North Bay students represent Canada at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition Two North Bay, Ontario, high- school students, Richard Miron and Alex Omiccioli, were amongst the 45 entries at the 2002 International Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition (SJWP) held in August, 2002. SJWP is considered the world's most prestigious water science prize awarded to youth. First place went to Katherine Holt from Virginia, for her project "Cleaning the Chesapeake Bay with Oysters." (See story on page 6). This international award includes a crystal sculpture and $5,000 US. It was presented by HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, patron of the SJWP. For their project, Richard and Alex set out to test the water quality of Trout Lake, North Bay. The City of North Bay is considering filtering its water supply because it is unsure of the continued water quality of its main reservoir, Trout Lake. This study suggests that the water intake be moved closer to the 68m Basin to access extremely high quality raw water. Continued treatment of raw water using chlorination and ultraviolet light, may well meet all the Ontario Drinking Water Objectives and thus save the City millions of dollars in filtering costs. The students found that the microbiological assemblage method for characterizing water supplies is a much more accurate and reliable indicator than the MOE's physical chemical characterization (phosphorus tests). Based on this finding, they designed a cost-effective, highly efficient sampler. They call the system CAST (Chironomid Algonquin Sampling Technology.) Larry Madden of C&M Environmental Technologies, Chair of the Canadian Stockholm Junior Water Prize (CSJWP) and a past president of WEAO, was instrumental in paving the way for Canadian entries in Stockholm. "This is the second year we have been able to send a Canadian entry to the competition, and we hope to be able to continue to do so for many years to come", he said. Mr. Madden explained that the CSJWP representative is selected from water-related projects entered in the Canada Wide Science Fair during May of each year. The winner of the best water project receives a commemorative plaque and is financially sponsored to represent Canada at the international competition during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. Canada's first representative was Mathieu Brousseau, from Saint-Jean Chrysostome, Quebec. Sponsors include the Water Environment Federation, British Columbia Water & Waste Association, Western Canada Water & Wastewater Association, RESEAU environnement, the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association and WEAO. The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize was established by the Stockholm Water Foundation in 1995 and is sponsored internationally by ITT Industries to engage and support the interest of young people in water environment issues. For more information about the Canadian Stockholm Junior Water Prize visit www.wef.org/publicinfo/stockholm/canada.jhtml. Steve
Davey,
The WEAO Board of Directors has been extremely busy in the last few months, and the next months also promise to be both challenging and exciting. With the departure of Francesca Davino in May 2002, Patricia Creary was retained to provide administrative services to the Association. Based on careful consideration by the Board, it was decided to bring a second staff person to the Association, with a complementary skill set. Since October 2002, Julie Vincent has been retained to work on a part time basis, to provide support to the Association's committees and coordination and liaison of WEAO committee and Board activities. Julie Vincent is an association specialist with her own business, Halton Business Administration, who will also provide WEAO with event planning and project management services. She brings us expertise from her work with the Society of Chemical Industry. She will be attending all board and committee meetings to take notes and coordinate the flow of information between the board and committees. The Board is in the process of developing its first annual business plan. This plan consolidates all of the activities of the Association, and presents rationale for the annual budget. Highlights of the new activities that will be initiated in 2002 include: · A review of the Newsletter format, with a goal of updating the News- letter to better service our members; · A new WEAO brochure, to include information on each committee as well as application forms to volun- teer on committees; · Creation of a new Member Services Committee, with an overall mandate to support membership retention and development, as well as other activities to enhance the services to WEAO members. The current government activity in the development of regulations that will affect WEAO's members is significant. The Government Affairs Committee has developed a strategy under consideration by the Board, which aims at ensuring the interests of the water environment industry are reflected in these regulations. And as always (or so it seems) we continue to face the challenge of retaining volunteer time for WEAO activities because it is a busy time in the industry. In the next few months we will strive to further enhance the WEAO's reputation and service to members, so that employers can realize the value of their staff taking part in activities, and volunteering their time to the Association.
We welcome the following new members: Dave Alexander, Regional Munici- pality of Durham Peter Chaput, Regional Municipality of Durham Paul Conklin, Stantec Consulting Mike Di Iorio, Region of Halton Bob Fields, Norfolk County Jim Gilchrist, Career Advancement Employment Services Inc. Gerry Griffin, SM Cyclo of Canada Dave Hardy, Hardy Stevenson and Associates Paul Herriot, G.E. Plastics Chuck Hudsonroder, Regional Municipality of Durham Rob Jansen, City of St. Thomas Nancy Jenkins Sylvia Kelly, S.E. Dawson (Canada) Jeff Lang, Corbett Creek WPCP Joseph Mirizio, Region of Halton Serena Oyama, Terraprobe Ltd. Kishan Phartiyal, City of Toronto Dan Powell, ASI Group Ltd. Mizanur Rahman, ENTECH David Robertson, City of Ottawa Ivan Romanow Ashok Saha, Cancoppas Ltd. Mark Schilling, Mnjikaning First Nation Andre Schnell, Hydromantis Inc. Bob Schweitzer, ASI Group Ltd. Benny Seminerio, Region of Halton Brian Symondson, O.C.W.A. Eric Veldhoen, Region of Halton Wendy Wong, ACYS Technologies
Tradition has always been shown to be a success. This year was no exception as The Great Canadian Icebreaker returned to its traditional format of an all-Canadian event, held on the Saturday night at the start of WEFTEC. Several guests from other countries were allowed to attend but a close watch was kept on all of them! This year's event was held in the Truffles Room at the Canadian hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Advance ticket sales were very brisk during the month of September and many people waited until they arrived in Chicago before purchasing a ticket. No one was turned away at the door, which made the room very cozy but it also provided a great opportunity to bump into everyone attending WEFTEC. A total of 236 people attended the event. Many thanks to Bob and Debbie Crane for their help in decorating the room and helping out at the door and to Brian Burrell for manning the doors. Special thanks to Lynn Hein for planning the decorations and all her help. Planning is already underway for next year's icebreaker in Los Angeles, so mark your calendars to attend WEFTEC 2003, which is being held October 11-15, 2003. David Hein, KMK Consultants "Canadian Affairs Council" proposed at WEFTEC 2002 At their annual meeting at WEFTEC, the Canadian directors, Canadian MA representatives and WEF representatives agreed to develop a system to better serve Canadian WEF members within the scope of general WEF services. The Canadian Member Associations will create a "Canadian Affairs Council" (CAC), subject to approval from the Canadian MA Boards. The proposed CAC will replace the existing Canadian Leaders Forum and will include: Six Canadian WEF Directors The Chair of the CAC will rotate on an annual basis in the following order: British Columbia, Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. The CAC will coordinate Canadian activities and promote cooperation between Canadian MAs. Two annual meetings will be held by the CAC, one at WEFTEC (Fall), and the other at a WEF Exchange Meeting (Spring). WEF agreed to provide meeting space and catering (as appropriate) at WEFTEC and a WEF Regional Exchange meeting. WEF and the CAC will work together to arrange for an exchange meeting (with a CAC session) to be held in Canada each year after 2004 where practical. In years where a MA Exchange meeting is not scheduled in Canada, such as 2004, WEF and the CAC will select an appropriate MA Exchange meeting in the US and arrange for a CAC session. Initially, the WEF representative for the CAC will be Bill Bertera, the Executive Director of WEF. As the CAC is developed, another senior staff liaison will be selected by WEF. After the CAC is formally created, WEF will develop a press release to announce its formation. The Canadian MAs will include the announcement in their respective newsletters. WEF will cover the announcement in an appropriate WEF publication. The CWWA was proposed as the best option to provide government affairs services at the federal level for WEF Canadian members. Potentially CWWA could provide the "window" to the senior bureaucrats in Ottawa, and WEF could provide the technical support (in-house scientists and engineers). The CAC would be responsible for identifying and coordinating the government affairs issues. The Canadian Affairs Council will be responsible for providing Canadian content for inclusion in WEF Publications. WEF will also consider including advertisement of Canadian events (e.g. RESEAU environnement's "Americana", Canadian Biosolids Conference) as "house ads" in WEF publications. The Canadian Affairs Council will be responsible for the coordination and financial support of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) in Canada. Garry Mak (Western Canada) will lead the Canadian SJWP on behalf of the CAC. The Canadian Affairs Council will be responsible for identifying the needs for raising the WEF profile in Canada. Over the next 12-18 months, the CAC will work with WEF for membership development in Canada. The Canadian Affairs Council will be responsible for identifying the need for coordination of agreements with other Canadian organizations. On a case by case basis, the CAC will work with the WEF CAC Representative to determine whether such coordination or agreements should be with the CAC or with WEF. The Canadian Affairs Council will discuss the continuation of the current offer for Canadian Dollars at Par for WEF publications. Excerpted from a report by Neal Carley, Vancouver, B.C. Attendance record set - Ontario firm wins WEF innovative technology award WEFTEC 2002, the Water En vironment Federation's (WEF) 75th annual technical and educational conference, which was held in Chicago in October, attracted a record-breaking attendance of 18,704 and featured 793 exhibitors. Designed to cover a wide spectrum of traditional and emerging water quality issues, a total of seventy technical sessions and 25 conference workshops brought innovative information about topics such as infrastructure security, utility management, watershed management, and biosolids/residuals management. Conference highlights included a keynote address by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman who discussed the release of EPA's highly anticipated report, The Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis. Ms. Whitman said that while the US has made huge strides in cleaning up rivers, streams and other waterways since the passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act, state and local governments face enormous challenges in maintaining and replacing deteriorating water treatment systems. "Much of America's drinking and wastewater infrastructure is aging", Ms. Whitman said, adding that "there are cities in America still using pipes that were laid when Lincoln was president." She warned that demands for improved wastewater and drinking water treatment systems could outstrip current spending by $535 billion over the next two decades. However, she pointed out that, if municipal revenues were to increase by 3% each year, the funding gap would be reduced by 90%. Ms. Whitman added that increased federal funding in not enough. Systems must become more efficient to build and operate and the participation and contribution of government at all levels, utilities and users are necessary. The Opening General Session program also featured a presentation by Dr. Claire Parkinson (NASA) on the agency's Aqua Satellite, which was launched in May 2002. It is the first satellite designed to study the world's water in solid, liquid and gas states. It uses microwave technology that can penetrate cloud cover to view ground formations. The satellite orbits the globe longitudinally every 98 minutes, covering a 25-degree swath with each orbit. Fournier Industries of Black Lake, Ontario, won this year's WEF Innovative Technology Award in the solids handling/disposal category, for its rotary press sludge dewatering equipment. These awards recognize products/services that use new ideas, methods, alterations or unique changes from existing systems in four categories: collection systems, instrumentation, process equipment and solids handling/disposal. The Operations Challenge continued to be a big draw for attendees. The 15th annual "wastewater Olympics" honoured the skill and professionalism of over 200 wastewater professionals competing on thirty-six teams from across North America. Winners included: Division I: Virginia Water Environment Association Team HRSD Bio-Force (1st Place), California Water Environment Association L.A. Wrecking Crew (2nd Place), Water Environment Association of Texas TRA CRWSers (3rd Place); Division II: Nevada Water Environment Association Totally Chaotic (1st Place), Water Environment Association of Texas Austin Blues (2nd Place), and New England Water Environment Association Crustaceans (3rd Place). WEFTEC 2003 will be held in Los Angeles, California, October 11-15, 2003. For more information about the Federation, please visit www.wef.org.
Steve
Davey, Committee members announced for WEAO Conference Great things are in store for you at the WEAO 32nd Annual Technical Symposium and OPCEA Exhibition to be held in Toronto from March 30th to April 1st, 2003. I am very proud to announce the members of this year's Conference Committee: Rosanna DiLabio Praxair Canada Inc., Conference Chair Mark Maki City of Windsor, Controller Tim Constantine CH2M HILL Canada Ltd., Local Arrangements George Lai Ministry of Environment, Technical Program David Hein KMK Consultants Limited, Keynote Speaker and Entertainment Janet Haynes City of Hamilton, Ops Challenge & PWO Program Rick Niesink Region of Niagara, Ops Challenge & PWO Program Graham Simpson SEW Eurodrive Co. of Canada, OPCEA Exhibition Dave Tidy Metcon Sales and Engineering, OPCEA Exhibition Dave Brooke CH2M HILL Canada, Banquet Entertainment Carolyn deGroot Earth Tech Canada Inc., Proceedings John Himanen Earth Tech Canada Inc., Signs & Banners Janice Patterson Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, Corporate & Icebreaker Sponsorships John Duong R.V. Anderson Associates, New Professionals Program John Carney Nord Gear Limited, AV Requirements and Gifts Lynn Hein Guest Program Debbie Crane Guest Program Steve Davey Environmental Science and Engineering Magazine, Media Session, Marketing and Conference Program Mohamad Bassidgi Avalanche(AICS) Inc., Poster Session John Levie ASI Group Limited, Conference Program Tony Petrucci Earth Tech Canada Inc., Past Chair, Advisor Heinz Held SEW Eurodrive Co. of Canada, Past Chair, Advisor, Volunteers and Awards Lunch/Banquet Program We are all working very hard to exceed your expectations for this upcoming event. See you soon.
Biosolids News is a regular update on activities of the WEAO's Biosolids Committee and information of interest related to the beneficial use of biosolids. Contributions from the WEAO membership are always welcome and should be directed to Stephen Nutt (stephen@xcg.com) or Janice Patterson (janice.patterson@omafra.gov.on.ca). As part of the Biosolids Commit tee's Strategic Plan for 2002/3, the Committee is preparing a register of good examples of biosolids management programs in Canada. Our aim is to create project summary sheets suitable for circulation to WEAO members and posting on the WEAO web-site. These summary sheets will also be available to WEAO members for use at Public Open Houses or Public Education venues, and will serve as resource material to support the Biosolids Education Video that is currently in production. Over the next few months, the committee will be developing a list of criteria on which to base the evaluation and selection of the good example. In the meantime, anyone who is involved with an exemplary biosolids management program, whether full-scale or demonstration, please contact either Lucyna Mroczek ( Lmroczek@ocwa.com ); Janice Patterson ( janice.patterson@omafra.gov.on.ca ); Wayne Parker ( wparker@ccs.carleton.ca ); or Stephen Nutt ( stephen@xcg.com ). Who knows - with some sponsorship, maybe we can offer annual prizes to the most worthy example of good biosolids management! But first, we need to hear from you. How about a visit to Penticton, BC, in April? Registration information for the 2nd Annual Canadian Organic Residuals Recycling conference is now available. The conference, scheduled in beautiful Penticton from April 24 to 26, is co-sponsored by the BC Water & Waste Association, the Water Environment Association of Ontario, the Canadian Water & Wastewater Association, the Composting Council of Canada, and the Water Environment Federation. Contact one of the associations for registration information or the conference contacts listed below: Harlan Kelly, Dayton & Knight, Hkelly@dayton-knight.com Jack Bryden, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, jack.bryden@gems3.gov.bc.ca Duncan Ellison, Canadian Water & Wastewater Association, dellison@cwwa.ca Tony Ho, Ontario Ministry of Environment, hoto@ene.gov.on.ca Chantal Beauchamp, Laval University, Chantal.Beauchamp@plg.ulaval.ca The conference theme areas are: · Successful retail and managed land application programs in Canada. · Best Management Practices for organic residuals in agriculture, silviculture and reclamation. · Latest regulatory updates and directions from across the country. · Recycling organic matter or disposing of sludge? Working with your community. · Processing technologies and techniques. · Contaminants reduction and nutrient management programs from across the country. Abstracts are due by November 30, 2002 and should be sent by email or fax to: Dave Forgie, Associated Engineering, Fax: (604) 281-6163 E-mail: forgied@burnaby.associated-eng.com See you in Penticton!
A total of 70 First Nations Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators from throughout Ontario came to participate in the Aboriginal Water & Wastewater Association of Ontario's 8th Annual General Assembly & Training Conference. It was held in conjunction with the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation's 7th Annual Technical Conference & Tradeshow, showcasing the theme "Tradition and Technology for a Better Tomorrow".
AWWAO 2002 was held at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel &
Conference Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Attendees filled the show floor to
see the hottest new products and experienced "filled to capacity" sessions. The sessions included the Association's Annual General Meeting, Plenary Session, Niagara Falls Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Tours, along with Workshops such as: · Design Plans Review · Wells · Plant Start-Up and Commissioning · Training and Certification · Membrane Systems: Problems & Solutions · Safety · Troubleshooting at Pumping Stations · Water Treatment Technologies · Jar Testing and Coagulants The 4th Annual Operations Challenge also took place, with assistance from WEAO Operations Challenge Committee members Dave Spiller and Ian Smith. I would just like to express my gratitude and appreciation; thank you for everything you've done for the AWWAO's Operations Challenge. Lana Williams, Well, I hope everyone had a good summer because if you didn't, it's over. Now it's back to the paper shuffle. Speaking of paper shuffle, there has been a lot of that going on. I attended a three-day workshop in Toronto called "Training, Education and Certification Nationwide". This was one of the best workshops that I have attended. It was good to see that many provinces are close in their thinking on certification and others are following. The training varies, with some provinces way ahead of others. Here, in Ontario, with the part two Walkerton Report now out, we must band together and tell the government what we need for training and where the best place is to get this. They seem to have all the ideas of what we are going to do but not who is going to pay for it. If you would like to talk to me about this, please give me a call at 705-326-1066 or fax 705-326-1339. I'd like to take this time to congratulate The Highlanders from Toronto and Flush In A Pan from Durham Region for their recent showing at WEFTEC in Chicago. Not everybody can win all the time but we are proud of all of you for representing Ontario. If anyone is interested in an activated sludge course December 2-6, 2002, please contact Mike or Joanne at the Town of Midland, Wastewater Treatment Centre 705-526-4268 ext. 250. Finally, if anyone has job postings, remember that you can advertise them in this newsletter. That way, your job posting is delivered to all operators. Once again, if you have anything that you want brought to the WEAO Board or the Certification Advisory Board, please do not hesitate to call me. Eldon Wallis Issues facing wastewater facility managers were the focus of latest WEAO seminar
Once again the WEAO Seminar Committee put together an in formative and interesting specialty seminar, this time focussing on the current issues that managers are facing relating to the operation of wastewater facilities in Ontario. The seminar, which was held September 26, 2002 at the CNE in Toronto, was well attended. The day's first speaker was Hershel Guttman, of R. V. Anderson Associates, who presented a paper outlining the potential impacts of the Walkerton Report on wastewater operations. Hershel, who had a feature article in the July 2002 WEAO Newsletter, outlined specific recommendations of the Walkerton Report and once again stressed the need for members to become involved in the various consultation processes being undertaken by the MOE that will shape the way plants are operated in the future. Donna Shier, of Willms and Shier Environmental Lawyers, was the next presenter and delivered a paper entitled Regulatory Liability for Wastewater Operators. Donna provided the attendees with information regarding Pollution Prohibitions which are the foundation of Canada's Environmental Law scheme. Donna also stressed the need for due diligence. In these changing times all managers require a good base knowledge of the laws and regulations governing the day-to-day operations of the facilities they administer. Christine Dejan, of the Region of Durham, then presented a paper entitled Energy Management Strategy facing the Deregulated Electricity Market. Christine delivered some background information regarding the actual cost of electricity and the deregulated market and then gave some specific examples of how the Region of Durham has implemented a series of programs, including installation of interval meters, energy control, benchmarking, auditing and bill verification. Bill verification alone resulted in $37,000 worth of credits due to past billing errors. The program is still proceeding with many initiatives and we hope that Christine will present the results at a future WEAO seminar geared towards energy management. The last speaker of the morning was Fel Petti, of the City of Ottawa, who gave some strong advice about Biosolids Management based on the City of Ottawa's experience. Fel outlined the steps that Ottawa took to build a strong biosolids spreading program through a management plan approach including a review of current practices, assessment of alternatives, review of regulatory framework and extensive public consultation. Fel went on to describe how council approved the plan with one condition, that the MOH conduct a review of the safety of land applying biosolids. The results of this review, combined with one particular complaint led to council overturning the biosolids spreading plan for the City of Ottawa. Although the results were discouraging the lessons were not lost on the audience and the approach described including developed BMPs provided to attendees, will certainly benefit other municipalities. The first speaker of the afternoon was Bob White, of BRI International, who delivered a paper entitled Performance Measurement and Management Systems for Municipal Water and Wastewater. Bob continued the theme stressed by previous speakers, outlining the drivers for change in plant management including the Walkerton Report, stakeholder perception and regulatory enforcement. Bob went on to stress the need for accountability and performance measurement and how these could be achieved through management systems for best practices including systems such as ISO 9000, ISO 14000, HACCP and OHSAS 18001. The presentation included several examples including the Region of Durham who are attempting to be the first in the world to implement all of the above standards in their Plant Operations Division. Tom Eyre, of R. V. Anderson Associates, was up next and outlined a suggested approach for utility audits. Tom touched on several areas that were also stressed by other presenters including stakeholder participation, backing and the need for comprehension from council and senior management, training and certification, emergency planning and internal and external communications. The approach Tom suggested complemented and reinforced the principles of Quality Management Systems such as ISO outlined by other presenters of the seminar. Rounding out the day were two speakers from the Ministry of Environment. The first was Steve Klose, of the Environmental Assessment and Approval Branch, who delivered an overview of the Certificate of Approval Process. Steve not only covered the legislative foundation behind the certificates, but also included advice on obtaining a successful application through submitting a complete and accurate application. He also updated the attendees of future initiatives such as Emitter Accountability in the Air section and electronic submissions. The final speaker, and one that several operators in attendance were waiting to hear from, was Alex Salewski who described the current status and the proposed changes to the Facility Classification Water And Wastewater Operator Licencing Program. Alex described the current system including licence requirements, Facility Classes, Operator in Overall Responsibility and training requirements. Alex then went on to the discuss the changes being proposed in the Safe Drinking Water Act such as mandatory testing for grandfathered licences, training requirement for OITs, training and development strategies. This ended a day of quality information delivered by entertaining and informative speakers. As always, if anyone desires a copy of the proceedings from the seminar they may be obtained for a nominal fee from the WEAO. I would like to thank all those who helped organize this seminar, in particular my co-chair Wes Trimble, of CH2M HILL Canada Limited, and Patricia Creary, the new WEAO Executive Administrator, who did a marvellous job on her first seminar. The WEAO would like to thank all those who attended and look forward to seeing them at future seminars such as the Plant Monitoring Seminar on November 21, 2002. Ian McIlwham WEAO Annual Golf Tournament
A total of 124 golfers hit the links. The number of golfers almost doubled from last year. Everyone teed off at the same time in a "shot gun" start. The format of the tournament was best ball and the winning team of Ilmar Simanovski, Martin Fischer, Steve Kyle and Ben Kramer had a score of 62, 10 under par. The team of Don Holland, Geoff Linschoten, Tim Constantine, and Rob Holden, and the team of Eric Lovitt, Dave Rupke, Bob Latford and Bill Selmeci, tied for second place with a score of 63. The most honest team with a respectable score consisted of team members Penny Davey, Denise Simpson and Monique Bates. Special thanks to the companies that sponsored a hole: Hole Sponsor #1 Performance Fluid Equipment Inc. During the wee hours before the tournament, we tried to contact each sponsor to see if they would provide a prize that would be offered in a skill competition. Many of the companies that we were able to contact did offer a prize and I wish to thank them for their generosity: Armour Valve Ltd. Special thanks to Performance Fluid Equipment who supplied a sleeve of golf balls for each competitor. Originally, they supplied enough for the early estimate of players. Several last minute teams signed up and Performance Fluid Equipment were able to supply additional golf balls with "just in time" delivery. Mark your calendars for next year's golf tournament which has already been booked for September 18, 2003. The format will be the same, with a 1:00 p.m. "shot gun" start. The number of teams will be limited, so sign up early. Members of the Special Events Committee that helped organize this year's tournament were Michael Albanese, Brian Burrell, John Duong and Patricia Creary. David Hein, KMK Consultants |
Table of Contents
