Northern Community Water and Wastewater Infrastructure State of Practice Literature Review Kenneth Johnson, M.A.Sc., RPP, FCAE, P.Eng. Planner, Engineer, and Historian Cold Regions Specialist Prepared for the National Research Council of Canada 2016-03-30 HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF WATER SUPPLY AND SEWAGE TREATMENT Over the course of the past sixty years water supply and waste treatment in Canada has changed dramatically, however, the most dramatic changes have occurred in the northern regions of Canada. Sixty years ago much of northern Canada, particularly the smaller communities, were still based upon a subsistence economy and not a wage economy, therefore the infrastructure for water and sewer was essentially non-existent. A select few communities, such as Dawson City, Yukon and Yellowknife, NWT had infrastructure in place as a result of the mining boom in each of these communities. The water and waste practices in the early days of small northern communities were very simple. Water was brought in by hand, from the nearest water source, "outhouses" were used for sewage waste, grey water was dumped adjacent to the houses, and garbage was burned in individual barrels near each household. One of the most significant infrastructure milestones in the decade following World War 2 was the development of the community of Inuvik and its above ground piped water and sewer system, which was initiated by the chronic flooding and limited capacity of the nearby community of Aklavik. In 1957, John Diefenbaker's once-famous "northern vision" policy inspired the nation, and advanced further initiatives in northern infrastructure. Water and waste infrastructure in northern communities continued to make incremental improvements in the 1960's and 1970's as the subsistence lifestyles continued to decline, and more people moved to permanent settlements. Water and sewer tanks were becoming more common, along with indoor plumbing, but these were still limited, and there remained a significant need for engineered water supply and wastewater disposal systems. One of the most significant policy decisions concerning water supply infrastructure occurred in the mid-1980's with the recognition that intestinal disease could be correlated to water use. As a result, a policy was put in place that water supply infrastructure would be required to deliver a minimum of 90 litres per capita per day for each individual in a community. This policy initiated a concerted effort to provide indoor plumbing to each household, and phased out the use of honey bags for sewage disposal. The infrastructure included with the establishment of the water and sanitation policy included potable water reservoirs, where a year round source of fresh water was not available, and sewage lagoons for the treatment of wastewater stream. The majority of the water supply and wastewater collection is provided by trucked services, which generally provides an adequate level of service in most communities. The turn of the 20th century in the north has brought regulatory demands into the forefront of community infrastructure, in conjunction with the development of the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER) as part of the initiation by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to harmonize wastewater regulation across Canada. The CCME initiative has considered, to some degree, the influence of geography and climate on the application of the WSER, and the Government of Canada has devoted some resources to researching the potential for northern systems to achieve these objectives.
Š National Research Council of Canada 2016.
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