Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - March 2004
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Environmental News - March 2004

New drinking water safety act for Manitoba

The drinking water supply for Manitobans will be better protected by regulations under the Drinking Water Safety Act, according to Water Stewardship Minister Steve Ashton.

Ashton noted that, since the establishment of the Drinking Water Advisory Committee in June of 2000, the province has undertaken a number of new initiatives to protect water quality including: Proclamation of the act provides the legislative authority to support initiatives already undertaken to protect water quality including establishing the Office of Drinking Water, designating drinking water officers and outlining their powers, identifying the powers of the medical officer of health, establishing an appeal process, providing a framework for reporting violations and establishing fines under the act. In addition, the act also provides the ability to regulate semi-public water systems, which were not regulated previously.

The minister noted that public health officials were consulted in the development of the regulations.

Chemical and physical water quality standards will be phased in for public water systems. The regulations will be finalized in the spring.

AMEC awarded remediation project for the Hamilton Port Authority

AMEC, an international engineering services firm, has been awarded a contract for engineering design services for the Hamilton Harbour Randle Reef Sediment Remediation Project for the Hamilton Port Authority.

The Randle Reef area, adjacent to Piers 15 and 16 in Hamilton Harbour, had been identified as a priority site for remedial action under the Canada- Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, signed in 1994. Studies confirmed in situ containment, removal and placement of the contaminated sediments into an Engineered Containment Facility as the preferred remediation approach. The project is estimated to cost $31 million.

The company will evaluate the various methods of remediation barriers to best fit the conceptual design plan put forward by the Project Advisory Group. It included representatives from the Bay Area Restoration Council, Cities of Hamilton and Burlington, Stelco Inc. and Local Union 1005, the Hamilton Conservation Authority, Hamilton Port Authority, Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, environmental groups and community associations.

Ontario Clean Water Agency fined $50,000 for COA failures

The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) has been fined a total of $50,000, plus a 25-percent victim fine surcharge, after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to comply with a condition of its certificate of approval.

The Court heard that the OCWA operates a sewage treatment plant located in Palmerston, Ontario. A Ministry of the Environment inspection conducted on October 16, 2001, revealed that the plant was discharging total ammonium nitrogen in exceedance of the level permitted by its certificate of approval. An investigation revealed that the exceedance continued in 2002.

The agency was fined $20,000 for the 2001 offence and $30,000 for the 2002 offence.

AWWA to develop security guidance for designing water facilities

The American Water Works Association in Denver, Colorado has begun work on a security guidance document and related training materials to assist in the design and construction of new drinking water systems and the improvement of existing ones. The US Environmental Protection Agency is providing funds to support the project.

The guidelines and training will incorporate updated security measures resulting from the US Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, which required all drinking water utilities serving a population of greater than 3,300 persons to conduct vulnerability assessments. The materials will address risks associated with both intentional attacks and natural disasters.

The guidance will cover a wide range of potential security improvements, including perimeter and facility access, alarms and surveillance, computers and hardening of structures. Associated training materials will include an eight-hour modular training program and a web-based reference document.

Contact: www.awwa.org.

Region of Peel invests in advanced drinking water treatment

The Region of Peel recently approved $11.8 million dollars to purchase hollow- fibre membrane ultrafiltration (UF) equipment for the Lakeview Water Treatment Plant. The award represents what will be the largest UF membrane installation for drinking water treatment in the world, according to the Region.

The membrane equipment, being supplied by Zenon Environmental, will be incorporated in an upcoming expansion to the Lakeview Water Treatment Plant. The expansion will utilize ozone and biologically activated carbon (BAC) to pre-treat lake water prior to membrane ultrafiltration. Ozone/BAC is very effective for reducing turbidity and taste and odour, while improving membrane performance.

As part of a research consortium, Peel is studying the effects of algae on Lake Ontario-based water and has learned a lot about algaefs impact on taste and odour, enough to know that the best defense is a good offense.

The general contract for construction of the plant expansion is to be tendered in late 2004 following completion of design. The plant expansion will be commissioned in 2006.

EMS receives approval to accept additional waste classes at Sudbury

Environmental Management Solutions (EMS) received approval from the Ontario Ministry of Environment to increase its acceptable waste classes of contaminated soils at their Ontario Soil Treatment Facility in Sudbury, at the Falconbridge Mine Tailings site.

The 2.5 hectare waste treatment facility, which is used to bioremediate soils, was originally approved to treat only soils contaminated by light fuels (waste class 221). Recent approval from the MOE allows EMS to increase its acceptable waste classes to include heavy fuels (waste class 222) and oily wastes (waste classes 251 at 254). Once the soils are treated, they are reused as part of Falconbridgefs decommissioning plans for revegetation of their mine tailings, a great win/win scenario.

Municipalities select USFilter as best water and wastewater treatment company

USFilter has been named the top water and wastewater treatment company in North America, based on an extensive survey of municipal customers by the research organization, Frost & Sullivan.

Frost & Sullivan carried out extensive primary research through surveys of a large group of the water and wastewater treatment facilities that are the end-users in this market. The questionnaire was designed specific to drinking water and wastewater treatment markets and posed insightful questions on purchasing criteria that the customers take into consideration in choosing a supplier. It asked the respondents to rate six specific criteria that were used to measure the performance of the suppliers: customer service, price, product quality, reliability, technological skills, and delivery time.

The data was also backed through secondary research and interviews with environmental engineering and consulting companies that assist the utilities in making purchasing decisions.

Dorr-Oliver Eimco UK secures Russian order

Dorr-Oliver Eimco UK Ltd., a subsidiary of the Canadian based company GL&V, has been awarded a contract to supply all the sedimentation equipment to SWTP, a special purpose consortium established to Build, Own and Operate the South West Sewage Treatment Plant in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The South West Sewage Treatment Project is a full wastewater treatment plant with sludge dewatering executed by a consortium formed by Skanska, YIT and NCC. Dorr-Oliver Eimco UK will provide: four 54m diameter peripheral drive clarifiers for the primary settlement tanks, eight 54m diameter peripheral drive suction clarifiers for the secondary settlement tanks and four 18m diameter Bridge Mounted Centre drive picket fence mechanisms for the sludge thickeners. This order totals over $4 million and includes supervision on-site during the installation. The delivery is scheduled for the second and third quarters of 2004.

Ontario approves historic plan to charge industry for recycling

In a precedent-setting move, Ontario’s new Minister of the Environment has approved a controversial plan that will require packaged goods makers to ante up for 50% the local government bill for curbside recycling, which will trigger weight-based packaging fees by spring of 2004.

The plan, which was submitted in February 2003, was delayed because of complaints from industry over the cost and complexity of the plan, and because of elections for a new government in October. Approval of the plan is a victory for local governments, which stand to take in $3 million per month from industry payments.

Quebec has legislation in place, and is set to copy Ontario as soon as the regulation is settled.

The new Liberal government has asked Waste Diversion Ontario to submit a plan to expand recovery of material suitable for blue box from the current 45 per cent to 60 per cent by 2008.

While the plan has been supported by certain beverage companies and a few retailers, the Packaging Association of Canada has formed a new coalition to fight the law. The coalition charges that there is no cap on what local governments will consider their costs, and that the way the law has been interpreted, some packaging suppliers will have their profits wiped out.

Once the WDO board approves new fees, manufacturers selling more than $2 million in Ontario will have 90 days to submit reports on 19 materials and pay their fees.

Contact: www.raymond.com.

Albertans can e-report environmental incidents

Effective April 1, 2004, municipalities and industry will have another legal option for reporting environmental incidences, such as releases and spills, to Alberta Environment through the Internet Incident Reporting System.

Alberta Environment currently requires verbal and written reports within 7 days following any incident that could impact the environment. The Internet Incident Reporting System allows registered regulated parties to submit immediate reports electronically, giving investigators immediate access to critical incident details.

BC government lauds Squamish site clean-up

The BC government recently recognized Nexen Inc. for its outstanding clean-up of an old bleaching products plant site on the Squamish waterfront.

Last November, as a result of the $1-billion BC Rail Investment Partner-ship, the province approved an agreement-in-principle with the District of Squamish and Nexen to transfer 71 acres of the cleaned-up site to the district. The site is owned by BC Rail and operated under longterm lease by Nexen and its predecessors.

The old plant site is 18 hectares. Prospective plans include developing a full-service marina, a passenger ferry terminal, cruise berths and a working waterfront involving light industrial manufacturing and transportation.

Nexen, one of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies, spent more than $40 million and carried out a massive four-year campaign. More than 1,700 rail cars of contaminated soil and biosolids, a large amount of it hazardous waste, were shipped to secure storage in Alberta.

The chlor-alkali plant produced bleaching products for the pulp and paper industry using a mercury-cell process. It was permanently closed in 1991.

Alberta review of drinking water facilities focuses on long-term solutions

The Government of Alberta has completed an inventory of the source quality, quantity and protection available for over 530 drinking water facilities in the province.

The inventory completes the first phase of a comprehensive review of the facilities, which gathered information on the state of source water, treatment facilities and facility operations. The second phase - which began in March 2004 - involves analyzing the data to develop potential long-term strategies and recommendations for how provincial drinking water treatment facilities can continue to meet or exceed Alberta’s current and future drinking water standards. The second phase assessment will also help the province in its decision-making related to infrastructure investments in these facilities.

The drinking water facility assessment, which is a key action under Alberta's Water for Life strategy goal of safe, secure drinking water supplies, is expected to be complete by fall, 2004.
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