WCW24

Registration in the East Concourse-Ground Floor
Pick up your registration package. Nametags will be required for all Conference events.

The Quiet Lounge, Sponsored by Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions, is a space designed for relaxation and calmness.
Note that the Lounge will be in use for the First Timers Reception 10-11 AM.

Ceremonies to open the Conference, meet our special guests, and hear from our Keynote speaker Catherine Wreford. Awards presentations will also be made for WCW, WCS AWWA and WCWEA

Caffeinate in the Exhibition.

Learn about WCW and how to get the most of your Conference experience.

Visit with 95 companies on the Exhibition floor. 

The WCS AWWA hosts the annual Best of the West Water Taste Test in conjunction with the WCW Annual Conference and Exhibition.
We invite AWWA Utility Members or Utilities with AWWA Members to submit a water sample that will be tasted and scored individually by a panel of independent judges. The winning utility will then move on to represent our Section at the Best of the Best Taste Test event at AWWA's Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) the following year. 
This competition celebrates the important work our utility members do everyday to deliver safe, high quality drinking water to their customers.

Lunch & Learn with our Exhbitors. Lunch will feature different hot food stations and are complimentary with your conference registration.

City of Winnipeg's South End Water Pollution Control Centre (SEWPCC) has undergone a major expansion and upgrade, allowing the plant to meet more stringent discharge limits and to increase its peak secondary treatment capacity from 100 ML/d to 225 ML/d. The previous High Purity Oxygen (HPO) tanks were replaced by three integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) bioreactors set up in a preanoxic, anaerobic, anoxic, aerobic, and post aerobic configuration. The HPO tanks were converted to two primary sludge fermentation units to provide the substrates required to enhance biological phosphorous removal performance. In the absence of the fermenters, operation logic of the bioreactors was modified to promote biological phosphorus removal and lower the ferric chloride consumption that was dosed to the bioreactors' mixed liquor to chemically precipitate phosphorous. The BNR process at SEWPCC has resulted in considerable improvement in the effluent quality with TSS

Coagulation chemistry is a complex process impacted by several variables and is regarded as “the single most important factor affecting treatment plant performance” (AWWA M37). Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that has the potential to ‘learn' complex chemical processes. The City of Lethbridge Water Treatment Plant has used machine learning modelling of the coagulation process as an operational support tool since February 2023. The tool provides recommendations to operators in real time based on raw water characteristics and treatment system conditions to achieve multiparameter optimization. In the first year of implementation this tool has helped operational staff optimize treatment during both stable and rapidly changing raw water conditions, resulting in a reduction in coagulant and polymer usage by approximately 21% while exceeding treatment objectives. Over the last year assessments have been completed at several other conventional water treatment plants in Western Canada to assess the transferability of the technology. The assessments have included WTPs with varying source waters, coagulants, clarification technologies, and levels of instrumentation. This presentation will provide an overview of coagulation, machine learning, and the results of the WTP evaluations. Specific challenges related to data gathering, exploratory data analysis, and modelling will be highlighted. Potential challenges and benefits of the technology will be discussed, and the overall results of the assessments will be shared.

Buildings across Canada typically use 50% to 95% of centrally treated water for non potable purposes. This is typically irrigation, toilets, washing machines, cooling towers and process water. Which provides a significant opportunity to collect and reuse various onsite waters for these non potable purposes. These onsite waters can be rainwater, stormwater, AC condensate, foundation drainage, grey water or process water. By effectively reusing onsite water with a One Water approach and valuing all water sources we can turn this nuisance onsite water into an assets fostering water conservation and sustainability. Let's discuss how we can successfully reuse onsite water and discuss how we can ensure the water is treated to meet the "fit for purpose". Together we can reshape the water resource landscape in Canada. Turning onsite nuisance water into a valuable water resource.

Abstract In 2022 Pure Technologies, along with AECOM performed an electromagnetic inspection on the Branch Aquaduct 2 1650mm - 18.6 km pipeline for the City of Winnipeg. The inspection was performed via the PipeDiver platform. It was the longest PipeDiver inspection completed to date in North America. This abstract will discuss all the planning, inspection details and results of the inspection. The City of Winnipeg retained Pure Technologies, a Xylem brand (Pure Technologies), to conduct a condition assessment of the prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) in the 1650-millimetre Branch II Aqueduct in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On September 21, 2022, Pure Technologies used its proprietary PipeDiverâ„¢ platform, a non-destructive electromagnetic inspection technology to locate and identify pipes that have broken prestressing wire wraps. The PipeDiver inspection covered a cumulative distance of 18.63 kilometres and spanned a total of 3,826 pipes from the Deacon Water Treatment Plant to the South Cell of the Wilkes Reservoir. Analysis of the data obtained during the inspection determined that 33 pipes in the 1650-millimetre Branch II Aqueduct displayed an electromagnetic anomaly consistent with prestressing wire damage, ranging from 5 to 20 broken wire wraps. Following the conclusion of the inspection, Pure Technologies performed structural evaluations on the PCCP pipes of the Branch II Aqueduct. The structural evaluations are intended to determine if the pipeline is operating under safe conditions based on design standards, as well as show the structural consequences of broken prestressing wires on a pipe. These evaluations include: - American Water Works Association C301 and C304 Design Analysis - Three-dimensional non-linear finite element analysis (FEA)

Recent trends of climate change impacts have been gesturing that water reuse may become a 'compulsory' rather than an 'arbitrary' water source in the next few decades in Western Canada. Recurring droughts, receding glaciers, drying streams, and shrinking groundwater sources are sending alarming signals about water availability and security, indicating that reclaimed water may have to become inevitably an integral source of non-potable and potable water supply in this part of Canada. Many municipalities, regions, and districts around the world have been through similar situations (e.g., drought conditions threatening local and regional water sources); to increase their water supply resiliency, some have been practicing recycled water use for years to different extents and have developed regulations and guidelines pertinent to their territories' needs and conditions. Florida started water reuse in 1960s. California has had the reuse regulations for over 100 years (first adopted in 1918) for non-potable reuse and has just adopted the direct potable reuse regulations in the end of 2023. Texas was the first state in the United States that adopted the regulations allowing direct potable reuse. In 1992, a National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) involved Australian and New Zealand governments jointly developing national water quality policies, processes, and guideline documents; these national guidelines served as a baseline for the states to develop their own guidelines for the use of different qualities of recycled water for specific purposes, incorporated into regulations as necessary. Currently in Canada, no federal or provincial policies or regulations are available governing water reclamation and reuse, including Saskatchewan (SK), Alberta (AB), and Ontario (ON). AB has a Guidelines for Residential Rainwater Harvesting Systems since 2010 and has recently published Guidelines for Residential Rainwater Harvesting Systems in 2021. British Columbia (BC) Reclaimed Water Guidelines serves as a companion document for the BC Municipal Wastewater Regulations; as it is practically functioning as part of the regulations, it makes BC the only province with a document pertaining to reuse regulations. The limited number of available guidelines and almost no regulation gets one thinking whether Western Canada would be ready from regulations and guidelines standpoint for the time comes when reclaimed water use will have to be integrated into our water/wastewater infrastructure and management system. While all the existing international regulations exist to be drawn from for the existing and future projects in Western Canada, regional guidelines and regulations should be developed or expanded, to speak into and account for regional conditions, including existing and alternative water sources matching the region's profile, public perception for reuse in the region, evolving climate conditions in the region, etc. This abstract (and the expanded discussion in the associated presentation/talk) tends to act as a torch for shedding light on the importance of initiating discussions about water reuse topic in Canada and developing Canadian recycled water use legislations and regulations to proactively prepare for our national and provincial future water needs.

November 1, 2023, was a relatively normal day at the City of Red Deer's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A portion of the WWTP was shut down to upgrade electrical components that were at the end of their service life. Following completion of the work, as electrical loads were being reconnected a fire occurred in the yet to be replaced main electrical switchgear. Red Deer Emergency Services responded quickly and put out the fire. Within an hour of the fire being put out, a meeting of all WWTP staff on site was convened to evaluate the operational impacts to the WWTP. While the plant has back up power, most of it is routed through the switchgear where the fire occurred. As a result, a large portion of the plant was without power including the aeration blowers for 50% of the available plant bioreactor capacity and most of the solids handling processes. Further, the loss of the switchgear impacted the laboratory, administration building and the plant entrance gates. A list of operational priorities and a series of supporting tactics to accomplish the priorities were developed. The highest priority was getting the aeration and pumping systems for the bioreactors and secondary clarifiers back on-line. The contractor that was upgrading the electrical components had a mobile switchgear on site that they had been using while components were upgraded. Fortunately, the contractor allowed us to use their mobile switchgear until the contractor was able to complete a permanent replacement of the burnt-up switchgear. While the repairs were underway, the operations staff contacted our regional customers to try and limit the amount of wastewater they were discharging. A portion of the wastewater flow was diverted to three on-site equalization lagoons to avoid overloading the bioreactors that were not impacted by the fire. A more robust monitoring program including increased nutrient testing frequency and microscopic observation of the biomass was carried out for the first week after the fire. Thanks to the efforts of plant electrical and instrumentation staff and the electrical contractor, aeration was restored in 17 hours and the bioreactor and clarifier mechanical systems were fully operational in 27 hours. All electrical systems were back on-line within 48 hours. Thanks to the operators and lab staff, the WWTP came through the event with minimal impact on treatment and very minor reporting violations under our Alberta Environment and Protected Areas operating approval. The presentation will discuss in greater detail the cause of the fire, the response steps taken and how the recovery went.

Standard engineering practices aim to provide a reliable engineering design that allows water and wastewater pipeline tolerate standard loading conditions. Reliability threats such as construction and maintenance errors, cyclic fatigue, transient pressures, corrosion control, and extreme loading conditions, remain a challenge for pipeline owners. It is becoming increasingly apparent that unavoidable failures are occurring due to the magnitude and intensity of wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and extreme weather conditions; thereby, emphasizing the need for a resilient and sustainable performance-based engineering practice to ensure that impacts are minimized on pipelines, recovery is quick, and functionality is maintained in the long term while considering the consequences for society, the economy, and the environment. In this presentation, we will define pipeline resilience, and discuss design, construction, and asset management strategies for balancing engineering design practices that ensure the reliability, resilience, and sustainability of future water and wastewater pipelines. This is would help us navigate a future full of environmental, social, and economic uncertainties.

This presentation outlines a comprehensive project undertaken by Associated Engineering for the Manitoba Water Services Board and the Town of Niverville, a rapidly expanding municipality in Manitoba. Faced with a burgeoning population and increased demand for water, the existing 20 L/s treatment plant struggles to meet requirements during peak periods. The proposed 40 L/s water treatment plant expansion aims not only to address current deficiencies but also to accommodate the anticipated growth, reaching a forecasted capacity of 80 L/s over the next two decades. The presentation outlines the detailed design, including reservoir storage, membrane treatment units, and iron filtration for bypass streams, along with upgrades to remote well sites. The strategic approach involved minimal disruption to existing infrastructure, ensuring scalability for future expansions. The project's multifaceted scope, involving equipment RFP package creation and tender documentation, emphasizes sustainability, resilience, and long-term viability for the Town's evolving water needs.

The challenge of maintaining wastewater treatment performance during cold weather is a common problem for many biological nutrient removal (BNR) wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) across Canada, including the EPCOR Gold Bar WWTP in Edmonton. With an average treatment capacity of 310 MLD (82 MGD) and a peak capacity of 420 MLD (111 MGD) for secondary treatment, the Gold Bar WWTP faces operational hurdles when the wastewater temperature drops, leading to poor settling sludge and reduced clarifier capacity. To address this challenge, the plant has installed the inDENSE™ hydrocyclone technology on one of its eleven BNR trains. This technology uses hydrocyclones to enhance sludge settleability through selective sludge wasting and retaining well-settling sludge. Compared to other intensification alternatives like Membrane Bioreactor, inDENSE™ offers a less costly solution, potentially deferring large capital investments. Nevertheless, whether inDENSE technology is appropriate for facilities with cold wastewater is not well understood. With commissioning in Summer of 2023 and process optimization in the Fall, the system showed significant improvements in the sludge settleability by December 2023. Process optimization included the implementation of intermittent mixing and reduction in return activated sludge rates. Historically, the mixed liquor has exhibited poor settleability with SVI values over 250 mL/g in the winter. With inDENSE and the process optimization, the SVI improved dramatically, stabilizing around 150 ml/g, even as the temperature dropped from 19ºC to 14ºC over the five-month period. To further assess performance improvements, Stantec and EPCOR Gold Bar WWTP are collaborating to conduct intensive site testing through the Winter and Spring of 2024. This includes tall settling column testing, analysis of bioreactor nutrient profiles, clarifier flocculation test, sieve analysis, morphology, and kinetic rate tests. The BNR system with inDENSE technology will undergo testing where flow rates will be increased to stress the system's operational limits. These assessments will provide a comprehensive understanding of the additional flows and loads that can be managed by a bioreactor/secondary clarifier system equipped with selective sludge wasting compared to conventional treatment trains. The collected data will provide valuable insights for selective wasting, a cost-effective treatment intensification process, with a focus on cold wastewater BNR facilities across Canada.

Introduce yourself to someone new.

Water treatment plants supplied by surface water must ensure that treatment processes are sufficiently robust to handle rapid increases in raw water turbidity and natural organic matter (NOM) that occasionally accompany spring runoff or heavy rainfall events. Climate change is expected to increase the likelihood of extreme weather events, causing more variability in source water quality and underscoring the importance of robust treatment operations. Robustness refers to the ability of treatment systems to produce safe drinking water and maintain desired water quality consistently, even during adverse changes in raw water quality. High turbidity creates obvious challenges for clarification and filtration processes, whereas high NOM increases coagulant demand, not only affecting turbidity removal but also increasing disinfectant requirements and associated by-product formation. For plants relying on UV disinfection, controlling NOM is particularly important for maintaining adequate UV transmittance. The robustness framework developed by Nemani et al. (2023) applies quantitative metrics to all critical treatment processes, taking into account both turbidity and NOM removal, to allow an overall assessment of robustness. This presentation illustrates how a combined approach, using indices for both turbidity and NOM removal, has been applied to ten years of water quality and operational performance data to determine the robustness of two plants that occasionally experience extremely adverse source water quality conditions with turbidities >1000 NTU and colour > 100 TCU. After reviewing historical operational practices and treatment effectiveness during extreme source water quality events, alternative short-term adaptation options were evaluated. The resulting recommendations will allow a more proactive approach to applying operational interventions during impending events. The evaluation is also expected to guide long-term planning decisions related to infrastructure upgrades and alternative process selection. Reference: Nemani, K.S., S. Peldszus, P.M. Huck, 2023. ACS Environmental Science & Technology - Water, 3(5), 1305-1313.

The commissioning phase of any greenfield or brownfield project is typically the most stressful. Contractors, engineers, and owners need to come together to prove the system's functionality and safety before it is handed over to operations. While everyone involved typically has good intentions, conflicts can easily arise regarding design issues, scope of work, and expectations. Without proper planning and control of the work, this can lead a project to drastically slip in both schedule and budget. This presentation will focus on the commissioning of the automated control system and how it relates to other trades and stakeholders involved in the site. A case study from a complicated commissioning project for a new water treatment plant in Saskatchewan will be presented to point out the successes and the lessons learned. As part of the case study analysis, aspects of proper commissioning planning, testing requirements, contractor coordination, best practices, and documentation will all demonstrate how to avoid the common pitfalls of the start-up and testing phase. This information will shed light on the challenges faced by system integrators and how they can be overcome with proper planning and coordination. It will also demonstrate the proper testing strategies and steps to fully validate a complex control system so that operations can take it over with confidence.

Have you ever looked at (or designed/installed) an isolation gate and thought “Glad I wont be around when this needs replacing…” or “I wonder how much life is left in this gate…”. Or have you ever been asked to shutdown half your plant process capacity (Bioreactors and Clarifiers)? This presentation covers the City of Saskatoon's innovative approach to replacing 70 water control slide gates in both of their Bioreactor trains. The original gates were made of Aluminum and installed in 1995. In the 27 years of service they had developed significant corrosion, pinholing and material loss. The condition raised concerns of imminent failure, thus required replacement. The Bioreactors were never designed for complete bypass (instead intending to just bypass a set of cells at any given time for normal maintenance using the control gates) and thus the shutdown to replace all the gates created an operational challenge. The options varied from accelerating the construction of a third train, to temporary secondary treatment systems, to modifying existing infrastructure. The City ultimately did a series of 1 day shutdowns to install coffer dams and three additional slide gates in the Bioreactor Effluent channels which then allowed for a modified treatment process. One bioreactor train was fully drained for gate replacement while the other was operated with a significantly increased MLSS and the Bio effluent flow was then split through the new gates to all six of the plant secondary clarifiers. The process was repeated for the other bioreactor the following summer (due to construction issues). This allowed the plant to maintain acceptable nutrient removal throughout the replacement process without excessive costs or accelerating future capital expansion.

Matthew Sider,  WSP Canada Inc.
While sometimes controls and SCADA networks can seem complicated, they do not have to be. In remote regions such as the Yukon, NWT, Nunavut and Northern Alberta it is essential that operators have systems that are reliable, accessible and that stay running even when the power goes out. Come join the discussion about possible solutions that can keep you connected to your system and how that system can be best used to provide you with better operations of tomorrow.

In 2009, the Northwest Territories (NWT) Public Health Act made it mandatory to have certified operators in each water plant. The NWT has successful, skilled operators that provide safe drinking water within their communities. Since 2009, many water treatment plants have upgraded from a Small System to a Class I, or a Class I to a Class II with more complex treatment. The increased use of computer programming and more complex water treatment trains has meant that operators have a steeper learning curve to ensure safe, potable water within their community. Traditional certification exams have proven to be challenging for many operators, leaving them uncertified, often due to the test format or other barriers. Community water plant operators often find that certification exams do not reflect what they do in their water plants. Some operators take longer to learn, or learn differently, and the teaching style may need to be tweaked based on an individual operator's needs. The NWT has been re-assessing how to better support operators. Occupational Certification can support varied learning behaviours and styles (more hands-on learning and physical operator demonstration of their skills). In light of that, the NWT is now moving toward Occupational Certification. This program aims to focus largely on demonstrable aspects of water treatment, where operators can work with the Circuit Riders or a third party to demonstrate that they understand all functions of the water treatment train, chemical testing, on-site bacteria sampling (TC/EC) Colilert tests, and the math required for daily operation. Once an operator is confident in their skills, a third-party water treatment expert will assess them based on their knowledge and expertise within their own water plant. The goal is to get the best out of operators in smaller communities and increase their sense of pride and confidence in their work.

In the water and wastewater industry, finding solutions for equipment maintenance and service can be challenging. When dealing with clarifier equipment, one can consider several approaches to ensure optimal performance and longevity. For clarifier drives, there are three main options: rebuilding the existing unit, opting for a refurbished unit, or replacing it with a new one. When considering a rebuild, it's important to work with specialists who can restore the unit to its original specifications. Refurbished units offer a cost-effective alternative with a shorter delivery, providing a balance between new and old, while new units ensure the latest technology and reliability. Regarding aerator and mixer gearboxes, complete rebuilds or replacements are often necessary. This process involves not just repairing or replacing parts but also ensuring that the entire system functions seamlessly. When choosing a provider for this service, look for those with a wide range of experience across different brands. Parts availability is crucial in maintaining water and wastewater equipment. A robust inventory of new and used parts ensures quick replacements and repairs. When selecting parts, consider options that offer enhanced durability and corrosion resistance. For example, stainless steel clevises with nylon inserts can significantly reduce wear and tear in skimmer arms. On-site inspections and troubleshooting are essential services. It's beneficial to have experts who can perform comprehensive checks, regardless of the equipment's original manufacturer. This approach helps in early identification of potential issues, saving time and resources in the long run. Labor services in this field require specialized skills. Trained professionals who are licensed and insured can provide efficient, reliable, and prompt service. For comprehensive service needs in the water and wastewater industry, a one-stop approach can be effective. This involves partnering with a service provider that offers a range of solutions from equipment repair to part replacements and labor services, ensuring continuity and quality in maintenance and repair work.

This event is designed to connect, empower, and support women working in our water industry, providing a platform for sharing experiences, building professional relationships, and promoting gender diversity within the field.