This is part of a series of case studies on wastewater projects funded by the FCM's Green Municipal Fund. Each case study provides technical information, project details and tips on best practices.

Project overview

The City of Brockville, ON, upgraded its wastewater treatment facility to add secondary treatment using the conventional activated sludge process. The city also replaced the plant's chlorine disinfection system with an ultraviolet disinfection system.

The project team modified the facility to accommodate secondary treatment, improve control and monitoring, address existing shortfalls and make the facility more energy-efficient. The project improved control and monitoring with the addition of four automated sensors to monitor effluent turbidity, flow, pH and ammonia levels. The secondary treatment process includes energy-efficient technology and meets energy-efficiency standards of the LEED® rating system. 

Reasons for the project

• The facility was non-compliant with Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) regulations for five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) loading.

Innovative aspects of the project

• The project goes beyond regulatory requirements: the upgrades are designed to achieve much lower BOD and total suspended solids (TSS) and to reduce total phosphorous, fecal coliform counts and total ammonia.
• The building design meets energy-efficiency standards reflected in the LEED rating system.

Best practices and key lessons

The municipality's experience with this project demonstrates some best practices and key lessons that can inform similar projects.

Use integrated teams and processes

• The project team consulted operating staff directly and regularly throughout the preliminary detailed design process. Operating staff participated in site visits to view processes and equipment being evaluated. Their input helped to shape the project, and this fostered a sense of ownership.

Use effective communications and project management 

• The city emphasized good oversight and management, retaining a project management firm to lead the process. This allowed the city to implement the project successfully without hiring additional staff and to benefit from the expertise of a number of individuals at the project management firm.
• Clear lines of communication and active coordination of the diverse parties involved are essential to the successful management and delivery of projects.

View of secondary clarifiers, pump and UV disinfection system. (Credit: City of Brockville)

Project benefits

This project yielded a number of environmental, social and economic benefits. 

Environmental benefits

• Inclusion of renewable energy: The city installed a solar wall to heat the building.
• Improved wastewater quality: With the addition of secondary treatment, the plant now complies with MOECC standards. Four new automated sensors take measurements before and after secondary treatment, ensuring the quality of effluent (turbidity, flow, pH and ammonia levels) entering the St. Lawrence River.
• Reduced hazardous residuals: The city replaced the chlorine disinfection system with an ultraviolet system.
• Ecosystem protection: By improving the quality of the effluent discharged to the St. Lawrence River, the project promotes the health of the river, its wildlife and ecosystem.

Social benefits

• Improved public health: By improving the quality of the effluent discharged to the St. Lawrence River, the project promotes the health of Brockville residents and people living in neighbouring communities.
• Opportunities for recreational activities: By improving the quality of the effluent discharged to the St. Lawrence River, the project protects the health and safety of those who engage in recreational activities such as boating, swimming, fishing and scuba diving.
• Improved service delivery: With its expanded treatment capacity, the plant can better manage peak and excess loads for the residential, industrial, institutional and commercial premises it serves. With a new septage receiving facility, the community's septage can be treated locally.

Economic benefits

• Increased potential to attract new businesses: With added treatment capacity, the City of Brockville will be better able to serve current and future businesses.
• Increased potential to attract new residents: With added treatment capacity, the City of Brockville will be better able to serve a growing community. 
• More efficient operation: Four automated sensors measuring effluent quality (turbidity, flow, pH and ammonia levels) are integrated with the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system to adjust the treatment process automatically to ensure quality levels are met.

Project contact information

Conal Cosgrove
Director of Operations
City of Brockville, ON
T. 613-342-8772, ext. 8205

Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy

Transcript

In the City of Langley, BC, a new Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy has delivered $192 million in new construction and 850 new jobs. The first of its kind in the province, the strategy involves marketing sites to developers, working closely with them to expedite development approvals, and partnering on projects that fit with the city's vision.

Under the strategy, the city helps developers identify prime sites, clarifies how they were previously used, and also provides basic information about probable risks. A website and other communications tools explain the benefits, challenges, and options to reduce risks.

Langley is small city, only about 10 square kilometres, with few greenfield sites available. It has identified brownfield development as way to catalyze growth, attract employment, improve property values and increase the city's tax base. Site remediation will remove contaminants from soil and water, improving the quality of life for all residents.

Results

Challenges

• With few remaining greenfield sites, the city needs to attract investment and convince developers that brownfields are viable and potentially profitable.

Lessons learned

• Have a clear vision about future land use and don't be shy about marketing brownfield opportunities.
• Develop local champions who can facilitate communication and work with stakeholders to foster partnerships.
• Conduct market research to determine the demand for the projects you envision. Market research can help convince developers that opportunities are real and projects are viable.
• Develop an action plan that incorporates: innovative approaches to land-use planning; site remediation and financial incentives; a commitment to expedite approvals and to partner with developers; and information on new technologies that make clean-up easier and more economical.

Resources

• City of Langley Brownfield Webpage

Partners and Collaborators

• City of Langley
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Province of British Columbia Ministry of Environment
• Downtown Langley Business Association
• Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce

Project Contact

Gerald Minchuk
Director, Devel­opment Services and Eco­nomic Development
City of Langley, BC 
T. 604-514-2815

Groundwater Remediation Project — Emma Martin Park

Transcript

In a departure from the conventional "dig and dump" approach to contaminated soil, the City of Kingston, ON, chose an innovative underground filtering and cleaning technology to stop the flow of groundwater contaminants from Emma Martin Park into the Cataraqui River. The park's industrial past had left its soil and groundwater with elevated concentrations of soluble arsenic and other metals, posing a risk to the aquatic environment and Kingston's Inner Harbour.

The city worked closely with stakeholders to find a sustainable solution; taking an integrated approach to consultation, design and procurement. They selected an underground Zero-Valent Iron Permeable Reactive Barrier that captures contaminants as groundwater flows through porous treatment material. New pavement and a geosynthetic clay layer prevent rainwater absorption and slow the release of contaminants into groundwater. The city removed and disposed of some of the park's contaminated surface soil, targeting contamination "hot spots". A sustainable remediation process in other areas resulted in project costs nearly 40 per cent less than preliminary estimates for a conventional approach, and reduced the environmental impact of trucking and landfilling soil. On-site treatment also minimized disruption to park users.

Results

Challenges

• There was no standard process for consulting the city's Parks Department early in the planning stage. Additional and earlier consultation may have resulted in a more detailed park redesign, with greater value added to the project.
• Council had already approved the project when stakeholder consultation showed that the original dig and dump soil removal concept would be disruptive to park users. While this meant a change in plan, it may also have avoided long-term costs to pump and treat groundwater through a more conventional approach.

Lessons learned

• Involve relevant city departments early in the planning stages to ensure optimal design and outcomes.
• Consider a design-build procurement process that emphasizes project outcomes rather than a specific approach, and ask bidders to propose value-added solutions drawn from their expertise.
• Use an integrated project design approach and seek solutions that complement other aspects of municipal service.

Resources

• Emma Martin Park Project Profile: Innovative Groundwater Remediation
• The Sustainable Kingston Plan (Integrated Community Sustainability Plan)
• Sustainable Kingston

Partners and Collaborators

• Ontario Ministry of the Environment
• Cataraqui Canoe Club
• Transport Canada
• Utilities Kingston

Project Contact

Nathan Richard
Project Manager, Brownfields
City of Kingston, ON
T. 613-546-4291

Remediating the hundreds of hectares of former industrial lands on Toronto's waterfront will improve environmental health and reduce urban sprawl.

Waterfront Toronto is studying the latest on-site soil-washing technologies as it seeks ways to turn the contaminated soil from a liability into a resource. In a field test, two contractors processed approximately 20,000 cubic metres of soil on site in less than three months.

The cost per tonne was comparable to the traditional dig-and-dump approach, which involves trucking contaminated soil to a landfill. Not only does recycling keep contaminated soil out of landfills, it virtually eliminates dump truck traffic between the site and the landfill. This reduces damage to roadsand to the environment.

Results

Challenges

• Finding a way to remediate two million cubic metres of soil contaminated by more than 150 years of industrial activity
• Finding environmentally and economically suitable ways to remediate contaminated soil on site, rather than removing it to landfills and trucking in clean fill
• Testing soil-washing, a practice not yet permitted under Ontario regulations

Lessons learned

• Soil recycling is an affordable alternative to digging and dumping. Given its environmental and social benefits, governments should encourage it.
• Ontario environmental regulations should permit movement of contaminated soil in the waterfront area, and categorize recycled soil as safe rather than waste.
• On-site evaluations of similar soil-washing technologies led to more accurate comparisons.

Resources

• Soil recycling facility web page
• Information video

Partners and Collaborators

• Waterfront Toronto
• FCM's Green Municipal Fund
• City of Toronto
• Toronto Port Lands Authority
• Deme Environmental Contractors
• Tetra Tech Canada Construction
• The Cannington Group
• Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (now known as the Bloom Centre for Sustainability)
• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Project Contact

Raffi Bedrosyan, Director
Port Lands and Civil Infrastructure
Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation
T. 416-214-1479

As part of its green growth program, the City of Edmonton prepared a 10-year plan to clean up and redevelop 50 former gas stations.

The plan, overseen by five councillors and a brownfield coordinator, would provide grants of up to $200,000 toward the cost of conducting environmental assessments, removing contaminants and buried fuel tanks, and capping or converting the sites.

The gas station clean-up plan is expected to inspire redevelopment at other municipal brownfield sites. It will promote economic growth and make the city more livable.

Results

Challenges

• Enticing brownfield owners and developers to clean up and redevelop the sites.
• The red tape of the brownfield-grant approval process.
• The overlapping or conflicting requirements of various remediation and redevelopment programs.

Lessons learned

• Make brownfield clean-up and redevelopment grants easily accessible.
• Use city councillors. Property owners respond more quickly to calls from elected officials.
• Identify a single point of contact to help owners and developers navigate redevelopment programs.

Resources

• Miller Thomson Environmental Group

Partners and Collaborators

• City of Edmonton
• FCM's Green Municipal Fund

Project Contact

Barbara Daly 
Brownfield Coordinator
City of Edmonton, AB
T. 780-944-0316

Small Town Waste Reduction and Recycling

Transcript

The Town of Cape St. George, NL, is a leader among small rural municipalities with its comprehensive curbside recycling program and resourceful approach to reuse and composting. The town aims to reduce the overall waste tonnage shipped to landfill by 40 per cent (from 300 to 180 tonnes) and, through the program, has already achieved a 25 per cent reduction.

Created primarily to minimize waste transportation costs, the program is helping the town adjust to provincial changes that will consolidate many local dumps into two regional landfills fed by a number of transfer stations. Once a week, the town's newly acquired recycling truck picks up garbage, recyclables and kitchen waste in separate bags. Recyclables go to the local recycling centre (built with support from the federal Gas Tax Fund) and are shipped to the regional recycling facility. The town also runs a community composting program.

Cape St. George has learned that innovation can maximize efficiency and create added benefits. For example, tin cans are crushed along with scrapped cars and sent to the steel mills, freeing up space at the recycling facility. Styrofoam packaging is shredded and used to insulate water pipelines, and proceeds from recycled beverage containers supports local school breakfast programs.

Results

Challenges

• Although 25-30 per cent of the waste stream is compostable, diverting all of it for composting requires additional infrastructure. The town currently uses a Cornell hot box system that works well only in the summer. Year-round composting could only be achieved by scaling the system to the regional level, which the town is exploring.
• The province limits recycling to bottles and jars that contained liquids, so the town has nowhere to send many of its glass containers.
• Loading the recycling truck takes only four hours a week; a part-time job that is difficult to staff.

Lessons learned

• Be flexible and willing to make changes as the strategy is implemented. The town originally planned to pick up garbage and recycling on alternate weeks, but switched to weekly pick-up for both to accommodate residents.
• Work with the community to implement common-sense solutions rather than wait for advice from consultants.
• Keep the community informed with an initial communications strategy, followed by periodic reminders.
• Consider expanding municipal staff duties to include waste collection, rather than hiring new staff or privatizing the service.
• Engage schools at every opportunity.

Resources

• Reducing Waste in Cape St. George
• Newfoundland and Labrador Waste Management Strategy

Partners and Collaborators

• Our Lady of the Cape School
• École Notre-Dame-du-Cap
• Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Advanced Education and Skills
• Multi Materials Stewardship Board

Project Contact

Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity Programs

Transcript

A recognized leader in sustainable water management, the Town of Okotoks, AB, has achieved one of the lowest per capita gross water consumption rates in North America through implementing its Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity (CEP) Plan. First developed in 2002, the evolving plan features a diverse suite of conservation and efficiency programs in five key areas: regulatory tools; financial tools; utility infrastructure and operation; education and outreach; and partnerships and collaboration.

Supply-side and demand-management measures in each area cover the full cycle of water use. These include indoor water conservation measures; an extensive rebate program; a 12-inch topsoil bylaw to ensure greater water retention; commercial development standards to reduce outdoor water use; consumption-based utility rates; and an advanced leak detection system. Through the innovative Conservation Educator Program, educators visit residents door-to-door during the summer months to discuss strategies for reducing water use.

With support from FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF 392) in 2002, the town equipped its state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility with a composting system that eliminates sludge from the treatment process and returns high-quality effluent to the Sheep River. 

Results

Challenges

• When drafting the bylaw requiring 12 inches of topsoil for residential lots, the town did not consult thoroughly with builders on requirements and process. This led to confusion and poor compliance — until the town revised the bylaw.
• Once they receive additional topsoil, residents do not always landscape their yards within 12 months, as the bylaw requires.
• When preparing updates for a 2014 Water CEP Plan, the town discovered that residents and developers had reached a saturation point for change.

Lessons learned

• Implement a universal metering program for the residential, commercial and industrial sectors to monitor water consumption and track trends.
• Develop an ongoing community education plan to ensure participation in water conservation programs.
• Give the community time to adapt to change, especially when introducing multiple environmental initiatives in different areas.

Sponsor

• Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)

Resources

• Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
• Alberta Municipal Affairs
• Alberta Health
• Alberta Urban Municipalities Association
• Town of Black Diamond
• Town of Turner Valley
• Municipal District of Foothills No.31
• Bow River Basin Council
• EPCOR Water Services Inc.
• Alberta Water Council
• University of Calgary 
• Worley Parsons
• Tristar Communities

Project Contact

Community Climate Action Strategy

Transcript

The City of Surrey, BC, has developed a Community Climate Action Strategy (CCAS) designed to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. First is the Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP), Surrey's blueprint for actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve air quality and decrease energy consumption. Surrey aims to reduce community-generated GHG emissions 33 per cent by 2020, and 80 per cent by 2050, relative to 2009 levels. The second component is the Climate Adaptation Strategy, which lays the foundation for responding to climate change over the coming decades; addressing potential impacts on flood management, ecosystems, food security, health and safety. Key elements of the CCAS will be integrated into the city's Enterprise Risk Management framework, ensuring that plans accounts for climate risks, and that progress is reported.

Together, the plans should reduce energy bills and foster economic activity and employment opportunities. They will also help support the local food and agriculture sector, and improve public health and emergency preparedness.

Approved by city council in November 2013, the CCAS was developed with support from FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF 11040).

Results

Challenges

• Simultaneously developing two large plans demanded significant staff input and coordination with consultants and stakeholders.
• An online community engagement platform for soliciting citizen input would have been available earlier in the process. 

Lessons learned

• Outcome modeling was critical to the process, but it was technical and occasionally difficult to explain. Simple graphics helped to communicate the results and explain the environmental implications of different policy choices.
• Integrating mitigation and adaptation strategies can maximize common benefits, reduce conflicts and trade-offs and coordinate climate-related efforts.
• Focusing on interdepartmental collaboration from the outset builds ownership, and prompts departments to take the lead on implementation.
• Using existing indicators in performance measures can create economies of scale and make for more effective implementation.

Resources

• Surrey Sustainability Charter
• Surrey Sustainability and Energy webpage

Partners and Collaborators

• BC Hydro
• FortisBC
• Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
• BC Housing
• TransLink
• Metro Vancouver
• Surrey School Board
• LiveSmart BC
• ICLEI

Project Contact

Anna Mathewson
Manager, Sustainability
City of Surrey, BC
T. 604-598-583

Solid Waste Action Plan Implementation

Transcript

The City of Whitehorse, YK, is taking the lead among northern communities with a Solid Waste Action Plan that aims to divert at least half of its solid waste from landfill by 2015 and achieve zero waste by 2040.

The city has collected organics from single-family homes for over a decade, but more than 90 per cent of its waste comes from the rapidly growing commercial sector. The action plan focuses on commercial, institutional and construction waste and prioritizes high-volume materials from high-volume producers. City staff members are working one-on-one with businesses to help them implement customized waste diversion plans. 

The city has changed its bylaws to help divert cardboard, wood and organics from landfill; and is also doubling its composting capacity. Stricter enforcement at landfill and higher tipping fees for certain items also encourage diversion. Implementing the plan will allow the city to cut waste processing costs, reduce soil and water contaminants, increase soil and compost production, and delay the costly development a new landfill site.

Results

Challenges

• Hiring new staff for program implementation and enforcement took longer than expected.
• Administrative and legislative changes must be made before operations begin. For example, the city had to update the fees and charges bylaw to offer the new organics program.
• Building public-private partnerships is challenging: businesses range from mom-and-pop shops to huge enterprises, with wide-ranging goals and resources.

Lessons learned

• Get council support early: political commitment is essential, especially in a small community.
• Use innovative, ongoing communications to keep partners informed and engaged.
• Ensure that waste management costs are paid by the users. With a user-pay system, high-volume waste producers pay more.
• Target your public engagement — hold sector-by-sector meetings, followed by community-wide consultations.
• Determine sector-specific requirements (bin sizes, space issues, waste volume and collection frequency) and schedule service groupings to control costs and streamline processes.

Resources