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Dealing with Canada’s Wastewater |
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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Sep. 18 -/E-Wire/--
VANCOUVER, Canada - Unlike many countries, Canada lacks a clear national standard with respect to wastewater treatment, which is managed through an often confusing mix of policies, by-laws and legislation at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. This fall, federal regulations could be introduced that set a national standard for treatment of wastewater, and municipalities may have to adapt.
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The state of Canada’s wastewater treatment systems has become a topical issue in many regions, as cities and towns become concerned about how their waste is being managed.
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Canada currently releases around 200 billion litres of raw sewage directly into natural waterways each year, roughly 6 percent of the total wastewater produced each year. With varying levels of treatment across the country, municipal sewage (wastewater) is the largest source of pollution discharged to surface water bodies in Canada.
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Municipal wastewater contains a mix of human waste, biological materials, and over 200 identified chemicals from industries, institutions, households, and other sources. Once released into water bodies, such wastewater can pose risks to human, animal and plant life, and could seriously harm industries such as tourism and fisheries.
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In the European Union, all communities with more than 15,000 people are required to use secondary treatment, which removes some biodegradable matter from sewage using bacteria and other microrganisms, inactivated sludge, or filters. All coastal cities in the United States must have secondary treatment.
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With no national standards to follow, cities in Canada employ a wide mix of treatment options, from advanced tertiary treatment, to simple primary treatment, to no treatment at all.
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Primary treatment separates large solids by filtration, and collects sediment and organic matter in settling tanks. Tertiary treatment is usually employed when treated effluent is being released to an environmentally sensitive area. It involves the removal of target pollutants that can be achieved by a variety of physical, chemical, or biological methods.
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In response to the lack of coordination of wastewater management policies, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has been working for several years to develop a countrywide strategy for municipal effluent.
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The final strategy will be presented this November. It is also possible that the upcoming federal government environmental policy announcement will contain a provision for wastewater treatment, making current voluntary guidelines mandatory.
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It is likely that Canada will soon have a nationally regulated standard for municipal wastewater management. Cities and towns across the country may have to review their existing treatment plans and update their facilities or long-term strategies.
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Some cities have already been forced to deal with the issue: Toronto’s sewer sludge has been banned from Michigan State, and three provincial capitals – Victoria, Halifax, and St. John’s - are developing or implementing plans to deal with their present practices of discharging untreated waste into the ocean.
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Municipal governments will need to develop wastewater treatment plans in order to meet any new regulations, and will need to use those plans to secure funding not only from upper government levels, but also through leveraging the business sector in public-private partnerships to ease the financial burden of required investments.
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Solving Canada’s wastewater treatment problems will not be easy or inexpensive but it will be crucial if we are to sustain and improve the quality of life in our cities and towns.
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To deal with the massive investment required to bring Canada’s wastewater treatment systems up to par, all levels of government will have to cooperate with the private sector. Developing treatment infrastructure based on sound science, and deployed in an economically efficient manner, is a major challenge the country simply cannot ignore.
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For more on Canada and wastewater, visit GLOBE-Net. Contact Info:
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Dr. John Wiebe, President and CEO
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The GLOBE Foundation of Canada
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Tel : (604) 775-5822 Website : The GLOBE Foundation of Canada
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