Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - January 2003
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New Brunswick amends its Clean Water Act and Clean Environment Act

Amendments to the Clean Water Act and the Clean Environment Act were introduced in December 2002 by NB Environment and Local Government Minister Kim Jardine.

Minister Kim Jardine

The proposed legislative changes move New Brunswick one step closer to the implementation of its coastal and wetlands policies and will provide the legislative framework to designate wetlands and coastal areas as protected areas, and regulate the land uses and activities that affect these important environmental features.

The Coastal Areas Protection Policy, developed by Environment and Local Government, is designed to establish province-wide standards for the management and development of coastal areas. The policy identifies acceptable activities for coastal area planning and management by establishing sensitivity zones.

The Wetlands Conservation Policy, developed jointly by Natural Resources and Energy and Environment and Local Government, aims at managing human activity on or near wetlands to ensure that critical functions are not compromised. It will also strengthen the government’s commitment to conserve wetlands and to promote and facilitate wetland stewardship, awareness and education. Minister Kim Jardine

Supercomputer could help environment

CLUMEQ (Consortium Laval, UQAM, McGill et Est du Québec) received grants totalling $8,000,000 from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the ministère de l’Éducation du Québec for the installation of a supercomputer. This computer, the most powerful in Canada, will allow high performance numerical simulation and visualisation in disciplines as diverse as engineering, medicine, computer science, physical science, and environmental science.

Senior government, industry and university officials joined CLUMEQ researchers and funding agency representatives at the opening ceremony at McGill University Faculty Club, November 13, 2002.

Biosolids management award presented at WEF conference

The EPA selected the Merrimack Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) to receive its 2002 National First Place Biosolids Management Award for midsized wastewater treatment facilities. Part of the EPA’s Biosolids Exemplary Management Awards Program, the award recognizes the Merrimack facility as one of the first moderately-sized WWTFs in the United States to develop an Environmental Management System for Biosolids by using a carefully integrated operating program.

Merrimack installed USFilter’s 15- bay IPS composting system in 1994, producing a high-quality and nutrientrich finished compost product that is low in trace metals and easily marketable. With a composting capacity of approximately 225 cubic yards per day or more than 50,000 cubic yards per year, the facility serves the town of Merrimack as well as a large local brewery. The town currently produces 15,000 cubic yards of finished compost annually.

Antarctic ozone hole shrinks, divides in two


The ozone hole over the Antarctic in September 2002 was not only smaller than it was in 2000 and 2001, but has split into two separate holes, according to scientists in the United States and Europe.

Previously, since 1979, the return of sunlight to the high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere has produced massive depletion of ozone over Antarctica. Late in 2002, the hole was smaller than at any time since 1988, atmospheric scientists say.

Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say the smaller ozone hole over the Antarctic is due to this year’s warm stratospheric weather patterns.

Although the ozone hole is smaller, scientists are warning that a single year’s unusual pattern does not make a long term trend.

Nova Scotia to install first J-Spin™ centrifuge in Canada

USFilter Dewatering Systems will provide a J-Spin™ centrifuge to the Village of Baddeck Sewage Treatment Plant in Nova Scotia. This will be the first such centrifuge to be installed in Canada.

The plant project was funded through a Federal/Provincial/Municipal funding initiative called the Canada/Nova Scotia Infrastructure Program. The $195 million, six-year Infrastructure Program is administered by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

Bruce Morrison, Village of Baddeck Councillor, pushed for getting a sludge dewatering system installed. “We needed one for two reasons,” he said. “First, because of the climate, transporting the sludge during winter months is impractical. Secondly, we wanted to be able to compost the sludge at our solid waste facility.”

ABL Environmental of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, designed the (US) 1.2-million- gallon-per-day treatment plant, selecting the J-Spin centrifuge for its small footprint and automatic package. The Baddeck centrifuge control system is designed to control the entire sludge dewatering system and to communicate with SCADA for remote control.

Because the solid bowl centrifuge produces up to 4,000 Gs of centrifugal force, the machine is able to generate extremely high solids and can easily adapt to varying throughput with minimal operator attention. The enclosed design of the J-Spin centrifuge reduces odour emissions, and the unique hydraulic backdrive system enables the operator to optimize the polymer consumption relative to the discharge performance requirements.

The plant should be operational in early spring, 2003.

ITT Flygt in top 10 in world sustainability ranking

ITT Flygt ranked number nine, in a prestige- filled international ranking of the world’s best sustainability reports, conducted by the British company SustainAbility Ltd. on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In the heavy industry category, ITT Flygt came in third place.

“To be ranked within the top ten companies is important recognition of ITT Flygt’s continued work with sustainable development,” says Magnus Enell, ITT Flygt Corporate Manager Sustainable Development.

“It is interesting to note that Europe is well represented in the top 50 reports,” says Enell. “Thirty-one come from Europe, eight from North America and six from Japan. The other five come from companies in South Africa, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.”

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