The State Of Municipal Wastewater Effluents In Canada

Author : Ashley Dawn Beaton
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (133 download)

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Download or read book Environmental, Social and Economic Impacts of the Changing Wastewater Regulatory Landscape and Engineering Design Requirements in Canada written by Ashley Dawn Beaton and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2009, the Federal Government established new regulations for municipal wastewater systems and encouraged the provinces and territories to take part and formally commit to meeting the new limits. Saskatchewan, along with other provinces and territories, agreed to incorporate the new standards into their provincial legislation by signing the Canada-Wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent (the Strategy). This paper will review the current provincial wastewater effluent regulations in Saskatchewan and the changes that are being made to meet the requirements set out in the Strategy. The most significant changes are to reduce the concentration of nutrients that are discharged from wastewater facilities. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen can have significant negative impacts when discharged with effluent into the environment. The regulation change aims to improve the health of humans, aquatic species and the environment by improving the quality of treated wastewater. The second portion of the research will identify the types of upgrades, new processes and new infrastructure that would be required under the new legislation and the costs associated with meeting the new regulations. The changes to sewage infrastructure and effluent quality will have secondary impacts on society, development and the environment. The potential impacts and their significance are also analyzed in the thesis. The regulation change presents challenges and there may be some initial pushback and complaints about increased user fees, property taxes and development fees but it is a relatively small price for environmentally responsible wastewater management. Water and wastewater treatment (WWT) is an essential service and clean, safe water should not be compromised. Increasing the level of treatment as well as the volume of effluent that can be treated will obviously be demanding. However, there are opportunities for grants and funding assistance from the federal and provincial governments. Other options may alleviate some of the obstacles, for example, regional WWT systems, package treatment systems and innovative technologies. As with most regulation changes, the most challenging aspect will be implementation and funding the infrastructure upgrades and the related requirements that are needed to meet the new effluent standards.