Southern Ontario to see pilot water and wastewater facilities built
August 29, 2011
By
Canadian Consulting Engineer
The Southern Ontario Water Consortium has received $60 million in funding to develop water and wastewater technologies in southern Ontario. On August 23, at the 2011 Association of Municipalities of Ontario Annual Conference, Gary Goodyear,...
The Southern Ontario Water Consortium has received $60 million in funding to develop water and wastewater technologies in southern Ontario. On August 23, at the 2011 Association of Municipalities of Ontario Annual Conference, Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced FedDev would provide $20 million to consortium. IBM Canada has also contributed $20 million, and the rest of the funding is coming from the participating universities and private-sector partners.
Through the consortium, universities, private sector companies, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations will work together to develop and pilot water technologies. The consortium will include five research nodes: wastewater treatment, drinking water testing and development, ecotoxicological analysis, watershed management, and sensor development.
The consortium is being led by the University of Waterloo and includes the University of Guelph, the University of Western Ontario, Wilfrid Laurier University, McMaster University, the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
The wastewater research node will be located in Guelph. A facility to house pilot-scale treatment systems will be constructed at the City of Guelph’s Wastewater Treatment Plant as part of the initiative. As well, there will be new pilot-scale equipment and analytical capabilities in laboratories on the university’s campus.
Other facilities will be built in the Grand River watershed, the Mimico Creek sub-watershed near Toronto, and the Greenway Wastewater Treatment Centre in London. A mobile facility that will also be deployed across different watersheds as needed.
A Toronto-based computation and data facility – funded by the IBM contribution – will participate in the analysis, storage and distribution of the collected data.
Kevin Hall, the University of Guelph’s vice-president, a civil engineer and water expert, said: “Industry will have access to the latest academic discoveries and innovations, and scientists can connect with municipal and provincial water authorities and technology developers to better understand their needs and priorities.”
FedDev Ontario was created as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan to support businesses and communities in southern Ontario to allow the region to compete globally.
