ensure water
efficient policies are implemented or
enforced is risky. The project, based at
the University of Waterloo’s Department
of Environment and Resource Studies
and supported by the Walter and Duncan
Gordon Foundation, the BC Real Estate
Foundation, and Alberta Real Estate
Foundation, challenges the notion that
the private sector has been slow to
embrace environmental innovations
because they’re not economically viable
or because home-buyers aren’t interested.
Wolfe and Hendriks found that
homebuilders, particularly in Ontario
and the Canadian West, have a tacit
knowledge about water efficiency and
have, in fact, been very innovative
when it comes to designing with water
efficiency in mind.
Proulx seconds that, and says that
commercial real estate companies like
Brookfield Life, Greenwyn, Cadillac
Fairview, and Real Star that manage
multi-residential and commercial
buildings are driving innovation and
efficiency. They’re beginning to see
that part of a property’s value is its
operational value.
Commercial operations may
consume a lot of water, but from
an overall expenses standpoint,
it’s a drop in the bucket.
Engineering firm PlanIT is currently
working on a number of buildings
for Vertica (Great West Life Realty
Association) to create a plan for the most
cost-effective water efficiency (see “Digital
Waterworks,” page 37). There are many
more examples of real estate companies
looking for more efficient—and, by
extension, more affordable—operating
systems for the buildings they manage.
While property managers are
taking steps to create efficiencies, the
challenge is convincing developers,
which are building a property and then
immediately selling it to a management
company, to take an interest in anything
beyond the first cost. Because they won’t
be operating the building, the majority
of these developers don’t see any value
in efficiencies. “These are what we call
efficiency
the bottom feeders,” says Stephen
Koch, executive director of NAIMA, a
trade association of North American
manufacturers of fibre glass, rock wool
and slag wool insulation products.
Industry players like this—who have
nothing to gain from building more
efficient structures and systems—are
one of the reasons building codes and
regulations are needed.
Regulations can also create a link
between energy and water efficiencies of
which developers and users alike simply
are not aware. The fact is an energyefficient building is already a more
water-efficient building. About 170 litres
of water is consumed for every kilowatt
hour of power used in Ontario. Proulx
says, “If we really want to make a change,
people have to start realizing that if they
use one kilowatt hour, they’re throwing
away 170 litres of water.”
Codes and regulations
Koch, who recently sat on an advisory
committee to the Minister of Municipal
Affairs and Housing on energy
efficiency and water conservation,
says water efficiency falls into two
categories: conservation, and the cost
of energy needed to clean, transport,
and heat water. The latter has only
recently come into consideration. Most
revisions to building codes deal with
the first category: using less water.
The provinces are mostly concerned
with conforming to the updated
National Energy Code for Buildings
with updated energy efficiency
requirements for housing and small
buildings (due to be released in 2012)—
a new standard which contains no
direct requirements related to water
use efficiency.
The government of Alberta is
currently struggling to define an
interim building code that will raise
energy efficiency standards for new
homes, and create a building code that
will save Albertans money on their
heating and cooling costs—not much
has been said about water. The same goes for changes to British
Columbia’s building code. Not much
has been said beyond the use of low
flow toilets. Ken Elsey, president and
CEO of the Canadian Energy Efficiency
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35
efficiency
Alliance says, “Water in building codes
has the possibility to lower use with
the installation of greywater recovery
systems, as well as rainwater collection
and well-controlled irrigation. Heat
recovery systems also have the potential
municipalities and government facilities.
Ontario is also taking a more aggressive
stance with the National Energy Code,
asking the federal government to step
up its standards and focus, not just on
energy, but on resource conservation
and management—
that would include
“If we really want to make a change,
greenhouse
gas
people have to start realizing that if they
reduction and water
conservation, two
use one kilowatt hour, they’re throwing
area the federal
away 170 litres of water.” —Wayne Proulx government would
rather avoid. Koch
of being incorporated—while it is not says, “The national group really doesn’t
water, per se, it is linked.”
want to open Pandora’s box. They see it
Ontario is actually being fairly as an affordability issue for homeowners
aggressive in terms of working water and commercial property managers.”
efficiencies into its new codes and
Homeowners and property managers
regulations. Ontario has tabled the Water are well-aware of the cost of wasting
Opportunities and Water Conservation power—thanks, in part, to a proliferation
Act (see page 40) which, if it passes, of rating and labelling systems focused on
would give the Environment Minister the energy—but water waste is still not seen
power to establish province-wide water as an issue. Koch believes the future of the
conservation targets and to establish building industry lies in labelling systems
performance targets for individual that focus on water, as well as energy.
Right now, labels like Build Green include
only a few points for low-flow toilets and
shower heads. “They’re not aggressive
enough,” says Koch. “Labels should be
defining where the industry is going; they
should be the base for new codes.”
Labels devoted to water—or to water
and energy—would also raise water’s
profile and create consumer awareness.
If homebuyers could understand that
a house’s water-efficiency and energyefficiency ratings will affect their utility
bills, that would drive change in the
market.
“We need to bring some profile to
the cost of water,” says Proulx. “Water
is an energy source that needs to be
benchmarked and managed just like
energy.” WC
Mira Shenker is Water
Canada’s associate editor.
She’s also the editor of
ReNew Canada magazine.
Coming in November/December 2010
Annual
Buyer’s Guide
Available in print
and online.
A comprehensive
directory of water
products, services
and resources.
Distributer
Manufacturer
Supplier
Enhance your presence with ad space
in the 2011 Buyer’s Guide print edition.
Contact [email protected].
All listings submitted by October 8, 2010
will appear in the print edition.
To submit your Buyer’s Guide listing, visit
watercanada.net/buyers-guide
36
WATER CANADA
efficiency
Digital Waterworks
Wayne Proulx, president of at e3
Sustainable World Solutions, says
the reason water efficiency has a lower
profile than energy is because water
waste is less visible. “Unless someone has
literally left a tap running, it’s easier to see
power being ‘wasted’ than water,” he says.
With the latest in digital tools, it’s become
possible to see water inefficiencies even
before a building is under construction.
Building information modelling (BIM),
an integrated process for exploring a
project’s key physical and functional
characteristics digitally before it’s built, is
helping architects visualize and simulate
performance and cost and ultimately build
more efficient operations into a design.
John Kennedy, senior manager at
Autodesk, says software exists that can
incorporate building water use and savings
estimates from the American Water Works
Association. “These savings estimates include
water efficiency measures for building
fixtures and their respective cost and water
savings values,” he says. “The program can
even use annual rainfall amounts throughout
the world to give an immediate estimate of
the potential rainfall that could be captured
from the roof of the building for net-zero
measure consideration.”
The basic concept behind using an
intelligent 3D model is that analysis can
be done to determine the potential for
efficient water use on any given site.
Kennedy says, “Water reclamation, for
example, starts with evaluating how much
rainwater might be captured on the site. If
designers better understand this potential,
they can incorporate design retention
facilities to store rainwater for later use.”
Other software can analyze an
architecture model to estimate water
use (potable and non-potable) based on
building type and number of occupants.
Then, various measures to reduce water
use can be more quickly evaluated.
Technologies also exist to optimize
existing buildings. Mike Laurie with
engineering firm PlanIT says energy
simulation software programs can
communicate with a BIM to transfer all
the data in the model.
“This is a huge amount of information
that is normally transferred into energy
programs by manually inputting huge
amounts of data,” he says.
The simulation software can then retrieve
local weather station data and local fuel
types, then run an hour-by-hour, day-by-day
simulation of a full year—all in about five
minutes—and come up with an estimate
of the amount of water that the building
should be using both indoor and outdoor.
These programs allow engineers to try
out different retrofits on a building, either
by themselves or in combination to see the
effect on the utility consumption. Laurie
says, “We can change the toilets to low flow
as an example and see how that affect the
water consumption. We can vary some of the
other variables along with other retrofits and
see what the net changes in energy are.” WC
WATER CANADA
37
fine print
Right
or Wrong?
The hidden implications of recognizing water as a human right.
On July 28, 2010, the United Nations
General
Assembly,
noting
that
“approximately 884 million people lack
access to safe drinking water and that
more than 2.6 billion do not have access
to basic sanitation,” adopted a resolution
recognizing water as a human right.
The resolution declaring “the right
to safe and clean drinking water and
sanitation as a human right that is
essential for the full enjoyment of life and
all human rights” was adopted by a vote
of 122 to 0, with 41 countries, including
Canada and the United States, abstaining.
Canada had in recent years been an
active opponent of efforts to enshrine
water as a human right, apparently due
to fears that this could open the door
to claims on Canada’s vast freshwater
resources from drier parts of the world
such as the southern United States. This
had attracted a good deal of criticism.
In a letter to the New York Times a few
weeks before the UN vote, former Soviet
leader Mikhail Gorbachev wrote, “The
United States and Canada are among the
very few that have not formally embraced
the right to safe water. Their continued
38
WATER CANADA
reluctance to officially recognize the
right to water should be questioned, not
least by their own citizens.”
The concept of water as a right is a
matter of disagreement. It would appear
that the General Assembly delegates
themselves
saw
the resolution in
different
ways.
Some
delegates
stated the right to
water is merely
an aspect of the
broader right to a
decent standard of
living which they
say has already been recognized under
international law, while others saw the
resolution as a historic moment.
As a matter of international law,
declarations of the General Assembly
such as this are not binding on member
states and, unlike international treaties,
create no enforceable legal obligations
between states or on the part of states
to their citizens. This declaration does
not create a freestanding basis for a
legal claim by, say, the United States
By
Ian Richler
against Canada for access to Canadian
freshwater, or by a First Nation against
the Canadian government for clean
drinking water.
However, UN declarations can have
important symbolic value, and may
As a matter of international
law, declarations of the General
Assembly such as this are not
binding on member states.
sometimes be seen by scholars and judges
as evidence of international consensus
on a particular issue. In this respect the
declaration on the right to water might
be invoked to support a water-related
legal claim that is based on a recognized
source of law, such as an international
trade treaty or the domestic law of torts.
Champions of the right to water will
press on with their efforts to achieve
greater legal recognition for the right in
international and domestic law. But it is
fine print
uncertain what that would actually mean
in practice. The notion of socioeconomic
rights is foreign to the Canadian
constitutional scheme. The right to
water is conceptually different from the
right to water in their constitutions. Last
October an interesting case was decided
by the country’s highest court. Mazibuko
v. City of Johannesburg was a claim
by residents of Soweto, a poor part of
Johannesburg, against
the City for failing to
provide enough water
free of charge. The
issue was whether the
City’s policy to supply
25 litres of free water
per person per day
was in conflict with
the constitutional right to have access
to sufficient water. The trial court said
yes, and found that 50 litres per day was
required. On appeal this was varied,
with the court determining that only 42
litres was necessary. Finally, on a further
appeal, the Constitutional Court ruled
that the City’s policy was reasonable, and
that policy decisions of this sort deserve
a high degree of deference: “Courts are
ill-placed to make these assessments
Water, unlike votes or words, is
a scarce resource—one person’s
claim to part of the resource has
implications for all other claims.
right to vote or the right to freedom of
speech. Water, unlike votes or words, is
a scarce resource—one person’s claim to
part of the resource has implications for
all other claims. Enshrining water as a
right means that judges may have the
ultimate say over how water resources
are allocated.
The experience of South Africa is
instructive. South Africa is one of the
few countries that have enshrined the
for both institutional and democratic
reasons.”
The Mazibuko decision may provide
a glimpse of what it would mean in
practice if the right to water were
affirmed in Canadian and international
law. No doubt some people will find it
exhilarating that they could use lawsuits
to hold government to account for its
decisions on a matter so fundamental
to life and dignity as water, while others
will find it terrifying that judges could
second-guess the decisions of elected
politicians on how this scarce resource
should be allocated. In any event, we
are not there yet, although the UN
declaration may have been one small
step in that direction. WC
Ian Richler is an environmental
lawyer at Gowling Lafleur
Henderson LLP in Toronto.
Waterite Technologies has
introduced its new 18L PET
water bottle, produced in
the company’s Barrie, ON
plant. Intended for u-fill
and professional bottling
operations, this product
is BPA-free, made from
materials approved for use
by USFDA and Health Canada.
PET bottles are fully recyclable
and environment-friendly. They
are now available from Waterite
warehouses across Canada.
KerriBottle PET bottles are strong
and shatter-resistant, blown from extraheavy duty preforms for long service life.
The company offers a variety of custom labeling
options, including heat transfers and Mylar labels.
Call your Waterite contact for introductory prices
and delivery options.
WATER CANADA
39
regional focus: ontario
More than
Toilets
and
TAPs
Why Ontario’s proposed plan
of action makes good cents.
By
In May 2010 the Ontario government
introduced Bill 72, the Water
Opportunities and Water Conservation
Act. If passed, the proposed Act has the
potential to transform the way Ontarians
use water and lay the foundation for a
new Ontario water sector that would
create green jobs and capitalize on the
emerging global market for innovative
water solutions.
Thinking about
water differently
At first glance, the proposed Act may
seem to be mostly about replacing
toilets and researching water widgets.
In fact, it is an ambitious piece of
economic and environmental legislation
that seeks to foster a new approach to
water stewardship while simultaneously
supporting province-wide innovation
in water technologies, practices and
services. This framework has four key
components:
Targets The Act would enable the
Minister of the Environment to establish
province-wide water conservation
targets and to establish performance
targets for individual municipalities and
government facilities.
Efficiency standards The Act would
enable minimum efficiency requirements
40
WATER CANADA
Matt Binstock and Carol Maas
for the sale of water fixtures such as
toilets, washers, and showerheads,
and would amend the Building Code
to require all new homes to be built to
water efficiency standards.
Technology and innovation The
Act would establish the Water
Technology Acceleration Project
(TAP), a corporation designed
to foster innovation through
multi-sectoral partnerships, and
to position Ontario as a world
leader in clean water and water
conservation technology.
distributed wisely. There is no mention
of setting targets or requiring WSPs for
sectors other than municipalities and
public agencies, so it remains unclear
what will be required of other water
users, such as golf courses, mining
By fostering new markets
at home, the province
would also position
water-based businesses
to become leaders.
Water sustainability plans
(WSPs) The Act would require
municipalities to develop WSPs
and public agencies to develop water
conservation plans. WSPs include an
asset management plan, a financial
plan, risk assessment, and a water
conservation strategy.
The framework is not perfect and
there are areas that need strengthening.
For example, municipalities should be
required to show they are using their
existing water supply efficiently before
they are eligible to receive provincial
water and wastewater infrastructure
grants. These grants, constituted from
taxpayer money, are frequently in the
multi-million-dollar range and should be
companies, and water bottling plants.
Imperfections aside, the proposed
Act has the potential to drive both the
demand for and the supply of new
water conservation technologies and
practices. If implemented effectively, the
required targets, standards and plans
could significantly raise the bar on water
conservation in Ontario.
Benefitting businesses
By
requiring
improved
water
conservation, the Province would
cultivate new demand for innovative
conservation technologies, practices and
services. The envisaged TAP would assist
Ontario entrepreneurs and progressive
businesses to develop and commercialize
solutions to meet this demand.
By fostering new markets at home,
the Province would also position waterbased businesses to become leaders
abroad. In support of the Act, Dr. David
unprecedented—the province is not only
home to many of the industrial world
leaders in advanced water technology but
also supports internationally recognized
excellence in water research within its
academic institutions.”
Ontario-based companies, such as
EnviroTower, which
reduces water use
The proposed Act has the
in industrial cooling
towers, and Veritec
potential to drive both the demand Consulting, which
offers expertise and
for and the supply of new water
testing
of
many
different
water-efficient
conservation technologies.
technologies, have the
potential to achieve
Rudolph of University of Waterloo’s international success while providing
Water Institute says, “At no time in much needed services within local
history has the global demand for communities and watersheds.
innovative water technologies needed to
efficiently upgrade aging infrastructure Benefitting citizens
and enhance water supply security been In addition to new opportunities for
greater than it is today. The economic Ontario businesses, there are a number
opportunity this presents to Ontario is of potential benefits for the average
citizen that will hopefully flow out of the
proposed legislation.
One of the key benefits of the Act
would be the creation of quality jobs
that would help to accelerate the
Province’s economic recovery and
provide sustainable employment for
the future. Shifting the balance in
favor of conservation, efficiency and
decentralized water management, such
as rainwater harvesting or greywater
reuse, would also mean more dollars
invested in hiring skilled labour locally,
such as design teams, consultants,
plumbers and landscape architects, as
opposed to spending precious resources
on expensive equipment and construction
for hard infrastructure projects that are
more easily outsourced.
The provincial push to use water more
wisely would also save communities and
residents money. Water conservation can
meet rising demands for water at 25 to 50
per cent the cost of building new water
pipes and energy-intensive pumps. Some
WATER CANADA
41
of Ontario’s fastest growing communities
have already discovered that using water
more efficiently is the cheapest source of
new water for their residents.
For example, Peel Region will invest
$33 million in a conservation and
efficiency program that is expected to
save $112 million in infrastructure costs.
Saving water also reduces the energy
costs associated with the pumping,
treatment, heating and distribution
of water. For example, Guelph’s
conservation and efficiency strategy
will save the City $140,000 annually in
electricity costs. Over the long term,
deferring infrastructure and reducing
energy costs will allow municipalities
and the province to pass on the savings
to citizens through lower tax bills and
lower water and sewer rates.
forward-thinking water conservation and
innovation agenda. Anastasia Lintner,
a lawyer with non-profit organization
Ecojustice, cautions that “this vision will
depend greatly on the language of the
legislation—when and if it is passed—
and the regulations that will need to
be developed to add teeth and depth
to the legislative package.” Citizens
and professionals interested in seeing
progressive action on water conservation
in Ontario should act now because the
window to influence the policy direction
will soon close. WC
Turning opportunity
into reality
Carol Maas is the innovation and
technology director at the POLIS Water
Sustainability Project and is a member of
the steering committee for the Ontario Water
Conservation Alliance.
Bill 72 proposes a framework that
could advance a truly progressive and
42
WATER CANADA
Matt Binstock is a policy researcher at the
Canadian Institute for Environmental Law
and Policy and a contributor to the Living
Water Policy Project.
In partnership with
Water Canada,
the POLIS Project
on Ecological
Governance will hold
a webinar entitled
The Blue Economy:
Understanding the
Value in Water
on October
13.
For more information,
visit watercanada.net/
topics/events
Registration is limited.
Cause for
Change
How Ottawa’s historical typhoid outbreaks led to a new treatment plant.
By
Pauline Graf
During 1911 and 1912, two major
typhoid epidemics occurred in Ottawa,
resulting in over 3,000 deaths. Citizens
were then unaware that the cause of
the outbreak was not attributable to the
natural water of the Ottawa River, but
to the influent of sewage directly into
the clear water pipe which supplied
drinking water to the city. The Ottawa
River water source was considered
contaminated, so providing water from
another source became the challenge. In
fact, in 1915, water filtration in Ottawa
was forbidden by the Ontario Board
of Health in an effort to hasten action
toward implementing a new source of
drinking water for the city.
A report by New York consulting engineer
Alan Hazen proposed that the Ottawa River
water supply could be used if purified by
filters. His alternate recommendation was
to secure a water supply from McGregor
Lake, over 26 kilometres away. Even though
it would be expensive, the McGregor Lake
water would be superior in taste and quality.
A later investigation by Sir Alexander
Binnie of London, England proposed
that a virgin water source be used and
recommended water supply from 31 Mile
and Pemichangan Lakes, approximately
112 kilometres north of the city.
Both the McGregor Lake and 31
Mile Lake schemes were defeated by
the ratepayers due to concerns about
expense and capacity.
From 1920 to 1928, waterworks engineer
W.E. MacDonald carried out an educational
campaign on water-borne diseases and the
need for purification of the water supply.
Early in 1928, City Council directed the
commissioner of works, A.F. Macallum,
to evaluate all of the previously submitted
reports. MacDonald and Macallum
recommended building a rapid sand
filtration plant on Lemieux Island.
WATER CANADA
43
Credit: CH2M HILL
By
name
The Lemieux Island plant’s original
limestone gallery still stands today.
Ratepayers voted strongly in favour
of the project. The Ottawa Citizen
documented the vote and reminded
readers of the rate increase in April 1932:
“It will be recalled that the [25 per cent
water rate] increase was approved when
on December 3, 1928, the Ottawa electors
voted 7,294 to 1,648 to proceed with the
Lemieux Island rapid sand filtration
plant at an estimated cost of $1,315,000,
which estimate incidentally has proven
almost exactly accurate.”
On December 18, 1928, the board
received a letter from MacDonald
44
WATER CANADA
recommending that the firm of Gore,
Nasmith and Storrie, civil engineers (later
CH2M HILL) be engaged as consultants
in the construction of the
plant. Council approved
of this at a special meeting
on December 19, 1928.
Gore and Storrie
designed a pilot plant
to test the purification
process—all samples
of purified water were clean while all
source water was contaminated.
The City celebrated the opening of the
Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant,
considered an engineering marvel at that
time. Council and the waterworks staff
The original philosophy for the
facility site was that it be a place
for Ottawans to spend time.
played host to many visiting dignitaries
who hoped to bring this technology to
their own communities.
On the evening of the opening, a gala
dinner was held in the filter gallery of
the plant. Featuring walls and floors
of local limestone, the gallery looks
identical over 80 years later. The Ottawa
Citizen featured an account of the dinner,
wherein MacDonald was quoted:
“The engineers in designing this plant,
while providing for a present capacity of
35,000,000 gallons per day, have displayed
sound judgment of [sic] incorporating in
the main plant all necessary features to
provide for extension, so that the plant will
not only serve the immediate future, but,
for many years to come at a minimum
cost for extension.
“The members of the Water Works
engineering staff are taking a personal pride
in the construction of this plant and every
essential feature is being incorporated to
give to the citizens of the city water of
which they can be justly proud.”
The original philosophy for the facility
site was that it be a place for Ottawans
to spend time with much effort focussed
on the landscaping of the site. Today, in
keeping with those aims, the City opens
the site during the summer months. In
fact, it is popular with dog walkers who
are vocal with the City in maintaining
this public space.
CH2M HILL continues to assist
the City of Ottawa in upgrading and
maintaining this facility. Recent projects
have included filter rehabilitation,
provision of a waste management
facility, landscaping improvements, and
water quality improvements. Through
the Lemieux Island and Britannia Water
Purification Plants, the City of Ottawa
has built on this outstanding heritage
to provide safe drinking water to over a
million residents each day. WC
By the Numbers
Some statistics from the
plant’s opening in April 1932:
Capacity: Approximately
159 megalitres per day (ML/d)
Ottawa’s daily
consumption: 91 ML/d
Reservoir capacity:
27 ML of filtered water
Ultimate capacity:
382 ML/d
Operating staff: 26 men,
24-hour service
Total cost of original plant:
$1,315,000
Pauline Graf is with CH2M HILL.
She thanks the City of Ottawa,
Drinking Water Operations Branch
for the input and information.
The current plant capacity
is 600 ML/d.
WATER CANADA
45
Business Profile: Full Circle Filtration
Bill and Pat Horkey were shocked by
the findings of 2002’s Walkerton Inquiry.
As business owners, they quickly saw
the vulnerability of numerous small
communities in northern Ontario.
“It was our opinion that very little
advancement had been made in water
treatment technology in the past forty
years,” says Bill Horkey, president of
Thunder Bay, Ontario-based Full Circle
Filtration. “With this in mind, we set out
to develop a reasonably priced smaller
scale water treatment system that utilizes
the latest in membrane technology.”
The company did extensive research and
testing before concluding that ultrafiltration
and nanofiltration technology were best
suited for the unit they were developing.
A pilot plant that used only
ultrafiltration membranes performed
well, but the membranes failed to remove
the high colour and minerals prevalent
in northern Ontario water. Installing
46
WATER CANADA
a second stage of nanofiltration
membranes solved the problem. In
combination with the ultrafiltration
membranes, they removed any particle
larger than 0.001 of a micron, effectively
removing cryptosporidium, giardia cysts,
and bacteria. True colour dropped from
9.36 to 0.013 nephelometric turbidity
units (NTU); calcium dropped from 14.9
to 0.04 milligrams per litre (mg/L); and
magnesium went from 3.39 to 0.09 mg/L.
They didn’t stop there. During research,
the Horkeys also found there was a
need for ongoing training, support and
monitoring. The company has developed
a complete program to provide training,
on- and off-site support, and remote
monitoring of plant operations from its
Thunder Bay offices. “That’s why we call
it Full Circle Filtration,” says Bill Horkey.
“Our job doesn’t end with installation.
We can become full partners in the
process of providing communities with
worry-free water.”
The plants are built in modular form
inside heated, lighted and insulated
seagoing containers. The process is
held within a forty-foot unit, while
water storage tanks are usually twentyfoot units. The entire process meets or
exceeds Ontario Government Regulations
for Drinking Water. It is a completely
automatic system requiring a minimum of
operator involvement, with electric valves,
magnetic flow meters, turbidimeters and
chlorine analyzer, all controlled by a
programmable logic controller.
Since 2004, the company has
deployed six ultrafiltration plants
in northern Ontario. Its first newly
rebranded Full Circle Filtration plant
was just installed in the First Nation
community of Angle Inlet, located in a
remote section of northwestern Ontario
on Lake of the Woods. WC
—Staff
U OF G OPENS
GROUNDWATER FACILITY
The University of Guelph has completed
the first phase of a new centre to help
ensure safe and sustainable groundwater
supplies that is intended to become one
of the most advanced bedrock aquifer
research facilities in North America. The
Bedrock Aquifer Field Facility will be
overseen by U of G engineering professor
and groundwater expert Beth Parker.
Researchers will study everything
from how contaminants travel through
groundwater in fractured rock and how
they affect well-water supplies to whether
they can be easily removed or destroyed
underground. Currently, the new facility
includes three boreholes, and will be
rapidly expanded into a network of wells
that will allow researchers to investigate
the bedrock aquifer and overlying soils
year-round. It also houses drill rigs,
water sampling devices and other types
of field equipment. Details at uoguelph.ca
FULL-COST PRICING REQUIRED
Taking advantage of the 60-day
comment period on Ontario’s proposed
Water Opportunities and Water
Conservation Act, the Residential and
Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario
(RCCAO) submitted recommendations
to include full-cost pricing for water,
mandatory metering, and dedicated
financial reserves for water and
wastewater infrastructure maintenance.
“We think there’s a strong role for the
province to set the bar for true-cost
pricing,” RCCAO’s Andy Manahan told
Water Canada in an interview. “[The
Ontario government] should take into
account all the capital, operating and
future costs to keep systems in a good
state of repair and expansion.” The
organization also recommended that
the formerly named Ministry of Energy
and Infrastructure (MEI) should be
responsible for some aspects of the
file. “A lot of the growth planning that
has to be done fits better with the MEI.
It makes sense to us for them to have
charge with population and employment
targets, with plans such as Places to
Grow,” said Manahan. The public review
and comment period for Bill 72 is now
closed. Details at ene.gov.on.ca and
rccao.com
FUNDING FOR
NORTHERN UPGRADES
The
Township
of
Matachewan,
population 375 (2006), is upgrading its
water distribution system with support
from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund
Corporation (NOHFC). Watermains will
also be extended to the industrial park
and across the Montreal River to service
businesses that currently rely on private
wells. The NOHFC is providing $454,180
to this initiative through its Infrastructure
and Community Development Program.
Details at matachewan.com WC
Proud Member Since 1959
Recognize your Peers for
Excellence in Public Works!
The OPWA Awards program was established
to recognize outstanding individuals,
groups, and organizations representing
the best in the Public Works profession.
“From the time dad joined right through
until now, CWQA has been our best
resource for water treatment industry
information and, most importantly,
our voice with legislators.”
Ken Holmes and family
Holmes Water Services, Lethbridge, Alberta
The awards will be presented during the
OPWA Awards Luncheon at the
Annual General Meeting in January 2011.
The submission deadline for the 2010 Ontario Public
Works Association (OPWA) Awards is November 1, 2010.
For more details, including full description and eligibility
for each award, visit www.opwa.ca.
Ontario Public Works Association
6355 Kennedy Road, Unit #2, Mississauga ON L5T 2L5
Tel: (905) 795-2555 Fax: (905) 795-2660
Email: [email protected]
Join today 1-866-383-7617
www.opwa.ca
WATER CANADA
47
Slick Science
The science of oil spills and
their effect on water quality.
By
Sylvie Hill and Bruce Hollebone
Roughly half of all hazardous
spills in Canadian waters are of oil or
refined petroleum products, with five to
ten oil spills reported in Canada each day.
Through oil spill science, researchers
can all learn how oil impacts organisms,
ecosystems and people—and, more
importantly, what to do about it.
Petroleum forms underground, in
intense heat and pressure over several
millions of years, from the remains of
prehistoric plants and animals. This
leaves behind natural gas, crude oil, and
heavier mixtures like the Athabasca oil
sands. Today, most of the oil and fuel
released in the Canadian environment
comes from human sources, such as
oil spills from crude oil production,
processing, transportation and use.
Oil compounds are mostly just
carbon (C) and hydrogen (H), which
forms hydrocarbons, but the C and
H combine in ways that can be toxic
to plant and animal life. Oil inhibits
metabolic activity, interferes with
animal membranes and disturbs the
ability of fish to regulate water. The
aromatic compounds cause the greatest
problems, especially polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs).
PAHs can originate naturally from
oil seeps, or can be the result of human
48
WATER CANADA
activity. They are present, for example, in
engine exhausts, furnace smoke, runoff
from municipal storm sewers, and oil
refinery cooling water. These compounds
can cause long-term effects in fish such
as cancers and can damage developing
fish embryos. While laws are in place
to protect the environment, sometimes
there are accidents.
Oil is persistent—both in its
desirability in our modern age and its
damaging effects
in the environment
when it spills. It
sticks around. When
crude oil ends up
in water, it forms
a buoyant layer on
the water. That layer
spreads into a thin
slick but in weeks can weather into thick,
tarry globs—a tough “skin” trapping
fresher oil inside. Storms and weather
also break up oil into small drops that
can disperse as small oil particles. As
these particles collide in the water with
suspended sediment, they form “tarballs”
of oil, sand, algae and other debris.
And while slicks and tarballs can be
broken down by light and by microorganisms and plants, it takes a long
time. Floating oil can stick to shorelines,
or oil particles can collect enough
sediment to sink to the bottom of water
bodies and remain there.
Science for water quality
Knowing how oil travels when spilled
on water, and where it’s going to go,
is critical. It can help the oil industry
develop emergency plans for potential
disasters and spill responders during real
emergencies.
Oil is persistent—both in its
desirability in our modern age
and its damaging effects in the
environment when it spills.
From studies of the natural levels
of oil and oil-related chemicals in the
environment and models predicting
how spilled oil will behave, to detecting
spilled oil and fingerprinting of oil (see
“Fingerprinting,” page 50), Environment
Canada is helping balance the social,
environmental and economic benefits we
enjoy from water and petroleum products.
One of the main roles of Environment
Canada’s oil spill science is to develop fate
and effects models to forecast where oil
Credit: Emergencies Science and Technology Section, copyright EC
Heavy fuel oil stranded
on a beach following
a rail accident in
Wabamun, Alberta.
is likely to travel and where it will end up
after a spill in, or on, water. During an oil
spill, Environment Canada modellers can
tell responders within hours of an incident
how the oil is going to move, and its fate.
Chronic oil pollution coming from
ships travelling off Canada’s coasts causes
hundreds of thousands of seabirds to die
every year. In the late 1990s, an estimated
300,000 birds were killed every year off of
Newfoundland’s coast. Oil does not mix with
water, but it is readily absorbed into bird
feathers. When that happens it decreases the
birds’ insulation from the cold, as well as their
waterproofing and buoyancy. This inevitably
leads to their death by hypothermia or
starvation. Just one spot of oil can do this;
in Canada’s cold ocean waters, an oiled bird
becomes a dead bird within minutes.
The oil on any oiled birds in Canada,
reported at sea or collected by Environment
Canada officers onshore, is fingerprinted to
determine its origin. Environment Canada
and Transport Canada use these results to
charge those responsible under the Canada
Shipping Act and the Migratory Birds
Convention Act, 1994. Many convictions
50
WATER CANADA
every year result from illegal oil dumping
in Canadian aquatic ecosystems and
migratory bird habitats.
Fingerprinting
Future fate
An oil spill can have serious environmental
consequences. And while petroleum
production and use is fundamental to our
current way of life, we need to protect
our water—both freshwater and sea
water—from oil pollution. Environment
Canada’s oil spill science can be an
effective way of predicting the fate of oil
spills, anticipating problems to human
and environmental health early on and
leading to solutions. WC
Sylvie Hill is with
Environment Canada.
Bruce Hollebone is part of
Environment Canada’s
Oil Research Laboratory.
Determining the origin of a
mystery spill in the environment
is difficult. Assigning responsibility
for a spill with many possible
sources is often impossible by
conventional means.
Variations in the oil formation
conditions mean every crude oil
has unique properties that can
be used as “fingerprints” to trace
to its geological origin. These
fingerprints can be used to track
oil, and to determine spill extent
and responsibility for a spill.
Forensic analysis can also be used
to determine the origin of PAH
compounds in water, though this
requires caution and consideration
of other natural sources. WC
Credit: Michael Communications PR Group
bottle matters
The Bargains Group
Project Water team at the
launch event on July 7.
In early July, Nestlé Waters Canada
announced that it donated $35,000
worth of bottled water to Project Water,
a volunteer organization that evolved in
response to the dehydration health crisis
that the homeless who live in the Greater
Toronto Area face during the summer
months.
Water Canada spoke with Jody
Steinhauer, president of The Bargains
Group and founder of Project Water, to
get the details.
Since being established in 2000, Project
Water has distributed more than one
million bottles of water to more than
160 frontline agencies in the GTA—how
is water distributed to those in need?
JS: We distribute to social service
frontline agencies selected based on an
application in which they detail how
they’ll get the water out there—some of
One Bottle at a Time
Project Water helps hydrate the homeless.
the main agencies include the Salvation
Army, the Canadian Red Cross, Street
Health Bus, St. John Ambulance, the
Scott Mission and the YWCA.
We’re also connected with social
workers, street nurses, outreach vans,
drop-ins, and places where there wouldn’t
be water otherwise.
Have you run into critics who protest
your use of bottled water? What’s your
organization’s stance on the bottled
water issue?
JS: A couple of years back we decided
to be environmentally conscious. We
partnered with Danamark WaterCare,
and every year the company contributes
12 permanent water filtration units into
shelters. We’ve now outfitted over 50
shelters with water filtration units. Along
with units, Danamark has donated 300400 refillable water bottles.
Yes, there’s an environmental concern
[about bottled water], but Nestlé Waters
Canada should be commended for
standing behind this project and making
a difference year after year. The company
even brought recycling bins to our big
water distribution launch event.
Ultimately, if we had a way of getting
drinking water out to the people [who
don’t stay at the shelters], without using
bottles, we would. But saving people is
our first priority—the people that need
this water are not always going to be able
to get to a water fountain.
Do you have plans for Project Water’s
expansion in the future?
JS: We’ve been asked to expand the
project to other urban centres that
desperately need it, and we will—with the
right partnership.
—Staff
In January
2011, we’re
celebrating
the best and
brightest in
Canada’s
water.
Got a great
story to share?
Submit your
nominations by
October 15, 2010.
For more information, visit
watercanada.net/watersnext
WATER CANADA
51
NEWS
Visit watercanada.net for daily news.
HIRED
ELECTED
(L-R) Shelley Peters, Terry Mee,
John Alksnis and Rick Okaluk.
Norman
Sandberg,
councillor
for the Town of Collingwood, was
elected president of the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) at this
summer’s AMO Annual Conference in
Windsor. Sandberg has been involved
in municipal politics since 1994 and
has been an AMO board member since
2004. He is also past-chair of AMO’s
Small Urban Caucus.
Waterite Technologies, headquartered
in Winnipeg, has made some changes
within its key management. Shelley
Peters, formerly of Water Group of
Companies, has joined the company as
VP of sales. Terry Mee, who has been
with Waterite for 12 years, has assumed
the role of vice president of purchasing
and options. John Alksnis, now central
regional manager, comes to Waterite from
National Energy Equipment (formerly
RNG). Rick Okaluk has been promoted
to the position of branch supervisor, Prairie
Filtrex. Details at waterite.com
Hydrotech, a division of
Water Group, has promoted
Brian Mills to the position of
national sales manager. Brad
Brian Mills Dureau will lead sales efforts
in Western Canada, and Ed Roberts
is now the director of global markets.
Details at hydrotechwater.com
Paul Donnini is now the
regional director for the
Americas for ITT Water &
Wastewater, headquartered in
Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Details at ittwww.ca
Jim Duplisea is now Wolseley
Canada’s VP, waterworks for
Central and Eastern Canada.
Details at wolseleyinc.ca
SHUFFLED
Ontario’s Environment Minister, John
Gerretsen, has been replaced by
John Wilkinson, former Minister of
Revenue. Gerretsen is now the Minister
of Consumer Services. On the federal
side, Chuck Strahl, former Minister
of Indian and Northern Affairs, is now
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure
and Communities. John Duncan, most
recently Strahl’s parliamentary secretary,
succeeds him. Details at ene.gov.on.ca,
tc.gc.ca and ainc-inac.gc.ca
52
WATER CANADA
ACQUIRED
BIOREM’s chairperson Robert Nally
has completed his term. Hank Vander
Laan, a current director of the Guelphbased company, succeeds him. Jeffrey
Dreben has resigned as a director, and
Stephen Ardia is now the chair of the
audit committee. The board of directors
has initiated a search process for one or
more new directors to add to the board.
Details at biorem.biz
Calgary-based Pure Technologies Ltd.
has announced that it will purchase all
of the issued and outstanding shares of
The Pressure Pipe Inspection Company
Ltd. (PPIC) for up to $34.9 million in
cash and common stock of Pure. Subject
to TSX Venture Exchange approval
upon closing the transaction, Scott
MacDonald, partner with Emerald
Technology Ventures, will join Pure’s
board of directors. Brian Mergelas
will remain the CEO of PPIC until the
transaction close, to which point he has
agreed to accept the position of senior
VP, corporate strategy & development,
with Pure Technologies. Details at
puretechnologiesltd.com
Debra Coy is now a strategic
advisor for the Torontobased XPV Water Fund. Coy
has worked in investment
research since 1989, creating a unique
franchise and expertise in covering
the global water sector for investors.
She has been responsible for running
the leading water conference on Wall
Street for more than a decade and was
named a Financial Times/Starmine Best
Brokerage Analyst in 2008 and 2009 for
her U.S. water sector coverage. Details
at xpvcapital.com
NEWS
New Directions
Larry Moore
AWARDED
Back in June, Water For People
announced 20 winners of its prestigious
Kenneth J. Miller Founder Awards,
including Don Hoekstra, co-chair of
the local Water For People Canada
committee for the Water Environment
Association of Ontario. Details at
waterforpeople.org
Just after its new facility opened,
Laurence F. (Larry) Moore joined the
Walkerton Clean Water Centre as its new
CEO. Moore is the coordinator of the
Collaborative Study to Protect Lake Ontario
Drinking Water and led the Ontario Water
Works Research Consortium for a decade.
He played a major role in the introduction
of management systems to the Canadian
water industry and is considered a
national expert for management systems,
emergency programs and small water
systems. Water Canada caught up with
Larry Moore last month.
Congratulations
on
becoming
part of the Walkerton Clean Water
Centre. How do you feel about this
new position?
LM: I feel very positive; it’s a great
organization and I’m very happy to be part
of it. I was with the Ontario Clean Water
Agency (OCWA) as manager of compliance
when the Walkerton tragedy happened.
As you know, OCWA was brought in to
manage the crisis and get the water
systems back to normal. Everyone had a
visceral reaction to the situation, and the
idea that we said it will never happen again
drove me to apply for my current position.
How do you see the Centre changing
in the next ten years? What are your
plans for the future?
LM: When the board of directors hired
me, they made it pretty clear that the
Centre is at a very important point in
its life. Its formative years are over—we
have a building, we have the training,
we’re doing the outreach. Now we can
revisit our roots and really make sure
we’re doing everything we can reasonably
expect to ensure another tragedy never
happens again. That involves looking
across the province for areas of risks, and
seeing how we can address them. Beyond
operator training, there’s a wide range
of possible areas where we can help. WC
The Metcalf Institute for Marine &
Environmental Reporting awarded
Canadian author Alanna Mitchell the
2010 Grantham Prize for Excellence
in Reporting on the Environment.
Mitchell, author of the book Sea
Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis
(McClelland & Stewart), is the first
book author and Canadian entrant to
receive the Grantham Prize. Details at
granthamprize.org
Vancouver-based Ostara Nutrient
Recovery Technologies Inc., which
designs, builds and sells water treatment
systems, has won the designation
of a Top 50 Water Company of 2010
by San Francisco-based consulting
practice, the Artemis Project. Details at
theartemisproject.com
Coming in January 2011:
Celebrating Canada’s best and
brightest in the water sector.
For more details, contact
[email protected].
WATER CANADA
53
to tap and back
Stricter Standards
THERE IS VALUE
IN MEMBERSHIP
CWQA is looking for you
Bill C-36 spotlights emerging product safety issues.
By
Kevin Wong
With Parliament resuming work
after the summer break, it looks
CWQA Certified
Professionals are:
• better sales people
• more technically
proficient
• in demand
Join the growing
number of
water treatment
professionals in
Canada who are
getting CWQA
certification.
To join or for more
information on
upcoming courses
contact CWQA today
1-866-383-7617
[email protected]
54
WATER CANADA
like product safety will get some face
time. Stakeholders from several sectors,
including all levels of governments,
manufacturers, consumers and retailers
of consumer products will be discussing
the best way to address their concerns.
This past spring, the Government
of Canada reintroduced Bill C-36, the
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.
The Act has faced a rather tumultuous
path in Parliament. In April 2008, the
federal government introduced the Act
as Bill C-52, but it died on the order table
with the dissolution of Parliament in
September 2008. In January 2009, the
government reintroduced the Act as Bill
C-6 which was passed relatively quickly
with some critical recommendations
approved by the House of Commons
but was debated at length in the Senate.
The Senate ultimately passed Bill C-6
with minor amendments, but the Bill
died when Parliament was prorogued in
December 2009.
Health Canada has reintroduced the
Bill in a manner that will modernize
Canada’s out-of-date product safety
laws deliver stronger, more effective
protection for Canadian consumers and
their families.
There is little protection offered for
products that aren’t included in the
plumbing codes—which includes water
treatment products. They may be more
susceptible to these laws.
Industry and government alike agree
that the Canadian consumer needs to
be confident that the products they buy
will be safe for them and their children.
Canadians need to know that when
they bring their concerns forward, the
government has the power to investigate
and act on their behalf.
The new proposed Canada Consumer
Product Safety Act would improve
consumer product safety with action that
includes:
•
Prohibiting the manufacturing,
importing, marketing or selling of any
consumer products deemed or proven
unsafe to human health or safety;
•
Requiring industry to inform the
government when they discover
products are linked to a serious safety
incident, death, or product safety issue;
•
Requiring manufacturers or importers
to provide test/study results on
products when asked;
•
Empowering the Minister of Health
to recall unreasonably dangerous
consumer products; and,
•
Making it an offence to package or label
consumer products that make false or
deceptive health or safety claims.
The proposed Canada Consumer
Product Safety Act builds on the original
Bill C-6, critical industry feedback, and a
common goal to protect the health and
safety of Canadians.
The Canadian Water Quality Association
(CWQA), the Canadian Intitute for
Plumbing and Heating, and 14 other
trade associations gave feedback to Health
Canada, the House Committee and the
Senate Standing Committees during the
development stages, back when the Bill
was C-6. CWQA offered feedback including
clarifying and limiting the powers of
inspectors which has been addressed in
C-36. Most of the concerns came from the
development and implementation of the
follow-up regulation.
This is only the beginning of modernizing
Canada’s consumer product safety
laws. There are many details still to be
worked out during the development and
implementation of the Bill, once passed. WC
Kevin Wong is the executive
director of the Canadian Water
Quality Association.
water events
Send your event listings to [email protected]
The Value of Water: Priorities for Investment
June 29 – Toronto
Credits: Kerry Freek
Kevin Mercer
Ian McPherson
Wrapping
up
a
seminar
series
on the Value of Water, this third
event tied together many of the topics
previously discussed, and featured a
lively discussion on public and private
involvement in water’s management.
In his talk, Ian McPherson, president
of Criterion Investments, recalled
issues of governance and public-private
partnerships (P3s) discussed during the
first and second sessions (April 22 and
May 26, respectively). “How do you hold
accountable a utility that belongs to the
municipality?” he asked.
McPherson added further arguments
for private involvement in water services,
such as the need for long-term planning
in municipal environments with rapid
political turnover. He also mentioned
that where the civil service culture is
risk-averse, limiting technology adoption
that may make operations more efficient,
private companies may be more willing
to update and try new solutions.
He also claimed that there is more
than enough public and private money
to solve municipal infrastructure woes—
even with an estimated infrastructure
deficit of $35 billion. “There is no
shortage of capital for building
infrastructure,” he said. “It’s a drop in
the bucket, no problem. The system is
not broken in Canada.”
Rounding out the discussion, panellist
Kevin Mercer of Hampton Group
Consulting discussed how low-impact
development applications work with
industrial and commercial entities
in addition to municipalities and
communities, while Cleantech Group’s
Nicholas Parker examined whether or
not new models for governance can be
created that protect the public interest
but open the door to new sources of
finance. Details at environment.utoronto.ca
Upcoming
International Water Association World Congress
September 19-24 – Montreal
WEFTEC
October 2-6 – New Orleans
More than 4,500 water professionals will gather in Montreal for this
high-profile biennial event that in previous years has been held in
Vienna, Beijing, Marrakech, Melbourne, Berlin and Paris. Water
Canada will co-present Water Technology Cooperation and Capacity
Building, an industry forum in partnership with the United Nations
University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health on Tuesday,
September 21 at 12 p.m.
Water Canada is also a partner in a few other forums. Join us
at SNC-Lavalin and Sustainable Development Technology Canada’s
forum on mobilizing innovative water solutions on September 22 at
11:15 am, as well as SNC’s forum on securing new and traditional
water resources for the future on September 21 at 2:15 pm. You
can also catch Water Canada at Environment Canada’s session on
harmonizing environmental performance measurement and verifying
water technologies on September 21 at 9:15 am. Details at iwahq.org
Water Canada will attend the Water Environment
Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference,
the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world.
Details at weftec.com
Watch watercanada.net for exclusive online coverage,
including daily blogs and photos, and be sure to
visit us at booth 346G in the Canadian Pavillion.
56
WATER CANADA
American Water Summit
November 3-4 – Washington, D.C.
Global Water Intelligence’s Summit intends to explore
the effects of the global economic crisis, demographic
changes and climate change on sustainable provision
of water and wastewater services. Experts including
Laurent Auguste, CEO of Veolia Water America,
George Bilicic, vice chairman of investment banking and
chairman of power, utilities and infrastructure at Lazards;
Greg Ballard, mayor of Indianapolis; Jan Poling of the
General Accounting Office; and Bob Gonzales, ex-mayor
of Santa Paula, will be taking this topic to task and
explaining how they see the solution coming together.
Details at americanwatersummit.com
h2opinion
Want to share your H2Opinion? Email [email protected].
Credit: Lateral Office
Images from Salton Sea, a project that converts a saline agricultural
sump into a productive landscape and recreation and integrates a
series of fabricated pools that harvest water and salt, encourage
recreation, and foster micro-habitats.
Future Water Infrastructure
In the twentieth century, we
witnessed both an infrastructure boom
and bust—but it’s the twenty-first century
that will need to project how to address
crumbling, insufficient, and ineffective
infrastructure. Additionally, we’ll need to
build new infrastructure that confronts
urgent issues such as climate change,
sustenance inequality, and environment
degradation.
The opportunity in projecting future
water infrastructure lies in bundling
infrastructural processes with an
emergent public realm, with the intention
to declare water infrastructure as
adaptive and responsive to environments
and use. An interesting context for such
an opportunity is the water-strapped
American Southwest.
The Salton Sea in California was
formed in 1905 during a season of
heavy rain that caused the Colorado
River to breach its canal, flooding the
Imperial Valley and refilling an ancient
inland seabed. Today, the Salton is
endorheic, or closed, and has high
evaporation rates. Officially designated
as an agricultural sump for the massive
agricultural operations of the Imperial
Valley, its highly salinated water levels
58
WATER CANADA
are perpetuated by agricultural runoff.
The Salton Sea’s extreme salinity
and threatened ecosystems offers an
opportunity for economic, social, and
ecological innovations. For instance,
the Sea could be a unique site for water
harvesting. No longer serving as a
hydrological sump or supporting a monoagricultural landscape, the Salton would
offer new forms of leisure, protected
habitats, and new industries—harvesting
fish, kelp, water, and (in a return to its
namesake) salt. The proposal involves
three zones of coastal development: an
ecology zone, an industry zone, and a
recreational zone. Floating pools, or
water-pads, of various sizes and salinities
serve as salinity-regulation devices
as well as harvest plots, habitats, and
recreational destinations. The pool types
vary in dimension, complexity, depth (to
control evaporation rates), and width (to
suggest different uses). Pools aggregate
to establish intensified habitats or
harvests. Acting as micro-ecologies,
they can be partially moored in place
or migrate within a territorial range of
the Salton Sea. Regulating the water’s
salinity levels, saltwater pools separate
salt from freshwater through passive
By
Mason White
solar desalination, where freshwater
condenses on a transparent fabric and
collects in the hollow structural ring
of each pool. Briny by-products foster
high-salinity habitats. Meanwhile,
salt is harvested, shifting a current
ecological liability into an economic and
environmental asset.
The potential for future water
infrastructure to serve several simultaneous
capacities—recreational,
municipal,
entrepreneurial (public-private)—is very
promising. The combination of public
and private investment is an emerging
market (of which the international PublicPrivate Infrastructure Advisory Facility is
an interesting real-world precedent), and
one in which design can being to take a
powerful realm in making infrastructures
integrated with a future public realm. WC
Mason White is assistant
professor at the Daniels
Faculty of Architecture,
Landscape and Design at
University of Toronto. He is
a founding partner of the design practice
Lateral Office and director of InfraNet Lab,
where he co-curated the recent exhibition
“HYDROCity: Hydrology and Urbanism.”

Fracture - Water Canada

Transcription

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