Hamilton Children's Water Festival

A L

C

A H

ESTI V RF

T O L I N M

TE

H

N'S W E R D A IL

Children's Activity Book Prepared Prepared by by Hamilton Hamilton Industrial Industrial Environment Environment Association Association

Do you know where wastewater comes from?

Wastewater is water that has been ‘used’, and can come from households, businesses, industry, and agriculture.

Wastewater isn’t safe to use because it can contain small elements that could be toxic to humans and ecosystems.

However, we can clean or ‘treat’ it to be used again.

Treated wastewater can be returned safely back into ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, or can go to the city’s water treatment plant for further purification.

Wastewater differs depending on what and where it was originally used.

Domestic Wastewater is any water that is used in our homes such as for toilet flushes, showers, kitchen and laundry. We sometimes call this ‘sewage’.

Industrial Wastewater comes from industrial activities like manufacturing, mining and power generation. Industrial wastewater differs depending on the industry making it. It must be specially treated before being used again.

Commercial Wastewater includes any water that was used in places such as restaurants, auto-body shops, and hair salons. Sometimes commercial wastewater contains contaminants and must be managed.

Agricultural Wastewater is water that has been used to grow our food. It also includes runoff surface water from farmlands that can be contaminated with agricultural chemicals and sediments.

some of the things we find in untreated water. solid materials oil and grease

bacteria chemicals plant nutrients microplastics

What are the effects of pollutants in wastewater?

When pollution is present in water and is released into the environment, it can result in harmful impacts such as: a. Not enough oxygen for fish and aquatic plants b. Too many nutrients in the water can lead to eutrophication, which is an overgrowth of algae (tiny aquatic plants) c. Pathogens, bacteria, or viruses that can cause disease, can pollute the water, and be harmful to aquatic organisms and humans (drinking water, swimming) d. Metals such as mercury or lead can be toxic to a variety of species

Why must we clean wastewater?

We can reuse recycled wastewater but it must be cleaned first. A number of industrial facilities in the Hamilton area treat the wastewater they create right on their property. For extra measure, they also send it to the city treatment plant.

Industries have a lot of rules to follow when it comes to protecting the environment. It is the law that they must remove any contaminants before water can be sent to the city water treatment plant, to a water body, or reused in their operations.

Industries have to manage their wastewater and also make sure they do everything possible to prevent any accidental releases to the natural environment.

Industries in Hamilton, Ontario understand that water is a finite resource that needs to be conserved and recycled.

SoME OTHER REASONS WHY WE NEED TO CLEAN WASTEWATER: Clean water is a limited resource and is essential for all life We purify water as much as possible to keep humans and the earth safe and healthy We love water for recreation such as swimming and fishing

So how do we clean wastewater?

Stelco is one of Hamilton’s own industries that treat their wastewater.

Their system is a smaller version of the city water treatment plant and operates much the same.

A crucial part of water treatment is using ‘bugs’, which are nature’s natural water purifiers. These simple bacteria break down or ‘eat’ waste in the water which helps to purify it.

This very important step removes harmful substances that the municipal water treatment system is not able to.

Stelco sends its treated water to the city’s water treatment plant which ensures that all water is free of harmful elements.

How does Stelco clean its wastewater?

Equalization - water used for cooling machines and generated is collected & stored prior to treatment

Aeration – wastewater flows to bioreactors (bug factories) where, through a series of stages, beneficial bacteria break down organic material and clean the water Chemical Treatment – chemicals react with compounds in the water, causing tiny waste particles to attach together to make larger waste molecules Clarification – these waste molecules are fed through clarifiers where larger particles settle at the bottom of the tank where is it removed (sedimentation)

Storage – Large tanks store the clean water before it is discharged Discharge – the clean water is sent to the City of Hamilton sewer for additional treatment before being returned to Lake Ontario.

Sludge dewatering – water is removed from the large waste molecules at the bottom of the tanks before being sent to the landfill.

Now that the water has been cleaned, how do we know it is safe to use?

Testing!

In order to determine if the water is ‘clean,’ we have to test it in a laboratory. There are a number of things we can test for, but the most common ones are pH, Oxygen levels, and the presence of solids.

How do we know what levels are acceptable? The Canadian and Ontario governments have rules or laws in place to protect water quality. These laws tell us the acceptable levels of all additional substances that we can find in pure water. These levels are safe for humans, animals, plants and the environment as a whole.

ACTIVITIES Find the words in the puzzle.

Words can go in any direction. Words can share letters as they cross over eachother

AERATION

BACTERIA

CLEAN

COMMERCIAL

DIGESTION

DISINFECTION

DOMESTIC

EQUILIZATION

INDUSTRIAL

POLLUTANTS

SEDIMENTATION

SLUDGE

TREATMENT

WASTEWATER

WETLANDS

FILL IN THE BLANKS HARMFUL QUALITY TREATED WASTEWATER PATHOGENS EUTROPHICATION

PRIMARY SOURCE UNTREATED CLEAN

PROTECT WATER RESOURCE RULES

1.___________ wastewater contains many __________ contaminants.

2. Too many nutrients in the ____________ can lead to _______________, which is an overgrowth of algae in the ___________.

3. _____________, bacteria or viruses in untreated _________ can lead to diseases and therefore harmful to aquatic organisms and humans.

4. ___________ water is a finite _________ and is important for the environment and for our own health.

5. The government has ___________ in place to protect the ___________ of water.

Help the treated wastewater find its way to the river

Match the words to their correct meaning

DEFINITIONS Water has been used for different activities

TERMS WASTEWATER

Wastewater flows to bioreactors, where through a series of stages, beneficial bacteria break down organic material and clean the water

AERATION

Sites where solid garbage is disposed

LANDFILL

Unwanted materials found in wastewater that are removed Water that has gone through the treatment process and is ready to be used in homes or disposed of in the environment An overgrowth of algae in rivers and lakes because of too many chemicals Tiny plants that are natural to wetland areas but which can overgrow if there is too much pollution Larger particles settle at the bottom of the tank where is it removed

CONTAMINANTS

TREATED WASTEWATER

EUTROPHICATION

ALGAE

SEDIMENTATION

Match the words to their correct meaning

DEFINITIONS

TERMS

A tank where sludge sinks to the bottom and scum rises to the top

CLARIFIER

Heavy waste that sinks to the bottom of a tank of water

Light waste like oil and grease that floats to the top of the water Water used for cooling and generated through our process is collected & stored prior to treatment A tank with air bubbles that help to break down contaminants in the water

SLUDGE

SCUM

EQUALIZATION

BIOREACTOR

A process by which wastewater is converted WASTEWATER TREATMENT back into water that is free from contaminants and can be discharged back into the water Clean water is treated with chlorine or ultraviolet DISINFECTION rays to destroy bacteria water is removed from the solids taken from the bottom of the tanks before being sent to the landfill.

SLUDGE DEWATERING natural fertilizer made from sludge

COMPOST

This activity has been

brought to you by the Hamilton Industrial Environmental Association (HIEA) is a proud supporter of the Children’s Water Festival since 2008.

We hoped you learned a lot!

HIEA is a non-profit association (incorporated In 1998) whose 14 members represent local private sector industries.

http://www.hiea.org Email: info@hiea.org FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Linkedin.com/company/hiea HamiltonIndustrialEnvironmentalAsscociation