April MPWWRP

ADDRESSLABELHEREI N D E X :

Metered water ..................................2Water crisis ......................................6Sewer problem ................................7Dewatering Bags ..............................8Storm water................................... 10First Nations projects ....................13Submersible pump coating ...........14Sewage treatment plant................. 16Arsenic study .................................17

APRIL 2010

There are 12 dewatering beds working at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. See the story on page 8. (Photo: Sgt. Carl Elson)

April 25-28, 2010 will mark three decadesof operator support. This will be cele-

brated in Saint John at the 30th annual Mar-itime Provinces Water and Waste WaterAssociations conference. It was 30 years agowhen a group of water and wastewater treat-mentplant operators gathered to exchange in-formation and share thoughts from others intheir field. Today, although the number ofpeople has grown, the basic purpose still liveson.Meeting andexchanging informationwithother colleagues is so valuable.As theAssociationmoves forward somust

its members and our executive. I encourageeverybody tobecomeactive in theAssociationby sharing your thoughts and ideas to makeusmore successful than we already are.At this time I’d like to thank the executiveof

theMPWWA for all their hardwork over thispast year. Leo: looking after the finances of theMPWWA is not an easy task and your effortdoes not go unnoticed. Todd and Clara: thehours you put forth make this Associationstronger. Rob: thank you for organizingwhatwill be a great conference.Also, the zone,com-mercial, and government reps; thanks for allyour contributions. We surely make a greatteam.A common theme in my chairperson’s

notes is education. Take advantage of theworkshops that are being offered. We haveventured with some great people who takepride in presenting and preparing these edu-cational sessions.CEU’s on a certificatemeanmore than just a number as they have in thepast. CEU’s are a vital piece of keeping yourcertification.I send best wishes to the members of the

MPWWA and hope you have a great 2010!

AndrewGarnettChairperson of theMPWWA

Andrew GarnettMPWWA Chairperson

NOTE FROMTHE CHAIR

VOLUME 17 / NUMBER 2 $3 PM# 40064924

Stakeholders and the general public can com-ment on proposed municipal wastewater sys-tems effluent regulations thatwere published in

the Canada Gazette last month.EnvironmentMinister JimPrentice introduced the

draft regulations Feb. 9. Once in force, they will setstandards for the discharge from themore than 4,000wastewater facilities in Canada.

The regulations under the Fisheries Act will allowthe government to implement itsCanada-wide Strat-egy for theManagementofMunicipalWastewaterEf-fluent that was endorsed by the Canadian Council ofMinisters of the Environment in February 2009.Agreements covering the roles and responsibilities

for reporting, compliance, inspection and enforce-ment activities will be negotiated between federal,

provincial and territorial governments.The total cost of implementing the Strategy over

30 years is estimated to be between $10 billion to $13billion.To access and comment on the draft of the pro-

posed regulations, contact Environment Canada'spublic inquiry centre at 1-800-668-6767, 819-997-2800 or [email protected].

Federal effluent regulations drafted

Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Report APRIL 2010NEWS

Charlottetown to introducemetered water this summer

The City of Charlottetown (Prince Ed-ward Island) is moving to a user-pay sys-tem this summer for all new customerswho hook up to the city’s water supply.Thewater and sewerutility introduceda

notice of motion at Monday night’s Feb-ruary council meeting (Feb. 8) to amendthe current bylaw. The first reading of theamendmentwill follow at the next councilmeeting onMarch 8.When the bylaw amendments are final-

ized, water meters will be installed on allnew connections and existing residentialcustomers will be given the option to be-come metered. Existing customers whowant to become metered can do so at nocost. Customers on metered water pay forthe amount of water they use rather thanthe existing flat rate.“The only cost to themwould be what-

ever plumbing change is required to installthe meter,” said Craig Walker, manager ofthe water and sewer utility, noting that thecost is not normally expensive.Since 1995 when amalgamation came

in, all new homes connected to the city’swater system have what’s called an idler, a

smallmakeup-likepieceof copper thatwasinstalled to the entrance of the home. Thewater meter is something as simple aspulling the idler out andputting themeterin.“Some of the older homes might be a

littlemore involvedbutwe’ve actually gonethrough some programs to see what kindsof costs they can expect, anywhere from$50 to $75 would likely be the cost.”Walker said they won’t be pushing resi-

dents to convert tometers.“Wemight try and promote the reason

why they may want to shift to it. Quitefrankly, if you can control what yourmonthly charges are, certainly that’s a pos-itive thing for any homeowner. You cancontrol it because you’re now paying forjust what you use.”Walker expects it will take a couple of

months to get the bylaw amended and ap-proved. If everything goes according toplan, water meters could be available byJune.As for demand,he anticipates gettingup to 60 calls a year from customers look-ing to switch tometered water.Basedon research inother jurisdictions,

Walker said people onmeteredwater nor-mally drop their consumption,on average,by about 15 to 20 per cent.

BY DAVE STEWARTTHE GUARDIAN

HalifaxWater has applied for two rate increasesto repair and replace the city’s aging wastewatersystems.OnMarch25 it applied to theNova ScotiaUtil-

ity andReviewBoard (NSURB) for anewrate thatwould cost homeowners 31¢/day to begin in Oc-tober and a 25¢/day rate effective April 1, 2011.HalifaxWater GeneralManager Carl Yates told

reporters that the city should invest $1billionoverthe next 25 years to replace its old wastewater andstormwater systems.He pointed out that a number of the sewer

pipes inHalifax were over 100 years old and dete-riorating, and that its manholes were subsiding.Yates agreed it would be expensive but warned

that the price for doing nothing would be muchhigher: the collapseof sewers, roads andbuildings.He also pointed out that the city will soon have

to meet federal regulations for the Canada-wideStrategy for theManagementofMunicipalWaste-water Effluent.If Halifax Water’s request is approved the

NSURB will hold a hearing in June and make itsfinal decision in September.

Upgrades to water system to bediscussed at upcoming meeting

[Pictou,NS]—Pictou (Nova Scotia) town officialswill be holding a special meeting at a future date todiscuss plans forupgrades to the town’swater systems.Scott Conrod, chief administrative officer, gave an

overviewof the current plans at a committeeof coun-cil meeting onMonday (Feb. 1).Right now, the town is looking at clustering nine

of the 13plannedwells into a single transmission line,which then can be serviced by a single treatment fa-cility.Halifax-based business CBCL Consulting Engi-

neers are expecting tohave thenew line’s design com-plete by the end of March, as well as a pre-design re-port for anewcentral treatmentplant for thedrinkingwater system.The town is also considering water meters for res-

idential customers.All of the issues will be discussed at an upcoming

special meeting of council. The date for thatmeetinghas not yet been set.The water upgrade is the town’s attempt to treat a

red water problem that has been plaguing residentsfor the past few years.While there’s no problemwiththe quality of the water, the discolouration is causingissues.

BY STAFFTHE NEW GLASGOW DAILY NEWS

Halifax Water appliesfor two rate hikes

APRIL 2010 Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Report PAGE 3NEWS

Publications Mail Reg # 7145Return undeliverable addresses to:Transcontinental Specialty Publications/Holiday Media1888 Brunswick Street, Suite 609, Halifax, N.S., B3J 3J8General Manager: Jeff NearingSales Manager: Henry FlowersEditor: Heather JonesDesigner: David SchaffnerSales Executive: Naster Tracz, Scott HigginsCirculation: Bonnie MarchandTraffic: Camille MacPhail

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E-mail: [email protected]

TheMaritimeProvincesWater &Wastewater Report is published quarterly byTranscontinentalMediaInc.The opinions expressed in the Maritime ProvincesWater &Wastewater Report are those of theauthors and do not represent the official views of Transcontinental Specialty Publications or its man-agement.TheMaritimeProvincesWater &Wastewater Report and its contributors can accept no legalresponsibility for loss through any error in information contained herein. Contents of the MaritimeProvincesWater &Wastewater Report may not be reproduced without written consent of the pub-lisher, who accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies and other material.

“I don’t know how they do it.”Rob Hamilton is on the phone from New

Brunswick. I ask him to clarify.“Leafs fans,”replies the50year-old chemical tech-

nologist for the City of Saint John. “I don’t knowhow they settle for putting that kind of crap on theice year after year. They must be the most patienthockey fans in the world.”Hamilton speaks with authority. Patience is

something that the married father of one is morethan familiar with.After graduating fromNewBrunswickCommu-

nityCollege in1983, theWinnipeg-bornwater sam-ple analyst was hired by Saint JohnWater.Over thenext 25 years,Hamiltonobtainedhis Level 3waste-water treatment plant operator certificate, his Level2 water treatment plant operator certificate and hisLevel 1 water distribution operator certificate.“I’mproudof what I’ve accomplished inmypro-

fessional life,”he says.“But I’mmore proudof whatI’ve done inmy personal life.”Hamilton is referring to his relationshipwith his

14 year-old son Matthew, who lives with AutismSpectrumDisorder.“Mattie is a normal kid inmostevery way, except that he doesn’t communicate orlearn as effectively as others his age.”“It hasn’t been easy at times,” he confides, “but I

am always amazed and inspired by his courage anddetermination and,perhaps evenmore so,withmyown patience.”That patience has served him particularly well

when dealing with public ignorance and prejudice

of the condition. “We’ve come a long way in edu-cating people about ASD, but there is still a lot ofwork left to be done.”Whenhe isn’t busybeingdadoron the job at one

of Saint John’s ninewater andwastewater treatmentplants,Hamilton can be found at the bowling alley.“I am a member of a provincial candlepin team.Our big deal every year is a trip Bangor, Mainewhere we participate in the Canadian-Americantournament.”During the summer months, he keeps fit on the

baseball diamond. “It’s a slo-pitch league,” he con-tinueswith a chuckle,“which is a fittingname for it,because I pitch awfully slowly.”That camaraderie with his peers offers a safe

haven from the pressures of everyday life. “I haveknown most of these boys a long time.We have alittle local bar thatwego to regularly just to get awayfrom it all and share a few laughs and “wobblypops”.”This past February, the gang took off for a week-

end road trip toMontreal.“Six guys in a van forninehours – youdo themath,”he laughsheartily.“Actu-ally we went up to see the Canadiens play a coupleof afternoon games against the Penguins and theBruins.”The life-longHabs fan is as knowledgeable about

the teamashe is passionate.“I’mnot surewhichdi-rection they are going this year,” he notes.“But I’mpatient— their players are young and talented andappear to have a good future ahead of them.“And,” he adds with a smile, “at least they’re not

the Leafs.”

Every issue, the MPWWR shines a spotlight on anMPWWAmember making a difference in the industry.Rob Hamilton is the focus of our April issue.

MPWWA PROFILE: Rob Hamilton

BY STEPHEN CLARE

RobHamilton

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Thewater andwastewater systems in Fredericton,NewBrunswickwill receive $1.4million inupgrades through a federal-provin-cial-city project. The announcement wasmade earlier this year by (from left):Minister of State for Atlantic CanadaOpportuni-ties Agency Keith Ashfield, Fredericton Deputy Mayor Bruce Grandy, and NB Environment Minister Rick Miles. (Photo:Communications New Brunswick)

Despite funding denial, ACAP hopingto proceed with sewage study

The city’s (Corner Brook, Newfound-land&Labrador) decision not to helpfund an economic benefit study on

sewage treatment is “short-sighted,” accord-ing to the local environmental organizationlooking to do it.AtMonday (Feb.8) evening’s publicmeet-

ing, the request for $20,000 towards the studywas unanimously turned down by council.The study, as proposed byACAPHumber

Arm,would examine the total costs of sewagetreatment versus the total benefits of im-proved water quality within the HumberArm.SheldonPeddle, the local organization’s ex-

ecutivedirector, said similar studies havebeenundertaken by other municipalities withinAtlanticCanada—each showing the cost“fareclipsed” by the economic benefit, demon-strating a high return on the investmentrather than an expense.In a prepared statement, Peddle dismissed

comments from members of council andstaff that such a study isn’t required.“Foronce,especially on the issueof sewage

treatment, itwouldbenice for ourmunicipalleaders to actually lead, to look beyonddoingthe bareminimum that is required of them,”he said.

He also said the study would be a valuabletool in assisting lobbying efforts to better thefunding arrangement with other govern-ments.With new federal regulations expected to

come into effect later this year requiring allcommunities to have a secondary level ofsewage treatment, Peddle said such a study ismore crucial now than ever.He said therewillbe a big competition for what he called smallpots of funding.“Howdowe standout amongst the crowd

to ensurewe get our funding?“ he asked.“Wepresent our case, not just in environmentalterms,but also economic.Wedemonstrate tothese funding agencies that, in providingfunding to theCity of CornerBrook, they arenot just remedying an environmental catas-trophe, but also helping grow the regionaleconomy.”In its request to the city,Peddle saidACAP

suggested funding come fromthe sewage levyfund, which according to the city’s 2010budget, has accumulated $1.85 million withan additional $587,500predicted tobe addedin 2010.ACAPhad already securedpartial funding

from other sources, and Peddle said the or-ganization plans to still complete this study.

BY STAFFTHE WESTERN STAR

Water infrastructure upgradesThe water and wastewater systems in Fredericton,

New Brunswick will receive $1.4 million in upgradesthis year.The federal government is contributing $470,601

under its Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, and theprovince and the citywillmatch that contribution.

Theupgradeprojectwill seeonedrinking-waterdis-tributionmainreplaced toreduce thepotential forwa-termain breaks and improve flow in the area. Theproject will also enhance wastewater maintenance byreducing the piping from two sanitary mains to one.Three outdated hydrantswill also be replaced.


Fixing a hole…

In early November 2009, a $1 millionsinkhole developed on North FoordStreet in Stellarton, Nova Scotia.Town engineer Tony Addis originally

thought a mineshaft collapsing under-ground had caused it.But as weeks passed and flooding contin-

ued near the Exit 24 off-ramp, he deter-mined it was a cracked concrete box culvert.The culvert was installed in 1963 to ad-

dress water drainage from the highway. Ac-cording to the New Glasgow Daily News, itwas linked to an existing storm water sewersystem—“the tunnels” —that were con-structed around 1914. The 1.5-metre highculverts handled a third of the town’s stormwater carrying it to the East River.Addis explained to Town Council that at

some point in time, a 15-centimetre widecrack developed in the top of the box cul-vert, at the junction where it joined the tun-nel system. That allowed dirt to trickle intothe tunnel system and when water enteredthe culverts, the dirt was washed into thetunnels.”’The ground must have settled over

time—and we don’t know how much timeor when it cracked,”’ Addis said in the NewGlasgow Daily News. ”’But all this was hap-pening 60 feet below the ground, under-neath the lights by the Sobey’s office.When

we did know there was something goingon, we had this hole and a main sewer

line had broken. All of that flowed throughthe void, into the cracked tunnel.”’As time passed the tunnel system was to-

tally blocked and very little water could getthrough the culverts. But when the floodingbegan and it was believed that a mineshafthad collapsed, firefighters hosed down thesinkhole. And water poured out of the cul-vert close to the Exit 24 off-ramp.Once workers withmining gear went into

the tunnel they discovered the real cause ofthe problem and repairs began. Two pumpsran constantly to prevent the flooding fromreoccurring.Addis estimated that fixing the culvert

would be around $700,000; pushing theprice tag on the sinkhole to $1 million.The engineer told the newspaper the ini-

tial step would be to clean out the 180-metre long tunnel. “That’s the easy part.Then comes repairing the broken section ofbox culvert, and any other damages done tothe tunnel system because of the clogging.”That will have to be done underground

because ”’it would be too deep a hole andtoo active a spot to dig … from above,”’Addis explained.The next-to-last step will be to stabilize

the ground around the sinkhole.The final step will be to pay the repair bill.

And that’s another story.

BY STAFF

The $1million sinkhole in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. (Photo: The NewGlasgowDaily News)

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Water crisis hits home[Beaver Bank,NS]—Residents dealingwith severe

water shortages inBeaverBank’sMonarch-Rivendale(NovaScotia) subdivisionhave votedoverwhelminglyin favour of footing the bill to bringmunicipal waterto their neighbourhood.The problem centres around a significant lack of

water. A community survey was distributed in No-vember to gauge the level of support formoving for-ward to bring municipal water services to the area.Based on the number of votes that came back lastmonth,more than 80 per cent supported themove.The quoted cost per resident, per lot, was initially

about $20,000. That “guesstimate” has since gonedown to about $17,500, with the local councillorworking to further reduce that number.“When you’re talking about the kind of money

we’re talking about here, I wouldn’t have expectedsuch an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote,” said Waverley-Fall

River-Beaver Bank Coun. Barry Dalrymple.As of two weeks ago (Jan. 1), 160 ballots were

marked in favour ofmoving forward compared to 32against. Dalrymple said he finds it “disgusting” thatmunicipal, provincial and federal governments haverefused to help fund such a project.“I know of one residence that has two-900 foot

wells that have both been hydrafracted and had nu-merous pumps replaced and they still have less than aquarter gallon of water per minute,”Dalrymple said.“They can’t have more than one shower a day, andcan’t hook up a clothes washer or dishwasher. Thereare others facing similar scenarios.”Many affected residents have told Dalrymple they

had no water issues two or three years ago, but nowfind themselves regularly going dry.“Some are trucking in water every two to three

weeks.We’renot talking about these folkswanting citywater, they are indesperateneedof citywater,”he said.Pam Clarke is one such resident. She has watched

her family’s dream home turn into their nightmare.

The busy mother of four said when they first movedin two years ago, they used as much water as theyneeded to care for and clean up after their large fam-ily.Last March (2009), they ran out of water for the

first time.Assuming it was due to over consumption,they cut back and began closely monitoring theirusage. The water began disappearing two or threetimes per month. Now, the family must truck water

in every nine or 10 days, costing them about $500everymonth and a half.They’re only using about 60 gallons per day,which

doesn’t go far when you have a house full of sick kidsand nowater in your house towash vomit frombed-ding in themiddle of thenight.Shedescribed theheatof summer and the smell wafting from the bathroomthrough the house as“pretty bad.”

Continued on page 7

BY YVETTE D’ENTREMONTTHE WEEKLY NEWS

Editor’s Note:OnMarch 2,Halifax Regional Council voted unanimously in favour of a city water so-

lution for Monarch Rivendale at a Public Hearing at Regional Council. The residents ofMonarch Rivendale will be receiving city water.HRMandHalifaxWater Commission staff is expected to issue tenders for construction

of the project by themiddle of April. Construction could begin this fall.

Pam Clarke has watched her family’s dream home in Beaver Bank’s Monarch-Rivendale subdivision turn into their nightmareover a lack of sufficient water to do basic things like laundry, have a shower or even flush a toilet. (Photo: Halifax News Net)


Sewage problem fix will costSouris $80,000-$100,000

[Souris, PEI]—It will cost between$80,000 and $100,000 for the town to fixa problem that sees raw sewage spill intothe harbour here (Souris, Prince EdwardIsland) any time the power goes out foran extended period of time.The town was directed by the Depart-

ment of Environment to fix the problemimmediately. The unsavory predicamentis caused by one of the town’s main liftstations which stops pumping sewagefrom sewer lines to the main treatmentplant when there is no electricity avail-

able to operate it. During severe stormsoverflow can take place within an hour.In the short term, the engineering firm

of ADI has proposed installing a genera-tor at the lift station,whichwould kick inas soon as the electricity is off for morethan several minutes.Town administrator Shelly Lavie said

ultimately the town wants to have back-up power at both the lift station and thetreatment plant.“But our immediate need is to get a

generator at the lift station,” Lavie said.“We had to do the same thing a couple ofyears ago at the lower lift station onColville Bay when overflow was happen-ing there.Nowwewant to do same thing

at the upper station to protect the har-bour.”MayorDavidMacDonald said council

will approach the provincial and federalgovernments for help.The cost of the sin-gle generator installation will run be-tween the $80,000 and $100,000 price tagquoted.“As of now there is not the standard

infrastructure money,” he said. “We willhave to decide whether we go for thetemporary fix or the whole job.”Lavie said the town has not ap-

proached either government yet, because,until it received the ADI proposal thisweek (March 12), it did not know exactlywhat it needed…

Continued from page 6“Toput it inperspective,with sixpeople each flush-

ing just four times per day, that’s 24 flushes usingabout two gallons per flush and washing hands,”Clarke said.“You’ve alreadyused48 gallons,and that’snot doing any laundry, dishes, or showering.”Clarke said she can see five houses from her own

front door, and none of them have water.“Most people are enviouswhen they seemyhouse,

but it’s worth nothing. If you don’t have water, you

have nothing,” she said.BradConrad,president of theMonarch-Rivendale

Community Association, was very pleased with therecent survey results. He has dealt with “on again, offagain”water for five years, with his woes starting justseven days after hemoved in.An expert who checked his well told him thewater

table was disappearing at an alarming rate.“I knew I had to get enough support to pursue this

as a group, not just by myself,” Conrad said. “It took

time for people to admit to it because they were wor-ried about the value of their homes andwere embar-rassed to talk about having no water.”If water doesn’t come tohis subdivision soon,Con-

rad predicts amass exodus.“Peoplewill start selling their homes in droves and

peoplewill just abandon their homes. It sounds dras-tic, but people can’t live in them and can’t survivewithoutwater,”he said.“I knowpeoplewhouse snowto flush their toilets. They’re living in $400,000homes.”HRMstaff andHalifaxWater officials are currently

preparing a report for Halifax Regional Council.If the report is brought to council for first reading

by Jan. 19 or 26 asDalrymple hopes, a public hearingdatewould likelybe set formid-Februarywith the ideaof pushing ahead to have the project go to tender thisspring.“They want it as fast as possible,”Dalrymple said.Residents are encouraged to regularly visit the

Monarch-Rivendale Community Association’s website at www.monarchrivendale.com for updates andtoviewall correspondence and information relating tothe water issue.“I will never look at water the same way again. I

don’t think my children will either,”Clarke said.“Myfive-year-old daughter has said ‘Mom, all I want is abubble bath.’”

Water crisis hits home

BY NANCY WILLISTHE GUARDIAN

Deficiencies rectifiedOnMarch 5, theHalifaxWastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF)

temporarily stopped receiving flows so deficiencies, identified priorto theWWTFmalfunction on Jan. 14, 2009, could be rectified.D&DWaterSolutions Inc. installed a baffle system in the wet well

to allow for a more even distribution of wastewater flows to the rawwater pumps.The contractor also installed an auto-lube system for the

main/coarse screen that will allow for amore constant lubrication ofthe screen mechanism and provide better operation and prolongedoperational life for the system.D&DWaterSolutions Inc. converted the coarse screen screw auger

conveyor to a belt conveyor. This will allow for more efficient, reli-able handling of coarse screened material.The week’s work was undertaken at the contractor’s cost. While

the Halifax WWTF was shutdown, all flows were diverted from itand discharged through the Combined Sewer Overflow chambersalong the waterfront.The modifications will not delay the full restoration of the Hali-

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17

There are 12 dewatering beds working at Cana-dian Forces Base Gagetown, where approximately10,000 meters cube of sludge is produced annu-ally before digestion.“It’s fantastic technology,” saidWarrant Officer

Paris Keeping, the Acting Utilities Officer whomanages the conventional sewage treatment plantat the New Brunswick base.Made from durable geotextile filtration fabric,

the dewatering bags retain solids and allow thewater to seep through its pores and return to thehead of the plant for treatment.“The bags are 45 feet in diameter and 100 feet

long with three evenly-spaced ports,” Keepingsaid. “Approximately 9 conventional beds ofsludge is processed in one 45"x100" bag at about700 meters cube.”He explained in the past the base has had prob-

lems with sludge management, hiring a contractorto pump out the digester. “Now we have enoughstorage space in the dewatering bags we can carryout digester operations through out the wintermonths."The Land Force Atlantic Area Environmental

Officer, Sheldon Downe, discovered the dewater-ing bags and suggested they be tested.3 ASG Environment Officer Tom McLaughlan

said, “Paris’ crew quickly jumped on it knowingthey could make use of this particular technology.”Geotubes® from Scotia Tech in Nova Scotia

were used when the year-long test began in 2008.“And they are an excellent product,” Keepingstated.

Spinpro, a British Columbia company, manu-factured the dewatering bags presently on thebase.When the test began the bags arrived on a pal-

let and were rolled out onto empty drying beds.Keeping said it only takes two people to roll themout and fit them into place.McLaughlan added that because “the existing

beds were built in 1954, the bags are made to thesize of the beds. It’s an old system—all effluentwent back to the plant and we’d treat it again.”Keeping explained the sludge is pumped from

the valve gallery in the digester building.“We hookup to the camlock fitting connection on the endof a butterfly valve, pump (the sludge) through 4"hoses directly into dewatering bags. It’s all tiedinto the polymer injection equipment.”“The operators mix the polymer in 1000-L mix-

ing barrels and set an injection pump to the re-quired amount for optimum performance,”McLaughlan said. “The quantity is based on therequirements of the sludge.”“The polymer is Drew Floc 444. It’s the best

we’ve found to do the job,” Keeping noted. “Wetake samples every 5 to 10 minutes to determinehow well it’s going to settle.“The polymer creates a coagulated bond, the

solids are pumped into a dewatering bag allowingthe water to seep out.”McLaughlan was surprised by the clarity of the

water coming from the bags. “It’s almost clear. It’samazing to see it come out. If operator’s polymermix is right on target I think the Mg/L would beapproximately 20 or less.”The 3 ASG Environment Officer said,“It’s 6 per

cent solid in the digester.When it’s (the bag) readyto be removed, the moisture content is reduced to10-15% and almost all of the sludge has settledout.”“It takes a couple of weeks to fill a bag,” Keep-

ing said. “We need two people to do the processfor three to five hours a day, two to four days aweek. The time varies depending on the sludge inthe digester.”He said overall the dewatering system was “a lit-

tle more expensive” than the conventional systemused in the past because one person has to remainon the site.But it eliminates potential aluminum phospho-

rous problems with the soil and other environ-mental concerns.When filled the dewatering bags reach 6’ in di-

ameter. McLaughlan said each bag is so durable“once it has started to fill a number of men canwalk (safely) on top of it.”When full the bags sit through a one-year

freeze/dry period. Then they are removed by apay-loader, put in a dump truck and sent to an en-vironmental recycling facility where the material isreprocessed.Keeping noted,“The moisture content of sludge

inside depends on the size of the bag. It’s a powderon the outside and a jelly on the interior. The heatcan’t get inside.”New Brunswick’s climate is also a factor.“The rain runs off the bags,”McLaughlan said.

“Its pores have a one-way flow.”Keeping pointed out that the weather affects the

dewatering bags “in a good way” as the freeze/dryprocess helps the waste material consolidate. “But

we don’t use them in the winter because it’s toocold.”There may be a solution to that quandary. The

Warrant Officer explained that a municipality inthe northern part of the province has built agreenhouse around its dewatering bags and usesthem year round.He plans to investigate a portable greenhouse

that would provide solar heat as it was moved upand down the beds.

ADDITIONAL TESTSA company was hired and further dewatering

bag tests are being considered at the base’s watertreatment plant (WTP) and its outdoor tankwash.McLaughlan said the WTP is 60-years-old and

its processing technology is to release the backwa-ter into the environment.He noted that it had to be operational all year

round and the challenges were to reduce the totalsuspended solids (TSS) and find an acceptablepolymer—“The polymer Paris’ crew uses at thesewage treatment plant wouldn’t take out the sed-iment.”The 3 ASG received a design with three options.

“There’s one really good option but dollars andcents are involved here. The long-term viability ofthe treatment plant has to be taken into consider-ation along with other extenuating circumstances.Certainly there has to be consideration given tothe year round operation of this system and thechallenges that it presents. A greenhouse option iscertainly viable.”

Continued on page 9

PAGE 8 Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Report APRIL 2010NEWS

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Continued from page 8McLaughlan said that the company took a

number of samples of the effluent from the WTPto their laboratory. The effluent was collected overa 24-hour period in 5-gallon pails. At the lab it wasput through a small dewatering process and testedwith various polymers.The company used the same testing process

with samples they took at the outdoor tank wash.He explained that the Gagetown training area

has heavy clay content. The Leopard tanks, LAV'sand other military vehicles wind up coated in atremendous amount of mud and silt during train-ing. “This presents a huge challenge reducing theclay content in the effluent from the wash bays,and substantially increases the retention time be-fore the outwash can be released to the environ-ment. The heavy clay content will not settle out.”The lab results are back but to date no deci-

sions have been made.

Warrant Officer Paris Keeping has been ActingUtilities Officer at CFB Gagetown for two years. Heis responsible for the looking after the WWTP, theWTP the Central heating plant, the outdoor tankwash and the fuel tank program.

TomMcLaughlan is the 3-ASG Environment Of-ficer who is responsible for the garrisons, armoriesand other areas in New Brunswick and Prince Ed-ward Island. He is the Manager of CFB Gagetown’senvironmental management systems and overseesthe management plans for all environmental issuesthe base faces.

One of the dewatering beds at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. (Photo: Sgt. Carl Elson)

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Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Report APRIL 2010NEWSPiping away storm water must change as water tables drop, meeting hears

Strange,perhaps silly, thatwith somuch concernabout sinkingwater tables, government officialsinsist on spendingmillions of dollars collecting

water in pipes to carry it off to oblivion, ameeting inStratford (Prince Edward Island) heard Monday(March 15).That was one of many surprising observations to

come out of a meeting on climate change hosted bythe town of Stratford.It is one of four communities in Atlantic Canada

where federal funds are helping create and test guide-lines andmodels for urbanplanners acrossCanada inthe face of climate change,whatever its causemay be.Members of the public gathered aroundmaps and

tables tobrainstorm issues andcircle locationsof con-cern in Stratford, both now and in the future.Dropping water tables, deeper wells and saltwater

infiltration of those wells was a re-occurring theme.Phil Wood, an urban planner consultant on PEI,

was at the meeting as an interested member of thepublic.“There is a traditionof putting stormwater inpipes

andmaking it go away,” saidWood.That tradition needs to change for areas where

water tables are dropping, he said.Storm pipes take rainwater out to sea where it is

rendered useless from a groundwater perspective.Such storm piping systems cost millions, even bil-

lions of dollars, costing even more than drinkingwater and sewage systems.“We are losing the resource (of fresh water) every

time we put in a pipe, at horrendous costs,” saidWood.Wastewater used to run in ditches that might lead

to holding ponds, known as detention areas. Thatposed problems for children who would sometimesget swept awayor trappedwhile playingduring stormevents, acknowledgesWood.More and bigger storm events are predicted with

global warming, themeeting was told.“The reality is you can design detention areas so

they are very shallow and large and flat and they dryup in amatter of hours,”Wood said.“Theydon’t have tobehigh risk if they aredesigned

properly. You don’t make them small and deep, youmake them large and flat.“There are all kinds of examples across North

America.”There are communities takingout stormwater pip-

ing systemsand replacing themwith safely engineeredditches known as swales, plus detention pondswhichkeep water in the community, he said.That retainedwater seepsback into the groundand

helps re-supply the community's water table.Wood told the meeting he was a consultant for a

PEI developer who wanted stormwater detentionponds and swales in a proposed subdivision, but thatwas shot down by the provincial government. Engi-neers said the ponds would attract mosquitoes.Mosquitoes should not trump groundwater re-

plenishment, saidWood."There canbemarginal concerns butmost of them

are overblown," he said. "You can design detentionpods to put sand in the bottom.They drain in amat-ter of hours or days."There are all kinds of ways to mitigate the prob-

lems. I think if people understood the impact of whattheywere doing by filling in ditches, theymight thinktwice."The rippingout of stormpipes andusingwater re-

tention techniques is called "daylighting" in urban

planning circles."There is a general consensus within the planning

profession (for that change)," said Wood. "I am notsure that consensus is in the engineering profession. I

don't see toomany signsof it and that is unfortunate."Wood is a geographer by training but says com-

munity planners come from a wide variety of back-grounds, not just engineering.

BY NIGEL ARMSTRONGTHE GUARDIAN

Biggs Drive plant to get retrofit

[UpperNappan,NS]—Thewastewatertreatment facility servicing those onBiggsDrive (UpperNappan,NovaScotia) is get-ting a retrofit.The Municipality of Cumberland

County approved a motion at a councilmeeting Wednesday (Jan. 20) to accept a$45,500 design proposal from ABL Envi-ronmental.Robert Streatch, director of public

works for the county, said the oversightcommittee is confident theproposalmeetsall the requirements andcomeswell underthe $61,000 budget for the project.

"The consultant has recommended theconstruction of an SBR, and that the ex-isting tankage at the existing treatmentplant be utilized to a great degree in theretrofit," Streatch said.Streatch told councilors that SBRstands

for sequencing batch reactor, which is thesame technology used at the treatmentplant in Pugwash."One of the benefits of going with this

technology is the staff 's knowledge andprevious experience with the same tech-nology," he added.Themotionalso includeda$3,971 con-

tingency plan, from the same consultant,for the upgraded facility.

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APRIL 2010 Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Report PAGE 11NEWSProject will see about two kilometres of new sewer line in Westville

(Westville, Nova Scotia) Town council got aglimpse of a $1.1million trunk sewer projectMon-day night (Jan. 25), one that will see approximatelytwo kilometres of new sanitary sewer line go intothe ground this year.New Glasgow’s town engineer, Bob Funke, told

council in a presentation that the new line can be

considered a new backbone forWestville’s 38-year-old system and will pave the way for future en-hancements.Funke said the upgrade is needed to prevent

combined sewer overflows and frequent breaksaround Union Street due to the age of the infra-structure.“Since I’ve been involvedwith theWestville sewer

system, it’s been plagued with problems duringheavy rainfalls,” he said.

Mayor RogerMacKay also stated the need for theupgrade.“Like Bob had stated, even years ago there were

breaks and breaks upon breaks. So hopefully this isgoing to fix the situation.”The new system will connect South Foord,

Drummond Road, across Acadia Park to WaterStreet,West Street and finallyAcadiaAvenue.A totalof 438 homes will connect to the new line, while anadditional 167 will connect to a new force main.

The project,which is contingent on amix of fed-eral, provincial, municipal and gas tax money, hasbeen tendered to ACL Construction of Antigonish.The municipal portion of the funding is approxi-mately $190,000, which would be repaid over a 20-year period.ACL’s bid was just over $971,000. Funke said that

the company is prepared to begin in late March,weather permitting. The cost for the project ishigher than an initial estimate of $910,000.

BY STAFFTHE NEW GLASGOW DAILY NEWS

Maine water and wastewaterinfrastructure projects fundedMaine has been able to take advantage of two

federal water andwastewater infrastructure projectsthis year.In February, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

announced $128.1 million in funding for 47 proj-ects designed to improve water quality and publicsanitation services in 19 states.Maine’s Madison Water District received a

$450,000 loan and a $1,121,500 grant for water sys-tem improvements.OnMarch 18,Vilsack announced funding for 60

water system projects in 20 states that totaled $159million.The town of Norway, Maine will receive a

$385,000 loan and a $1.1 million grant for waste-water system alterations that will improve sewer sys-tem efficiency, protect public health and safeguardgroundwater quality.The project will replace ageing clay pipes, service

lines andmanholes. The new systemwill reduce thewastewater discharge from the Norway treatment

facility into the Little Androscoggin River.The Mars Hill Utility District will receive a

$70,000 loan and an $180,000 grant for wastewatersystem improvements, and a $750,000 grant to im-prove its water system.The BoothbayHarbor Sewer District will receive

a $342,000 loan and a $250,000 grant to improve itswastewater system.To date, the US Department of Agriculture

(USDA) has announced $2.3 billion in RecoveryActfunds for water and environmental projects sincePresident Obama signed it into law in February2009.The funding is being administered by USDA

Rural Development's Water and EnvironmentalProgram, which provides loans and grants to en-sure that the necessary investments are made inwater and wastewater infrastructure to deliver safedrinking water and protect the environment inrural areas.

Unique wastewater treatment systemRegina is considering a unique approach as

it prepares to upgrade its 50-year-old waste-water treatment facility.According to the Journal of Commerce, the

Saskatchewan capital could replace its waste-water lagoonswith a4000-acreplantation con-taining 24 million willow trees. It says two tofourmillion litres of effluent can be treated byan acre of willows.The wastewater would travel by pipe or

canal to theplantation andbe surface irrigatedby pumps ensuring equal distribution.Biomass from the willow trees would be

ready to harvest three or four years after theywere planted.A second part of the project in Regina

would involve the construction of a biomassenergy plants powered by wastewater and theplantation.

The concept comes fromRural GenerationLtd.,a small company inLondonderry,North-ern Ireland that plants and harvests short ro-tation willows using them as a biofilter foreffluent and as a bioremediator for sewagesludge.RuralGenerationLtd.hasplantedover 1000

hectares of willow throughout Ireland andScotland anduses themas an energy crop andbiofilter. It plants and establisheswillows,har-vests andprocesses them intodrywillowchips.City officials have a lot of research to com-

pletebefore theprojects are approved.They areinvestigating willow varieties, the hardiness ofthe trees (to withstand bitterly cold winters),disease resistance and bio-filtration abilities.The construction budget for the plant up-

grade is estimated at $120-$130million.


Future direction of CSI sewer project hinges on survey

The future direction of the Cape Sable Island(CSI) sewer project hinges on the results of adoor-to-door sanitary sewer survey of island

citizens living within the southwestern Nova Scotiamunicipality of Barrington.The voluntary surveywill produce an anonymous,

summarized report that pinpoints problem waste-water areas on CSI. The report will also propose ap-propriate sewer solutions based on the informationreceived.After investing a decade of time and effort along

with thousands of dollars for studies and engineeringfees, themunicipal unit was ready to pull the plug onthe project in early February, after being faced withonehurdle after another in trying tobring theprojectto fruition.The state of the local economy, an increased debt

load onmunicipal taxpayers,marginalmajority sup-port from the community and the fact that "...no san-itary sewer survey has ever been completed todetermine the location,extent or concentrationof anysewer services problemsonCapeSable Island,makingit impossible todetermine the appropriate solution toan undefined problem..." were cited as reasons to ter-minate the project in a committee recommendationto council, that was subsequently deferred until afterthe survey is completed.More than $6.4 million in funding for Phase I of

the sewer project was approved last year through theBuild Canada Fund. The project has been at a stand-still however because suitable property can't be foundfor a sewage treatment plant, even though some 20properties have been considered.Phase I as it stands, is to build a sewage treatment

plant to service the island communities of NorthEastPoint, Stoney Island and Clam Point. The plan callsfor grinder pump systems to be installed at eachhome, which would be hooked into a sewer line, asopposed to a conventional sewer system, wherepumping stationsmove waste along the line.Given the difficulty of finding a sewage treatment

plant site, the municipality has also explored the op-tionof connecting the eastern side of the island to theBarrington sewer system but that idea was voteddown.News that the projectmay be cancelled drew pub-

lic reaction that raised a multitude of questions andconcerns about the project."My position is proper planning has not been car-

ried out," said island resident Wanda Atkinson. "I'msuggesting better planning is needed. I'm suggestingcouncil not proceed until there's a well thought outplan in place." She pointed out that although it iswidely acknowledged there is a wastewater problemon the island, the problem has "never been defined."Questions were also raised if the grinder system is

the best option for the project, given the electrical re-quirements and number of older homes that mayneed tobeupgraded inorder tohook into the system.With four years to complete the project,municipal

council was urged to take the time to a do a study todefine theproblemrather than just throw in the towel."Thishasbeenon-going for 10years and still there's

not a clear picture for council to go on," said council-lor Cecil O'Donnell. "The most important questionthat needs answered is what do the residents need?Does anybody know for sure if there's 5, 10,50 or 100homes in district five that have on-site septic systemsnot working properly? I think this whole issue hasbeena little bit here anda little bit therewithout aplan

in place."There's been a "huge senseof confusion around the

table" when dealing with the CSI sewer project, saiddeputy warden Donna LeBlanc-Mesenger—a senti-ment expressed by several other councillors.

"As I listen around the table there are other optionsto explore," said councillor Shaun Hatfield. He sug-gested themunicipality "continue in good faith to ex-plore all theoptions forwastewater treatmentonCapeSable Island."

BY KATHY JOHNSON

Vehicles travel the Cape Sable Island Causeway, home to more than 3,000 residents in southwestern Nova Scotia.While the is-land town of Clark's Harbour with a population of under 1,000 people has a public sewer system, efforts by the Municipality ofBarrington to provide the same service to the remainder of the island have been hampered. (Photo: Kathy Johnson)

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APRIL 2010 Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Report PAGE 13NEWSFirst Nations water and wastewater infrastructure projects

Three federal water and wastewater infrastruc-ture projects are under construction in FirstNation communities in theAtlantic region.

SHESHATSHIULast September the groundwas broken forPhase 1

of two-phase project for the 804-hectare SheshatshiuInnu First Nation community located 40 kilometersfromHappyValley-GooseBay,Labradorwhere efflu-ent is being discharged through an outfall pipe into ariver.The original planwas for a newmechanical waste-

water treatment facility to serve the 1,151 communitymembers.ButRosemaryGlynn-Conrad explained that,“once

the consultantwas engaged and studies and samplingcompleted a decisionwasmade to gowith an aeratedlagoon. They have the land base and a lagoon is lessexpensiveover the life cycle of the facility and easier tomaintain.”The A/Director, Community Infrastructure and

Environment with the Department of Indian AffairsandNorthernDevelopment said thedesign for the 4-cell aerated lagoon is complete. Two of the cells willbe 80 x 55metres and the others 110m x 70.Tenders are out for thematerial.Phase 1 of the $7,800,000 project was completed

last fall, collection lineswere installed andhookedup.Tenders for Phase II should be issued in late April

orMay and the project completed in January.WAGMATCOOKFirst Nations Construction Inc. has almost com-

pleted Phase I of a $4,900,000 two-phase project inthe Wagmatcook community in Cape Breton, NovaScotia.The changes were necessary to accommodate the

growing population that is expected to double by2025.They’veupgraded80per cent of the aerated lagoon

that services the south half of the 319.7-hectare re-serve.Glynn-Conrad said Phase II of the original feasi-

bility study outlined different optionswith one of therecommendations being to construct an extended ac-tuated sludge system that would replace the stabiliza-tion pond on the north side.Instead a Rotating Biological Contactor mechani-

cal sewage treatment plant was chosen. The design iscurrently underway.The A/Director said tenders are expected to be is-

sued inmid-April orMay.NATUASHISHConstruction on an $8,800,000 project to provide

a permanentwater source for the 675 residents of theMushuau Innu First Nation community of Natu-ashish, is 54 per cent complete.The project involves the design and construction

of a water intake piping system to supply water fromSango Brook (a nearby river) to a pumping station.Glynn-Conrad explained that high levels of differ-

ent chemicals, with the main being the salinity, werean issue with wells on the 4,265-hectare communitylocated 80 kilometers southeast of Nain in Labrador.Shepointedout,“Thewellswereoriginally onlyput

in place to serve a short period of time.”The A/Director said a water intake piping system

was designed a year ago and that Pennecon Con-struction had completed over half thework involved.“They finished inNovember andwill start up again inMay.”

BY HEATHER JONES

OnMarch 26, First Nations Construction Inc. had completed approximately 80 per cent of thework on the aerated lagoon inWagmatcook First Nation inCape Breton,Nova Scotia.Amajor com-ponent of the phase is the construction of a concrete wall to completely enclose and contain the collected sewage for treatment prior to entering the receiving waters. If weather conditions cooperate,the company expects Phase I of the federal water and wastewater infrastructure project to be finished byMay 1. (Photo courtesy of Indian andNorthern Affairs Canada)

This picture taken at the Mushuau Innu First Nation community of Natuashish, Labrador shows Phase I (left) and Phase II(right) of the four-phase steel pile shoring excavation to extend twinwater intake pipes from the existing pumphouse to SangoBrookseen in the background. (Photo courtesy of Indian andNorthern Affairs Canada)

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Submersible or vertical turbine pumps are anexample of centrifugal axial pumps, and they areheavily used for providing various services such asraw water intake, pumping station, cooling water,commercial/industrial andmunicipal distribution,and mining among others (1,5). The efficiency ofsuch pumps is best represented by the wire-to-water efficiency, which combines the overall effi-ciency of the pump and themotor.Despite the factthat all the parts of a pump (impeller and casingprimarily) are designed to deliver the head and ca-pacity required by the system in the most effectiveway, several aspects can affect the efficiency of apump. These aspects are hydraulic, mechanical,and volumetric losses in the pump (6).Volumetric loss is due to any leakage of fluid

through the pump components. These losses in-crease as internal clearance are opened up due towear, cavitation, impingement, or entrainment.Mechanical loss is related to mechanical compo-nents, which generate reduction in the powertransferred from the motor to the pump. Hy-draulic loss is caused by the frictional forces cre-ated between the fluid and the walls of thehydraulic passage, acceleration and hindrance ofthe fluid, and the change of the fluid flow direc-tion (3). The smoother the walls of the pump, theless flow fluctuations, and the less energy requiredfor the pump to move the fluid through the hy-draulic passage.Wire-to-water efficiency (Ew) can be easily de-

termined by the following equation (3):

Where,Ew =Wire-to-water efficiency (%)Q = Flow rate (gpm)INP= Electrical power input (kW)P = Pressure (psia)SG = Fluid specific gravity

EFFICIENCY IMPROVING COATINGThese coatings are specifically designed for im-

proving the efficiency of fluid handling systems,and protecting metals from the effects of erosion-corrosion. Their unique combination of proper-ties such as hydrophobicity, self-leveling, andhydraulic smoothness makes these coatings idealcandidates for linings the hydraulic passages ofpumps.Due to the presence of a blend of different

amines as part of their composition, these coatingspossess a low electronic affinity towards watermolecules and result in a smooth glossy finish onceapplied onto a surface. This fact makes water orany other aqueous polar solutions glide over thecoating surface (6).Efficiency improving coatingsself-level once applied onto a surface, which in-creases the hydraulic smoothness and slipperinessof such a pump passage. In some cases, they canbe enriched with a small percentage of Teflon®,which contributes to reducing the frictional forcesbetween the surface and the fluid in motion.TEST PREPARATIONA test was carried out to demonstrate that an

improvement in pump efficiency at rated output

could be achieved when coating various parts of asubmersible pumpwith efficiency improving coat-ings. The pump tested was a single-impeller multi-stage vertical pump, provided by a reputable pumpmanufacturer. The pump could handle up to 9,000gpm, with heads up to 500 ft and bowl size of 20”.The submersible pump parts to be coated with theefficiency improving coating were the walls of thedischarge head, the enclosing tube, the bowl, thesuction bell, and the impeller. The baseline datawas collected in November 2006. Previously, thepump had been mechanically restored accordingto Original Equipment Manufacturer (OME)specifications.All the application work was carried out by an

authorized coating applicator. All the surfaces tobe coated were grit blasted using an angular abra-

sive to NACENo.2 (NearWhiteMetal), ensuring aminimum 3 mil (75 µm) angular profile. Theywere consequently washed with a recommendedcleaner degreaser to remove residual blasting de-bris and contaminants. Masking tape was placedat the outer edges of the areas to be coated to givea neat and clean finish. An efficiency improvingcoating was applied in two coats using stiff shortbristled brushes. Each coat was applied at a wetthickness of 10 mil (250 µm) to a maximum wetthickness of 20 mils (500 µm). All the coated sur-faces were allowed to cure and the coating was in-spected for continuity.The following picture was taken after the appli-

cation of the efficiency improving coating to thepathways of a submersible pump. Enclosing tubewith efficiency improving coating

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and efficiency enhancement coatings

TESTINGThe test was conducted in March 2007. The

pumpwas run at a constant input while varying theflow rates, being 400 gpm the incremental rate. Theinstrumentation used consisted of an outlet analogmanometer to log pressure readings at the dischargeof the pump, an annubar to record the flow rate, anda watt transmitter to take readings of the electricalpower input. Wire-to-water efficiency was calcu-lated using Equation (1). The same procedure wascarried out in November 2006 during baseline datacollection.RESULTSANDDISCUSSIONFigures 1 shows wire-to-water pump efficiency

values at various flow rates for two situations: withand without the efficiency improving coating. Thegraphical representation labeled “Without coating”corresponds to the baseline collected in November2006. The best efficiency point (BEP) achieved aftercoating the pump is represented in the graph. Thepump duty point is also identified.

Figure 1. Pump efficiency evolution as a functionof flow rate as calculated fromdata collected inNovem-ber 2006 andMarch 2007.As it can be derived fromFigure 2, the total energy

supplied by the pump to the fluid at the discharge ofthe pump is greater when the inner walls of such apumphave been coatedwith an efficiency improvingcoating. The less friction between the inner walls ofthepumpand the fluid, the less energy is consumed inovercoming these frictional forces. It is important tonote that even though therewas a fourmonth periodfrom the timewhen the baseline datawas collected tothe time when the coated pump was actually tested,this fact does not mask the results previously dis-cussed. Prior to data collection, the pump was me-chanically restored based on OEM specifications.Therefore, the pump was operating at standard con-ditions when the baseline data was acquired.As it canbe seen, thewire-to-water pumpefficiency

atBEPwas74.5%,and its corresponding flow ratewas

6,500 gpm.The following graph shows an incremental change

in thewire-to-water efficiency as a functionof the flowrate. These values were obtained based on a compar-ison between the wire-to-water efficiency calculatedfor the baseline (with no efficiency improving coat-ing) and that obtained after coating the pathways ofthe pump.

Figure 2. Pump efficiency incremental change as afunction of flow rate as calculated fromdata collected inMarch, 2007As it can be seen in Figure 2, an efficiency im-

provement over 4% is achieved for flow rate valuesgreater than 4,000 gpm when coating the hydraulicpassages of the pump with an efficiency improvingcoating. For small flow rate values, in this case flowrate under 2,000 gpm,only very slight improvementsin efficiency were observed. Over 11% efficiency im-

provement is observed at 8,000 gpm. The duty pointof this pumpwas determined to be 6,100 gpm. In thevicinity of this point, 5%efficiency improvementwasachieved.CONCLUSIONSThe purpose of this test was successfully fulfilled.

The data collected demonstrated that an improve-ment in pump efficiency at rated output could beachievedwhencoating the internal surfaces of apumpwith an efficiency improving coating. The efficiencyimprovement was greater than 4% for all flow ratesgreater than 6,000 gpm when the pump was coatedwith an efficiency improving coating. In the vicinity ofthe duty point of the pump, 5% efficiency improve-ment was achieved. More so, these results obtainedafter applying efficiency improving coatings on thepathway of submersible pumps, can be easily repli-cated for other types of pumps as well.REFERENCES1. James B.Risher;Water Pumps andPumping Sys-

tems,McGraw-Hill Professional, 20022. RoscoeMoss;Handbookof GroundwaterDevel-

opment,Wiley, John& Sons, Inc., 19903. MichaelW.Volk; Pumpcharacteristics and appli-

cations, Taylor & Francis Group, 20054. James B. Rishel, Thomas H. Durkin, Benny L.

Kincaid; HVAC pump handbook, McGraw-HillProfessional, 2006

5. GouldsVertical PumpsManual6. William Xia; Energy Efficiency: Savings through

innovative polymer coatings in pumps.

(Editor’s Note: A version of this article originally ap-peared in themagazine of power generation)

w w w . b e l z o n a a t l a n t i c . c o m


Sandy Point sewer work to beginE

ngineering work has started on a newsewage treatment plant to replace theexisting plant in Sandy Point (Nova

Scotia).The current municipal sewage treatment

plant which was built in 1969 is located at thenorth end of the industrial park area. It servesRoseway Hospital, Nova Scotia CommunityCollege (ShelburneCampus), the formerBoysSchool and surrounding residential properties,as well as the existing serviced area of the In-dustrial Park. The Municipality of Shelburneowns and operates the existing treatmentplant.The existing facility which provides pri-

mary treatmentwith a 30,000USGPDdesigncapacity, is presently over-loadedandoftenoutof compliance with theNova Scotia Environ-ment effluent discharge limits. The new sys-tem will be designed to provide secondarysewage treatment with a design capacity of50,000 USGPD and will be expandable to150,000 USGPD to meet future needs fromexpansion of the Shelburne Industrial Park.Funding for the sewage treatment plant

project has been confirmed through theBuildingCanadaFund–CommunitiesCom-ponent (BCF-CC) and funds previously allo-cated to the Sandy Point Sewer Extensionproject from the Municipal Rural Infrastruc-ture Fund (MRIF) have been re-allocated tothe Sandy Point Sewage Treatment Plant Up-grade Project.Confirmed federal and provin-

cial government funding for the project nowtotals $793,018.The engineering contract has beenawarded

toABL Environmental Limited (Dartmouth)and the scopeof work includespre-design, siteevaluation,detaileddesign andpreparationofthe technical documentation required to pro-ceed with equipment procurement and con-struction.Also included in the engineering work will

be a Climate Change Vulnerability Assess-ment, which will be completed using the re-cently developed Public InfrastructureEngineering Vulnerability Criteria (PIEVC)developed by Engineers Canada. This assess-ment will be the first PIEVC protocol imple-mentation study in Nova Scotia and will befunded in part by Natural Resources Canada;$25,000 for this project component.The province is also supporting this com-

ponent of the project. The Nova Scotia Envi-ronment Climate Change Directorate willprovide$10,000 in funding for the assessment.The PIEVC assessment will contribute sig-

nificantly to the understanding of the poten-tial impacts of climate change on the SandyPoint area,and specifically on the sewage treat-ment plant.The assessment will also ensure the new

sewage treatment plant is appropriately sitedand designed to withstand the impacts of cli-mate change over its lifetime.

New $6.6 m sewage treatmentplant in the works for Windsor

The Town ofWindsor (Nova Scotia) willflush out millions for a major project that’salready begun.On Jan. 26, Town Council made a con-

ditional approval to award the engineeringfirm Conestoga-Rovers & Associates proj-ect management for the design and con-struction of a new sewage treatment plant,pending good reference checks; at a con-tracted fee of about $173,000.By the time this project is completed it’s

been estimated to cost $6.6 million that willbe cost shared by the federal, provincial andmunicipal governments, which means atotal of $2.2 million is expected to be paidby The Town of Windsor.PublicWorks Director Don Beatty noted

about half of the town’s waste water is nowtreated, in the newer section of town, by asewage treatment facility that’s located atthe end of Centennial Drive.However, the other half of the town’s

sewage is basically being thrown into theAvon River estuary untreated, Beatty said.“This new sewage treatment plant will im-prove the environment … people do notwant to think they’re contributing to pol-

lution and this new plant will ensure theirsewage is being treated in a responsiblemanner.”The next step in this project will be for a

project manager to look at possible designs,which will help to determine a size and lo-cation for the new plant, Beatty added.“Alldesign plans could take 5-6 months tocomplete… if we start right away, this proj-ect could be completed in March of 2012roughly.”Mayor Paul Beazley said now untreated

wastewater is going into the Avon River, butthe days of iffy environment practices areover. “I think it’s real important for peopleto understand this is a project that needs tobe done.”This puts a burden on the town but if it

is not done now it will become a govern-ment mandate to ensure all wastewater istreated before it’s sent along, Beazley said,“and we’ll have to do it … right now, hav-ing two thirds funded is a key for doing thisnow.”This is a big project for a town this size,

Beazley added. “I can’t say what will hap-pen to rates—if tenders are higher we’llhave to deal with it—but we’ll do the bestwe can to keep within the budget.”

BY CHRISTY MARSTERSTHE HANTS JOURNAL


Arsenic and old toenails – groundbreaking study launched in Cape BretonT

he largest study on arsenic, well waterand cancer ever conducted in Nova Sco-tia is underway in Cape Breton. The

study is part of the Atlantic Partnership for To-morrow’s Health, the most extensive cancerstudy ever undertaken in Atlantic Canada.The three-year study will examine the cancer

risk of low to moderate levels of arsenic indrinking water. The research will help policy-makers in Nova Scotia and across the countrydecide whether the cancer risk warrants newapproaches to water testing and treatment. Itwill also facilitate the mapping of arsenic levelsacross the province.“In many parts of Canada, a large proportion

of the population gets its drinking water fromuntreated water wells. In Nova Scotia, it is par-ticularly high, with 45 per cent of householdsrelying on well water,” says Dr. Louise Parker,principal investigator of the arsenic study andthe Atlantic Path.Arsenic occurs naturally in some rock types

and can leach into drinking water throughdrilled or dug wells. Both tasteless and odour-less, arsenic at high levels is known to causecancer—specifically kidney, bladder, lung, andskin cancers—but it is not clear how much ar-senic people are consuming or how this is af-fecting their risk of cancer.“Arsenic levels of up to 700 micrograms per

litre have been reported at some wells in NovaScotia. Health Canada has set an acceptableupper limit of 10 micrograms per litre of water,”notes Dr. Ron MacCormick, Medical Director

of the Cape Breton Cancer Centre.Health Canada, he notes, recommends that

Canadians living in areas such as Cape Bretonwhere there may be high levels of arsenic in thegroundwater have their drinking water testedfor arsenic contamination.To complete the study, 5000 volunteers are

required. Each volunteer, who must be part ofthe Atlantic Path study, will provide a watersample that will be tested for arsenic and otherheavy metals. Toenail samples will also be col-lected from participants, aged 35-69, and ana-lyzed for levels of arsenic and other metals suchas selenium, which can be toxic in highamounts.The data will be used to map arsenic expo-

sure across Nova Scotia. Bladder and kidneycancer rates, obtained from the provincial can-cer registry, will then be analyzed in relation tothe map of arsenic exposure to see if high ratesof these cancers are correlated with high levelsof arsenic exposure.The Atlantic Path study is part of the Cana-

dian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, a $42-million national study funded by the CanadianPartnership Against Cancer. This study will fol-low the health of 300,000 Canadians betweenthe ages of 35 and 69 for up to 30 years to de-termine what role lifestyle, the environmentand genetics play in the development of cancer.To find out more about the Atlantic Path and

the arsenic sub-study, call 902-494-7284 in Hal-ifax or toll free 1-877-285-7284 or visit www.at-lanticpath.ca. Arsenic occurs naturally in some rock types and can leach into drinking water through drilled or dug wells.


[Truro, NS]—Commercial water use far out-strips that of local domestic consumption in thelocal water shed but there is still lots of H2O to goaround, a provincial official says.“We find throughout the province, all the wa-

tersheds still have plenty of room to be developedfrom a groundwater point of view,” said JohnDrage, a hydrogeologist with the Nova Scotia De-partment of Environment.“So it’s comforting but we still have to be dili-

gent.”Drage made his comments during a recent

(January) presentation to Colchester CountyCouncil regarding the local aquifer and ground-water supplies. Council had requested informa-tion from the department after some councillorsexpressed concerns over just howmuch water wasbeing taken out of the system by the CanadianSprings (Aquaterra Corp.) bottling plant in Val-ley.Drage said the company has approval to draw

up to 981 cubic metres (981,000 litres) per dayfrom the system while the Big 8 (Sobeys) softdrink company has approval to draw 655 cubicmetres (655,000 litres) per day. He added, how-ever, that neither company is utilizing their fullwater potential.Overall, the 145 non-domestic wells in the

county are currently pulling 13,000 cubic metres

(130,000 litres) daily while the 9,940 domesticwells account for 5,800 cubic metres.That puts the Salmon River/Debert River wa-

tershed among Nova Scotia’s top five most devel-oped ground water sources.“Having said that, it’s still less than seven per

cent developed, compared to howmuch water wethink is available,” Drage said.And even though the area boasts one of the

best bedrock aquifers in the province, problemscan occur with individual wells if too many arelocated too close together.“We can still have problems at the local scale,”

he said, “so we still have to keep our eye on thelocal-scale picture as well as on the big picture.”The province has numerous monitoring wells

throughout Nova Scotia, including three inColchester County, so that a constant watch canbe maintained regarding groundwater levels.But one problem from a municipal planning

perspective, when it comes to ensuring too manywells are not placed too closely together, is thatthere is no communication mechanism in placewith the province, when environmental permis-sion is granted for commercial bottling opera-tions such as Canadian Springs or Big 8.And Drage acknowledged to council, that

“there needs to be a better link” between water al-location permits and the municipal land-useplanning approval system. As things now stand,environmental decisions are based on currentusage, as opposed to a municipality’s future land-

use planning goals.As well, although commercial bottling opera-

tions pay an annual fee to the province based onthe volume of water extracted, Colchester coun-cil believes such companies should also be pay-

ing royalties to the municipality.

To that end, Drage said the issue of royalty fees

is included in a water strategy policy that is being

developed.

BY HARRY SULLIVANTHE TRURO DAILY NEWS

Still plenty of water in the well

Water research partnershiprecognized internationallyThe American Water Works Association

(AWWA), the largest andoldest internationalorganization of water professionals, has rec-ognized world-class water research that re-sulted from an innovative partnershipbetween Halifax Water and Dalhousie Uni-versity.AlishaKnowles,Ph.D. student inCivil En-

gineering at Dalhousie has been invited topresent her research results on the challengesassociated with balancing water treatmentobjectives to AWWA members, via a syndi-cated webcast.Knowles’presentationwas selected follow-

ing her podium presentation at the 2009AWWAWater Quality Technology Confer-ence in Seattle,Washington.Knowles was the first PhD student to start

her programunder theHalifaxWater Indus-trial Research Chair program at Dalhousiesponsored by theNatural Sciences and Engi-neering Research Council (NSERC) ofCanada.“This has been an exciting partnership be-

tween Dalhousie University and Halifax

Water over the last three years,”says ResearchChair Dr. Graham Gagnon.“It’s an excellentexample of the international level of researchbeing conducted in our own backyard.”The research partnership, along with Hal-

ifaxWater’sWater Quality Master Plan, pro-vides the basis for stable, continuousinvestment and innovation in the water sys-tem that ensures Halifax Water's customerswill always be provided with high qualitywater.Halifax Water’s Annual Customer Survey,

conducted inNovember/December 2009by ahighly respected, local research firm, helpedconfirmHalifaxWater is on the right track. Itreceived outstanding results from customersin two critical categories. Results indicate 90per cent of customers perceive water qualityas good or excellent, the highest level everachieved in the annual survey.In a sub-categoryonWater Safety surveyed

under drinking water, 97 per cent of cus-tomers rating Halifax’s water as safe or verysafe.

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MPWWA 30th Annual SeminarApril 25-28, 2010 • Saint John, New Brunswick


No rate increaseThere will be no increase in taxes or water and

sewer rates in Summerside, Prince Edward Islandthis year.The good news was part of the city budget de-

livered March 29 by Deputy Mayor Bruce Mac-Dougall.’”I think there a number of keys,”’ in the good

news budget, the city’s finance committee chair-man said in The Journal Pioneer. ’”The fact thatthere are no rate increases, the fact that there areno user fee increases and no water/sewer rate in-creases, that’s a portion it.’”

Residents of Placentia (Newfoundland &Labrador) who are worried about higher than ap-proved levels of haloacetic acids (HAAs) and tri-halomethanes (THMs) in the town’s water supplyhave a new place to visit to explore a wide range ofwater resources data.The Department of Conservation and Envi-

ronment launched a web portal athttp://maps.gov.nl.ca/water/ the same day,March24, it released a report called “Drinking WaterSafety in Newfoundland and Labrador” contain-ing data and developments from April 1, 2008 toMarch 31, 2009.According to the report, in that period, 211 boil

water advisories were in place, affecting 145 com-munities and 48,787 people, down from the 229boil orders the year before.Environment Minister Charlene Johnson said

she is aware some towns are not chlorinating theirwater because people don’t like the taste of chlo-rine and there is little government can do aboutit.The water report, themed "Rural Reactions and

Remedies," also indicates large numbers of peo-ple were drinking water containing higher thanrecommended levels of chemicals that form whenchlorine interacts with leaves and vegetation,HAAs and THMs.The document says 144 serviced areas that pro-

vide water to 161,249 people had levels of HAAabove national drinking water standards.A total of 128 serviced areas providing water to

131,064 people had greater than suggested levelsof THMs.There are various types of HAAs and THMs,

and Health Canada documents say some are prob-able carcinogens.But the report says the health risks from these

byproducts are much less than the risks from con-suming water that hasn't been disinfected.Johnson said the HAAs and THMs were not

significantly above guidelines recommended."(These substances are) a concern, but not as

big a concern as the chlorinating for sure," shesaid. "I meanWalkerton, seven people died, 2,000people were very ill. It was all because of microbi-ological."Microbiological issues—such as dangerous E.

coli contamination that caused the problems inWalkerton, Ont., 10 years ago—can occur whenwater is not treated.Johnson said steps are being taken to lower the

levels of HAAs and THMs including encouragingthe use of potable water-dispensing units—small-scale drinking water treatment facilities commu-nities can cost-share with the province. Chlorinedemandmanagement is another action being pro-moted to lower the byproduct levels. It encour-ages using enough chlorine used to disinfectwater, but not enough to cause HAAs and THMs.

The report and portal were announced duringthe 2010 Clean and Safe Drinking Water Work-shop in Gander.Placentia’s Mayor Bill Hogan and CEO Ed

O’Keefe have both stated the town is doing what itcan to reduce THMs and HAAs including adjust-ing chlorine levels and monitoring them and isconsidering using a potable water-dispensing unitin the town where residents can get clean waterfor drinking.“We are taking it very seriously and that’s what

I wanted to get out to the public,” stated O’Keefe.“We are looking at it. We are certainly investigat-ing to see what we can do and we’d like to getsomething in place sooner rather than later.”Both he and the mayor noted the integrated

water system planned for the town will take yearsbut it is the right direction to help eliminate thesekinds of issues.But, as Mayor Hogan said,money is an issue, so

the integrated plan may well have to come in smallsteps.

“It is too big a job. We’d never be able to un-dertake it all at once. It has to go step by step,” saidMayor Hogan.“We are close to doing what we can capital

works-wise now for a couple of years and wecould probably help out in Jerseyside by connect-ing Jerseyside and Freshwater. That’s my personalpreference and I would anticipate that would beour first step in doing this piecemeal,” he said.“The ultimate goal is one water supply.”(With files from The Telegram)

BY ELIZABETH MACDONALDTHE CHARTER

Water issues under control

the road never ends ...

... SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO BUILD A BRIDGE!

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