Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - March 2003
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by Steve Davey, Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine

Toronto’s John Street pumping station, 1875. The site is now occupied by the SkyDome following relocation of the station, pumps and appurtenances - designed by R.V Anderson Associates.

The year 2003 is indeed a milestone year. It marks Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine’s 15th birthday and 110 years of environmental journalism in Canada. It also marks the 20th anniversary of a historical research project I did to commemorate Water & Pollution Control Magazine’s (W&PC) 90th birthday in 1983.

W&PC’s origins began in 1893, when The Canadian Engineer was launched as a magazine serving professional engineers. The publication had several name changes over its lifespan. But even in its early days, the publication, first as a monthly and later as a weekly, had a profound interest in environmental engineering. Some of the early environmental engineering giants were featured in the magazine or contributed to it.

The magazine published news on such engineering greats as Samuel and Thomas Keefer. Their biographies are well-recorded and it is worthy of note that Thomas Keefer was active in water transportation engineering in the 1840s, railways in the 1850s, and then, in approximately 1853, was appointed chief engineer of the Montreal Waterworks with the task of constructing a public water supply for the city. The project was so well-executed that his services were soon at a premium for similar installations elsewhere in the country.

For some 25 years, Thomas Keefer was involved, often in a consulting capacity and sometimes as an employee, on waterworks projects for the cities of Toronto, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Quebec City, Ottawa, London, Halifax and Dartmouth. In 1872, he became chief engineer of the Ottawa Waterworks. Some Keefer projects are mentioned in The Canadian Engineer.

Typical of engineers of the day, both Keefers changed positions from employee to employer and accomplished much of their engineering work as employees. Many of these engineering works would have been carried out after approximately 1920, in whole or in part, by qualified consulting engineers.

The magazine also carried articles by Willis Chipman, the founder of what was almost certainly Canada’s first significant consulting engineering company. By then, he had completed both waterworks and sewage treatment projects in 56 cities, from Halifax, N.S. to Victoria, B.C. Some of Chipman’s published articles in the magazine covered such topics as London’s Sewage System, Oakville Waterworks Auxiliary, and the Ontario Waterworks System.

In the earlier days, the magazine carried specifications and drawings of British battleships as well as technical articles on the coal-fired boilers of Montreal’s waterworks. There were reports of air pollution control devices even then, with advertisements urging readers to buy “the smoke eaters”. Reports of the emerging interest in ozone were also carried in some of the early issues.

A larger, sometimes planetary viewpoint emerged as society realized that there were few pollution problems which operated in isolation from the rest of the ecosystems. W&PC responded to the new challenge with articles, which were written on a much broader philosophical plane. For example, an editorial by Editor Tom Davey, in 1968, warned about global warming. Topics such as eutrophication, heavy metals, acid rain, and the mutagenic effects of chemicals were published in W&PC. The magazine also became a vigorous forum of debate on many contentious issues.

Southam sold W&PC to another company in the late 1980s; it was sold again shortly afterward.

In 1988, Tom and Steve Davey launched Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine.

The first issue, a mere 40 pages, with 9,000 copies printed, rolled off the presses in February 1988. The very first editorial was titled: "Why low-bid systems are bad for the Canadian environment", a theme which touched a nerve in both the consulting and suppliers’ fraternities. The first issue also carried an article by Federal Environment Minister Tom McMillan, which echoed the magazine’s stance on under-priced drinking water. He argued that price drove consumption. When water was undervalued, it would be wasted, leading to environmental neglect and pollution, the minister stated.

The North Toronto Wastewater Treatment Plant under construction in 1934.

The first issue also carried an article by Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley as he launched the Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA) program. The objective was the virtual elimination of persistent toxic substances entering the environment. It called for strict monitoring and testing programs and resulted in a surge of spending in the environmental industry. Unfortunately, government emphasis on the MISA program was short-lived. Many analytical laboratories, which had geared up for the anticipated demand for their services, went out of business or abandoned the environmental market.

One key component of the Ontario government’s plan to deal with toxic substances such as PCBs was the creation of the Ontario Waste Management Corporation in the early 1980s. However, OWMC became endlessly stymied, with public opposition to the use and location of its waste incineration facility and disposal site. Ultimately, after spending some $120 million in studies, the OWMC was abandoned, without ever treating as much as a handful of waste.

In the late 1980s, ES&E carried articles on using PCB contaminated wastes as fuel for cement kilns. The articles stressed that the rotary kilns were a good idea because they could harness the thermal properties of the wastes while making cement; that the PCBs had a long residence time in the flame, leading to almost total destruction; and that there was a saving in valuable fuel used in conventional incineration. However, public opinion was against the use of PCB wastes as fuel and this option was abandoned. Much of Canada’s PCB wastes ultimately were directed to the United States.

Leak detection from underground storage tanks also became an important issue in the late 1980s. In the July 1991 issue of ES&E, an article by Richard Rush and Keith Metzer, of XCG Consultants, reported that there were approximately 70,000 retail gasoline storage tanks in Canada. Studies had shown that 20-25% of these were found to be or were suspected to be leaking. "The re-mediation cost could be many tens of billions of dollars - the same order of magnitude as the annual Canadian Federal Deficit," stated the authors.

In the 1990s, new and improved treatment processes emerged. Membrane technology for both drinking water and wastewater developed at an astonishing rate. Ozone, probably first used in Quebec, is now used in drinking water plants in Ontario and other parts of Canada. Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is increasingly used in both drinking water and wastewater treatment.

The 1990s brought great change to Canada’s consulting engineers. In the November 1995 issue of ES&E, George Powell, of CH2M Gore & Storrie Limited, stated that "as the consulting industry in Ontario downsized from about 13,000 in 1990 to under 10,000 in 1995 to react to the slowdown in the domestic market, the need to develop opportunities internationally grew". He went on to say that "international design/build/own/operate/ transfer, BOOT projects as they are often called, are becoming the norm".

Non-point pollution sources such as oil contamination from stormwater began to be tackled in the early 1990s, with sophisticated oil catchment devices being developed which separated the oil from parking lot runoff. Canadian manufacturers such as Stormceptor designed and have sold stormwater separation equipment throughout Canada and many other countries around the world.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the out of sight, out of mind attitude towards water mains and sewer lines resulted in gross neglect of cleaning, repairing and replacing this infrastructure. Unfortunately, it took the tragedy of Walkerton in 2001, where eight died and some 2000 people were made seriously ill, to re-focus government attention on water and wastewater issues. In 2002, Justice Dennis O’Connor released The Walkerton Report, which made some 93 recommendations.

The late Pat Bourgeois of Quebec (L) and BC’s Stan Mason (R) in Vancouver. Pat earlier had handed over the Presidential Chair of Office of FACE, now the Canadian Water & Wastewater Association.

The late Dr. Albert Edward Berry is wheeled by Geoff Scott, the second Canadian President of the Water Environment Federation.

In the January 2003 issue of ES&E, Vince Nazareth of R.V. Anderson Associates Ltd. stated that "although most of the 93 recommendations relate to the treatment and distribution of drinking water in Ontario, at least 40% of the recommendations relate directly or indirectly to wastewater facilities and their operation."

The issue of global warming, while first raised in 1968 (See March 2003 Editorial), again took centre stage in Canada, with the government in 2002 ratifying the Kyoto Accord. The cost/benefit debate surrounding this issue will no doubt rage for years.

ES&E will continue to provide a vigorous forum where issues affecting Canada’s environmental protection and drinking water industries can be debated and where new technologies and policies can be introduced to readers. See you in 2023.

The late Sid Dutton, when head of Proctor & Redern’s Wastewater Department, with George Crawford, then President of Gore & Storrie Ltd.

Dr. Kenneth Hare enjoyed an international reputation in climate change. He was the first Director of the U of T’s Institute for Environmental Studies.

Norway's Madam Brundtland, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the Environment Minister Tom McMillan at an international conference on global warming in Toronto.

Environmental Science & Engineering Unmatched industry involvement and recognition since 1988
1989 Sandra Davey inducted into 5-S Society* at Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO) Conference. 1991 Steve Davey elected President of Ontario Pollution Control Equipment Association (OPCEA). 1991 Tom Davey inducted into 5-S Society*. 1991 Tom Davey awarded Environment Canada's Certificate of Honour. 1992 Tom Davey presented with Environment Canada's top award for Communications (previous winner was David Suzuki). 1994 ES&E wins award from American Water Works Association 1994 Tom Davey wins a 'Top Five' K.R. Wilson Award from Canadian Business Press 1994 Tom Davey - Keynote Speaker, 6th National Drinking Water Conference in Victoria, B.C. 1995 Penny Davey becomes first woman President of OPCEA. 1995 Steve Davey becomes youngest President of the Water Environment Association of Ontario. 1996 Tom Davey guest lectures at Trent University and University of Toronto.	1996 Tom Davey receives the 1996 Harvey Southam Award, premier honour of Canadian Business Press and Tom's sixth CBP award 1997 Steve Davey appointed as a Director of the Water Environment Federation. 1997 Tom Davey invited to attend Queen's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in London. 1998 Steve Davey inducted into 5S Society*. 1998 Tom Davey addresses Consulting Engineers of Ontario annual banquet. 2000 Tom Davey gives keynote address at the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering's Millennium Conference, London. 2000 Penny Davey elected for second term as director of Ontario Pollution Control Equipment Association. 2000 Steve Davey wins the Bedell Award from the Water Environment Federation. 2001 Steve Davey receives WEF Service Award. 2002 Tom Davey addresses OPCEA AGM. 2002 Tom Davey wins American Water Works Association Award of Merit which was presented in London, Ontario and New Orleans. 2003 Penny Davey re-elected as Director of OPCEA.
Tom Davey (left) with Federal Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard in 1991 Sandra Davey with George Powell, CH2M HILL Canada Ltd., circa 1990 Penny Davey with PWO Director Bill Girard in 1995 Steve Davey (left) with WEF President Joe Stowe in 2000

Abridged

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