WC128 JanFeb2023 - Magazine - Page 32
STUDENT SCIENCE
”Water quality is typically linked to watershed
disturbances and shifts, typical design considerations are being
pushed beyond their limits after severe disturbances.“
Everyday Innovation
Can biofiltration address climate change
exacerbated threats to drinking water treatment?
BY EMMA A. J. BLACKBURN AND MONICA B. EMELKO
C
Emma A.J. Blackburn
Emma A.J. Blackburn is a PhD student in
the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at the University of Waterloo,
where her research is focused on
biofiltration technologies for treatment
resilience and climate change adaptation.
Monica B. Emelko
Monica B. Emelko is a professor of Civil and
Environmental Engineering and Canada
Research Chair in Water Science, Technology
& Policy at the University of Waterloo, where
she also serves as the associate director of
the Waterloo Climate Institute.
32
LIMATE CHANGE-EXACERBATED landscape disturbances and pressures are increasingly challenging the water
industry globally. Not only do floods, droughts, and wildfires threaten water supply and stormwater management,
they can also pose significant challenges to drinking water
treatment processes. Drinking water treatment plants are designed
for a wide range of source water quality conditions, but as water
quality is typically linked to watershed disturbances and shifts,
typical design considerations are being pushed beyond their limits
after severe disturbances.
Plants that are equipped with conventional drinking water
treatment technologies can experience increased costs and supply
interruptions as a result of water quality changes after watershed
disturbances. Increases in concentration and change in character of
natural organic matter (NOM), which is often episodically altered
in source water after disturbance in wildland watersheds, can
cause increased coagulant demand. Rapid fluctuations in source
water NOM can be especially challenging for treatment operations
because coagulant doses may need frequent adjustment. Coagulant
dosing is time consuming to optimize and changing source water
quality conditions may quickly render identified doses sub-optimal. Inadequate coagulation can then have cascading effects on
downstream treatment, potentially compromising the provision of
adequate amounts of safe drinking water, which can have public
health implications if sustained for periods of days or longer. These
challenges highlight the urgent need for treatment solutions that
are resilient to source water quality changes and operationally
appropriate for the communities they serve.
WATER C AN ADA • JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2023
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
