Summer 2013
Cape Breton chooses automatic meter reading Preventing cyber attacks on infrastructure Controlling forcemain odours ES&E’s annual guide to government, associations and academic institutions
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 1
8/6/13 10:38 PM
New Features!
Sigma
motor–driven diaphragm metering pumps Experts in Chemical Feed and Water Treatment
Remo ovable/ ovable/ ex xternally xternally mountable mo untable HMI ( Human Machine Machine Intterface terface )
Variable Variable metering m etering pro ofiles for ofiles optimum metering metering results
Diap phragm phragm rupture warning warning system y
Cost savings via a energy co onsu umption umption ba ased on ased power re equired equired
Sigma series capacity: 20 – 1000 L/h , Pressure: 145 – 58 psi
Available from
Industrial Pump Systems
ProMinent Canada Toll Free: eMail: www.
1-888-709-9933 sales@prominent.ca prominent.ca
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 2
SANSOM EQUIPMENT LIMITED
ProMinent USA Phone: eMail: www.
(412) 787-2484 sales@prominent.us prominent.us 8/6/13 10:38 PM
Octave® Ultrasonic Meter
THE METER WE MASTERED.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. The Octave® Ultrasonic Meter is the embodiment of precisely crafted measurement science. Aggressive 1/16 GPM starting flow means measuring every drop even with large buildings where otherwise utilities give water away for free. The Octave is the fresh approach to metering – with no moving parts – simplified installation – and complete integration with SCADA and AMR/AMI systems.
Let us show you that when it comes to water, the glass is half full. Call 800.765.6518 or visit us online at mastermeter.com to learn more.
* Visit MasterMeterPromo.com to enter for your chance to win an iPad. Promo Code: ESE7813
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 3
8/6/13 10:38 PM
Contents ISSN-0835-605X • Summer 2013 Vol. 26 No. 4 • Issued August 2013 Editor and Publisher STEVE DAVEY E-mail: steve@esemag.com Founding Editor
TOM DAVEY
Sales Director PENNY DAVEY E-mail: penny@esemag.com Sales Representative DENISE SIMPSON E-mail: denise@esemag.com Accounting SANDRA DAVEY E-mail: sandra@esemag.com Circulation Manager DARLANN PASSFIELD E-mail: darlann@esemag.com Design and Production EINAR RICE Editorial Assistant PETER DAVEY E-mail: peter@esemag.com
Technical Advisory Board Archis Ambulkar Brinjac Engineering, Pennsylvania Jim Bishop Consulting Chemist, Ontario Peter Laughton P.Eng. Consulting Engineer, Ontario Bill DeAngelis, P.Eng. Associated Engineering, Ontario Marie Meunier John Meunier Inc., Québec Peter J. Paine Environment Canada
Environmental Science & Engineering is a bi-monthly business publication of Environmental Science & Engineering Publications Inc. An all Canadian publication, ES&E provides authoritative editorial coverage of Canada’s municipal and industrial environmental control systems and drinking water treatment and distribution.
FEATURES 6
DEPARTMENTS
A great writer was felled by an early Punch Comment by Tom Davey
10 Cape Breton chooses innovative water meter reading technology Cover story
Product Showcase . . . 63-67 Environmental News . 68-74 Professional Cards . . . 68-73 Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
12 Kawartha Lakes fights MOE order to pay for oil spill costs 14 Making wastewater pump station callouts a thing of the past 16 New weapons for fighting odour in long sewer forcemains 22 Designing effective remedial horizontal wells and trenches 24 New oil dewatering technology reduces disposal costs 26 Surge anticipator eliminates water pipe breakage in Central Saanich 28 High rate biotechnology for metal and mining wastewaters 34 Securing municipal water and wastewater infrastructure against cyber attack 38 Influences on biofilm development and corrosion in watermains 41 Napanee’s new water storage tank provides contingency and security benefits 42 The five essential elements of a modern hydrological monitoring program 48 Protecting Lakeview WWTP’s ferrous chloride feed system 52 New Canadian process removes mercury from wastewater
Readers include consulting engineers, industrial plant managers and engineers, key municipal, provincial and federal environmental officials, water and wastewater plant operators and contractors. Information contained in ES&E has been compiled from sources believed to be correct. ES&E cannot be responsible for the accuracy of articles or other editorial matter. Articles in this magazine are intended to provide information rather than give legal or other professional advice. Articles being submitted for review should be e-mailed to steve@esemag.com. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Second Class Mail Product Agreement No. 40065446 Registration No. 7750 Undeliverable copies, advertising space orders, copy, artwork, proofs, etc., should be sent to: Environmental Science & Engineering, 220 Industrial Pkwy. S., Unit 30, Aurora, Ontario, Canada, L4G 3V6, Tel: (905)727-4666, Fax: (905) 841-7271, Web site: www.esemag.com
Page 10
Page 14
Page 41
ES&E’s Annual Guide To Government Agencies, Associations and Academic Institutions
Associations ............................................................................ 53 Government Agencies ............................................................ 57 Colleges and Universities ....................................................... 62
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 4
8/6/13 10:39 PM
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 5
8/6/13 10:39 PM
Comment by Tom Davey
A great writer was felled by an early Punch In celebration of Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine’s 25th year of publication, we are pleased to reprint some of Founding Editor, Tom Davey’s editorial comments.
,
n 1849, a writer suEmitted an article to Punch maga]ine on the scandalous state of London’s water supply. Titled Dreadful Hardships, the article, written Ey a young Charles DicNens, was reMected. Punch, then a new puElication, went on to garner world renown as a humorous maga]ine and celeErated its 150th year of continuous operation Eefore expiring in 1992 and then again in 2002 after a failed revival. Punch not only Eecame noted for the quality of its articles Eut also for the writing sNills of its editors. They included Tom Taylor, author of Our American Cousin, the play AEraham Lincoln was watching when assassinated; A.A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh; and Malcolm Muggeridge, a celeErated spy, Mournalist, television celeErity, and one of the most elegant writers in the (nglish language. Punch lasted one-and-a-half centuries – a remarNaEle achievement in the cut-and-thrust world of puElishing where mortality rates for young puElications are high. ,ts circulation declined from a peaN of 150,000 to around 0,000 Eefore it ¿nally expired. %ut the impact of Charles DicNens continues to grow, his reputation enhanced Ey movie and TV productions. After two masterly adaptations in ¿lm of his Tale of Two Cities, the story went on to enMoy great success in a TV mini-series. And every year, hundreds of millions of people watch that perennial favorite, A Christmas Carol. ,ronically, DicNens’ reMected piece, Dreadful Hardships, might have Eecome one of his greatest worNs. The squalor and misery resulting from the water-Eorne diseases that ravaged poor families in those days cried out for the masterly touch of DicNens. Thousands, especially EaEies, were slaughtered Ey deadly Eut little Nnown pathogenic organisms - the germs, parasites, and
6 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 6
viruses which Àourish in impoverished conditions. 5egrettaEly, while the reMection slip survived, this worN is proEaEly lost forever. +ad Punch not reMected his piece on London’s water supply, the environment movement might have had one of the greatest pens in the world focusing on ecological issues – nearly one and half centuries ago. Was there, for e[ample, a Mr. %umEle of the London water worNs, denying
Charles Dickens, circa 1849.
a request for hypochlorite to disinfect the water to stay the march of typhoid and cholera? Or perhaps some smug character saying the city could not afford piped water and sanitation to poor districts? <ou thinN this is far-fetched ¿ction? LooN at the facts in Canada. ,n the late 1880s, the incidence of typhoid fever and other water-Eorne diseases was high in Eoth Ottawa and Toronto. Well into the 20th century, deaths from water-Eorne diseases were descriEed as ³astronomical´ Ey the City of Toronto’s 3uElic +ealth Department. ,ndeed, even within living memory, Toronto’s death rates have Eeen higher than those of many maMor (uropean cities. Typhoid ran rampant in Ottawa, Eut as the disease was usually con¿ned to the lower class districts, civic of¿cials showed little concern until epidemics swept across the capital in 1911 and
again in 1912. Almost 2,000 people contacted typhoid, with at least 91 recorded fatalities in the capital. 7he &hief 0edical 2f¿cer of 2ntario, Dr. J.W. McCullough, investigated the ¿rst typhoid outEreaN and Elamed civil authorities for negligence in failing to provide a safe water supply for the capital. A second enquiry concurred that the authorities had Eeen negligent. A report suEmitted Ey Dr. Charles A. +odgetts, a medical advisor to the Commission of Conservation, said the 1911 Ottawa typhoid epidemic ³could have Eeen oEviated had the hypochlorite (disinfection) treatment Eeen installed forthwith´ as recommended Ey an engineering consultant, Allan +a]en. Dr. AlEert (dward %erry, a renowned Canadian water treatment scientist and engineer, was only a youngster when these epidemics were sweeping many parts of Canada. They made an indeliEle impression on him for he was to dedicate his life to the eradication of water-Eorne diseases. When he died in 1984 in London, Ontario, at the age of 90, he was proEaEly the most honoured environmental professional in the world. (ven in retirement, the World +ealth Organi]ation had asNed him to visit developing countries as a water and puElic health consultant. +is many honours include the Order of Canada, an honorary degree from the University of Toronto, and countless awards. +e fought tenaciously for safe drinNing water and sanitation facilities when he was appointed director of Sanitary (ngineering for the Ontario Department of +ealth. , spent a day at his home in St. Mary’s, Ontario, when he recounted his investigations of regular epidemics of T%, typhoid and other lethal diseases. Cholera, too, was common. When his recommendations for safe water processes were ignored Ey municipalities, Dr. %erry issued mandatory orders for water supplies to Ee disinfected. (ven then, many politicians EaulNed at the costs. +e recounted one instance where an entire council resigned, rather continued overleaf...
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:39 PM
Effective Liquid Anaylsis A complete digital offering in one simple, expandable and unified platform. • Simplify your analytical measurements with a unified digital platform across the entire plant. • Sensors using MemoSens technology and protocol give you true plug-‘n-play simplicity for long-term reductions in commissioning and maintenance costs. • Our completely digital platform integrates seamlessly into your control systems. www.ca.endress.com/analysis
(QGUHVV+DXVHU&DQDGD/WG 6XWWRQ'ULYH %XUOLQJWRQ2QWDULR//= 7HO )D[ LQIR#FDHQGUHVVFRP
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 7
8/6/13 10:39 PM
Comment by Tom Davey than obey the order to disinfect the town water. Many times Dr. Berry forced councils to clean up drinking water supplies several decades before the modern environmental movement began. As in Ottawa, the diseases were often in working class districts and many civic leaders had little concern for their plight, a familiar scenario in Dickens’ novels. Undoubtedly there were even more horror stories of death and disease in the squalor of London when Charles Dickens submitted his article to Punch in 1849. His penchant for lurid details of squalid conditions, combined with his masterly characterization of pompous of¿cials, would have surely made his rejected article on London’s water supply fascinating reading. Coincidentally, the year that Punch rejected Dickens’ article, a remarkable discovery occurred in Broad Street in London where people were dying of cholera. Not even the science of the day
linked drinking water with cholera, and lethal epidemics were common in those times. But Dr. John Snow deduced that some 90 deaths could be traced to a contaminated well serving the area. He boldly broke the pump handle, preventing people from using the well for drinking water. The epidemic stopped. Dr. Snow’s decisive act is a benchmark in the science of epidemiology. While he did not discover the true cause of the cholera, he proved beyond question that this lethal disease could be transmitted through drinking water. His simple experiment was part of a train of events which in the end controlled the epidemics of cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, the great killers of the day in Europe and North America. Something went awry in publishing when Dreadful Hardships was submitted; it could hardly have been lack of writing talent, for the rejected author became a giant of English literature. Had the writing skills of Dickens been
combined with the scienti¿c prescience of people like Dr. John Snow, the environmental movement might have started over a century earlier. NB. Punch published the now famous Remembrance Day poem, In Flanders Fields, written by Major John McCrae, a doctor and soldier with the Canadian Field Artillery. The poem, which became internationally renowned, had a typically Canadian omission – it carried no by-line.
This editorial was published in Tom Davey’s book “For Whom the Polls Tell”.
Se rv ice alu |V
e| s Re
po nsi
bili
ty
Creating Water, Wastewater, & Biosolids Solutions
σ Actiflo™: High Rate Ballasted Clarifiers σ ʼnbiƌ[&b*|ϦƔŗŗƭ: Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor
Come & See Us! WCW Sept. 18-19 UBCM Sept. 18-19 ACWWA - Sept. 29- Oct. 1 WEFTEC - Oct. 5-9 SWWA - Nov. 6-7 AMSC - Nov. 20-22 AMM - Nov. 25-28
Serving Canadian municipalities and industries through a complete range of innovative solutions and technologies
σ Exelys™: Energy Efficient Thermal Hydrolysis Process σ Ź&xi * EϦŞH| 8[ *x|: Flexible Woven Media Filter
www.johnmeunier.com www.veoliawaterstna.com
8 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 8
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:41 PM
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 9
8/6/13 10:41 PM
Water Metering
Cape Breton moves to automatic meter reading
C
ape Breton Regional Municipality, also referred to as CBRM, is the second largest municipality in Nova Scotia. It is located on the eastern side of Cape Breton Island, said to be one of the most scenic islands in the world. As an early adopter of new technologies and practices, the CBRM Water Utility decided to invest in radio frequency technology, specifically a mobile AMR (automatic meter reading) solution, from Neptune Technology Group (Canada). It offered the utility integrated project management services for the supply and installation of its T-10 ProRead equipped water meters, R900 radio frequency transmitters and R900 Mobile AMR System, which includes mobile data collection, handheld reading equipment and software. In 2005, CBRM was fully metered, with the exception of approximately 5,000 accounts. The unmetered accounts in the Pottle Lake service area had significantly higher water consumption than other metered communities in the region. The Water Utility was faced with building a new water treatment plant and correctly sizing it was a priority. As a result, the utility implemented a two-year metering plan that clearly mandated that all accounts be metered. The outcome would also mitigate water loss and institute a homogenous system for water billing. Phased-in migration yields big results With a vision to implement a more efficient system and help support stretched meter reading resources, the utility set in motion a multi-year plan to gradually convert their meters to mobile AMR technology. Neptune has been awarded five consecutive contracts since 2008. Their project team installed over 5,000 meter replacements and 5,000 radio retrofit upgrades. In combination with the universal metering project (Pottle Lake), CBRM now has over 73 per cent of their total accounts reading from Neptune’s R900 Mobile AMR
10 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 10
(L to R) Shane Oldford, CBRM Meter Technician, Joyce Babin, CBRM Supervisor, Jason Oldford, CBRM Meter Technician, Tracy Rudderham, CBRM Meter Reader, Bill Kelly, Neptune Project Manager.
System. As a guideline, any meters younger than 15 years are upgraded to radio, while meters older than 15 years are replaced. Neptune’s approach to project management is structured around the integration of key service pillars: project management, customer care and public communication, area management and data collection, verification and exchange. Each year the project was directed by Neptune’s dedicated Project Manager, Bill Kelly and supported by its cross functional team that included field technicians, call centre and data administrators, public education specialists, IT and product support. Proven benefits of transitioning In 2010, the utility initiated a transition from the Neptune ProRead encoder register to its E-Coder)R900i. Its high resolution, eight-digit encoding makes leak, tamper and reverse flow detection possible at measurements down to 100 ml. The addition of these value-added flags has proven to be valuable for leak detection and data logging of major issues. This technology has allowed the utility to implement a very successful
active leak program for the Pottle Lake area. It can substantiate minimum nighttime flows for the distribution system and assist in identifying and isolating areas of abnormal flows. Furthermore, with the E-Coder) R900i’s easy to read LCD display, the utility was able to enhance their public education program and introduce these features to their customers. This included “Reading Your Water Meter,” a leak detection kit mailing program, which is triggered by leak flags gathered by utility staff. Through this program, the regional municipality has empowered their customers to be proactive in conserving water, lowering water bills and ultimately relieving demand on the water system. Residents of CBRM were not the only group to experience the benefits of the E-Coder)R900i. The utility has three field technicians who perform meter upgrades and replacements in parallel with Neptune’s service division. The utility’s meter shop has achieved improvements in efficiency when replacing the meters, due to ease of installation made possible by the E-Coder)R900i’s wireless feature. Previously, field technicians were running wire from the ProRead register,
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:41 PM
Water Metering usually located inside a basement, to an R900 transmitter located outside the home. The utility’s meter reading group has also achieved operational efficiencies. Until recently, many of the meters were over 25 years old and required manual reading inside the dwelling. Implementation of R900 RF technology and the mobile system has relieved meter readers from the liability and safety concerns of entering customer properties. As an example, one area in the community of Sydney had 4,000 meters that were 25 to 40 years old. This area took three meter readers a total of nine days to read, upload, process and validate the readings. With the upgrade to R900 and Neptune’s MRX920 mobile data collector, it now takes one reader a day to read and upload data into the billing system. The three readers process reads, validate, initiate work orders and perform field investigations over a two-to-three day period. Meter reader functions now extend to include data management processing, initiating work orders, performing field investigations, processing E-Coder flag data and preparing customer service packages. The Cape Breton Regional Municipality Water Utility is on a path to achieve a system wide R900 AMR mobile system. Funding projects of this magnitude can be a barrier. However, the utility opted for a phased-in approach. Eventually, they can even foresee progressing to a pilot project to test a FixedBase System. For more information, E-mail: dmcnichol@neptunetg.com
Waterra introduces the HydraSleeve — a new way to collect discrete interval samples. With no need to purge or dispose of purge water, this groundwater sampler reduces your costs by saving time. • COLLECT SAMPLES WITH NO DRAWDOWN & MINIMAL AGITATION • EASY TO USE – SIMPLY "POP & SQUEEZE" OPEN THE TOP, THEN ATTACH YOUR LINE & THE RE-USEABLE WEIGHT • NO FLUID MIXING FROM OTHER INTERVALS • NO PURGING NEEDED • A SINGLE HYDRASLEEVE CAN DELIVER SAMPLES OF 650 ML TO 2 LITRES FROM 2" MONITORING WELLS • HYDRASLEEVE PRODUCTS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR 1" AND 4" MONITORING WELLS
HYDRASLEEVE www.waterra.com
(CANADA) Waterra Pumps Limited sales@waterra.com • tel: 905.238.5242 (USA) Waterra USA Inc. waterra@openaccess.org • tel: 360.738.3366
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 11
Summer 2013 | 11
8/8/13 10:09 PM
Legal Issues
City of Kawartha Lakes loses fight over “unfair” oil spill clean-up Order By John Willms
T
he Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that the necessities of spill containment and environmental protection can take precedence over the “polluter pays” principle and the rules of natural justice. In assessing the validity of a Director’s clean-up order for a 2009 oil spill in the City of Kawartha Lakes, the Court deemed questions of who was at fault were “irrelevant.” The City, which bore no responsibility for the original spill, was ordered to clean up oil that had spread onto municipal lands and threatened to recontaminate nearby Sturgeon Lake. Since then, the City of Kawartha Lakes has fought a series of legal battles to correct what it considers “a breach of natural justice.” While the City did not dispute the jurisdiction of the Ministry to issue such a “no fault” Order, it argued that “the MOE must have regard to principles of fair-
12 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 12
ness, including the ‘polluter pays principle’, as part of its exercise of discretion to issue such an Order.” The City maintained that the MOE should only issue a “no fault” Order in the event that the polluter(s) cannot or will not comply
with a fault-based Order. The Appeal Court did not agree. In its decision re-
leased May 10, 2013, Justice Goudge writes that, “Evidence of the fault of others says nothing about how the environment would be protected and the legislative objective served if the Director’s order were revoked. Indeed, by inviting the Tribunal into a fault finding exercise, permitting the evidence might even impede answering the question in the timely way required by that legislative objective. (Kawartha Lakes (City) v. Ontario (Environment), 2013 ONCA 310).” The Ministry had issued a preventative Order under section 157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act to ensure prompt remediation and minimize any adverse effects. The Ministry had already issued a remediation Order on the responsible parties, but the
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/8/13 10:08 PM
Legal Issues spilled oil had spread onto City property. Therefore, a second Order could rightfully be issued to the City as the party that, “owns or has management and control of an undertaking or a property,” even though it bore no fault for the original spill. The Order against the City was appealed to the Environmental Review Tribunal. However, the ERT refused to consider fault, arguing that the overwhelming purpose of EPA s.157(1) is to protect the environment and that, “questions of ultimate liability, fault and other issues are generally left to arenas other than this tribunal.” On May 28, 2012, the Divisional Court upheld the ruling of the ERT, and the appellants appealed the decision to the Ontario Court of Appeal. While the issues were winding their way through the legal system, the City completed the clean-up of its property at an estimated cost of $470,000. Justice Goudge of the Appeal Court writes, “I agree with the Tribunal and the Divisional Court that evidence that others were at fault for
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 13
the spill is irrelevant to whether the order against the appellant should be revoked. That order is a no fault order. It is not premised on a finding of fault on the part of the appellant, but on the need to serve the environmental protection objective of the legislation.” In a separate case before the Ontario Superior Court, the City is tak-
ing steps to recover its clean-up costs (under s.100.1 of the EPA) from the oil company, the insurer, the adjuster, the homeowners, the firm that undertook the site clean-up, the tank manufacturer, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority and the MOE. John Willms is with Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP, E-mail: jwillms@willmsshier.com
No one disputes the basic facts of the case ...
O
n December 18, 2008, an estimated 500 litres of fuel oil were spilled into the basement of the home of Wayne and Liana Gendron. By the time an insurance adjuster visited the property some 12 days later, the oil had already migrated through the storm sewers under the adjoining city road and into nearby Sturgeon Lake. The Ministry of the Environment immediately issued a Provincial Officer’s Order requiring the Gendrons to prevent, eliminate and ameliorate the adverse effects of the spill. Remediation efforts continued “around the clock” until March 20, 2009, when the Gendrons’ insurer refused to fund further off-site work, while continuing with the on-site excavation of contaminated soil and the complete demolition and reconstruction of the Gendrons’ home. Although the lake pollution had already been cleaned up, the ministry issued a preventive Order against the City, requiring it to undertake the remediation of any oil remaining in the culverts and sewers that could recontaminate Sturgeon Lake.
Summer 2013 | 13
8/8/13 10:08 PM
Instrumentation and Control
Making pump station call-outs a thing of the past
I
t’s 2:00 a.m. and a telephone rings in Eckville, Alberta. Rick McKinnon checks the display on his cell phone and sees it’s another high level call-out alarm, from one of the town’s new sewage lift stations. He knows, before he drives there, that the system will be running on floats, instead of the new ultrasonic level controller. McKinnon is the Town’s public works supervisor and has to work out most of the problems that occur in the wastewater collection system. Level control callouts in two new sewage lift stations were costly and straining his resources. Serving a population of 1,100, the Town completed its upgrade project with two new lift stations and forcemains in 2011. Each control system included a non-contacting ultrasonic level controller with Hi/Lo floats as backups. The pumps are variable frequency drive, operated with relay connections to the level controllers for on/off pump control and 4-20mA speed control. Soon after start-up, Eckville operators began receiving call-out alarms from the control systems in both pump stations. The cause of the echo loss problem was hard to figure out, because it was intermittent. The ultrasonic level controls would work perfectly for several weeks, but then call-out alarms would begin again. They first suspected that condensate might be forming on the ultrasonic sensors and causing echo loss. Over several months, operators experimented with instrument settings, sensor positioning and then with baffles and stilling wells to reduce foam and grease build-up on the water surface. Improvements were made, but none of the modifications entirely stopped the call-outs. This problem was not new to Greyline Instruments, who had seen similar echo loss conditions in sewage lift stations before. Their design engineers came up with the concept of a level instrument that operates with an ultrasonic as the primary sensor and any other 4-20mA level transmitter as a redundant or standby sensor. The new model PSL 5.0 Pump Station Level Controller was released at the same time Eckville was
14 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 14
Rick McKinnon In a standard collection system, sewage flows to local wet wells, or sumps.
Air sonar uses sound pulses bounced off the liquid surface to compute sewage level.
experiencing call-out alarms. McKinnon contacted Carbon Controls of Calgary, to help solve the level control problems. Carbon Controls supplied two of the new Greyline level controllers, plus submersible pressure sensors to be connected to them as a hybrid system. They felt that using ultrasonic, along with pressure sensors, would result in a reliable level control system that would not be affected by foam or grease on the water surface. How it works Pump station level monitoring is a critical process, with catastrophic fail-
ure modes. In a standard collection system, sewage flows to local wet wells, or sumps, by gravity and is then pumped to a treatment facility. Water level in the wet well is monitored and pumps activate whenever the level exceeds set points. Monitoring instrument failure would allow the sewage level to rise and spill into the environment and/or back up into homes. High level alarm switches are typically installed as a backup. Several methods exist to monitor liquid level. Airborne ultrasonic sonar has become the standard level monitoring technology. It offers easy transducer installation and maintenance as they are mounted above and away from the sewage. These sensors are highly reliable, due to modern manufacturing methods. Air sonar uses sound pulses bounced off the liquid surface to compute sewage level. Grease or foam blanketing the surface is one of the few situations which can defeat this level monitoring method. Having an alternate monitoring method which is not defeated by grease cakes or foam, would allow a “second opinion” and not trip high level alarms in case of a temporary loss of sonar signal. An added bonus is that the embedded sonar calibration is used to automatically calibrate the alternate level signal. The two level signals are continuously compared, to alarm the operator if the alternate signal is not responding to level changes. The transition from primary to secondary level signal is seamless and a
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:48 PM
Instrumentation and Control display shows the operator usage hours logged, for troubleshooting or maintenance. PSL 5.0 uses a “hybrid” of transducer technologies to provide a redundant level measurement and insurance against level measurement failure. The 4-20mA secondary input, automatic calibration and signal monitoring, together with an easy field retrofit, are designed to solve a specific problem in the sewage treatment industry. Non-contacting ultrasonic level sensors were installed about one meter above the high water level in Eckville’s wet wells. They were positioned with an unobstructed view of the water and where foam, grease and scum were least likely to form. Backup submersible pressure sensors were connected to the Greyline PSL 5.0’s 4-20mA hybrid sensor input and suspended in the sewage wet wells with ¾” PVC conduit. They were mounted a few centimeters below the low water level. Once the ultrasonic and submersible pressure sensors were installed in the wet wells and the system was powered up, the PSL 5.0 automatically scaled the pressure sensor. After one or two on/off pump cycles, the pressure sensor was calibrated and ready to function. Now, if Eckville’s ultrasonic sensors lose signal from foam, or grease, on the water surface, the pressure sensor will take over reading instantly. As soon as the ultrasonic sensor receives new echoes, it
resumes function as the primary sensor. McKinnon checks the systems periodically by referring to the “run-time” reporting screen on each level controller. Pump run-times and alarms are logged automatically, as well as runtime for the redundant pressure sensors. Using the run-time reporting function,
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 15
For more information, E-mail: ernie@greyline.com
The safe solution. U.S.F. Fabrication’s Hatch Safety Grate System is available in a variety of configurations to meet virtually any application. The system allows for routine maintenance of pumps d mayy a ct as a ct n additional barrier when open. It allows and equipment when closed and act an people to move freely around the hatch hat a ch openings ope peni ning ng without exposing themselves to dangerous fall-through. Alll Hatch H Safety Grates feature: • Tamper-resistant 316 SS hinges Ta Ta and an hardware an • Powder-coated aluminum grates to Po o resist corrosion re H Ho • Hold open devices to lock the grates in n their full upright and open position C be retrofitted into existing Ca • Can access openings ac ac
Our experienced team provides a quick turnaround on quotes, drawings and deliveries. Call us today 1.800.668.4533 or email us at epsl@telus.net
1635 Industrial Ave. • Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6M9 Phone: 604.552.7900 • Fax: 604.552.7901
> Water & Wastewater Systems > Stormwater Treatment & Management > Modeling > Hydrologic & Hydraulic Analysis > Environmental Planning > Distribution, Collection, Treatment > Hydrogeology
www.delcan.com
he can spot pump problems before they fail and plan maintenance. There has not been a call-out at either lift station since the PSL 5.0 Pump Station Level Controllers were installed.
WWW.USFFAB.COM
Sustainable Solutions
/TTAWA s -ARKHAM s ,ONDON s .IAGARA &ALLS s #ALGARY s 6ANCOUVER s 6ICTORIA $ELCAN 625 Cochrane Drive, Suite 500 Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 9R9 Tel: 905.943.0500 Fax: 905.943.0400 water@delcan.com
Summer 2013 | 15
8/6/13 10:48 PM
Wastewater Treatment
New weapons for fighting odour in long forcemains By Paul Eybergen and Ken Campbell
W
hen design started on the new Embro, Ontario sewage pumping station and forcemain, everyone knew controlling odours was going to be a fight. Embro is a village of about 1,000 people located around 13 km (as the forcemain flows) northwest of the sewage collection system in Woodstock. The County of Oxford owns and operates all water and wastewater systems throughout the area in which Embro is located. The County undertook a Class EA, which concluded that wastewater from the new communal sewage collection system in Embro would best be pumped to Woodstock, rather than to a new wastewater treatment plant located nearby. There were some significant design challenges for the pumping option. The forcemain had to be oversized to a 200-mm-diameter pipe, as smaller-diameter pipes running such a long distance at the minimum scouring velocity, ended up with unreasonably high friction losses. The volume of the 200-mm pipe over the 13 km was 430 m3. The design average day wastewater flow was only 380 m3/d, resulting in an average travel time of over 27 hours. In the early days
The biofilter.
16 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 16
of the system when flows are lower, travel time would be longer — as much as two to three days! This long wastewater detention period was certain to create a lot of hydrogen sulphide and major odour challenges. To deal with odour, a six-point approach was developed: 1. Keep the forcemain full. In addition to a check valve to prevent wastewater from flowing back to the pumping station when the pumps are turned off, a control valve system at the forcemain discharge was designed to close when
Odours could be best managed by concentrating them at the discharge location. the pumps were off, to prevent the forcemain from partially draining out at the discharge end. This would prevent the pipe from being partially drained and re-filled every cycle, releasing foul air discharges at multiple high points along the forcemain. The idea was that odours could be best managed by concentrating them at the discharge location.
2. Use a stripping chamber. Because wastewater was discharging into a gravity sewer system running through a future residential area, it was decided to provide a stripping chamber. Coarse bubble aeration driven by a small blower was designed to remove the majority of volatile odours so they would not be released in the downstream sewers. 3. Air-tight maintenance hole cover inserts. Air-tight sewer inserts were added under the covers to stop air flow and prevent the escape of any odours not removed at the odour control facility. 4. Biofilter. The odour control facility included a fan to draw air from the top of the stripping chamber and the downstream sewers, and send it to a two-stage biofilter. Treated air was then discharged into an exhaust stack at the top of the unit. 5. Swabbing. A swab launch system was included in the pumping station design, to allow swabs to be easily introduced into the forcemain. Using forcemain swabbing for odour control was an approach successfully used by the County of Oxford operations staff on another problematic wastewater forcemain. Swabs remove biofilms that adhere to continued overleaf...
Buried stripping chamber (foreground).
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:48 PM
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
5 ) "" 6 +(&" 4 ' "&/ &*(- "&/ (& &''/ &+ &'' 5 # -!& 4 %) " &5 #(&- # )!$' 6 &"&' 5 "&# '(&' 4 ) #"(#""/ "3 " &""/ &(("/ !&" ' # &'/ %) ,"/ )(&"( #*&5 ) &-" 4 (/ ) " # & 5 $( *" 4 &"'/ )!$ ((#"'/ &) '' 6 / ( (&" 6 %)$!"( #"(&# 5 ) &(!"(/ &"'$#&( 6 (#& 4 )!$'/ #'/ " &!'/ * #((#! #$$&'/ )' ##&'/ &)
#"/ " ( .(#" 5 #)& #"(&# 4 " #*&'/ ! 6 # # &(!"( 5 / (#&!+(& 6 )!$ ((#"' 3 $$" )('/ "" &'/ )'" ('/ #+ ) ("/ #&(, *'/ (#&! &"' 5 '(& ' 4 ' # &'/ ' #"(#""1 "0 #!$&''"0 " &!#* # !#'()&/ ') $)&/ &#" #, " ' #,"/ #!$ ( #3"&(#" ('
!"#$ !% &&&'() * *' +
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 17
8/6/13 10:48 PM
Wastewater Treatment
The swab launcher configuration.
the pipe walls and house the sulphur-reducing microorganisms responsible for the formation of the hydrogen sulphide. 6. Chemical addition. In case the steps listed above were inadequate, chemical addition in the pumping station was provided as a backup. This alone was not considered, due to its high operating cost, as well as concerns that chemical addition alone might not be successful in fully controlling odours due to the ex-
Flow control valves at the end of the forcemain.
tended travel times involved. How did the system work? The sanitary pump station and odour control facility went online in October 2011. The first four points in the odour control system, as listed above, did their job. The control valve system successfully kept the pipe full and the stripping chamber (lined with an anti-corrosive concrete coating) successfully drove off
heavy concentrations of odours. The biofilter took a little time to commission and get properly adjusted and for operators to become familiar with the system’s functions. Once it was fully operational, it worked well, reducing H2S levels to below detectable levels in the area surrounding the stack discharge. After about six months and with 20% of Embro customers connected, odours started occurring in the vicinity of the
Toronto • Kitchener • Kingston Edmonton •
Halifax • Cincinnati
XCG Consultants provides innovative, practical & sustainable environmental solutions in:
Municipal Infrastructure
Wastewater & Water Treatment
Water Resources
Site Assessment
Solid Waste
Remediation & Risk Assessment sessmen ment
Hazardous Materials als Management Mana nag ent
Training & Operations rations ns
www.xcg.com
Visit xcg.com for mor more ore information. ormat atio
18 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 18
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:49 PM
Wastewater Treatment Swabbing the forcemain
Forcemain profile.
odour control facility and neighbours started to complain. The system was not keeping up. Oxford’s operators started investigating and found H2S spike levels over 300 ppm in the stripping chamber. This concentration not only exceeded the capability of the biofilter, but is dangerously toxic if inhaled and was thus an operational concern. The pumping station wet well operating range, i.e, levels at which pumps start and stop, was reduced, making cy-
cles more frequent but for shorter periods. Makeup water was also introduced to the pumping station wet well to reduce the forcemain turnover time. These steps mitigated the problem for a couple of months, but high H2S levels eventually returned. Through trial and error, operations staff determined that swabbing the forcemain every three months immediately continued overleaf...
In June 2012, the 13-km long, 200-mm-diameter forcemain was swabbed for the first time while the sanitary pump station was in operation. A contractor was hired to launch six 250-mm-diameter foam swabs into the 200-mm pipe, five minutes apart. A 50-mm water service that had been installed at the SPS was utilized to insert the swabs into the forcemain with a specialized launcher provided by the contractor. The swab launching was completed within two hours. The six 250-mm swabs were received three days later at the odour control facility. It was later determined that it was best to leave the control valve open during the last part of the process. This ensured that the swabs cannot be directed to the overpressure relief valve piping, where they could get jammed. The swabs were allowed to enter the maintenance hole immediately upstream of the air stripping chamber. A fibreglass grate was installed before the pipe exited the maintenance hole in order to allow the liquid to continue to flow while the swabs were retained.
(AVEYOUUEVE VERL RLOOK LOOK OOKED ED AT ED ATTHEETRUECOSTOFOWNE N RSHIPFOR OR YOURLIFTSSTATITONS NSS 7HE 7H NYYOUSEEBE 7HE B YONDINITIALPURCH CHASE PRICETOOOTH THER ERLIF LIFIFE C E CYCL E C YC ECOST YCL STSL ST S IKEINSTALLATIOON PUMP P EFlCIENCCYAN ANDP DPPOWE WER ERRDDRA DRAW RA O
OPPERATIONANDMA MAINTENA ENANCE NCE
ASSOCIATTEDL DLABO AB RT ABO RTIME TIME M AN A D AN DEEQUIPMENT ANDPARTS S YOU OUWI W LLLL APPRECIAATET ETHE HE3M 3MI M TH, ,OVELLESSAPPROACCH/URROP ,O OPERA ERATOR TOR SAFE ABBOVE VE GRA GRADE GRA DE7ET DE 7 7ELL-OUNTED0UMPP3T 3 ATITIONS ONSWI WITH TH LONG LAS ASTING INNG HHIGH GHLY LY EFl LY EFllCIE CIENT NT 3, 3 .ON #LOG0U 3 0UMPS MPSDE DELIV LIVER ER THELOW WESTLLIFTTST STATI ATION ATI O OPEERA RATINGCOSTSnINC RAT INCLUD U ING ING SAVINGGSV S S SSUB SUBMER SUB MERSI MER SIBLES SIB ES
#!,, 6)3)43MITHAND,OVELESSCOM
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 19
3EEFORYOURSELF2EQUESTAVIEWATYOURFACILITY WITHAVISITFROMONEOFOURTRAVELINGDEMO0UMP 3TATIONSAT3MITH!ND,OVELESSCOM
Summer 2013 | 19
8/6/13 10:49 PM
Wastewater Treatment reduced H2S concentrations at the stripping chamber to less than 100 ppm. They would then see a gradual rise with spikes up to about 300 ppm, at which concentration the biofilter reached its limit and the next swabbing was implemented. It is anticipated that, as the pumped volume increases and retention time in the forcemain decreases, the required swabbing frequency will also decrease.
“Slow� swabbing During the design of the Embro pumping station and forcemain, the engineer was concerned about how the swabbing could be done. Assuming the swabbing approach would be to keep the swab in continuous motion, a continuous supply of water and/or wastewater up to the 430 m3 pipe volume would be required. The municipal wastewater supply, supplemented by all available water from the municipal water supply, could not generate the required flows. The engineer assumed that water would need
On a few, very cold, windy days in the winter, the biofilter froze up and became inoperative. In these situations, an odour control chemical was injected at the pumping station, which reduced odour at the discharge. This approach was not desirable on a full-time basis, since the cost of continuous application would be substantially higher than the swabbing approach. Chemical treatment costs about to be trucked, or pumped from a local creek (assuming a permit to take water could be obtained). The operator, however, had a much simpler idea. The operator’s idea was that swabbing could be completed by allowing the pumps to push the swabs in their normal pump cycle. The swabs would start, stop and slowly pass through the forcemain, just like sewage in the normal operation. This was a technique that the swabbing contractor had previously demonstrated to work effectively, and it worked in the Embro forcemain.
$30 per day ($900 per month) compared to approximately $1,000 for a contractor to launch six swabs at every event. The County will be working to improve protection of the biofilters from the elements to reduce the chance of future freeze-ups. There are two key ingredients to successfully managing tough odour control challenges. The first is to recognize the challenge and include as many “tools� as possible for the operator to use. The second is a system operator who takes on the challenge and spends time to monitor the odour situation, determining how to make use of all the tools provided in the most efficient manner. Using the range of odour control tools provided, the County of Oxford operations staff have successfully managed to operate the new Embro pumping station and forcemain with only minor odour complaints. Paul Eybergen is with County of Oxford. Ken Campbell is with R.V. Anderson Associates Ltd. E-mail: kcampbell@rvanderson.com
NASM Plan Consulting and Application of Industrial and Municipal Materials Serving municipal, industrial and commercial NASM generators across the province Services Include: ¡ Preparing Non-Agricultural Source Material (NASM) Plans for submission to OMAFRA ¡ Provide all preparation for NASM Plans including soil sampling, field assessments and GIS site maps in compliance with OMAFRA and MOE regulations ¡ Perform follow up documentation for single and multi year NASM plans ¡ Provide transport and injection application of liquid and solid NASMs
For more information please contact: Rob Alton          or PAg, CCA-CA 905-312-4095
20 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 20
Mark Janiec PAg, CCA-CA 905-878-2800 ext 223
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:49 PM
Sustainable solutions start here.
Explore the applied nature of the environment and sustainability professions through hands-on research examining environmental management, practice, communication and education, policy, and science. Complete your bachelor’s or master’s degree on campus, online, or choose a blend of online learning with on-campus residencies. Discover how the Royal Roads University experience is anything but ordinary. We’re ready when you are: 1.877.778.6227
life.changing
royalroads.ca/environment
Environment & Sustainability
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 21
8/6/13 10:49 PM
Groundwater
Designing effective remedial horizontal wells and trenches By David L. Russell
I
n the enYironmentaO community of geoOogists and engineers there is much agreement about the utiOity of hori]ontaO weOOs in remediaO actiYities. )ar too often howeYer it seems that hori]ontaO weOOs and trenches are designed improperOy and ineffectiYeOy. 2Yer the years I haYe seen many TuestionabOe practices and haYe wondered why certain designs were deYeOoped. )or e[ampOe one poorOy designed hori]ontaO air sparging weOO contained 00 feet of hori]ontaO weOO with oYer 150 feet of weOO screen and didnÂśt worN. 7he probOem with weOO screen is its Oarge open area. $s such air was distributed into the formation by the Âżrst 0 feet of screen with the remaining screen receiving none. In order for such instaOOations to be effective and successfuO they need to be designed and taiOored to the piping.
2ULÂżFHVDQGSLSHORVVHV 7he formuOa for energy Oosses through a no]]Oe or oriÂżce pOate is the same Must the coefÂżcient of discharge is different. (Q = Cd*Ao* [2gh]0.5 ) :here Cd is the discharge coefÂżcient Ao is the area of the oriÂżce and 2gh is the acceOeration of gravity times the hydrauOic head. AOO of it has to be in the same
dŚĞ ,Ĺ˝ĆŒĹ?ÇŒĹ˝ĹśĆšÄ‚ĹŻ tĞůů dŚĞ,Ĺ˝ĆŒĹ?ÇŒĹ˝ĹśĆšÄ‚ĹŻtĞůů ,Ĺ˝ĆŒĹ?ÇŒĹ˝ĹśĆšÄ‚ĹŻtĞůů 'ĆŒĹ˝ĆľĹśÄš^ĆľĆŒÄ¨Ä‚Ä?Äž
ŽŜƚĂžĹ?ŜĂŜƚŽŜĞ
dLJƉĹ?Ä?Ä‚ĹŻÇ ÄžĹŻĹŻĆ‰ÄžĆŒÄ¨Ĺ˝ĆŒÄ‚ĆšĹ?ŽŜĆ?͞ŜŽƚƚŽĆ?Ä?ĂůĞͿ
DSSURSULDWH XQLWV 7KH FRHI¿FLHQW RI discharge is between 0.59 and 0.61 for Post ori¿ce SOates deSending XSon the 5e\noOds 1XPber for the ÀXid s\steP. 0ichaeO 'Xchene and (dward $. 0c%ean reSorted the head Ooss coef¿cients on a nXPber of different SiSing s\stePs as eTXaO to 0.6 to 0.66 deSending on the deSth of bXriaO and the deSth of Àow in the distribXtion SiSing. 7heir SrinciSaO e[SeriPents were on piping systems with four openings around the pipe. 7hey aOso accounted
for differences in hydrauOic head on the various openings due to their Oocation on the pipe. 7he chaOOenge is to get the Oosses and Ă€ow through the oriÂżce hoOes eTuaO to the Ă€ow in the pipe. 7his can reTuire a bit of ingenuity in the design process. IdeaOOy the distribution system is designed so that the Ă€ow and the Oosses at the end of the pipe are zero. One way of designing the system wouOd be to anaOyze the pipe at each perforation for the Ă€ow Q-T. 7his Design/Build Construction Management P3 Project Delivery Maple Reinders has been delivering innovative environmental construction projects for the Canadian market for over 46 years including design, operation and private ďŹ nancing.
LORNE PARK, ONTARIO
LAC LA BICHE, ALBERTA
PICTON, ONTARIO
WTP, KELOWNA
GOLDBAR, ABERTA
www.maple.ca 1-888-416-2753 Mississauga
|
Cambridge
|
Calgary
|
Kelowna
|
Edmonton
|
Halifax
|
Vancouver
|
22 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 22
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:50 PM
Groundwater provides a new velocity Vq, and a new set of friction losses for the next length of pipe between the perforations. This would require n+1 different frictional calculations for head loss and friction in the length of the perforate pipe. That is just unrealistic and extremely cumbersome. One textbook from the 1960s provides a good answer. It suggested that with a pipe of constant diameter, the head losses through the nozzle were approximately equal to the friction losses equal to about one-third the frictional Àow in the pipe. In scienti¿c terms, the friction head or hf is equal to the value shown in Equation Two. (Hf = (KQo2/L2)* (l-l2/L + l3/L2) :here K is the hydraulic coef¿cient equivalent to the head losses in the total length of the pipe at full Àow conditions L is the length of the pipe, l is the fractional length of the pipe where the losses are occurring, and Qo is the total Àow in the pipe at maximum conditions. Remember that head greater than the hydraulic head on the outside of the pipe is needed. Another way to look at the solution is to perform an analysis across the ori¿ce. In a simple case we have qn = C*Ao2*[2gh]0.5. If the value of C is 0.60 and the value of the large pipe Àow is Q and the individual ori¿ce value is q and the hydraulic head differential between the inside of the pipe and immediately outside the pipe is hd which accounts for the submergence of the pipe. If you set the nozzle losses greater than the pressure head against the pipe plus the pipe friction, the design works. For example, a 3� pipe 300 feet long, needs to distribute 100 gallons per minute through it uniformly. Head losses through the length of the pipe are 4.47 feet of head loss per 100 feet. The pipe is submerged by three feet of water. The total head loss is then 4.47 * 3+3 = 16.41 feet of head or approximately 5 PSIG. If 30 nozzles or ori¿ces are used, each one should take about 3.33 gpm. The nozzle size should be q = 0.60 A2 [ 2gh]0.5 In the proper units q = 7.42*103 cubic feet per second, g = 32.18 ft/ second2 and h = 16.41 ft. This gives A2 as 5.381*10-4 square feet or 0.0775 square inches. www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 23
That translates to a hole of approximately 0.0987 inches in diameter. :ater will then Àow in and out uniformly. &RPSUHVVLEOH ÀRZ Compressible Àow occurs in air and other gases. The formula must account for variables such as initial and ¿nal states and temperatures. As air crosses the ori¿ce it changes temperature, decreasing sharply as it expands from the nozzle. In order to prevent the formation from plugging with ice, change in temperature across the ori¿ce must be accounted for. The equations for compressible gas Àow across a nozzle are a bit different. In general, Equation Two is applicable only for incompressible Àows. It can be modi¿ed by introducing the expansion factor to account for the compressibility of gases. A ¿nal check of gas velocity through the ori¿ce should be done to make sure it does not exceed the speed of sound. It should also be checked for temperature
to ensure that gas vapor which contains water will remain above freezing. This is important for both vacuum extraction and vapor venting horizontal wells (under pressure). The entire program is easily arranged on a spreadsheet and total ori¿ce size, pressure drop and gas Àow can be easily calculated. Using the same essential data, select a drill size and a spacing which is suitable for the length of the horizontal well. A brief calculation of the total ori¿ce size and appropriate area is very straight forward and easily performed. It takes a bit of trial and error to ¿nd the right quantity and ori¿ce size, but is well worth the effort. For example, one installation of 12 lines of 1600 feet each in the Louisiana clays, successfully removed over 100 tons of chloroform and carbon tetrachloride in a six month period. David L. Russell, PE, is with Global Environmental Operations, Inc., Lilburn, Georgia. E-mail: dlr@mindspring.com
FRP Panel Type Water Tanks
‡16) &HUWLÀHG ‡8S WR P3 )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ YLVLW ZZZÀEHUWHFFRUSFRP The Exclusive Ontario Distributor: 416.743.3751 indachem.com
Summer 2013 | 23
8/6/13 10:50 PM
Oil/Water Separation
New dewatering technology relieves companies of burdensome disposal costs By Weston Aldridge
T
he high cost of treating and disposing of oil-contaminated water, whether from a tanker spill, utilit\ vault or bund, has alwa\s been a burden on an operations budget. 8ntil recentl\, the most common removal method has been b\ vacuum truck. %ut not ever\ spill consists of hundreds of gallons of oil, and not ever\ incident site is easil\ accessible to vacuum trucks. 2ver the past ¿ve \ears, utilities and environmental services industries have
started to incorporate a product called the Pure™ Filter Sock into their dewatering actiYities to signi¿cantl\ reduce costs associated with vacuum trucks and dewatering discharge liabilities. 7he technolog\ removes oil sheen and suspended particles down to one micron, and can be attached via quick-connect hoses to various sizes of pumps. Designed b\ 1icole 1ichols :ilson, a *eorgia ,nstitute of 7echnolog\ graduate, trained in pol\mer and te[tile chemistr\, the ¿lters were initiall\ intended for utilit\
An underground crew in Ontario dewatering a manhole through a Pure™Filter Sock. The white polytubing controls the direction of filtered effluent directly into the drain.
Emergency pits dug in Kinross, Scotland channelled contaminated stream water to allow oil/water separation. A vacuum truck removed surface oil, prior to using the Pure Filter Sock. 24 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 24
vault dewatering, but attracted the interest of the environmental services industr\. In 2012, the American Association of Te[tile &hemists and &olorists named :ilson its <oung (ntrepreneur of the <ear, as a salute to the contribution of her ¿lters to the environment and the te[tile industr\. David Molinatti, of S&S Supplies and Solutions, recentl\ noted in the Atlanta Business Chronicle that the ¿lters are being rapidl\ adopted, particularl\ for dewatering utilit\ vaults, because the\ are “a safe and cost-effective method for utilities and municipalities to meet vault dewatering regulations without the high e[pense of using a vacuum truck.´ After the ¿lters became a common product for dewatering utilit\ vaults, the manufacturer, Pure Filter Solutions, was approached b\ Adler & Allan /td., an environmental services ¿rm based in the 8nited .ingdom. The\ wanted to introduce the technologies into the environmental services market. Adler & Allan brought the latest ¿lter technolog\, which incorporated a unique la\er of activated carbon to handle lower-molecular-weight h\drocarbons, to a 1ational *rid converter station for an annual cleaning and servicing of the bunds and bund water control units. Richard Sacree, project manager with Adler & Allan, noted that the project successfull\ reduced the use of vacuum trucks b\ appro[imatel\ 0 and also reduced waste removal and labour costs. “As important as the cost saving was, the additional bene¿t of the reduction in carbon emissions made a contribution to 1ational *rid¶s carbon reduction targets,´ said Sacree. The ¿lters were put to the test again in the winter of 2012 when a gasoline tanker was involved in a vehicle accident in remote Kinross, Scotland. The tanker left the road and overturned, resulting in a large spill of appro[imatel\ 20,000 litres of fuel into a stream. Once the large amount of product was located, the Scottish (nvironment Protection Agenc\ S(PA authorized the installation of booms and containment
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:50 PM
Oil/Water Separation measures by excavating interception trenches. A vacuum tanker then pumped 1,500 litres of product from this trench, after Zhich the ÀoZ of product stabili]ed. The next day contamination in the standing water was found to have migrated slightly downslope. Another containment trench was excavated downslope of those excavated the previous night and a vacuum tanker removed a large quantity of product. With the approval of SEPA, the trenches were extended and linked with a further trench in order to make the containment of fuel easier. Next, an oil-water separator was used to treat the water in the lowest trench and the separated contaminate was removed by vacuum truck. However, due to the sheer volume of surface/groundwater on-site and following testing and sampling, permission was obtained from SEPA to discharge water from the oil-water separator through Pure Filter Socks to an area of land downstream of the contaminated area. This operation worked extremely well and SEPA even permitted a discharge to the stream via the ¿lters. The result of
wwwesemDgFom
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 25
Once oil was vacuumed from the top of contained water in the pits, the remaining water was pumped through the Pure Filter Sock, acting as a polisher for direct discharge back to the stream.
using the ¿lters for this application was a 50% reduction in operational costs, an 80% reduction of carbon emissions due to less use of vacuum trucks, and less wear and tear and congestion on the rural roads. Not every spill situation warrants the use of the ¿lters and vacuum trucks will
continue to be used in many instances. However, with many proven applications and many more yet to be recogni]ed, the possibilities for cost reductions with this technology will continue to grow. Weston Aldridge is with Pure Filter 6olutions (PDil weston#S¿ltersFoP
Summer 2013 | 25
8/6/13 10:50 PM
Collection Systems
Surge anticipator eliminates pipe breakage
T
he District of Central Saanich is a member municipality of the Capital Regional District (CRD) of Greater Victoria in British Columbia. It is a rural residential community with a population of about 17, 000. The District has a medium sized, widely dispersed sewage collection system, dating back to the early 1970s. It sends its sewage to the CRD’s regional wastewater treatment plant. Within the municipal collection system, multiple sewage lift stations pump sewage from satellite stations through forcemains into the regional trunk sewer system and from there to treatment. There is minimal storage capacity within the municipal collection system. One of these facilities pumps sewage through a 300mm asbestos cement forcemain to a sewer siphon several kilometers away. When fluids travel such long distances, there is always the potential for pressure build-ups, from even the slightest changes in velocity. When a sewer main ruptures under these circumstances, it can have significant negative impacts on the environment. It also causes headaches in repair and associated costs and is disruptive to residents. This is exactly what was happening in Central Saanich, due to aging infrastructure and surges from pumps stopping and power failures. The District, in conjunction with the CRD and its consultants Stantec, reviewed options for upgrading the existing facility to address ongoing operating conditions. The recommendation was an anticipating surge relief valve, designed to reduce stress on the pipes. This would prevent bursts and increase the pipe’s lifespan. Singer Valve’s Pneumatic Dynamic Lifter was chosen, as the solenoid operated surge anticipator would still work during power outages. The Pneumatic Dynamic Lifter is a very responsive compact sewage relief valve that can handle high pressures (200 psi or 13.8 bar or higher) and uses standard plant air supply to hold the valve closed. This chamber is fitted with a relief pilot that is also normally closed as long
26 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 26
Prepackaged system.
as the line pressure is lower than the set point. If pressure rises above the set point, the relief pilot opens, causing air in the cylinder to vent. This in turn opens the valve, which operates as a high pressure relief valve. Central Saanich has three 75 hp pumps that each cycle between 30-50 times a day. As the valve operates on every shutdown, it is crucial that its operation is precise and occurs at the right times to prevent surges. Otherwise lines can literally be blown out of the ground. Another of Central Saanich’s problems was surges due to power interruptions. When this happens, all the pumps suddenly stop, resulting in a surge proportional to fluid velocity at the time of the power interruption. This problem is also solved by the Pneumatic Dynamic Lifter with its anticipating surge relief option. This function uses two three-way solenoid valves to put air into the cylinder under the piston, driving the valve open on power failure. This way, when the surge returns to the pump, it is not coming back to a closed system where it can cause damage. It comes back to an open valve where it can be discharged safely back
into the storage well underneath the pump. The main valve needs to be open long enough to handle the initial surge, but not longer, otherwise it will continue to drain the line. To prevent this, the solenoid is on a timer, which the field crew set at start-up. Once the time has elapsed, another solenoid allows air to re-charge the cylinder, closing the main valve. The Dynamic Lifter has been designed to minimize costs and maintenance. The piston and closing speed controls operate separately from the sewage, in a clean non-contaminating environment. Conventional spring-operated valves allow build-up of wastewater residue (dry pack) on the valve’s downstream and exhaust pipe to sump. However, the Dynamic Lifter can easily be opened through the actuator, to flush out these unwanted build-ups. Mineral and debris build-up is kept to a minimum by using premium materials such as heat-fused heavy epoxy coatings on the main valve and a 316 grade stainless steel seat and stem. For more information, E-mail: brad@singervalve.com.
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:51 PM
we cover it all
W V CW is it Bo Tra us ot de at h# S 38 how
Granular Media Filter Optimization Components
Phoenix Underdrain System Phoenix Panel System Phoenix Air Scour System Phoenix Backwash Troughs 7OVLUP_>PUNZ4LKPH+LÅLJ[PVU:`Z[LT Filter Nozzles, Strainers & Internals Puracite Filter Anthracite Optimized Filter Media
New Granular Media Filter Systems
Gravity Filter Systems Pressure Filter System Packages Iron & Manganese Removal Systems
Technical Services
-PS[LY9L[YVÄ[Z <WNYHKLZ Filter Audits Pilot Filtration Studies Filter Media Design & Testing Custom Filter Media Installation Filter Maintenance & Operator Training
www.awifilter.com At AWI we focus on granular media water filtration. We have over thirty years of experience working with consulting engineers and water plant operators providing filter optimization solutions. We provide the technical expertise, products and services to improve water treatment processes for industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment plants.
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 27
8/6/13 10:51 PM
Industrial Wastewater
High rate biotechnology for the metal and mining industry By Martijn Olde Weghuis
Budel zinc refinery - hydrogen gas lift loop reactor for sulphate reduction and zinc recovery .- Nyrstar all rights reserved.
M
ore than years ago, the Dutch company Paques pioneered the commercial development and application of anaerobic technology for wastewater treatment in the Netherlands It started with the application of 8pÀow Anaerobic Sludge %lanket reactors for the production of biogas from wastewater Paquesœ ¿rst anaerobic installation in &anada was commissioned in for a client in the pulp and paper industry Tembacœs Temiscaming pulp mill selected %IOPAQ I& (Internal &irculation) technology to treat 600 m/h of efÀuent, which contained 20 tpd of &OD The plant was commissioned in -anuary 2006 %iogas produced replaces natural gas as fuel to the pulp dryers and is desulphurized with THIOPAQ technology to H2S concentrations below 0 ppmv THIOPAQ technology was originally developed for the biological desulphurization of biogas produced in anaerobic reactors for heat or power generation The ¿rst full scale installation was in 0 in the Netherlands Nowadays, the technology is applied for the removal of several kilograms to several tons of sulphur per day It is also used for the desulphurization of natural gas,
28 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 28
Two step Sulfateq plant at FMI.
or other gases, from the petrochemical iQGXstr\ or gasiÂżcatioQ processes For applications in the oil and gas market, the technology is marketed by Paqell (a joint venture with Shell Global Solutions) under the name THIOPAQ O G The technology relies on the physical-chemical absorption of H2S into a mild caustic solution and the almost complete regeneration of the caustic by bacteria in a separate bioreactor (lemental sulphur produced (biosulphur) is an excellent product for fertilizer applications, or use as a fungicide It is hydrophilic and has a particle size between - Č?m (xperiments in the Âżeld with %reton &anola showed a per cent higher grain yield for biosulphur, compared with the application of &laus sulphur Paques has developed a fertiliser product, based on the unique properties of biosulphur Sulphate removal and metal recovery &omplete control of the biological sulphur cycle and a track record in anaerobic and aerobic technology can be applied in the metal and mining industry Typical applications are removal of sulphates, and recovery of metals from mining or metallurgical efĂ€uents Se-
lecting the right population of microorganisms for bioreactors designed to handle large Àows, while retaining high concentrations of the desired microorganisms, is crucial for success in this heavy-duty industrial environment Two examples of sulphate reduction and metal recovery are plants designed, built and commissioned by Paques in 2 and 2000 for a zinc re¿nery in the Netherlands The ¿rst plant was designed for treatment of sulphate (2 tpd) and recovery of zinc (0 tpd) as zinc sulphide from low sulphate containing waters (00 m/hr) In this installation, ethanol is used as electron donor for the reduction of sulphate to sulphide Six years later, a plant was commissioned on the same site to treat a high sulphate combined stream containing the bleed from the gas cleaning section of the acid plant and an electrolyte bleed This combined stream (ca 2 m/ hr) is high in sulphate ( g/l) and zinc (0 g/l) In this plant, hydrogen which is produced from natural gas in a steam reformer unit is used as electron donor For both installations, excess sulphide that is left after precipitating zinc and other metals is treated in sulphide oxidizing bioreactors Sulphate concentration in the efÀuent was around 20
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:51 PM
Industrial Wastewater PJOVXI¿FLHQWO\ORZIRUGLVFKDUJH ,QFRQYHQWLRQDOWUHDWPHQWRIVLPLODU HIÀXHQWV OLPH PLON LV XVHG WR SURGXFH KLJKYROXPHVRIJ\SVXP:LWKKLJKUDWH ELRWHFKQRORJ\ OHVV VROLG ZDVWH LV SURGXFHGDQGPHWDOVXOSKLGHVDQGVXOSKXU SURGXFHGFDQEHUHF\FOHGWRWKHURDVWHU ,PSOHPHQWDWLRQRIELRWHFKQRORJ\PDGH WKLV ]LQF UH¿QHU\ WKH ¿UVW J\SVXP IUHH UH¿QHU\LQWKHZRUOG 7HFKQRORJ\ IRU VXOSKDWH UHGXFWLRQ FRPELQHG ZLWK PHWDO UHFRYHU\ DQGRU VXOSKLGH R[LGDWLRQ LV PDUNHWHG XQGHU WKHQDPH68/)$7(4 Sulphate reduction technology for acid mine ,Q 3DTXHV VXFFHVVIXOO\ FRPPLVVLRQHGDGHPRQVWUDWLRQSODQWIRUWKH WUHDWPHQW RI PKU RI J\SVLIHURXV DFLG PLQH GUDLQDJH WR UHGXFH VXOSKDWH IURP JO WR OHVV WKDQ PJO DQG LQFUHDVH S+ IURP WR 7KH DLP ZDV WR UHGXFH WKH VFDOLQJ WHQGHQF\ RI WKHZDWHUXVHGLQWKHFRDOZDVKLQJSURFHVV $WWKH6LHUULWDPLQHVLWHLQ$UL]RQD )UHHSRUW-0F0R5DQ &RSSHU *ROG ,QF LV FXUUHQWO\ GHPRQVWUDWLQJ GLIIHUHQW QHZ ZDWHU WUHDWPHQW DQG UHVRXUFH UHFRYHU\ WHFKQRORJLHV DW JDOORQ SHU PLQXWH VFDOH %DVHG RQ 3DTXHV¶ 68/)$7(4 WHFKQRORJ\ WKH SODQW ZDV GHVLJQHG DQG FRPPLVVLRQHG LQ$XJXVW ,Q WKLV SODQW VXOSKDWH LV ELRORJLFDOO\FRQYHUWHGWRVROLGHOHPHQWDOVXOSKXULQDWZRVWHSSURFHVV ,Q WKH ¿UVW ELRUHDFWRU VXOSKDWH LV UHGXFHG WR K\GURJHQ VXOSKLGH XVLQJ K\GURJHQ JDV DV HOHFWURQ GRQRU ,Q WKH VHFRQGELRUHDFWRUK\GURJHQVXOSKLGHLV R[LGL]HGWRHOHPHQWDOVXOSKXUXVLQJDLU %HVLGHVVXOSKDWHUHPRYDODVLJQL¿FDQW UHGXFWLRQLQWRWDOVDOLQLW\LVDFKLHYHGDV DODUJHSDUWRIWKHGLVVROYHGFDOFLXPLV SUHFLSLWDWHGDVFDOFLXPFDUERQDWH 7KHLQWHUPHGLDU\K\GURJHQVXOSKLGH FRPSRXQG FDQ DOVR EH XVHG WR VHOHFWLYHO\ UHFRYHU PHWDOV OLNH FRSSHU DQG ]LQFIURPSURFHVVZDWHUDQGZDVWHZDWHU VWUHDPV (I¿FLHQW FKHPLFDO SUHFLSLWDWLRQ UHVXOWV LQ YDOXDEOH PHWDO VXOSKLGH FRQFHQWUDWHV WKDW FDQ EH SURFHVVHG E\ VPHOWHUVWRSURGXFHGLIIHUHQWKLJKTXDOLW\PHWDOV (IÀXHQW FRQFHQWUDWLRQ LV ZHOO EHORZ WKH SURMHFWHG OHYHO RI PJO VXOSKDWH7KHVROLGVSURGXFHGLQ68/www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 29
Settling tests of bioscorodite crystals harvested from semi-pilot Thioteqscorodite bioreactor.
)$7(4 SODQWV DUH GHZDWHUHG XVLQJ D ¿OWHUSUHVV Economic metal recovery 0HWDO VXOSKLGH SUHFLSLWDWLRQ LV ZHOO DFFHSWHG IRU WKH UHFRYHU\ DQG UHPRYDO RILQWHUPHGLDWHFRQFHQWUDWLRQVRIPHWDOV
Paques IC reactors (left) and CIRCOX reactors (right).
OLNHFRSSHUDUVHQLF]LQFQLFNHOFREDOW DQG ]LQF IURP ZDWHU 7KH VXOSKLGH LV PRVWO\ REWDLQHG IURP FKHPLFDO VRXUFHVVXFKDV1D61D+6RU+6&RVWV WRUHFHLYHRQ-VLWHDQGKDQGOHDQGVWRUH WKHVHVXOSKLGHFRPSRXQGVVDIHO\FDQEH KLJK 3DTXHV KDV GHYHORSHG D FRVW-HIIHFWLYH DQG HI¿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³RIÀLQH´ $Q LQVWDOODWLRQ EDVHG RQ 3DTXHV¶ 7+,27(4 WHFKQRORJ\ KDV EHHQ FRPPLVVLRQHGDWDJROGPLQHLQWKH$PHULFDV +HUHWRQVRIFRSSHUDUHUHFRYHUHGDVFRSSHUVXOSKLGHIURPHIÀXHQWZKLFKZRXOG continued overleaf... Summer 2013 | 29
8/6/13 10:51 PM
Industrial Wastewater otherwise have been lime treated to produce copper-contaminated gypsum.
The simplified process for immobilization of arsenic as bioscorodite.
Arsenic immobilization Currently, Paques is further developing a patented process (THIOTEQScorodite) for arsenic immobilization, based on work by Wageningen University’s Dr. Paula González Contreras. Arsenic is a toxic element that cannot be reused and large amounts have been collected from metallurgical processes as arsenic trioxide. There is no market for the tons of arsenic released from metallurgical processes. A time-stable discard product is essential. Only scorodite, which occurs naturally as a stable mineral in nature, ¿ts that requirement.
Combining bio-crystallization and aerobic air-lift loop reactor technology has several advantages compared to traditional precipitation tank reactors.
Thioteq process for H2S H2S generation - bioreactor contactor and metalsulphide settler.
Two step Sulfateq process for sulphate removal and metalsulphide recovery 30 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 30
The aerobic process is a new sustainable solution to arsenic removal and its immobilization. In this process, a compact air-lift loop reactor (CIRCOX– technology) is the basis for the production of arsenic-containing crystals, i.e., bioscorodite crystals. Biogenic scorodite production in CIRCOX reactors is the result of a successful balance between bio-oxidation and crystallization reactions. Since 1987, Paques B.V. has gained extensive full-scale experience with more than 30 CIRCOX bioreactors, treating diverse wastewaters. It is expected that the process can be implemented at full-scale in a relatively simple manner. Combining bio-crystallization and aerobic air-lift loop reactor technology has several advantages compared to traditional precipitation tank reactors. Bioscorodite crystals are suspended in an aeration-induced circular liquid Àow. This minimizes scaling and mechanical problems. Crystal retention in the reaccontinued overleaf... Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:51 PM
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 31
Summer 2013 | 31
8/6/13 10:52 PM
Industrial Wastewater tor is improved by the high density of bioscorodite and large crystals, which are also older crystals and therefore more stable than nascent ones. Harvested crystals are selected by their sedimentation rates, assuring high stability values. Microorganisms play a key role in the production of bioscorodite, precipitating arsenic at 70°C, instead of the higher temperatures and pressures used in autoclaving technology. These extreme microorganisms grow by oxidizing iron, in the presence of arsenic, as free cells in suspension and at low pH values. Operational costs are reduced when compared with chemical precipitation. This is mainly due to the fact that no chemical oxidant is needed. Air is used as the oxidant. Furthermore, formation of gypsum is reduced to a minimum because no seeding material is needed and less neutralization with lime is required. The result is a pure, stable and compact crystalline product. Harvested bioscorodite crystals are large in size, have a high arse-
32 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 32
Scorodite mineral and bioscorodite crystals.
nic content (30 wt%), low free water content (<3% free water on settled samples), and they have exceptional stability properties based on arsenic leaching values in TCLP tests. These properties enable disposal of the crystals immediately after being harvested. An immediate application of this process is treatment of streams where arsenate is present, such as efÀuents from (bio) leaching operations.
Arsenic stabilization is going to be one of the most important environmental issues facing metallurgical companies when disposal legislation becomes stricter. Converting arsenic into bioscorodite can lower environmental risk and provide important cost savings to the company. Martijn Olde Weghuis is with Paques. E-mail: m.oldeweghuis@paques.nl
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:52 PM
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 33
8/8/13 10:10 PM
Security
Securing your municipal water infrastructure
By Victor Wong
E
lectrical utilities, oil and gas, chemical process and water have been identified as critical infrastructure assets that require absolute protection from a security incident. So why is it that three of these critical infrastructures have rules, regulations and penalties in place to protect them, while water, one of the most valuable assets for human existence, does not? What if your municipal drinking water was compromised, what would you do? In 2007, when Metro Vancouver’s main Seymour reservoir’s water contained high turbidity, the public was asked to boil their water. During that time, there was no potable water for consumers, hospitals, business, industries or even Starbucks! Pandemonium broke out at local stores, when consumers fought for bottled water! Imagine if this natural occurrence was an actual security compromise. How would a municipality handle this issue? Would they even know if there was a compromise? What would happen to consumer confidence? Do you think this only applies to drinking water? How about the Maroochy Shire sewage spill that occurred in Australia in 2000, when over 200,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled in parks, rivers and the grounds of the Hyatt Hotel. This incident was an actual cyber-security incident undertaken by a disgruntled contractor who was working on the Shire’s SCADA system. He had stolen radio equipment, controllers and software to mastermind this security incident. You would think that after so many years of technological advancement and knowledge about security, incidents would have stopped. In fact, there has been a steady rise in reported cyber incidents. The following is a small list of security incidents which occurred in the water community: • Salt River Project SCADA - hacked. • Maroochy Shire Water System, Australia. • Harrisburg Pennsylvania water treatment plant - compromised. • Trojan/Keylogger on Ontario water SCADA system. • Tehema Colusa Canal Authority,
34 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 34
California - compromised. • Denial of service attacks on water system via Korean telecom network. • Penetration of California Irrigation District wastewater treatment facility’s SCADA system. Municipalities’ perspectives on security With so much at stake and so much information available, why are municipalities still taking a reactive rather than a proactive position on security? The following are actual quotes collected when municipalities were asked for their perspective on the issue: • “Large system users such as Metro Vancouver are more at risk than smaller municipalities.” • “We know that the United States has more of these problems and Canada is not targeted. In fact, who wants to hack into the middle of nowhere?” (If your computer is connected to a network, you’re vulnerable.) • “Hackers do not understand SCADA systems, or their equipment.” • “No one knows about my system, so it must be safe.” (Security through obscurity is not a solution.) • “Vendors are just trying to scare us so they can sell more of their equipment”…or not! • “You know, I’ve not heard of any
neighboring municipality that has been hacked, so we’re all good.” (If you were compromised, would you publish this in the local newspaper?) • “Our IT department has got a security policy and they said it was all good, we’ll just use theirs for SCADA.” (IT policies cannot be applied to SCADA directly. One needs to be developed.) • “No one in our organization knows much about security let alone security for SCADA, so we kinda let sleeping dogs lie” (There is a plethora of information available on security. Be proactive and do your own research or, better yet, contact your local associations or the RCMP. So what is going on here? Over the last decade, municipal SCADA systems have seen a significant increase in the use of computer networks to transfer information from control centers to supervisory and corporate IT computer systems. Specifically, most SCADA systems are now using networked process historian servers and expert systems servers to allow users to access real-time data. There are also many other possible business/process interfaces, such as using remote direct file transfer from control devices such as RTUs (Remote continued overleaf...
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:53 PM
Easy to Install. Corrosion resistant. Canadian Code Compliant. Safety equipment engineered to meet your most exacting requirements, MSU products meet Canadian Regulations and are available in stainless steel, aluminum and steel. 068ZHOGVDUHFHUWLÀHGE\WKH Canadian Welding Bureau, Conform to CSA standards, and meet the highest industry standards.
MSU MISSISSAUGA LTD. IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THEY NOW BELONG TO CWB WELD QUALITY A group of skilled welding associations. The Quality Mark Program was created to showcase the commitment and effort companies such as MSU Mississauga, put into applying for and maintaining quality mark levels. 7KH4XDOLW\0DUNLVDYLVXDOLQGLFDWRUWKDWDOORZVFHUWLÀHGFRPSDQLHVWRSURPRWH themselves, having undertaken a higher level of welding quality and commitment to Canadian standards.
2222 South Sheridan Way Building 3, Unit 300 Mississauga, Ontario L5J 2M4 Voice: 905-823-4340 Fax: 905-823-4947 Toll Free: 1-800-268-5336
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 35
Check us out on the web at www.msumississauga.com or email us at sales@msumississauga.com
8/6/13 10:53 PM
Security Telemetry Units) and PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) to user spreadsheets. Regardless of the method employed, each involves a network connection between SCADA and IT systems. At the same time, there has been an explosion in the use of Ethernet and TCP/ IP technologies, both wired and wireless, in SCADA. Most SCADA systems now use Ethernet networking, rather than traditional proprietary industrial networks
such as Data Highway or Modbus. Consequently, networks are increasingly Ethernet-based for both IT and SCADA systems. The issue is that complications on IT networks can be passed on to SCADA networks or vice-versa through the IT/ SCADA interface. This can seriously impact SCADA system and network operation and devices associated with those networks. Aside from the potential that data flows
ENGINEERS WITH A PASSION FOR SOLUTIONS All Engineers are qualified professionals but the best solutions come from a team of: UÊ Ì iÊÃi>Ãi`Ê>`ÊiÝ«iÀiVi` Ê UÊ Ì iÊÜi`}i>LiÊ>`Ê«ÀwViÌ Ê Ê UÊ Ì iÊvÀià Ê>`ÊiÌ ÕÃ>ÃÌV
HEAD OFFICE
Õi«ÀÌi`ÊÌÊÞÕÀÊiÝ>VÌÊëiVwV>Ì]ÊÕÀÊ Ìi>Ê«ÀÛ`iÃÊVÕÃÌâi`]ÊiÛÀiÌ>Ê and sustainable engineering solutions for your unique objectives.
www.ColeEngineering.ca
36 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 36
70 Valleywood Drive Markham, ON CANADA L3R 4T5 T. 905.940.6161 | 416.987.6161
between SCADA system to IT networks could be compromised, the “hacker community” has discovered SCADA systems. How can we protect municipal water systems? To implement a secure water system, municipalities must acquire the right focus in their approach to security. It should not be about adding more technology, such as firewalls, network mitigation and prevention equipment to your SCADA system. The focus should be on people and processes. Why should we focus more on people and processes rather than just throwing technology at it? As a quick example, Company ABC purchases a high-end firewall to protect their SCADA system. However, due to lack of security policies, one of the employees decides to plug in a USB key, or a CD, from a vendor that is loaded with malware. This malware could make its way behind your firewall into the SCADA system. This has happened before. Providing a better security framework for SCADA systems would ensure better reliability and less down time. Municipalities need to develop security policies and frameworks that seek to prevent, mitigate and respond to a security incident. It is not good enough to just borrow or deploy security policies that have been developed for IT. These are often inappropriate for deployment in a SCADA system’s environment. There are, however, certain policies and frameworks from IT systems that municipalities could leverage for SCADA systems’ security. However these policies should be well defined and understood. Traditionally, IT security focuses more on the confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) model, whereas SCADA systems focus more on the availability, integrity and confidentiality (AIC) model. Some IT policies involving patch management, such as Windows Update, anti-virus/malware protection, and penetration testing, may work adequately for IT systems, but may seriously affect SCADA system operations. This has occurred in the past, where an operating system patch undertaken by IT staff, shut down the SCADA system before vendors had a chance to test their software against the patch.
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:53 PM
Security Remember that appropriate security frameworks will minimize security threats, ensure better reliability with less down time, and maximize continuous service to the community. Where do we go from here? Today, there is a lot of information available on how to develop a security policy/framework for your municipality. Associations and agencies, such as, the American Water Works Association, the Water Environment Federation and their member associations, the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S., the RCMP and Public Safety Canada can provide information on securing your municipal infrastructure. Municipalities should also consider hiring consultants familiar with both SCADA and security systems to assist in developing policy frameworks. In order to provide safe drinking water to everyone, municipalities need to act now! 1. We need to develop more awareness at the municipal management level. 2. Security awareness and buy-in at the management level is critical to the acceptance of developing a security system framework. 3. Municipalities need to identify barriers or impediments to providing protection for our drinking water. 4. Municipalities need to identify new or existing staff who are accountable for making SCADA system infrastructure secure. 5. Look for assistance from provincial
and federal governments for funding security initiatives. 6. Develop education through local and provincial municipal associations and schools and work with law enforcement agencies. If your water system has not been compromised, it is not a question of “if” but
“when” it will be. An even bigger question is: if you were compromised today, how would you know? How would you mitigate or respond to the incident? Victor Wong, P.Eng., is with Opus DaytonKnight Consultants. E-mail: Victor.Wong@opusdaytonknight.com
TORNADO® Heavy Duty Rotary Lobe Pumps Designed for the highest Operational Reliability with low life cycle costs, maintenance in place, and featuring NETZSCH GSS-Technology - a positive separation between product and gear box.
3 Ranges 12 Models 0 - 4400 gpm NETZSCH, the world market leader with 60 years of experience and over 500,000 progressing cavity pump installations worldwide. With sales, production and service on 6 continents ensuring customer support to provide NETZSCH Pumps & Systems - Solutions you can trust
Learn more.
NETZSCH Canada, Inc. Tel: 705-797-8426 email: info@netzsch.ca www.netzsch.ca
Gain insight on potential solutions to current groundwater issues at this Fall 2013 conference. NGWA Conference on Groundwater in Fractured Rock and Sediments (#5017) September 23-24, 2013 • Burlington, Vermont eaker ote sp wski with n y e k vako Hear s S. No t n discus ties e y K t i s r Dr. e r ’s Univ spor t Prope s n e e u r n Q nd Tra rock Aquife a w o l “F Bed ion.” ctured of Fra r tical Direct Ve in the www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 37
C Compare characterization techniques and remedial solutions, and learn about policy initiatives regarding the fractured rock environment—one of tthe most challenging geologic environments to characterize and remediate—during tthis conference that explores topics such as these and more: • Technological advances as well as advanced modeling techniques Register b y • Borehole geophysical tools and methods August 23 • Regional, national, and international initiatives. to s
www.NGWA.org/FracRock w ock k
ave!
Summer 2013 | 37
8/6/13 10:53 PM
Water Treatment
Influences on biofilm development and corrosion in watermains By Garry A. Palmateer
C
orrosion of iron pipes in distribution systems can cause three distinct, but related problems. Firstly, pipe mass is lost due to oxidation of elemental iron into soluble ferrous species. Secondly, scale development, which results in tubercle formation, often causes increased head loss and decreased water capacity. Thirdly, the release of insoluble particulate iron, which is essentially iron corrosion by-products in water, decreases the aesthetic Tuality of the water and can result in consumer complaints of red water. Both chlorine resistant and pathogenic microoganisms may enter a distribution system, downstream of the treatment plant, through the following ways: 1. Failed backÀow preventers during a watermain installation or a broken watermain repair. 2. The intrusion of contaminated water into watermain joints when the pressure outside the watermain exceeds the pressure inside. 3. Cross-connections to private shallow wells, cisterns and other sources, which can be contaminated with coliforms and Escherichia coli. Although water is Àowing rapidly through watermains, its velocity at the pipe surface is essentially zero. This allows particulates carrying nutrients, such as dissolved organic carbon, soluble forms of nitrogen and phosphorous and trace elements, to accumulate. Micro– organisms are attracted to these nutrients. The growth of bacteria and fungi on the interior walls of a watermain is called bio¿lm. It occurs, to some degree, on all smooth pipe surfaces, but to a much larger extent on rough pipe surfaces. The attraction and attachment of individual bacterial cells to the pipe’s surface, will result in mixed layers of bacteria and fungi. Eventually, a coating of microbial cells will develop, so that the outer layer of the inter-connecting cells exists far from the pipe surface. These outermost formations tend to break or slough off from the underlying
38 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 38
Extensive microbial growth on an old cast iron water pipe.
cells in a very random manner. When a new watermain is connected to an old cast iron, ductile iron or cement-coated iron pipe, the installation process can dislodJe pieces oI Eio¿lm. This often serves to contaminate water samples with coliform bacteria. In addition, the larger inner surface of the new pipe can create water velocity changes that result in a random sloughing of bio¿lm from portions of the inner surfaces of the old main. The complex structures formed by the many types of bacteria in bio¿lm, can serve to protect coliforms, Escherichia coli and pathogenic microoganisms from disinfection, which increases the public health risk. Among the factors that challenge some water purveyors more than others, are Àuctuations in the Tuality of source water. Seasonal changes in water Tuality in Southern 2ntario can vary
dramatically during summer months, when demand for water peaks. In cases where source waters are surface waters, water Tuality diminishes as volume decreases and temperature increases. Warmer waters with increased levels of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous, can augment bacterial growth in surface waters and bio¿lm accumulation in watermains. Water temperatures above ÛC have been shown to have a major positive effect on the growth of microorganisms in bio¿lm. 2rganic carbon is a key reTuirement for heterotrophic bacterial growth, along with readily available forms of nitrogen, such as ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and other nitrogenous compounds and soluble forms of phosphorous. Trace elements are also reTuired and are found in drinking water sources in abundance. The existence of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous in a ratio of 100:10:1 is
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:53 PM
Water Treatment optimal for heterotrophic bacteria and fungi to grow on the inner surface of watermain piping. Of primary importance is assimilable carbon, which is the measure of organic carbon metabolized by these microorganisms. io lm growth on pipe surfaces occurs where the surfaces are rough, typically as a result of chemical oxidation. This results in the accumulation of particulates that are often coated in nutrients. Attached bacteria can grow on these nutrients, which may be 10 to 100 times more concentrated than in the water passing through the pipe. The depth of the growth in a mature bio lm in watermain piping can reach 200 μm. f the process of bio lm growth is not controlled by disinfection, the diameter of the watermain pipe can become signi cantly reduced, which could cause pumping problems. n order to control bio lm de elop ment and kill any pathogens in old cast and ductile iron water pipes, uni directional swabbing of the distribution system, followed by disinfection with free chlorine, or chlorine dioxide,
with subsequent maintenance through chloramination, is necessary. here bio lm has de eloped to the point that multiple layers of bacteria exist, the types of bacteria begin to di ersify. Anaerobic conditions may de elop under the surface layers of cells. hen bio lm reaches 10 to 20 μm, arious types of anaerobic bacteria, including some opportunistic pathogens, will begin to colonize the actual surface of the pipe. Under anaerobic conditions, sulfate reducing bacteria are able to con ert sulfate in the water to sul de, which is ery corrosi e to iron pipes. The sul de actually electrolytically draws elemental iron from the pipe. At this point, pitting on the pipe surface commences and results in the formation of tubercles. The outer surface of the inside of the pipe, where conditions are aerobic, will be reddish, indicating oxidized iron. Underneath the outer tubercle de elopment, in the anaerobic zone on the pipe surface, a black substance de elops, which is iron sul de and which smells similar to hydrogen sul de. f the
pH is high enough (>8.0) at the pipe surface, hydrogen sul de forms. A n iro icrobial er ices td. has conducted many microscopic exam inations of cast iron watermain pipe samples with extensi e tuberculation. acteria comprised of arious la mentous bacteria, such as iron oxidizing Gallionella and Leptothrix, may be found on oxidized surfaces. Particles 10 to 0 μm in size ha e been found to ha e 10 to 100 bacteria per particle. The arious bacteria identi ed were attached to and underneath the tubercles. t has been suggested that bio lm can cause the accumulation of chloride and sulfate ions on pipe surfaces. Accumulation of sulfate ions can enhance the acti ity of sulfate reducing bacteria. A sulfate concentration of only 22 mg has been demonstrated to stimulate sulfate reducing bacteria. ulfate reducing bacteria produce sul de ions, which strongly attract ferrous ions from the electrolytic corrosion on the pipe surface. As more ferrous ions are attracted to the sul de ions, they form continued overleaf...
When you’re ready to make a greater impact When you’re ready to go further in your career You are ready for American Public University American Public University is ready to help you move your career forward. We offer respected degrees in Environmental Science, Environmental Policy & Management, and more — completely online. And people are taking notice. We’ve been nationally recognized by the Sloan Consortium for effective practices in online education, and 99% of employers surveyed would hire one of our graduates again.*
When you’re ready, visit StudyatAPU.com/ese
*APUS Alumni Employer Survey, January 2011-December 2011 We want you to make an informed decision about the university that’s right for you. For more about our graduation rates,the median debt of students who completed each program, and other important information, visit www.apus.edu/disclosure.
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 39
Summer 2013 | 39
8/6/13 10:54 PM
Water Treatment D EODFNFRORXUHG LURQ VXO¿GH DQG PRUH LURQLVGUDZQIURPWKHSLSH 7KLV W\SH RI FRUURVLRQ LV FDXVHG E\ D FRPELQDWLRQ RI HOHFWURO\WLF DQG PLFURELDO DFWLYLW\ WKDW LV SURGXFHG E\ WKH IDFXOWDWLYH DQG DQDHURELF EDFWHULDIRXQGLQELR¿OP7KHUHVXOWLQJ GHJUDGDWLRQ RI LURQ SLSH LV WHUPHG PLFURELDOO\LQGXFHGFRUURVLRQ0,& . $OWKRXJK ZDWHU SXUYH\RUV DUH DZDUH RI ELR¿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
40 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 40
WLPHFRQVXPLQJDQGFDQFUHDWHDORVVRI EXVLQHVVIRUQHDUE\UHWDLOHUV 0RUH DWWHQWLRQ KDV WR EH SODFHG RQ ZDWHUPDLQ UHSODFHPHQW $V ZHOO PDLQWHQDQFH VWUDWHJLHV WR OHQJWKHQ WKH OLIH RI H[LVWLQJ QHZHU ZDWHUPDLQV KDYH WR EH DGGUHVVHG 8QGHUVWDQGLQJ KRZ FRUURVLRQ DQG ELR¿OP JURZWK LQ ZDWHUPDLQV DUH LQWHUUHODWHG ZLOO KRSHIXOO\ UHGXFH WKH ULVN RI PDMRU SLSLQJ IDLOXUHV DQG ZDWHUERUQH PLFUR ELDORXWEUHDNV 6WXGLHV KDYH VKRZQ WKDW FRUURVLRQ FRQWURO WKURXJK PRQLWRULQJ WKH /DUVRQ ,QGH[HV XVLQJ DQWLFRUURVLRQ WUHDWPHQWVWHPSRUDU\GLVLQIHFWLRQZLWK FKORULQHDWDOHYHORIWRPJ/ RU PRQRFKORUDPLQH ZLWK UHVLGXDO OHYHOV UDQJLQJ IURP WR PJ/ DQG FRQWUROOLQJ ELR¿OP IRUPDWLRQ FDQ DFKLHYHDUHGXFWLRQLQWKHGHJUHHRILURQ SLSHGHWHULRUDWLRQ 0DQ\ ZDWHUERUQH SDWKRJHQV DUH PXFK PRUH UHVLVWDQW WR GLVLQIHFWDQWV WKDQ DUH WKH SUHVHQW LQGLFDWRU EDFWHULD FROLIRUPV DQG E. coli. :DUQLQJV RI H[FHVVLYH ELR¿OP IRUPDWLRQ DQG
PLFURELDOO\ LQGXFHG FRUURVLRQ PD\ JR XQGHWHFWHGLIWKHSUHVHQFHRILQGLFDWRU EDFWHULD FRQWLQXHV WR EH WKH RQO\ PHDVXUH RI GHWHULRUDWLQJ PLFURELDO GULQNLQJZDWHUTXDOLW\ 7KH PLQLPDO GLVLQIHFWLRQ UDWHV UHTXLUHGLQ2QWDULRDOWKRXJKWKH\PD\ EH DGHTXDWH IRU QHZO\ LQVWDOOHG 39& ZDWHUPDLQVDUHGH¿QLWHO\LQHIIHFWLYHLQ FRQWUROOLQJELR¿OPDQG0,&LQROGFDVW LURQDQGGXFWLOHLURQZDWHUPDLQV :DWHU SXUYH\RUV ZLOO EH FKDOOHQJHG WR PDLQWDLQ UHJXODWHG OHYHOV RI GLVLQIHFWLRQ E\SURGXFWV ZKLFK ZLOO PRVW OLNHO\ LQFUHDVH ZLWK WKH KLJKHU GLVLQIHFWLRQ UDWHV UHTXLUHG WR DLG LQ WKH FRQWURO RI ELR¿OP DQG PLFURELDOO\ LQGXFHG FRUURVLRQ +RZHYHU WKH ODFN RI 0,& FRQWURO LV JRLQJ WR UHVXOW LQ DQ LQFUHDVHG ULVN WR SXEOLF KHDOWK 7KH WHPSRUDU\ LQFUHDVHV LQ VRPH GLVLQIHFWLRQE\SURGXFWVZLOOKDYHWREH ZHLJKHGDJDLQVWWKLVULVN Garry A. Palmateer is with Garry Palmateer Consulting Inc. E-mail: gapalmateer@gmail.com
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:54 PM
Water Storage
Contingency and security in new water supply system
I
n 2011, the Town of Greater Napanee, Ontario, underwent some major upgrades to their water facilities. An evaluation study for the replacement of an aged raw water Àexible membrane tank, had established that the Town, even with its existing elevated steel tank, did not have suf¿cient treated water storage for ¿re Àow, eTuali]ation and emergency as required by the Ontario Ministry of Environment. It was decided that additional treated water storage would provide a safer water supply, should the Àexible membrane tank fail. Timing was very important as the existing water tower only held 14 per cent of the Town’s maximum daily Àow for treated water. As well, the raw water supply coming into the plant had de¿ciencies. R.V. Anderson Associates Limited (RVA) was hired by the Town to conduct an Environmental Assessment (EA) to determine the optimal location for the new treated water storage tank; summari]e design considerations in terms of type, si]e, and operational features of the tank, as well as any upgrades to the existing distribution system; and perform tendering and contract administration duties during construction. RVA looked at several types of tanks, but felt that glass lined steel tanks were
preferable as they were cost-effective and offered the shortest construction time. The Town wanted to get the EA, design and construction accomplished within a year, mainly in the fall and winter. As the new tank location was approximately the same elevation as the existing tank, they chose an above ground tank. :ith the ¿nal decisions made from the EA, the project was ready to go to tendering in the early fall. The tender put out was not typical; it was a weighted evaluation, based strongly on the Tuali¿cations and expe-
rience of the tenderer. Once the contract was awarded to Greatario Engineered Storage Systems Ltd., shop drawings were received almost immediately and any items were addressed. They were quickly reviewed and approved by both the Town and RVA. The project went from EA to commissioning in less than nine months. The tank itself was constructed in approximately two months. For more information, visit www.greatario.com
WE DO IT ALL
CORROSION PROTECTION & SEALING SYSTEMS YOU CAN DEPEND ON
Extend Structure Life, Reduce Maintenance & Repair Costs • for industrial steelwork, pipework & road surfaces • above & below ground pipe, valves, fittings & steel • offshore marine piling protection • road, bridge, airport & asphalt applications A member of Winn & Coales International.
www.esemag.com
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 41
www.densona.com Toronto • Edmonton Denso North America Inc. 90 Ironside Cres. Unit 12 Toronto, ON M1X 1M3 Tel: 416.291.3435 Fax: 416.291.0898
Summer 2013 | 41
8/6/13 10:54 PM
Monitoring
The five essential elements of a modern hydrological monitoring program By Stu Hamilton
W
ater is essential for our physical and economic well-being, but droughts and Àoods are threats that require constant vigilance. In fact, it is dif¿cult to overstate the importance of the availability, reliability and accuracy of data from water monitoring programs. Industry best practices, methods and standards have changed to meet modern demands for water information. There are ¿ve essential elements that water resource managers should consider when updating their hydrological monitoring programs, whether their network monitors a small watershed or an entire continent. These are quality management system, network design, technology, training and data management. 1. Quality management system - A quality management system (QMS) is a set of standard operating procedures that
P1010081.jpg Milltronics MFA 4p motion failure alarm controller provides reliable alarming directly to Seymour-Capilano Filtration Plant’s control room.
govern the data production process to ensure that it is of consistent, known quality. Every monitoring program requires
Provincewide Hands-on Training
Over 20 hands-on training options available throughout the province. Find training in your area at: wcwc.ca/esemag or contact us at 866-515-0550 or training@wcwc.ca to schedule training at your facility.
42 | Summer 2013
ESE July.Aug 2013_FINAL_Monday_er.indd 42
clear objectives for data quality, service and security that are closely linked with the needs of the end users. Quality is a result of process. These processes need to be compliant with documented standard operating procedures. There are several industry sources for hydrometric standards, including U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Techniques & Methods, USGS Techniques of Water Resources Investigations, ISO Technical Committee 113 and World Meteorological Organization Operational Hydrology Reports. A commitment to internationally accepted technical standards provides a basis for inter-comparability of data. There should be no systematic differences in data produced by different agencies, or even by different hydrographers within the same agency. The service objectives address end-user expectations, which include accuracy, timeliness, completeness and accessibility of data and reports. There is an increasing expectation that data should be openly discoverable, searchable and accessible. Harmonized standards for data interoperability are provided by the Open Geospatial Consortium. For example, the WaterML2.0 standard provides for the exchange of point-based time series data, processed
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine
8/6/13 10:55 PM
Monitoring values, such as forecasts and aggregations and relevant information on monitoring points, procedures and context. Security is necessary because hydrometric data are valuable. There are large capital, human and operational investments in discharge information. The security objectives aim to protect these investments over the life of the data, since any information legacy is vulnerable to neglect, loss and destruction. Improperly managed technological advancements can result in fragmented records and incompatible formats. The Global Climate Observing System Principles provide several best practices for maintaining data integrity when managing time series data. In particular, “the details and history of local conditions, instruments, operating procedures, data processing algorithms and other factors pertinent to interpreting data (i.e., metadata) should be documented and treated with the same care as the data.” Best practices for data curating ensure that it is secure and stored out of harm’s way, that the metadata are com-
Minimum density per station (area in km2/station), as recommended by the World Meteorological Organization guide to Hydrological Practices.
plete and that documentation is available for any changes in methods that could potentially affect data integrity. Verifying that the quality objectives have been met is a two-step process: quality controls and quality assurance. Most national hydrometric services have developed their own QMS, but some are choosing to become certi¿ed in the standardized ISO 9000 method. A QMS must verify that the resulting products consistently meet the needs of
end-users. Any departure from expected results should provide feedback, creating a loop of continuous improvement. The needs of end-users change with time, so the QMS must be adaptive. 2. Network design - Network design is an ongoing process with new stations being established, and existing stations being discontinued, as program priorities and funding evolve. The challenge continued overleaf...
STORMWATER STORAGE MODULES s %ASY TO )NSTALL #LEAN s 6OID 3PACE s (IGH 3TRENGTH s 3TACKABLE s OR "