Volume 13, Issue 1 - Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association

SITE 

treatment • technology • innovation • reuse • recycle 

O n t a r i o O n s i t e W a s t e w a t e r A s s o c i a t i o n N e w s l e t t e r 

APRIL 15 TO 17, 2012 OOWA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION, DEEHURST RESORT, HUNTSVILLE, ON 

OntarioOnsite 

WastewaterAssociation 

Volume 13 

Issue 1 

Spring 2012 

Conference Edition 

Teaming-up for a High Strength Challenge 

by Matthew Rainville, C.E.T. 

When a long-standing, local Ottawa pub 

proposed an expansion of their existing 

kitchen facility in 2009, the requirement of 

having the existing septic system assessed arose, and 

ultimately so did the beginning of a challenging project. 

The pub was serviced by an existing septic system 

that was installed as a replacement system in 1998, and 

had been designed for a peak daily sewage flow of 

4,500 litres. The system consisted of a 9000 litre septic 

tank, a 2,700 litre grease interceptor, a pump chamber, 

and a fully raised Class 4 Filter Media leaching bed 

composed of two cells and an imported sand mantle. 

Houle Chevrier Engineering Ltd. (HCEL) had been 

retained by the developer to provide geotechnical 

consultation services as part of the kitchen expansion. 

Following the request by the local Chief Building Official 

(CBO) to have the existing septic system assessed, HCEL 

was retained to provide this additional service. The 

assessment included a review of available 

documentation, a physical assessment of the system, 

sampling and analysis of the wastewater being 

generated at the facility, and the implementation of 

water usage monitoring. 

An inspection of the existing system found the 

leaching bed to be displaying signs of distress, including 

an elevated effluent level and “biomat” accumulation 

within the filter media. Following a short period of water 

usage monitoring, it was estimated that the average daily 

and peak sewage flows were 4,000 litres and 7,500 litres, 

respectively, which represented an increase from the 

design flow that was based on monitoring data gathered 

in 1998. The results of two initial rounds of wastewater 

sampling and analysis determined elevated 

concentrations of a BOD (±1,300 mg/L); total suspended 

solids (TSS) (± 150 mg/L); and fat, oil and grease 

(FOG) (± 70 mg/L). 

continued on page 10 …

2 

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13 th Annual Onsite Wastewater Conference & Exhibition 

OOWA President’s Outgoing Message by Eric Gunnell, P.Eng., President, OOWA 

It has been my pleasure to have acted as your 

association president for the past two years. It has been 

exciting times, with tremendous interest in OOWA as a 

result of our initiatives and outreach activities. 

As the voice of the onsite sewage industry in Ontario, 

we are working close with the MMAH and MOE in a 

number of areas, as well as working with municipalities to 

help build their Part 8 sewage programs. We have voiced 

our strong opinions on the proposed code changes, that 

are anticipated to be included in the new OBC. 

Our membership has sky-rocketed to almost 600, and 

last year we had our most successful conference ever. In 

discussion today with a local CBO who is in the forefront of 

the septic re-inspection program as part of the Lake 

Simcoe Protection Plan, she noted that last year was her 

first conference and said it was truly fantastic. 

Our educational sessions have been a large success, 

including CVOR, BNQ, regional meetings, and the 

Welcome to conference. I truly hope that your 

experience is informative and beneficial and that 

you can take something back with you that will 

strengthen and enhance your business. Your Board of 

Directors has many irons in the fire and we will continue to 

work to strengthen our organization. I would like to thank all 

of the committees and volunteers for their unselfish 

commitment of time and resources. Our focus in 2012 will 

be to meet our Core Objectives, enhance our education and 

training program (RPP) and grow our membership through 

new programs and improved member benefits. 

OOWA members continue to strengthen and contour the 

industry through their role as important stewards of the 

environment. We play an important part in the ever-changing 

OBC Part 8 course. If you have not already done so, please 

visit our website to explore the benefits of our Registered 

Professional Program. Be sure to check out the new OOWA 

insurance program, which has increased coverage and 

lowered costs for many of our members. 

I want to thank all of our board members and 

volunteers who have given countless hours to the benefit 

of the association. Please get involved, as the continued 

success of OOWA depends on your involvement. 

I would like to welcome our incoming president, 

Don Krauss, and the new board of directors. I will continue 

to work on the OOWA board as past president, and as 

always, would welcome any comments or feedback you 

may have. I wish everyone well in their business ventures. 

Now, with greater recognition and advancement of onsite 

sewage systems as long term infrastructure, OOWA will 

continue to provide benefits for all members. Have a great 

conference and look forward to talking with you. 

OOWA Incoming President’s Message by Don Krauss 

Inside 

4 Conference Schedule 

6 Conference Speakers 

11 Onsite Solution Supports Rural 

Economic Development 

13 New Technology for OWTS 

WATERCLEAN 

18 Braemar Valley Trailer Park 

20 OrencoSystems® Case Study 

22 Innovative Approaches 

for Surface Discharge of Treated 

Effluent from Decentralized 

Wastewater Treatment Systems 

Volume 13/Issue 1 

Spring 2012 | Conference Edition 

24 A Lesson from Elementary School 

Solves a Business Problem 

25 How Does the Modernization of 

MOE Approvals Affect you? 

26 Onsite Water Reuse: New 

Opportunities and Standards 

Wastewater Treatment 

Technologies 

32 Program and Courses 

process of regulatory and market advancements. You are key 

players in positive change, drive improvements to products 

and services and play a part in rural land use planning. It is 

increasingly important to be a part of that change and our 

members know that. Membership is growing and together we 

represent all segments of the industry. I encourage (and 

challenge) all members to reach out to others and help grow 

our organization. Our industry depends on it. 

Please join me in welcoming our new Board of Directors. 

Take time to meet all of the Board during the conference and 

introduce yourself, discuss and network. I am looking forward 

to serving you as your President and meeting you during the 

conference and throughout the year. 

Onsite 

Ontario Onsite Wastewater 

Association Newsletter 

To submit an article or 

place an advertisement 

contact Denis Orendt at 

denis.orendt@oowa.org 

The opinions expressed in this 

newsletter by contributing 

authors are not necessarily the 

opinions of OOWA’s Board of 

Directors or the Association. 



Visit us at www.oowa.org 

3

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ConferenceSchedule 

13 th Annual Onsite Wastewater 

Conference & Exhibition 

The Future of Onsite Wastewater Treatment in Ontario 

Sunday April 15, 2011 

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m..........Exhibitors Set up 

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m..........Board of Directors Meeting — Conference Review 

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ...........Registration Desk Opens 

Manufacturer Seminars 

Waterhouse 1 Waterhouse 2 Waterhouse 3 

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Makeway Environmental SeptiGuard Insurance 

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Premier Tech Aqua Waterloo Biofilter Group Health Benefits 

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. RH20 North America Orenco Green Turtle Technology 

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Septic Store — Puraflo Systems Infiltrator Great Lakes Clean Water 

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. AGM Reception —Exhibit Area 

Monday April 16, 2011 Main Sessions Peninsula Room 

7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m............Breakfast 

8:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m............Opening Remarks — Brian Howden, Conference Chairman 

Board of Directors Announcement — Eric Gunnell, OOWA Past President 

8:20 a.m. to 8:25 a.m............Welcome from Huntsville Mayor Claude Doughty 

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m............Keynote Speaker: Michael Hoover, NC State University 

Decentralized Water Reuse Systems as Strategic, Non-potable, Water Supplies 

9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m..........The Evolution & Future of Onsite Wastewater Treatment — Henri Ouellet, President, Premier Tech Aqua 

10:15 a.m. to 10:50 a.m..........Coffee Break — Exhibit Area 

10:50 a.m. to 11:55 a.m..........PANEL DISCUSSION Regulatory Discrepancies in Ontario — Rob Passmore 

11:55 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. ...........Networking Lunch — Exhibit Area 

1:20 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. ...........Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing — James Douglas, Manager MMAH 

2:05 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. ...........Decentralized Wastewater Servicing — A Financial Alternative to Big Pipe — Al Perks, RV Anderson 

2:40 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. ...........Coffee Break — Exhibit Area 

3:10 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ...........Proposed Changes to the Approvals Process: What This Means to You — Pinchin Environmental 

3:45 p.m to 4:20 p.m. ...........The Value$$ and Responsibility of Maintenance — Rick Esselment, ESSE Environmental 

Breakout Sessions Waterhouse 1 

9:30 a..m to 10:15 a.m..........Succession Planning for your Business — Michael Lobraico, President NCI Solutions 


10:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m..........Marketing & the Web: Get on Line Fast, Cheap & Good — Mark Levens & Kent Peel, Seneca College 

11:55 a.m to 1:20 p.m. ...........Networking Lunch — Exhibit Area 

1:30 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. ...........IHSA — Electrical Safety — Ian Reese 

2:05 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. ...........Meth Labs/Grow Ops their Effect on Onsite Systems — Carla Crockett, Special Investigations, CBO 

2:40 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. ...........Coffee Break — Exhibit Area 

3:10 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ...........Effluent Dispersal in Natural Soils — Craig Jowett, Waterloo Biofilter 

3:45 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. ...........The Value$$ and Responsibility of Maintenance — Rick Esselment, ESSE Environmental" 

3:45 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. ...........Aggregate Policies and the Onsite Industry — Stuart Thatcher, Senior Policy/Program Advisor, Aggregates 

4:20 p.m. to 4:55 p.m. ...........The New CSA National Onsite Code — Lessons for Ontario — Doug Joy, University of Guelph 

4:55 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ...........Closing Day 1 — Don Krauss, New OOWA President 

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ...........Pre Banquet Reception 

7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ...........OOWA Banquet with Entertainment


ConferenceSchedule 

Tuesday April 17, 2011 Main Sessions Peninsula Room 

7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m............Breakfast 

8:00 a.m. to 8:20 a.m............Opening Remarks — Announcements — Don Krauss, OOWA President 

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m............Making a Difference In Water — David Henderson, Managing Director — XPV Capital 

9:30 a.m. to 10:05 a.m..........MOE Approvals Branch Update — Doris Dumais, Director 


10:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m..........Panel Discussion Who should Design, Who's Qualified to Reinspect? — Terry Davidson 


1:10 p.m. to 1:45 p.m ............Tiny Township Septage Study — Burnside Engineering, Anne Egan 

1:45 p.m. to 2:20 p.m ............Installers & Inspectors: what you need to know — Doug Vergunst 

2:20 p.m. to 2:45 p.m ............Coffee Break — Soft Drink Break — Exhibit Area 

2:45 p.m. to 3:20 p.m ............Phosphorus Reduction Strategies — Roger LaCasse, Premier Tech Aqua 

3:20 p.m. to 3:55 p.m ............Water is Changing and so is the Onsite Business — Roddy Bolivar, Bolivar Phillips 

3:55 p.m. to 4:00 p.m ............Closing Day 2 — Brian Howden, Conference Chairman 

Breakout Sessions Waterhouse 1 

10:50 a.m. to 11:25 a.m..........Health & Safety Session — Ingrid Kalnins, PSHSA 

11:25 a.m. to 11:55 a.m..........WSIB — New updates for Business Owners — Christine Arnott 


1:10 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. ...........BNQ and Changes for the Ontario Building Cod — Jim Ferrar, BNQ 

1:45 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. ...........Lake Simcoe Reinspection — A Year Later— Cindy Hood, MOE 

2:20 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. ...........Coffee Break — Soft Drink Break — Exhibit Area 

2:45 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. ...........Nitrate Impact: Case Study — Rob Passmore 

Wednesday April 18, 2011 

OOWA Registered Professional Program Seminars 

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. .........Advanced Design of Onsite Sewage Treatment Systems 

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. .........Pumps, Dosing & Controls? 

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ...........Lunch Break 

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ...........Advanced Design of Onsite Sewage Treatment Systems 

2011-2012 

OOWA 

Board of Directors 

Participants will receive credit towards the OOWA Registered Professional Program 

• Anthony Acchione 

anthony@acchionebrothers.com 

• Marie Christine Belanger 

belm2@premiertech.com 

• Sandy Bos 

sbos@muskokalakes.ca 

• Jerry Bruce 

jerrybruce@rogers.com 

• Terry Davidson Treasurer 

terry.davidson@rvca.ca 

• John Doner 

john@waterloo-biofilter.com 

• Eric Draper 

tssericdraper@gmail.com 

• Rick Esselment 

rick@esse-environmental.com 

• David Finch 

dlgfinch@cogeco.net 

• Eric Gunnell Past President 

eric@septicdesign.ca 

• Brian Howden 

brianhowden@sympatico.ca 

• Don Krauss President 

dkrauss@infiltratorsystems.net 

• Rob Palin 

robertp@nbmca.on.ca 

• Rob Passmore 

rpassmore@patersongroup.com 

• Doug Vergunst 

dvergunst@nwhu.on.ca 

5

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ConferenceSpeakers 

Keynote Speakers 

Mike Hoover, PhD 

Professor and Soils Extension Specialist, 

Soil Science Department, College of 

Agriculture and Life Sciences, North 

Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 

Dr. Mike Hoover has worked as a 

researcher, teacher and decentralized wastewater expert for 

the past 39 years at Penn State University (Agronomy Dept.), 

the University of Cincinnati (Civil and Environmental 

Engineering Dept.) and North Carolina State University (Soil 

Science Dept.) where he presently serves as Professor of 

Soil Science. He is an author of 100+ publications in on-site 

wastewater technology function and performance, 

environmental and health impacts of these systems and 

management approaches to minimize those impacts. 

Mike is chair of the NSF International Wastewater 

Technology Joint Committee that develops American National 

Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for wastewater systems, 

including the newly adopted ANSI/NSF Standard 350 for 

decentralized wastewater and greywater reuse as well as the 

companion NSF/ANSI 350-1 for greywater subsurface 

irrigation. He has been a member for 13 years of the NSF 

International Council of Public Health Consultants, a member 

of the CDC (Atlanta) 35-member International Expert Panel on 

Healthy Housing, and past program chair of the ASABE 

National Symposium for Single Family and Small Community 

Wastewater Systems and past chair of the Consortium of 

Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment. 

Conference Speakers 

Roddy G. Bolivar, P.Eng. — Roddy 

commenced his career in North Bay including 

planning and designing onsite solutions for 

new development and remediation projects 

(and while he never understood why North 

Bay was classified as Northern Ontario, the high subsidy level 

of the MOE Direct Grant community well and septic 

remediation program in Northern Ontario in the early 1990s 

kept him busy.) For the past fifteen years, he has focused on 

applying his design experience to the early stages of water 

resource planning including how to advance innovative onsite 

solutions to land development and environmental protection. 

At the City of Ottawa for eight years following amalgamation 

he was responsible for the development of new rural servicing 

policies including promoting onsite and decentralized servicing 

as a permanent wastewater solution. In 2008 Roddy formed 

Bolivar~Phillips combining his private experience and his 

municipal government experience. He now advises municipal 

governments on better practices and innovation across all 

aspects of water resource management including onsite 

servicing. He also works with land developers and onsite 

service providers to help align business practices with the 

opportunities which are arising from rapidly changing attitudes 

toward the value of water. Roddy has previously presented to 

the Conference on the topic of Municipal Responsibility 

Agreements and in 2010 he assisted OOWA in preparing input 

to the Provincial Policy Statement review process. 

David Henderson 

Managing Director, 

XPV Capital Corporation 

David is the founder and Managing 

Director of XPV Capital Corporation, one 

of the largest firms in the world solely 

dedicated to investing in high growth water companies. At 

XPV, David focuses on identifying and investing in companies 

capitalizing on the significant opportunities created by the 

“new water economy” — a concept he developed. He is a 

respected speaker and expert contributor in the area of 

water technology and investing. Some of the organizations 

David has worked with include: Milken Institute, Global Water 

Intelligence, Globe, Canada Water, WaterCAMPWS, The 

Governments of Ontario and Canada, Empire Club of 

Canada, Globe, InterAction Council, Singapore International 

Water Week, UCLA, MIT, Red Herring, Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA), The China Business Review, The 

China Green Technology Initiative, Cleantech Group, 

Brookings Institute and LUX Research. 

Terry Davidson, P.Eng. — Terry is the 

Director of Regulations at the Ottawa Septic 

System Office located at the Rideau Valley 

Conservation Authority in Manotick, Ontario. 

The Ottawa Septic System Office has been 

delivering the septic approvals program since 1995 in the 

City of Ottawa, and expanded to the Tay Valley Township in 

2004. His responsibilities include managing inspection and 

approvals of all on-site wastewater systems in the City of 

Ottawa and Tay Valley Township. Mr. Davidson has also been 

instrumental in implementing and delivering a septic 

reinspection program in his jurisdiction. Mr. Davidson has 

been on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Onsite 

Wastewater Association since its inception in 1999. He also 

coordinates and teaches onsite wastewater treatment 

courses offered through the Ontario Rural Wastewater 

Centre in Eastern Ontario. 

Anne Egan, M.Sc. (Eng.), P.Eng. — Anne is 

responsible for the Onsite Wastewater Group 

at R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited, and is 

involved primarily in wastewater system 

design for Burnside’s private sector, public 

sector, and First Nations clients. Her experience includes all 

aspects of sewage system design, including collection and 

conveyance, various types of treatment, and disposal 

systems for subsurface and surface discharge of treated



effluent. Ms. Egan is involved in all project phases, from 

planning level studies to conceptual design, detail design, 

procurement of approvals, and construction, for residential, 

institutional, commercial and recreational land uses. 

Rick Esselment — Rick is the President and 

Founder of ESSE, an environmental health 

management company providing operation, 

maintenance, design and management services 

for drinking water and wastewater treatment 

systems in Ontario. He has a BSc. in microbiology, a BASc in 

Environmental Health and a Post-Graduate Diploma in 

Occupational Health and Safety. Rick is a certified public health 

inspector, and former building official and Provincial Offenses 

Officer. He serves on the OOWA Board of Directors and is 

presently the Chair of the Government Relations Committee. 

Rick is a strong advocate for protecting environmental public 

health in rural Ontario, through sustainable decentralized 

wastewater management and source water protection. 

Jim Ferrero, Eng — Jim grew up in Alberta, 

graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the 

University of Alberta. He went east, learned 

French and for many years worked in the 

manufacturing of electrical distribution 

equipment, mainly in the Montréal area, before joining BNQ in 

Québec City as a Standards Development Coordinator. He has 

been involved in standards for electrical equipment, various 

services, hockey equipment, hydrogen technologies and, since 

2005, onsite residential wastewater treatment systems. He is 

responsible for the onsite standard used in Québec and the 

National Standard of Canada published in 2009. 

Trish Johnson, BA, MA — Trish is a project 

manager and senior environmental consultant 

with RVA. Over the past 25 years, she has 

worked in public, private, and non-profit 

environmental management. Her specialties 

include environmental strategies, policy and program 

development for all levels of government. She has managed 

environmental assessments for water, wastewater and solid 

waste projects and serves as a strategic advisor for two 

municipalities. Before joining RVA, Trish was with the Regional 

Municipality of Ottawa Carleton/City of Ottawa for 13 years 

where she was a program manager for water and solid waste 

divisions. She led all the waste diversion programs and 

operations of the Trail Waste Facility Landfill. Since early 2005, 

she has been the Municipal Representative for the Canadian 

Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) with a mandate to assist 

municipalities keep plastics out of landfill and provide strategic 

policy advice in waste division. Trish was involved with Indian 

and Northern Affairs in providing policy developmentand 

project oversight for INAC’s National Assessment of 607 First 

Nation communities’ water and wastewater systems. 

Doug Joy — Doug is the Director of the Ontario 

Rural Wastewater Centre located in Guelph, 

Alfred and Baxter, Ontario. The Centre began in 

March 1998 as a joint effort between members 

of the University of Guelph and the Rideau Valley 

Conservation Authority and conducts research and workshops 

on on-site systems across the province. With over 60 workshop 

days per year and approximately 500 participants per year, the 

ORWC provides training across a wide spectrum of the onsite 

industry. He is currently a faculty member and Associate 

Director, Graduate studies in the School of Engineering where he 

teaches water resources and environmental engineering 

courses. His research focus in recent years has been the 

performance of onsite systems and their impact on the 

environment. He has served on and chaired both provincial and 

national committees developing standards for onsite systems 

and is a founding member of OOWA and former president. 

Craig Jowett, Ph.D., P.Eng., President, 

Waterloo Biofilter Systems Inc.— Craig is a 

geological engineer from the University of 

Toronto and worked in the mining industry 

across Canada including the Arctic Islands, 

central Europe and southwestern US. After his Ph.D. in geologygeophysics 

at Toronto, he was a NATO Science Fellow at 

University of Michigan and Cornell University, and Research 

Professor at University of Waterloo. Craig is now president of 

the Ontario manufacturing company Waterloo Biofilter Systems 

incorporated in 1995. He developed and commercialized the 

absorbent-medium trickle filter and the Shallow Area Bed dispersal 

bed for tight clay soils. Newer developments are (a) the laminarflow 

WaterTube septic tank for improved effluent quality and lower 

pump-out frequency, (b) the WaterNOx asphyxiant nitrate removal 

technology being demonstrated in the Green Schools Pilot Initiative, 

and (c) residential-scale phosphorus removal technology. Craig 

was on the design team for the Toronto “Healthy House” 

reclaimed wastewater system sponsored by CMHC, which is 

now installed in truck stops and residences to reduce water 

usage and reduce nitrogen discharge. He holds more than 

20 US and Canadian patents in the area of sewage treatment, 

sits on several CSA & BNQ standards committees, and is the 

author of numerous peer-reviewed articles in the geology and 

sewage treatment fields. 

Roger Lacasse — Roger is Vice-President 

Research and Development at Premier Tech 

Aqua, a company that specializes in 

decentralized wastewater treatment. Roger is a 

professional engineer with a master’s degree in 

hydraulic civil engineering from Sherbrooke University in 

Canada. He has more than 30 years of experience in hydrology 

and in water and wastewater treatment for a wide range of 

system sizes and design flows. Since 1997, his work has 

focused on development of different wastewater treatment 

technologies (onsite, cluster and commercial systems) 

applicable to decentralized market, and on development of 

new standard by an active participation to different 

Subcommittees related to the NQ 3680-910 Standard in Quebec 

and CAN/BNQ 3680-600 Standard in Canada. Actually, he is 

member of the technical committees preparing a new 

Canadian standard: “CSA B65 Technical Committee on 

Decentralized Wastewater Systems.” 

continued on page 8 … 

7

8 



Mark Leavens, B.A., A.I.M.A.— Mark is 

a graduate of the University of Western 

Ontario and formerly with MPAC, Mark is a 

professor and program coordinator at Seneca 

College in Toronto in the Real Property 

Administration and Municipal Administration programs. Mark 

has been a featured speaker at conferences and learning 

events for different professional organizations across 

Canada and in China. He is a contributor to Canadian Real 

Estate magazine and appears regularly on HGTV’s Income 

Property TV show. 

Michael Lobraico — Michael is a sought 

after International speaker and facilitator who 

brings his insights to audiences of family 

business members and their advisors. As a 

subject matter expert on families in business 

Michael has regularly participates in television interviews as 

well as being quoted and interviewed in national and local 

publications including the Globe & Mail. 

Having grown up in a third generation family business, 

Michael has first hand knowledge of the family dynamic. 

Working with his siblings through to eventually owning and 

selling the family business, is the experience that ensures his 

stories are credible and that his audiences quickly establish 

a connection to their own experiences. Michael is also a past 

National President of the Canadian Association of Family 

Enterprise, the largest organization of family business in 

North America. 

Lynne Maclennan — Lynne is a Senior 

Project Manager with the Emission 

Reduction & Compliance group at Pinchin 

Environmental. She has worked in the 

wastewater treatment field for 20 years and 

has a background in municipal and industrial wastewater 

process engineering. Lynne has worked with the MOE on a 

review of treatment options for septage, sampling protocols 

for NASMs and also water reuse for municipal wastewater 

treatment systems. She also worked on a study of remote 

monitoring systems for decentralized wastewater treatment 

facilities for the Water Environment Research Foundation. In 

addition, she was involved in a review of best practices for 

hauled wastewater management for the City of Hamilton. 

Henri Ouellet, President, Environmental 

Technologies Group, Premier Tech. — 

M. Ouellet completed in 1988 a bachelor's 

degree in Industrial Engineering from the 

École Polytechnique, Montréal, Canada. He 

has held various management positions within different 

manufacturing companies. President of the Environmental 

Technologies Group for over 16 years, he also sits on the 

management board of Premier Tech. He supervises the 

activities of three business units based in North America, 

Europe and Asia. 

Robert Passmore — Robert is a Senior 

Environmental Engineer and Associate at 

Paterson Group Inc., a Consulting Engineering 

Firm based in Ottawa with advanced 

specialization in soil mechanics and 

wastewater biology. Robert has been involved in the onsite 

wastewater industry for the better part of 15 years and has 

been an active Board of Director Member of the Ontario 

Onsite Wastewater Association since 2003. 

Kent Peel, B.A.Sc. (Chem. Eng.), LL.B.— 

Kent worked as a process engineer for an 

environmental firm before attending law 

school and then practicing employment law 

in Toronto. He joined Seneca College's 

School of Legal and Public Administration as a professor and 

program coordinator in 2001. He teaches in the paralegal 

program with courses in practice management, small 

business management, and marketing. He has been a 

featured lecturer at conferences and symposiums for 

several professional associations across Ontario, Quebec 

and Saskatchewan. 

Alan Perks, P. Eng — Alan is a senior 

associate of the firm with almost 40 years 

of diversified private and public sector 

experience in the planning, design and 

operation of environmental, water, and urban 

infrastructure. He has managed and directed major consulting 

assignments in Canada and overseas. In addition to a strong 

technical background, he is an experienced manager with 

significant exposure to strategic planning, policy analysis, 

program evaluation, planning and budgeting, human 

resources development, and communications. He has 

provided expert testimony before several Boards and 

Commissions, including Municipal Amalgamation Boards and 

the Ontario Mining Commissioner, and has acted as Associate 

Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto, 

Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. He also 

served as President of the Canadian Society for Civil 

Engineering during 1998-99. Alan was also involved With 

Indian and Northern Affairs in providing policy development 

and project oversight for INAC’s National Assessment of 

607 First Nation communities’ water and wastewater systems. 

Monica A. Szabo — Monica has a Bachelor 

of Environmental Studies degree from 

University of Waterloo and a diploma in 

Air/Water Resources Field Technology from 

Fanshawe College. She completed the 

Queen’s Operations Leadership Program in 2006. She is a 

Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH) and a Canadian 

Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) and a ABIH/BCSP 

Certified Occupational Health and Safety Technologist 

(OHST). She worked for the Municipal Health and Safety 

Association (MHSA) progressing from Area Manager/ 

Occupational Hygienist to Operations Manager for Ontario. 

Her territory included York, Toronto, Peel, Waterloo Region, 

Perth and Oxford Counties. For 11 years prior she worked for 

the Municipality of Metro Toronto as Senior Occupational 

Hygienist/Senior H&S Consultant. In her current roles as 

Director, Prevention Services she is responsible for the 

Central West Region as well as the Municipal sector. 

Monica’s 26 + years of experience in EH&S has included 

environmental monitoring for such things as radon and 

formaldehyde across Ontario, testing diesel engine emissions 

in underground mines, monitoring for exposures to



hazardous chemicals and physical agents, training and 

developing policies and programs, strategic planning, 

developing customized health and safety programs and 

managing staff and operations. She actively participated in 

OHSCO sub-committees that examined prevention of 

occupational disease, youth issues and development of H&S 

Management Systems. She served as President of the 

Occupational Hygiene Association in 2001/2002. She is still 

involved with the organization in various capacities. Monica 

served on the Board of Canadian Safety Professionals 

(BCRSP) as Governor for two terms and as Secretary- 

Treasurer for one term. She is serving on the CSA Z1002 

development committee which is the risk assessment tool 

to support CSA Z1000 

Stuart Thatcher has been involved in the 

management of Ontario’s aggregate 

resources for over 35 years. He started as a 

Pits and Quarries Inspector in the early days 

of the program, and enjoyed the positions of 

Mineral Aggregate Supervisor and Regional Mineral 

Resources Administrator for the Eastern Region of MNR prior 

to joining the policy team, where he was the Senior Policy 

Advisor, Aggregates for almost twenty years. Stuart also 

took a temporary leave of absence from the Ministry in the 

mid-nineties to assume the role of Director of Operations 

during the establishment of the Ontario Aggregate Resources 

Corporation, or TOARC, which manages the aggregate 

resources trust on behalf of the province. Stuart has been 

responsible for the development of the ARA, the Provincial 

Standards, and the Compliance Assessment Reporting under 

the ARA, the coordination of three policy Manuals and 

recently developed a Risk Based Compliance Hand Book for 

Aggregate Inspectors. He is currently the Senior Policy/ 

Program Advisor for Aggregates with the Regional Operations 

Division of the Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough. 

Doug Vergunst — Chief Building Official 

with the Northwestern Health Unit, BMEC 

member, Licenced Designer with MMAH with 

about 50 installations on First Nations land. 

MMAH Part 8 course facilitator, former B-66 

member and former MMAH TAC member. Granddad of three 

so far and an old car nut. OOWA Board member. Product of 

Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie — Water Resources 

Engineering Technology. 

Tertiary Quality System! NO MANTLE required. 

The Enviro-Septic System, does not require hydro, does not require pumps or floats, there are no moving 

parts, no media to replace, and does not require a mantle. 

9

10 


… from page 1 

Based on the above details, and following consultation with the 

owner, it was decided that the leaching bed should be replaced, as 

opposed to simply implementing treatment technology as had initially 

been requested by the CBO. However, prior to beginning the design of 

the septic system, it was agreed that an attempt at lowering the 

“strength” of the wastewater by more practical means should be 

attempted, following which, additional sampling and analysis would 

occur. As such, it was suggested that a dedicated grease trap be 

installed within the kitchen (the owner chose to install a Goslyn system), 

that kitchen staff be educated on proper waste disposal and washing 

practices, and that the existing exterior grease interceptor, septic tank, 

pump chamber, and associated filters be pumped and cleaned. After 

allowing the system to operate for a period following the implementation 

of these measures, additional samples were gathered and analyzed. 

Unfortunately, the “strength” of the wastewater, although fluctuating 

from sample to sample, remained high on average. 

In addition to dealing with the high strength wastewater, the small 

area available for a replacement system presented a challenging 

scenario; an available 25 metre by 25 metre area would need to contain 

tanks, treatment technologies, and a dispersal bed. 

Several manufacturers of treatment technologies were consulted. In 

the end, The Nibbler SBP Commercial system by Aquatest was selected 

as the “first stage” treatment technology due to the manufacturer’s 

history and success in treating high strength waste, as well as the fact 

that they guarantee treatment to less than 150 mg/L of BOD and less 

than 25 mg/L of FOG. Following the Nibbler treatment stage, additional 

treatment technology was required in order to further treat the effluent 

to meet tertiary effluent quality criteria; a necessary step as it had been 

proposed to install an “area” bed to contend with the limited available 

area. HCEL was informed that Aquatest had successfully worked in 

conjunction with Orenco Systems Inc. on previous projects. And so, with 

the help of The Septic Store in Osgoode, Ontario, both manufacturers 

were engaged and so began the design process. 

Following an extensive collaboration between The Septic Store, HCEL, 

Aquatest, and Orenco, a proposed system was agreed upon and plans 

and documents were finalized. The final product consists of a 9,000 litre 

grease interceptor (which receives wastewater solely from kitchen 

fixtures), an 18,000 litre septic tank, and an 18,000 balancing tank 

equipped with dual 1 ⁄3 HP effluent pumps configured to disperse effluent 

to the Nibbler system on a timed dosed, alternating basis at a rate of 

approximately 87 litres every half hour. Following the Nibbler tank, two 

Advantex AX20 treatment units (with room for a third) were incorporated 

to achieve tertiary quality effluent. The tertiary quality effluent is 

dispersed to an area bed from a 9,000 litre dose tank. 

The Nibbler tank contains 18 Nibbler SBP pods, each capable of 

treating 0.81 lbs/day of BOD 5 and associated FOG. Treatment is achieved 

with the help of microorganisms that cling to 90 mm plastic spheres 

contained in the pods. To promote this process, constant aeration is 

supplied to the Nibbler at a rate of about 0.2 cubic metres per minute. 

When the treatment pods develop an abundance of bio-mass growth, 

the air supply which aerates the pods is redirected, using valves, to the 

bottom of the tank. The air velocity produced scours the media, sending 

the bio-mass to the bottom of the tank. The resulting accumulation of 

sludge will be pumped as needed. Wastewater detention in the Nibbler 

tank is about 36 hours. Treated effluent flows from the Nibbler by gravity 

to the clarifier/recirculation tank. 

Any bio-mass or flocculants that bypass the Nibbler tank are 

captured in the first compartment of the clarifier/recirculation tank. From 

there, these contaminants are periodically pumped to the inlet of the 

grease interceptor. Effluent remaining in the clarifier travels through an 

effluent filter to the second compartment of the tank. From there, the 

effluent is pumped to the Advantex AX20 treatment pods. 

The rate at which effluent from the recirculating tank is supplied to 

the AX20s varies based on flow data that is averaged over 30 days by 

the control panel. Effluent entering the AX20s trickles through the 

synthetic textile media where microorganisms digest remaining 

contaminants. Treated effluent collects in the bottoms of the units from 

which it flows by gravity back to the recirculation tank. The recirculation 

process continues until the effluent level rises in the recirculation 

chamber, at which point a “Stinge” valve engages and redirects the 

outgoing flow the dose tank. Effluent from the dose tank is dispersed on 

a timed-dosed basis to a fully raised area bed. 

The installation of the system was carried-out in December 2011 by 

Ketch Construction of Carp, Ontario. Representatives from both Aquatest 

and Orenco were on hand during the installation of their treatment 

components. With the cooperation of everyone involved, including 

“Mother Nature,” the installation went smoothly. 

The system will be serviced by Rideau Valley Septic Services. 

Servicing will include quarterly maintenance inspections. As well, effluent 

samples will be collected for analysis, twice a year, from three locations 

within the system: prior to treatment, following the Nibbler, and following 

the Advantex units. At the time of writing this article, samples had not 

yet been collected as the system was still within what is considered an 

initialization period. However, observations made during an assessment 

of the system after a short period following system initialization suggests 

the system is performing as intended. 

Time will tell how effective the system will be, however what has 

already been demonstrated is that the use of multiple technologies is 

possible and an effective solution where good communication, 

coordination, and cooperation exist.


Onsite Solution Supports Rural 

Economic Development by Roddy G. Bolivar, P.Eng., Bolivar~Phillips – Water Resource Specialists 

Many Ontario residents are familiar with the family cottage — 

road in the back, cottage in the middle and the boat parked 

out front. 

But what if you like flying instead of boating and are the owner of 

one of the over 30,000 private planes in Canada (over 8,000 in Ontario). 

An innovative rural development near Carp Ontario will provide you with 

the same amenity – the opportunity to park your plane in a hangar 

attached to your house and right on airport property. 

The Tailwind Estates Fly-In Community broke ground last year. The 

first phase of the development is approved for over 300 units. An onsite 

solution for wastewater was a key factor in making the project a reality. 

City of Ottawa Sells Airport 

Following municipal amalgamation in 

2000, the City of Ottawa came to own 

the Carp Airport. While having a long 

and interesting history, the airport was 

costing money to run and the City 

did not think they should be in the 

airport business. 

A request for ideas on what the City 

could do with the airport was answered 

by John Phillips who formed West Capital 

Developments to pursue the idea of a 

residential fly-in community at the site. 

John, originally from Florida, was familiar 

with the many fly-in communities in 

Florida and had confidence that such a 

development could be built at the Carp 

Airport. Tailwind Estates was born. 

West Capital Developments and the 

City of Ottawa entered into an innovative 

“Municipal Capital Facility Agreement” 

which requires that West Capital 

Developments continue to operate a 

public airport while at the same time 

allowing them to pursue a residential 

development as well as commercial 

development adjacent 

and connected to the airport facilities 

and runways. 

Water and Wastewater 

Servicing Solutions 

From the outset, water and wastewater 

servicing solutions and costs were 

known to be critical to the success of 

the project. Supply of drinking water 

and fire protection was addressed when 

the City agreed to allow a 2 km private 

watermain from the nearby Village of 

Carp municipal system. The Village 

wastewater system however did not 

have any capacity for expansion. Onsite 

solutions were investigated with the final 

solution being a Clearford SBS 

wastewater collection solution — the 

11 

2 

Ottawa based firm’s technology includes individual tanks and a 

communal effluent collection system— to a treatment plant which will 

be designed and operated by St. Catherine’s based iDM – an integrated 

company that design, builds and operates water and wastewater 

services. The wastewater system will be owned by a Condominium 

Corporation, avoiding the need for a Municipal Responsibility Agreement. 

Onsite Promotes Innovative Rural Development 

Many municipalities across Ontario are discouraging rural development 

and in particular serviced compact rural development. Concerns about 

“sprawl”, source water protection and ownership of new stand-alone 

plant systems are constraining innovation in rural development at the 

SILVER SPONSOR 

S U P P L Y I N C . 

Near North Supply Inc. 

191 Big Bay Point Road Barrie ON L4N 0M6 

Bus: 705.721.9112 - Fax: 705.721.8150 

Contact: John Fulton ext. 222 

email: jfulton@nearnorthsupply.com 

Continued on page 16 …

12 


New Technology 

 

 

 

 

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Using Advanced Oxidation 

Destroys pathogens - Safe for people 

Reduces Nutrients - Safe for the Environment 

Process Controlled - Discharge Verified 

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Investment and Franchise Opportunities Available 

www.waterclean.ca Info@waterclean.ca 

Innovative solutions to 

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ush, fresh water ush, the allnew 

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please contact us at 866.293.1502 

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vepeaks.net 866.293.1502 231.830.8099


New Technology for OWTS WATERCLEAN 

by Thomas W. Bain, P. Eng. | www.waterclean.ca 

Summary: 

The use of Onsite Wastewater Treatment 

Systems (OWTS) is increasing in North 

America. Unfortunately, the technologies 

involved with OWTS have not evolved quickly 

enough to prevent cross contamination of 

well water or nutrient loading of our lakes 

and rivers. Additionally, the uncontrolled 

discharge from private OWTS will become the largest contributor of 

Compounds of Emerging Concern (CEC) to the environment. 

A research project began in 2000 to investigate these challenges and to 

find a solution to address this situation by reducing pathogens, nutrients, 

and CECs. The result of this project is the WATERCLEAN. It is similar in 

operation to a washing machine with a fill cycle, a wash cycle, a 

discharge cycle, it uses ozone in place of soap, and it washes 

wastewater instead of clothes. 

Introduction: 

Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) include systems that serve 

small communities, resorts, industry, and individual private residences 

not serviced by municipal infrastructure. It is this last group, individual 

private residences, with which we are particularly concerned because 

existing technologies have limited performance and a complete lack of 

supervision. The vast majority of these systems are septic systems. 

Septic systems appeared over 100 years ago on farm properties with 

large tracts of virgin earth. These systems include a septic tank 

(collector/concentrator), some form of leaching bed (receiver), and the 

surrounding soil (distributor). This is primitive technology including 

anaerobic digestion followed by aeration and natural adsorption by the 

earth. These systems provide little disinfection (pathogens) and limited 

denutrification (carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen). (Leverenz et al., 

2002)(1). This poor performance is to be expected because without 

recirculation, the process is essentially backwards. Regulations for these 

systems have not changed appreciably in over 40 years. The Ontario 

Rural Wastewater Centre at the University of Guelph states, “There are 

over 1 million septic systems in Ontario alone…High levels of rural 

groundwater contamination indicates that many of these systems are 

working below acceptable levels and changes are required to alleviate 

the problem.” “Water quality problems in the rural portions of Canada 

are large and occur throughout the country.” (Joy et al., 2001)(2). 

Increasingly, this primitive technology has been used on much smaller 

tracts of land and waterfront properties. The result has been increased 

contamination of wells with pathogens and overload of water bodies with 

nutrients. Once these contaminants are in groundwater, they eventually 

reach rivers and lakes. In other words, once we have a pollution problem, 

we may be only a step away from a water supply problem (Environment 

Canada – Groundwater Contamination)(3). The need for new technology 

was clear. In response to this need, enhancements were designed to 

operate in conjunction with traditional systems. These included both 

media bioreactors and membrane bioreactors. Those add-ons provided 

improved disinfection, good reduction of suspended solids and 

carbonaceous compounds and fair reduction of nitrogen, with circulation, 

but little reduction of phosphorus. While these systems were tested on 

sewage and provided acceptable results, they were expected to process 

septage, and the results were not very good. 

The emerging concern over compounds including disinfection byproducts 

(DBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 

pharmaceuticals (PHARMA) in both drinking water and the 

environment, has created a whole new dimension for the needed 

capabilities of private residential OWTS. Existing technology, both 

traditional and enhanced, have little chance of effectively reducing these 

compounds in a timely way. Without new technology, collectively the 

uncontrolled discharge from these private residential OWTS, will become 

the largest contributor of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) to the 

environment. This contamination of our finite sources of water cannot be 

allowed to continue. 

New Technology 

New solutions are required to address the concerns noted above. The 

following list covers many of the criteria that need to be addressed by 

new technologies. 

Table 1: Criteria for New Technology 

1 environmentally sustainable 

2 rapid and not dependent on chemicals or temperature 

3 measurable and verifiable 

4 process monitored and controlled (SCADA) 

5 remotely supervised and networked 

6 energy efficient 

7 sizeable and portable 

8 price sensitive and available from multiple sources 

9 meet the needs of the marketplace 

10 provide for a wide range of applications 

Generally, new technology will need to be faster, better, and with a 

smaller environmental footprint. 

The Project 

The WATERCLEAN project was undertaken to determine if it was 

possible to fulfill the draft criteria in Table I with currently available off 

the shelf components. Since other treatment processes show little ability 

to remove pharmaceuticals and ozonation showed great promise for the 

removal of those components, (Jasim et al., 2006)(4) ozonation was 

chosen as the treatment method. This was an applied science project 

relying on the results of the research and investigation of pure science 

over many years. This involved the construction and test of a series of 

first, second, and third generation prototypes beginning in 2000. 

System Design 

The system design approach was to keep the system as simple as 

possible yet provide the needed performance in a cost effective way. As 

well, the system needed to be fully automatic, as it would be located on 

private property with no operator other than the property owner, 

supported by the installation contractor. It would need to operate when 

needed and contend with a variable heterogeneous influent. We learned 

that there were a number of system parameters which could be utilized 

to deal with a wide range of influent. These include: batch size, 

recirculation rate (flow), processing time, operating pressure, time under 

pressure, process monitoring and control of discharge. Given some basic 

information on the source and with knowledge of the destination, these 

system parameters can be adjusted to provide the desired effluent. 

System Operation 

The WATERCLEAN is a wastewater washing machine, much like the 

washing machine for washing clothes. The process includes a fill cycle, a 

Continued on page 15 … 

13


… from page 13 

wash cycle, and a discharge cycle, but uses ozone in place of soap. 

The WATERCLEAN wastewater treatment system is based on well 

established principles of advanced oxidation using a batch reactor under 

closed loop conditions. The system equipment includes a compressor, 

oxygen concentrator, ozone generator, multistage centrifugal pump, 

ozone injection, flash mixing, an extended treatment conduit including a 

restrictor/diffuser/degasser sparger, a reactor tank, an off-gas/ozone 

destruct arrangement, and a diverter valve, all automatically controlled 

by a programmable system controller. 

The WATERCLEAN takes in atmospheric air, compresses it, removes 

the oxygen and concentrates it, generates ozone, injects the ozone into 

the wastewater stream, flash mixes it, pressurizes it, and diffuses and 

degasses it. The process continues for between five and thirty minutes 

depending on the influent concentration and the desired resulting effluent. 

Compounds of Emerging Concern 

Compounds of Emerging Concern (CECs) include disinfection byproducts 

(DBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pharmaceuticals 

(PHARMA), and their metabolites. While it is unlikely that either DBPs or 

VOCs will be present in any significant concentration in the wastewater 

discharge from individual private residences, this is not the case with 

PHARMA. The increased use of PHARMA and the resulting increase of 

their metabolites due to aging population demographics, is not unique to 

urban areas – this is also true for rural areas not serviced by municipal 

infrastructure. Not only do most of these drugs or their metabolites 

eventually make their way to STPs, (Metcalfe et al, 2000)(7) but are also 

discharged directly into the ground water, streams, rivers, and lakes from 

private residential OWTSs, without any treatment whatsoever. Although 

there is some movement toward the treatment of effluent discharge 

from STPs for the reduction of CECs, there is no such movement for 

private residential OWTSs. This results in both the contamination of 

source water and a profound affect on the aquatic environment (Sauvé 

et al, 2008)(8). 

The WATERCLEAN OWTS has the possibility of solving this problem. 

Ozonation will greatly reduce the number of trace contaminants in 

drinking water (Snyder, 2008)(9). The discharge was successfully reduced 

for nearly all components under ozonation (O3) and advanced oxidation 

process (AOP) (H.J. José et al, 2010)(10). 

Conclusions 

What began as a research project has resulted in the WATERCLEAN 

system. It has been verified by ETV for initial performance criteria and is 

going through a second round of performance testing based on some 

significant redesign. The new results being delivered surpass every 

current and proposed standard in North America for Onsite Wastewater 

Treatment Systems. These include: 

Parameters 

For more information visit our Web Site at: www.waterclean.ca or 

send us an email to: info@waterclean.ca. 

References 

1. Leverenz, H., Tchobanoglous, and G., Darby, J.L. “Review of Technologies For The Onsite Treatment of Wastewater in California”, California State 

Water Resources Control Board, 2002. 

2. oy, D., Weil, C., Crolla, A., and Bonte-Gelok, S.“New Technologies for on-site domestic and agricultural wastewater treatment”, NRC Canada, 2001. 

3. Environment Canada – Groundwater Contamination Publication. 

4. Jasim, S.Y., Irabelli, A., Yang, P., Ahmed, S., and Schweitzer, L. “Presence of Pharmaceuticals in Detroit River Water and the Effect of Ozone on 

Removal”, International Ozone Association, 2006. 

5. Rice, R.G., Netzer, A. “Handbook of Ozone Technology and Applications”, Vol.II:149. 

6. Hitzfeld, B.C., Hager, S.J. and Dietrich, D.R. “Cyanobacterial Toxins: Removal during Drinking Water Treatment and Human Risk Assessment”, 

Environmental Health Perspectives Supplements, Volume 108, Number S1, 2000. 

7. Metcalfe, C., Koenig, B. “Drugs in Sewage Treatment Plant Effluents in Canada”, American Chemical Society, 2000. 

8. Sauvé, S., Prévost, M., Viglino, L. “Estrogen Flooding Our Rivers”, Science Daily, 2008. 

9. Snyder, S.A. “Occurrence, Treatment, and Toxicological Relevance of EDCs and Pharmaceuticals in Water”, International Ozone Association, 2008. 

10. José, H.J., Gebhardt, W., Moreira, R.F.P.M., Pinnekamp, J., Schröder, H.Fr. “Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Elimination of Drugs Resisting 

Biological Membrane Treatment”, International Ozone Association, 2010. 

U.S. 

NSF40 

Quebec 

BNQ3680 

Ontario 

OBC 

Proposed 

California 

EPA 

WATERCLEAN 

Performance 

Fecal Coliform n/c n/c n/c



very same time as baby boomers are looking for lifestyle rural 

opportunities like shared ownership of rural properties and 

alternative forms of recreation. 

The Tailwind Estates development will bring development along 

with the significant economic activity associated with airplane 

ownership to rural of Ottawa. The development is an excellent 

example of how onsite wastewater servicing can contribute to an 

economic development opportunity. Rural municipalities looking 

for new ways to attract development and business may benefit 

from considering compact rural residential and commercial/ 

industrial development supported by onsite communal services. 

More Information 

For more information about this project including how to become 

part of the Tailwind Estates Fly-In community, contact John Phillips, 

President of West Capital Developments (www.wdc.ca). 

Wastewater technical solution contacts are Jill Hass, Clearford 

Industries (http://www.clearford.com/) and Richard Nie, General 

Manager, iDM (http://www.idmpartnerships.com/) 

Author: Roddy Bolivar of Bolivar~Phillips has assisted West 

Capital Developments from the outset of the development plan 

including considering servicing alternatives and opportunities and 

providing assistance in navigating the always complex municipal 

and Ministry land use planning and development review and 

approval processes. He can be reached at 

roddy.bolivar@bolivarphillips.ca. 

16

MicroFAST® Sewage Treatment Systems 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insight® Series 100 Pump Controller 

 

 

 

 

HLA-20 Liquid Level Alarm 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

- - 

- - - -

18 


Braemar Valley Trailer Park 

Adrian and Tina Koning are the proud owners of the Braemar Valley 

Trailer Park. Last fall they had a visit from the MOE and found that 

their existing septic system was no longer functioning properly. It was 

more than 30 years old and basically worn out. 

Braemar Valley Trailer Park is a 50 Plus Lifestyle Park located in a 

picturesque quiet valley setting just north of Woodstock, Ontario. The park 

consists of 47 permanent homes and 31 serviced seasonal sites producing a 

total of 45,875 litres of raw domestic sewage per day. 

After investigating different tertiary systems, Adrian and Tina decided on 

the Enviro-Septic System. “There were several reasons why we decided on the 

Enviro-Septic System” said Adrian. “First of all the price was right and secondly 

the fact that there was very little annual maintenance involved with this 

system made the system the right choice” said Koning. Other than a couple of 

effluent pumps to dose the beds there are no other moving parts with the 

Enviro-Septic, making it an ideal system, producing tertiary quality effluent. 

The Konings hired Art Bos from BOS Engineering & Environmental Services 

located in London, Ontario to design a new septic system. Art is a well 

respected Engineer operating out of London working in the South Western 

Ontario area. 

Speaking with Art I asked what he liked about the Enviro-Septic System? “I 

would say that the Enviro-Septic System is a good enhanced-treatment 

alternative to a conventional system with the bonus of reduced footprint and 

comparable cost”, said Art. 

The Enviro-Septic System has had a BMEC authorization since September 

of 2008. It is approved as an alternative to a Class 4 System producing Tertiary 

Quality Effluent. What is unique about the Enviro-Septic System is that it does 

not require a 15 metre mantle. 

The Braemar site was actually an old ski slope; therefore somewhat 

challenging as the only spot for the new septic system was in the sloped area. 

This was the second reason that Bos Engineering liked this system. According 

to Bos, “We were able to apply the system to a site with a significant slope”. 

I had a chance to ask Art what were his overall thoughts regarding the 

system. Art being very honest reported “I was previously a little skeptical of 

the applicability of the Enviro-Septic system, but have now found several 

applications where they are a great fit”. 

Art Bos worked with Bert Knip from Make-Way Environmental Technologies Inc 

to design the new system for Braemar. Make-Way Environmental has been 

supplying tertiary quality treatment systems in Ontario for past 15 years and is 

the Ontario representative for the Enviro-Septic System. 

Adrian met with a couple of contractors and decided to award the 

installation project to our company, Denby Environmental. Denby 

Environmental has been installing septic systems in the Woodstock, London 

and surrounding areas for many years now. 

Bert Knip from Make-Way Environmental trains every contractor to ensure 

that the Enviro-Septic System is installed correctly. “I was really impressed 

with their equipment”, said Knip, “Everything was very clean and well 

maintained. It was a pleasure to work with the entire crew, as they worked 

well together and installed the Enviro-Septic System efficiently and quickly”. 

According to Adam Knoop the entire installation went very smoothly. 

Asked if he would install another Enviro-Septic System? “Absolutely, it is a very 

simple system to install. 

For more information on: 

— Bos Engineering please contact Art at 519-850-9987 or email a.bos@sympatico.ca. 

— Denby Environmental please contact Gerry at 519-808-4298 or email knoop1499@rogers.com. 

— Make-Way Environmental Technologies contact Bert at 1-866-625-3929 or email bert@makeway.ca. 

by Adam Knoop, Denby Environmental

20 


OrencoSystems ® Case Study 

Victoria, Prince Edward Island Case Study: 

Creating a Scalable Wastewater Solution with Minimal Costs 

When a summer tourist destination became hampered 

by sanitation problems, Orenco® products and solutions 

were made use of to create an award-winning 

wastewater treatment system. 

Municipal Market 

Victoria, PEI, Canada 

Design Parameters 

• Peak flows of 95,000-180,000 Lpd (25,000- 

50,000 gpd) during the tourist season 

• Actual Flows of 15,000 Lpd (4,000 gpd) during the 

winter season and 57,000 Lpd (15,000 gpd) during 

the summer season 

System Engineer 

• Kelly Galloway, Project Engineer, Engineering 

Technologies, Canada Ltd. (www. engtech .ca) 

Project Costs 

• $2,500,000 CON ($2,100,000 US) 

Rate Structure 

• $515 per EDU, annually Collection System 

• 63 connections; collection tanks 

• STEG & STEP systems 

Secondary Treatment System 

• 10 AdvanTex AX100 filter pods 

• Dispersal: Pressure-dose sand filter with the addition 

of a drip irrigation system during the tourist season 

Operation 

• One part-time operator monitors the system via 

an Orenco TCOM control panel AdvanTex 

Effluent Quality 

• 6 mg/L BOD 

• 5 mg/L TSS 

• System also exceeds treatment requirement for TN 

© 2011 Orenco Systems® Inc., NCS-19-KROME © 10/11 

Surrounded by water, the small town of Victoria, PEl, needed a community 

wastewater solution that was both environmentally-sensitive and affordable. 

PROBLEM: The Community of Victoria, PEl needed to replace its 

antiquated, failing septic systems with a cost-effective solution suited to 

the unique requirements of its location. In order to accommodate 

development, the treatment system had to be scalable to allow for the 

highly-variable daily flows customary with a summer vacation destination. 

SOLUTION: Victoria chose an Orenco Effluent Sewer and AdvanTex® 

AX100 Treatment System because of the system’s outstanding treatment 

and low operating and lifetime costs. The system is scalable; it is capable of 

treating flows of up to 95,000 Lpd (25,000 gpd) during the tourist season, 

with peaks of over180,000 Lpd (50,000 gpd). 

Scalable, Award-Winning Wastewater Solutions 

A picturesque, rural fishing village on Canada’s Prince Edward Island, 

Victoria isa popular tourist destination in the summer months. The 

historic architecture and seaside locale draw thousands of visitors each 

year, but the city’s development had stalled because the antiquated 

septic systems used by many buildings failed recurrently, requiring 

expensive and often temporary repairs. They also required frequent 

pumping to accommodate higher daily use during the tourist season. 

Provincial regulators would not approve new development or expansion 

in Victoria until a solution could be found. 

The Victoria Wharf is one of the town’s main tourist attractions. Victoria needed a 

wastewater system that could handle highly variable flows … flows that quadruple 

during the busy tourist season.


Historic period buildings (above) and landmarks such as the Victoria Lighthouse (right) 

draw tourists and stimulate the local economy. 

When community members searched for a cost-effective, sustainable 

wastewater system, they had specific constraints to deal with. First, 

because residential lots in the village center were laid out in the 1800’s 

and were not large enough to accommodate traditional onsite 

wastewater systems, they needed a compact solution. Second, because 

treated effluent might negatively affect the nearbyharbor and estuary, 

direct discharge to the bay was not a popular option with many 

residents and businesspeople who depended on Victoria’s coastal 

waters for their livelihood. Third, because Prince Edward Island relies on 

groundwater for its drinking water, the system needed to exist as an 

integrated, sustainable, watershed-based approach. 

Engineering Technologies Canada (ETC) was retained in 2003 to identify 

and evaluate various options and recommend a wastewater management 

solution best suited to the community’s needs. After a detailed life-cycle 

analysis of bothconventional and alternative systems, ETC recommended 

an Orenco Effluent Sewer and AdvanTex Treatment System. Installation of 

the system, which services 57 residential locations and 6 commercial 

sites, was completed in 2008. The systemis comprised of both STEG — 

effluent gravity — and STEP — effluent pumping —equipment. 

For the system’s design, Galloway won the 2009 Engineers PEI Award 

for Engineering Achievement; subsequently, the Community of Victoria 

was honored with the 2010 “Municipal Achievement Award” from the 

Federation of PEI Municipalities and the 2011 “Sustainable Community 

Award” from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. 

How it Works: 

Following primary treatment in collection tanks at each site, treated 

effluent is pumped to the AdvanTex Treatment System. AdvanTex uses a 

packed bed textile filter to treat effluent effectively, with low power 

requirements and low O&M costs. Because effluent is dosed at a specific 

rate to 10 AdvanTex AX100 pods, the system can accommodate widely 

varying daily flows. After AdvanTex treatment, the effluent is diffused to 

twoland-based dispersal systems. The pressure-dose sand dispersal bed 

(mantle) operates year-round, while a subsurface drip irrigation system 

comes on line during the busy summer season to provide the total 

required effluent dispersal capacity. 

Another key part of the integrated approach was a water efficiency 

program in which regular toilets were replaced with low-flow models 

(6 litres/flush or less), and water meters were installed at each 

connection. In addition to reducing potable water demands, this helped 

reduce the amount of effluent needing treatment and allowed ETC to 

reserve more land at the wastewater treatment site for future expansion. 

Victoria’s system is scalable, an important factor to development in 

After installing an Orenco Effluent Sewer followed by Orenco’s AdvanTex Treatment 

System, the community and its consulting engineer have won multiple awards, 

including the 2011 “Sustainable Community Award” from the Federation of 

Canadian Municipalities. 

the community. While all AdvanTex pods are used for peak summer 

flows, in the slower winter season the system uses only 3 pods and 

2 pumps, conserving energy and extending equipment life. Pods can be 

added to allow for further development in the area. 

Since the system is so robust and reliable, only a part-time operator 

is needed — another critical factor for Victoria. According to Kelly 

Galloway, the system’s designer, “Operation and maintenance associated 

with traditional, ‘big city’ sewage treatment solutions can be onerous 

and time-consuming, requiring advanced, high-level operators. If these 

technologies are misapplied they can be a huge burden on small rural 

communities, often making up the biggest portion of their utility costs.” 

The operator monitors the system remotely and is notified if any 

maintenance is needed via an Orenco TCOM remote telemetry panel. 

Effluent quality is excellent; actual levels of BOD and TSS are at least 60% 

less than anticipated. The system also exceeded the desired treatment 

requirement for Total Nitrogen. 1 

“ETC was successful in solving Victoria’s challenging sanitation 

problems, which had eluded resolution via traditional engineering 

solutions for over 20 years,” said Garry MacDonald, P. Eng., in his 

nomination of Galloway for the Engineers PEI Award. While more than 

2,500 AdvanTex AX100 filters have been installed elsewhere, MacDonald 

noted that “[This was the] first municipal-scale STEG/STEP effluent sewer 

collection system in PEI ... [and the] first major municipal scale, synthetic 

packed-bed filter treatment system in Atlantic Canada.” 2 

Hilary Price, Administrator for the Community of Victoria, puts it this 

way: “The AdvanTex system…has been a stimulus for expansion in our 

tourism businesses and has allowed our residential population to 

dramatically increase. Prior to the installation of this central sewage 

system, the community periodically experienced bad odours from failing 

septics. The new central sewage system rectified this problem and 

removed the serious public health hazard caused by failing septic 

systems... This system has exceeded our expectations in dealing with 

our wastewater disposal.” 3 

1 ETC Environmental Results Report, p. A1 

2 Engineers PEI Award nomination form, p. 3 

3 E-mail conversation, January 21, 2011 

“Residents and tourists alike enjoy the quality of life offered by Victoria: sport fishing, 

clamming, bird watching, photography, water sports, pristine beaches, and coastal 

sunrises and sunsets are just some of the many eco-based activities and attractions. 

Protection and enhancement of the delicate ecosystem in the Victoria Harbour and 

the Westmoreland River estuary is of paramount importance to the village residents 

and tourists.” – Hilary Price, Community of Victoria 

For more information about orenco effluent sewers and 

Advantex® Treatment Systems, contact Orenco Systems®, Inc., 

800-348-9843 (+1-541-459-4449) www.orenco.com 

www.orenco.com/systems 

21


Innovative Approaches 

for Surface Discharge of Treated Effluent from 

Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems 

Roger Lacasse, Scientific and Technical Director, Premier Tech Aqua, lacr@premiertech.com 

Naider Fanfan, Project Engineer, Premier Tech Aqua, fanp@premiertech.com 

Abstract: Where decentralized wastewater treatment is concerned, cost-effective phosphorus 

removal (DP) and disinfection (DI) processes represent major challenges that are, phosphorus 

removal without a pH exceeding a discharge limit of 9.5 and reliable disinfection processes with no 

intensive maintenance requirements. 

Over the past three years, Premier Tech Aqua 

has tested various approaches to integrate DP and 

DI options into decentralized wastewater treatment 

systems for flow rates ranging from 500 to 50,000 

GPD. First, a system that combined an electrocoagulation 

process and an absorbent media-based 

filter was tested over a one-year period. This system 

reduced total phosphorus to below 0.3 mg/L and 

fecal coliforms to below 200 counts/100 mL. 

Second, a wastewater disinfection approach based 

on self-cleaning UV systems was successfully tested 

under real-life conditions on several different sites. 

Finally, by combining an innovative chemical 

addition system with a membrane technology 

(MBR), a very high level of phosphorus removal was 

attained (total phosphorus below 0.1mg/L). 

Introduction: The challenges associated with the 

surface discharge of treated effluent from 

wastewater treatment systems are many. The quality 

of the treated effluent must meet discharge criteria 

established to protect the receiving environment 

and also depending on how the water will be used 

(drinking water, human contact, etc.). A global 

evaluation of a watershed, as relates to water 

quality, water usage and protection of specific 

sensitive environments, makes it possible to 

establish discharge criteria for the different lakes 

and rivers of the watershed. Discharge criteria often 

require low concentrations in TSS, BOD5, 

phosphorus, bacteria, turbidity, ammonia, etc. All 

these targeted parameters have an impact on the 

quality of the receiving water. Phosphorus discharge 

is an emerging concern because of its direct impact 

on the lake eutrophication process (blue algae 

problem). Ensuring disinfection of wastewater 

without generating by-products (e.g., 

trihalomethanes from chlorination) is of prime 

importance to protect the health of the population 

(U.S. EPA. 1999). 

Material and methods: The first approach, 

based on a self-cleaning electro-coagulation 

process for phosphorus removal and disinfection, 

was extensively tested over a one-year period on a 

testing platform located in Rivière-du-Loup 

(Canada). The tested system consisted of a 1,250gallon 

primary treatment tank equipped with an 

outlet flow-control device that regulated the flow 

rate to 25-30 gallons per hour and fed the selfcleaning 

electro-coagulation unit (EC) followed by 

an absorbent media-based filter (Ecoflo® Biofilter 

with a 70 ft² filter bed). The EC unit was installed in 

a 500-gallon tank divided into two compartments: a 

reaction compartment equipped with two pairs of 

electrodes (aluminium plates) and a propeller unit 

that provided a high level of turbulence around the 

electrodes, followed by a second compartment in 

which a lamellar structure provided for the 

separation of suspended solids. The EC electrodes 

were electrically fed by a 48 VDC generator, 

assuring constant-intensity current, and a pump 

22


located under the lamellar separator that, once a day, transferred sludge 

produced by the EC unit to the primary reactor. Domestic wastewater was 

fed into the system at a flow rate of 400 GPD by applying the NSF 40 dosing 

protocol: 25% of the daily volume (Qd) from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 35% of Qd 

from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 40% from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sampling over 24hour 

periods was done every 2 weeks. The second approach involved a 

self-cleaning UV disinfection unit used to disinfect secondary level treated 

effluent. The self-cleaning UV unit consisted of a central quartz tube that 

received the effluent to be treated and in which stainless steel blades 

rotated to clean the quartz tube 6 times a day to overcome quartz tube 

fouling (Sehnaoui,K. and Gehr, R. 2001). Two UV lamps were installed on 

each side of the central quartz tube, with a parabolic reflector to maximize 

UV radiation (Patented Crossfire Technology®). 

This disinfection unit was extensively tested at two (2) different sites. 

In both cases, the wastewater treatment unit included a septic tank 

followed by an equalization tank and a rotating biological contactor in 

front of the self-cleaning UV unit. The UV unit was fed by a pump at a 

regulated flow rate of 15 GPM. The first system was used to service a 

new subdivision of 100 homes, producing a design flow rate of 27,000 

GPD. Sampling at this site was done for 24 months. The second system 

treated the wastewater produced by a restaurant at a flow rate of 4,000 

GPD. Its performance was evaluated over a period of 36 months. 

The third approach was based on a membrane biological reactor 

(MBR) that produced a tertiary level treatment, including very low 

Table 1 Average concentrations (± standard deviation) for EC unit and absorbent filter system 

concentrations of total phosphorus, by adding a chemical coagulant to 

the treatment line. The pilot system was installed at a commercial site 

(office building) equipped with an existing wastewater treatment system 

that treated an average flow rate of 6,600 GPD. The MBR pilot unit 

included two ultra-filtration modules (14 m² of membrane each) based on 

flat sheet membranes that received septic tank effluent from the existing 

system at an average flow rate of 900 GPD. 

A chemical used for phosphorus removal was fed from the 

equalization tank effluent to the septic tank inlet on a recirculation loop. 

Results and discussion: 

The results obtained with the first system (an EC unit combined with an 

absorbent media-based filter) are presented at Table 1. As shown, the EC 

unit removed total phosphorus to below 1.0 mg/L. Addition of an absorbent 

media-based filter, after the EC unit, reduces the total phosphorus to 0.1 

mg/L and all other parameters (TSS, BOD5, fecal coliforms, and turbidity) 

below tertiary level treatment. The high quality of the treated effluent 

meets the usual criteria for surface discharge in sensitive areas. As 

described previously, the self-cleaning UV disinfection unit was 

extensively tested at two (2) different sites. In both cases, the selfcleaning 

UV unit was installed at the effluent of a secondary treatment 

system. The performances at the first site, which treated the wastewater 

from a 100-home subdivision, are presented in Tables 2 and 3. 

Disinfection near detection level was obtained on a constant basis. 

Parameter Units Raw wastewater Septic tank effluent EC effluent Filterv effluent n 

TSS mg/L 176 ± 45 124 ± 71 38 ± 10 1.2 ± 1.8 (0.8) 23 

BOD5 mg/L 195 ± 22 150 ± 51 112 ± 20 2.5 ± 0.6 (2.5) 22 

Total P mg/L 9.1 ± 0.8 5.7 ± 1.6 0.6 ± 0.2 0.1 ± 0.04 (0.1) 23 

Fecal coliforms (1) counts/ 715,000 408,000 5,300 67 63 

Turbidity 100 mL 106 ± 41 142 ± 43 59 ± 25 0.6 ± 0.1 21 

pH NTU 7.3 ± 0.1 6.9 ± 0.1 7.6 ± 0.2 6.9 ± 0.1 21 

Table 2 Average concentrations at the influent of the self-cleaning UV unit (100-home subdivision) 

Parameter Units Average Median Min. Max. n 

TSS mg/L 14 ± 8 14 3 31 25 

BOD5 mg/L 7 ± 3 6 3 17 25 

Fecal coliforms counts/100 mL 1,695 (1) 3,100 30 12,000 11 

UV transmissivity % 59 ± 3 59 56 67 10 

(1) Geometric average 

Table 3 Average concentrations at the effluent of the self-cleaning UV unit (100-home subdivision) 


Fecal coliforms counts/100 mL 11 (1) (1) Geometric average 

10 2 100 33 

Tables 4 and 5 present the performance of the self-cleaning UV unit installed at the restaurant site. Again, the results obtained indicate disinfection 

below detection level under all conditions tested. 

Table 4 Average concentrations at the influent of the self- cleaning UV unit (restaurant) 


TSS mg/L 21 ± 9 20 8 45 45 

BOD5 mg/L 9 ± 6 8 2 30 48 

Fecal coliforms counts/100 mL 823 (1) 800 230 5,300 22 

UV transmissivit % 60 ± 14 57 37 92 25 

(1) Geometric average 

Continued on page 32 … 

23

24 


A Lesson from Elementary School 

Solves a Business Problem 

By Michael Lobraico N.C.I. Solutions Limited 

The following is based on one of Michael Lobraico’s clients, Jungston Foods. 

All of the names and telling details have been changed to preserve client privacy. 

For several years, Jungston Foods experienced what seemed like a neverending 

growth surge, but then last year they turned in unexpectedly poor 

results, and nobody at the company had a clear understanding of why. Unless 

they could pinpoint the problem and solve it, their good days would be behind them. 

Shortly after the results came in, I received a call from Lara Newton, who had 

been hired the year before to form and head up the HR department. Lara knew me 

from several years earlier when she worked as a junior HR rep at a company where I 

had helped improve growth by implementing a communications strategy. She 

thought Jungston Foods could use a similar solution. 

When we met for coffee Lara told me that for its first forty years, Jungston Foods 

was a small family business supplying prepared and semi-prepared foods to local 

restaurants. At its past peak it had employed sixteen people, then ten years ago, the 

eldest daughter of the owners envisioned the business as a large specialist in health 

foods for the restaurant and catering industry. Her timing was perfect and the growth 

spurt began. They went from being a small, local business to an enterprise servicing 

a large swath of the province, but, as Lara put it, “Everybody was running around like 

maniacs and hardly anyone knew what anyone else was doing.” 

When I asked Lara to give me an example of poor communication hurting the 

company, she explained that sales were way down in one of the regions because Amy, 

the person who managed that region, quit a few months earlier to go work for a 

competitor, and she had been one of their best employees. Amy had quit because Bryn, 

her manager, had refused to give Amy the full annual bonus she had been expecting. “ 

Are you saying it’s a communication issue because Amy wasn’t told beforehand 

she wouldn’t receive her annual bonus?” 

Lara nodded. “According to Bryn, Amy should have known she wasn’t getting her 

full bonus, because her sales increase was down to 5% from her usual 20%. But I 

don’t think Bryn ever actually explained it to her.” 

I suspected a deeper problem than just communication. 

“What was Amy’s role?” “She was one of our food consultants.” 

“Is that a fancy term for food salesperson?” Lara laughed. 

“Sales is part of the job, but there’s a lot more involved.” 

“Like what?” “Service, for one.” 

“Can you show me a role description?” 

She handed me a short role description that included servicing existing 

restaurants, broadening product line sales, keeping service issues to a minimum and 

growing the client base. 

“Do you have a document that shows me what constitutes excellent performance 

in each of these tasks?” 

She shook her head. 

“Why do you say that Amy was one of your best consultants if her sales 

were down?” 

Lara explained that Amy had told her that her sales were low because a large 

chain restaurant had closed down in her region. If it weren’t for that, she would have 

had her best year. As well, Amy had had the best product proliferation of any 

consultant and in her three years had never lost a single client. 

“Sounds like you have an idea of how to define an excellent consultant for 

Jungston Foods, but I’m guessing Bryn has a different idea.” 

“Bryn was hired around the same time I was. She was one of the top sales 

managers at Mallet Furniture, so she has a strong sales bias.” 

After we talked some more, I said, “Lara, I agree with you that lack of 

communication is a contributor, but I think the root of the problem is a lack of things 

to communicate. You have an idea of how a top consultant should perform, Bryn has 

a different idea, and Amy, I’m sure, had her own unique concept. That makes it 

impossible to run a successful team. Losing key employees and poor 

performance are inevitable symptoms.” 

Lara agreed and said she knew of several other employees who were on 

the brink of quitting. When she asked me what we should do, I suggested 

we take a lesson from elementary school. I explained that when I was in 

school, our teacher used something called rubrics for a big science 

project. Before giving us the assignment, she handed out a chart which 

broke down the project into various categories, such as research, 

demonstration, visual qualities, etc. And for each category she described 

what an A, B, C and D grade entailed for that category. For example, to obtain an A in 

the research category, we needed to include more than 6 sources, for a B we needed 

4-6, a C required 2-3, and a D 1 or less. Each category had fully fleshed-out 

descriptions and examples that took the mystery out of grading the projects. Every 

student could easily guess what mark they were going to get the moment they 

handed their project in. 

“Lara,” I said, “I incorporate that same rubric system into many of my clients’ 

management practices. Imagine if Bryn and Amy were working from an established 

rubric. Amy would never have been shocked to learn whether she was getting her 

bonus or not.” 

“But Bryn’s rubric would have had a total sales focus.” 

“Clearly that’s what Bryn’s used to, but the food consultant’s role needs to fit 

within the larger corporate strategy. So it’s up to the corporate leaders to establish a 

rubric for the role that sets expectations for all the role’s tasks. A rubric makes it 

easy for all parties to see if an employee is on target or not. If the rubric calls for 

ninetyfive percent client retention and the employee’s retention is tracking at eighty 

percent, we know there’s a problem. And this knowledge empowers people to 

develop a remedy before it’s too late. Perhaps the employee needs training on a 

certain system, or access to resources to help support service. The point is, 

performance is measurable and trackable. And bonuses or any rewards tied to 

performance are easily measured against the rubric.” 

“If there had been a rubric for Amy,” Lara said, “certainly part of it would have 

included sales targets, in which case she never would have deserved her full bonus.” 

“Not necessarily. The rubric is a living document. It needs to be revisited 

periodically. It might establish yearly measures, but even so, the manager and 

employee should review it every quarter. The closure of the big chain restaurant is 

the kind of thing that can be taken into account by a rubric. Sales targets shouldn’t 

be blind guesses, they should be based on realities, especially changing realities. I 

don’t know all the factors, but it’s possible that given the circumstances, Amy’s fivepercent 

sales increase might have been worth an A. By making the rubric a living 

document that evolves over time, you can address the changing environment and 

establish reasonable expectations for the role. On the flip side, imagine that instead 

of a big chain closing, a big chain is about to move in. In that case, twenty-percent 

growth might only be worth a B, whereas it’s reasonable to expect a top performer to 

achieve thirty percent.” 

Lara liked my approach, and over the ensuing weeks I worked with her and 

Jungston’s management team to develop and incorporate the rubric system. A year 

later, Lara told me that the system had not only helped clear up many of the 

company’s communication issues, but had also allowed them to retain the rest of the 

consultants. Furthermore, the company’s recent results showed that the old growth 

curve was back. 

Michael Lobraico is the founder of NCI Solutions, a company specializing in helping 

family businesses maximize their potential. For further information, visit his Web site 

at www.nci-solutions.com. 

N.C.I. Solutions Limited 

Copyright © 2010 

2880 Queen Street East, Suite 122 Brampton, ON L6S 6H4 

T: 905-846-8162 F: 905-846-1895 

E: mlobraico@nci-solutions.com 

www.nci-solutions.com


How Does the Modernization of MOE Approvals Affect you? 

by Lynne Maclennan and Roslyn Miller, Pinchin Environmental Ltd. 

Goodbye CofA — Hello ECA and EASR 

All aspects of onsite wastewater management involve obtaining a 

permit, including installing a septic or other wastewater treatment 

system, constructing a septage treatment facility, and transportation, 

storage and land application of septage. Until recently, a Certificate of 

Approval (CofA) was required for all of these activities, with the 

exception of installing a septic system treating less than 10,000 

litres/day, which is covered by the Building Code. 

As of October 31st, 2011, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment 

(MOE) replaced the CofA process with a two-path environmental 

approvals process: the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) and 

the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR). 

ECA application requirements are comparable to the previous CofA 

process, and are required for most activities and/or equipment emitting 

contaminants. However, there are several significant differences between 

an ECA and CofA, which include: 

• the ability to have one approval for multiple activities, equipment and 

emissions (air, noise, waste) occurring on site; 

• the ability to have a single ECA for multiple sites if the activities and 

equipment requiring an ECA are the same for each; 

• and, the introduction of an improved electronic ECA application form. 

The EASR allows businesses to register certain low-risk activities with the 

MOE through a simple online process instead of applying for an ECA. 

There are currently three sectors that are eligible for the EASR, which are: 

• comfort heating systems; 

• standby power systems; and, 

• automotive refinishing. 

The MOE recently proposed another four sectors for the EASR, 

including waste collection and transportation. Technical Discussion 

Papers were available for public review and comment until February 25, 

2011 for this and the other three sectors (ready-mix concrete 

manufacturing, concrete product manufacturing and lithographic, screen 

and digital printing) and a decision on the inclusion of these sectors in 

the EASR process is expected in the near future. 

Applying for an ECA 

As with CofA applications, when applying for an ECA, you need to 

include the ECA application form, fees for MOE review and technical 

information to support the application (e.g., environmental assessment, 

engineering design, and contingency and emergency procedures plan). 

The current cost for an ECA application is the same as for a CofA. The 

MOE’s new smart ECA application form is available on their website at: 

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@ene/@resources/ 

documents/resource/stdprod_090810.pdf. 

Registering on EASR 

Before registering on the EASR, the eligibility requirements need to be 

verified and the required operational programs and procedures need to be 

in place. For example, facilities with propane, natural gas, diesel or 

biodiesel fired emergency generators having a power rating of 700 kW or 

less are eligible for registration provided that the facility implements and 

adheres to specific operational and maintenance conditions. Some of the 

conditions for registering under the EASR include limiting testing of the 

unit between 7AM and 7PM with no more than 60 hours of testing each 

year and the facility is required to have modification, maintenance and 

complaints logs. The business owner or other person with authority for the 

company can then register the equipment and/or activities on-line through 

Service Ontario. EASR registration is currently free. An instantaneous 

confirmation is received from the MOE once registration 

is complete. 

Requirements of the EASR include updating information on the 

registry within 30 days of any changes being made, maintaining 

accessible records for the activity registered and keeping the records for 

five years. Re-registration on the EASR is required every one to five years 

(depending on the sector), regardless of whether any changes have been 

made to the activity or equipment registered. 

Access to the EASR can be found at: 

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/industry/assessment_and_ap 

provals/environmental_approvals/STDPROD_090833.html. 

Timelines Any business that currently has a CofA does not need to 

do anything unless an amendment to the CofA is required – the terms 

and conditions of the existing CofA still apply. If an amendment or 

renewal to an existing CofA is required, the facility will need to use the 

new ECA application form and the resulting amendment will be an ECA. 

All activities or operations currently eligible for the EASR are required to 

be registered by October 31, 2016 (or sooner if an amendment is 

required), regardless of whether they are currently part of a CofA or not. 

Further Information Further information on changes to the approvals 

process can be found on the MOE’s website at: 

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/industry/assessment_and_ 

approvals/environmental_approvals/index.htm. 

The authors can be contacted at 1-855-746-2446 or by email at 

lmaclennan@pinchin.com. 

EASR Environmental 

Activity and 

Sector Registry 

Easy predictable, low risk 

equipment. Register all eligible 

equipment, not each 

ECA 

Environmental 

Compliance Approval 

More complex applications, that 

require detailed review. 

25


Onsite Water Reuse: 

The onsite wastewater treatment industry has long 

been viewed as a critical provider of technology 

needed to protect public health and the 

environment. As source water shortages and pressure on 

water supply infrastructure continues to climb, there is a 

growing appreciation that properly treated wastewater 

brings additional value as a directly reusable and readily 

available water supply. 

Municipal reclaimed water is well established as an 

effective, non-potable source of water for use in 

irrigation, toilet and urinal flushing, decorative fountains 

and similar applications. The same concept is now being 

adapted to smaller scale treatment systems installed 

within a residence or commercial building, enabling 

wastewater generated onsite to remain onsite for 

treatment and use within the same structure for nonpotable 

water applications. 

In addition to the benefits of reduced burden on 

existing source water supplies and potable water 

treatment and distribution infrastructure, managing the 

recycling of water onsite provides other advantages. First, 

it allows isolation of individual source streams such as 

graywater, rainwater, and others to optimize treatment. 

And second, it allows for treatment to varying levels of 

quality based on the intended application. 

Many small scale drinking water and wastewater 

treatment technologies exist in the market today, and 

are readily adaptable to onsite residential and 

commercial reuse treatment. This is expected to 

facilitate and accelerate the availability of onsite reuse 

treatment technologies. 

Permitting and technology approval for onsite reuse 

applications is left currently to local and state regulations. 

This has created a range of varying criteria and product 

approval requirements. The result has been a push for 

national standards of treatment quality, and national 

standards of treatment product evaluation. 

New American National Standards 

Following four years of consensus committee 

development, two new American National Standards 

were adopted in July of 2011 for the evaluation of 

technologies intended to provide onsite treatment of 

wastewater for reuse: 

• NSF/ANSI Standard 350 Onsite residential and 

commercial water reuse treatment systems; and 

• NSF/ANSI Standard 350-1 Onsite residential and 

commercial graywater treatment systems for 

subsurface discharge 

Both Standards provide detailed methods of 

evaluation, product specifications and criteria related to 

materials, design and construction, product literature, 

wastewater treatment performance and effluent quality. 

The standards encompass both residential and 

commercial applications, and those that treat all the 

wastewater flow along with those that treat the graywater 

portion only. Further, within the graywater portion 

26


New Opportunities and Standards for Wastewater Treatment Technologies 

systems can be evaluated for treating bathing water only, laundry water 

only, or both. Table 1 describes the scope of each Standard. 

Residential systems are defined as those that treat wastewater 

generated by individual residence(s). Commercial systems are those that 

treat wastewater from businesses such as lodging establishments, 

business parks and campuses, shopping facilities, and places of public 

assembly. It does not include manufacturing, assembly, industrial or food 

processing facilities, and laundering facilities likely to handle high 

amounts of soiling or high strength commercial cleaners. 

While both standards are appropriate for non-potable treatment 

applications, Standard 350 has more restrictive effluent quality 

requirements than those of Standard 350-1. The result is a broader range 

of acceptable uses under 350. As the title implies, Standard 350-1 is for 

subsurface discharge only, whereas Standard 350 can be used for surface 

irrigation, toilet and urinal flushing, and other similar non-potable uses. 

Testing of Residential Water Reuse Treatment Systems 

Both Standards 350 and 350-1 are based on 26 weeks of continuous 

testing with regularly scheduled sampling throughout. The purpose of 

such a lengthy test is to assess the reliability of the product overtime, 

expanding a likely time interval between scheduled service and 

maintenance. A further requirement related to the same measure of 

reliability over time is the inability to provide any routine service and 

maintenance of the system during the test period. 

The dosing requirements, including scheduled delivery and 

characteristics of the source water are defined by the standard for all 

residential applications. Standard 350 defines influent characteristics for 

residential wastewater, and both Standards 350 and 350-1 define influent 

characteristics for graywater, as shown in Tables 2 and 3. The residential 

wastewater characteristics are consistent with those of NSF/ANSI 

Standards 40 and NSF/ANSI Standard 245, both of which apply to onsite 

residential wastewater treatment systems. 

Residential wastewater reuse treatment systems are tested using 

actual wastewater generally diverted from a municipal influent treatment 

supply. The wastewater is delivered to a test site with the capability to 

meet the dosing requirements of the Standard. Several test sites exist in 

the U.S. and Canada, as well as in other countries. 

Conversely, graywater in Standards 350 and 350-1 is a synthetic test 

water. The recipe for creating the test water is the same in both 

Standards, and includes a variety of common household personal care 

and cleaning products. They differ by bathing water only, laundry water 

only, and the combined graywater challenge. The resulting 

concentrations for individual parameters also differ among the three. 

Table 3 lists the resulting graywater challenge characteristics. 

The standard specifies the loading requirements of the treatment 

system evaluation, both for individual daily loading and the overall 26 

week test. Design loading and stress loading events are included during 

the course of the test. Each stress event includes prescribed steps to 

create the conditions that mimic typical events in a residence and likely 

to affect treatment performance. Extreme stress conditions, such as 

inappropriate additions of corrosive cleaning compounds, excessive 

hydraulic overloading, and other conditions that deviate from the 

manufacturers recommended use are not evaluated. 

For commercial systems, evaluations are performed under field 

conditions at an actual installation. The wastewater generated at the site 

is evaluated and the resulting characteristics define the influent 

concentration. The dosing is not controlled. Sampling is performed 

consistent with that for the testing of residential treatment systems. 

Effluent Quality Requirements 

The effluent quality criteria are applied consistently to all treatment 

systems regardless of their size, application and influent challenge water. 

Table 4 describes the effluent requirements of Standard 350. There are 

two separate criteria, one for the overall test average and another for 

individual samples established as a single maximum that no individual 

sample can exceed. Class R is applicable for single family residential 

dwellings. Class C is applicable for multi-family residential units and 

commercial facilities. 

Table 5 describes the effluent requirements of Standard 350-1. The 

values are based on an overall test average of all samples. 

Available Treatment Technologies 

Many existing drinking water and wastewater treatment equipment can 

be utilized to meet the need for graywater treatment. Systems designed 

specifically for reuse treatment are already beginning to come into the 

North American market, and have been available in other foreign 

markets for some time. As in any market, the key is demand for the 

technology at an affordable cost. As the market develops, having 

product standards that enable acceptance and approval will be critical. 

The NSF standards will help to address that need. 

Some jurisdictions may elect to require the evaluation of water reuse 

treatment systems in accordance with Standard 350 or 350-1 as a 

condition of product approval or permitting. This is a common practice 

today throughout North America for many residential drinking water and 

wastewater treatment systems. Requirements for compliance may fall 

within the sewage treatment or plumbing codes, or both. There is 

consideration already in many jurisdictions for adoption of the standards, 

as well as in the national plumbing code bodies. 

Certification 

Certifying agencies, such as NSF, will likely publish directories of 

treatment systems meeting the requirements of the new standards. 

These will often appear as a series of approved models differing in their 

gallons per day rated treatment capacity. Both Standards 350 and 350-1 

allow for the testing of one system that can then form the basis for 

approval of other models without any further testing. The additional 

models must be of similar design and specifications varying only in size 

proportionality and rated treatment capacity. 

Size ranges for residential reuse and graywater reuse systems are of 

two ranges, including (1) up to 400 gallons per day (gpd), and (2) from 

400 up to 1,500 gpd. A 100 gpd tested system could qualify additional, 

proportionally larger systems up to 400 gpd without further testing. A 

separate test is required for bridging proportionally sized systems from 

400 up to 1,500 gpd. 

Commercial reuse systems can be proportionally sized in a similar 

way for flows above 1500 gpd. However, in the case of commercial reuse 

systems it is important to note that testing is done at an existing 

installation. Characteristics other than product design and proportionality 

need to be considered, such as the wastewater characteristics and the 

loading conditions at the tested location. The same system may not 

perform if applied to significantly different loading conditions or 

wastewater characteristics. Conversely, a larger capacity system under 

similar loading conditions and waste strength producing larger volumes 

of reuse water than the tested system would be expected to perform at 

a similar level if the system is sized proportionally larger for the 

additional volume. 

continued on page 29 … 

27



Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association 

Insurance Program 

Dedicated to Serving OOWA Members 

OOWA is pleased to introduce its new insurance program 

to to onsite wastewater industry and is available 

exclusively to its membership. 

The OOWA Insurance plan is 

administered by SeptiGuard, a 

company within the Verge Group 

which has been in business since 1953 

as an independent broker. The Verge 

Group is a licensed broker in the 

province of Ontario, licensed and 

governed by RIBO (Registered 

Insurance Brokers of Ontario). 

Working with SeptiGuard, the OOWA 

Insurance Plan was established as a 

specialized and dedicated insurance 

source for installers, pumpers and 

designers in the onsite wastewater 

industry. We have successfully 

researched the real risk that is 

represented by septic contractors and 

pumpers, educated our insurers, and 

created an appetite for this very 

attractive class of risk that was 

previously misunderstood. 

For more information 

or to get a quote on 

your insurance needs: 

— Email: contact@oowainsurance.com 

— Tel: 1-866-717-7889 

OOWA has sourced or specifically 

negotiated exclusive leading rates with 

respect to all lines of coverage required 

by the industry. These include 

• General Liability 

• Pollution/ Environmental 

Impairment/ Underground 

tank policies 

• Contractors Equipment 

• Barging and Waterborne Risks 

• Professional Liability (Errors and 

Omissions) for inspectors, 

designers etc. 

• Vehicle/ Fleet coverage 

• Discount Home and Auto rates 

Does the OOWA Insurance Program 

always have the cheapest price? Each 

commercial insurance policy is unique in 

both the coverage provided, and the 

basis of which it is rated. It is our finding 

that in approximately 80% of cases we 

are able to offer savings, often to a 

significant extent.



Summary 

The new NSF/ANSI standards 350 and 350-1 fill a growing need for 

detailed, comprehensive test methods and criteria for reuse treatment 

technologies. These standards ensure that product manufacturers have a 

consistent basis against which their products will be evaluated, and 

target levels of effluent quality performance to achieve to recognition 

and acceptance of their technology in the market. Standards are one 

piece of a series of steps necessary to enable full use of reuse 

technologies, but a critical step in creating product safety and public 

health protection. 

Tom Bruursema is General Manager of NSF’s Environmental and 

Sustainability Services. He can be reached at (734) 769-5575, or by email 

at bruursema@nsf.org. 

Table 1 Scope of NSF/ANSI Standards 350 and 350-1 

References 

NSF International. 2010. NSF/ANSI Standard 40 Residential Wastewater 

Treatment Systems. Available at www.techstreet.com/nsfgate.html. 

NSF International. 2010. NSF/ANSI Standard 245 Wastewater 

treatment systems – Nitrogen reduction. Available at 

www.techstreet.com/nsfgate.html. 

NSF International. 2011. NSF/ANSI Standard 350 Onsite residential and 

commercial water reuse treatment systems. Available at 

www.techstreet.com/nsfgate.html. 

NSF International. 2011. NSF/ANSI Standard 350-1 Onsite residential and 

commercial graywater treatment systems for subsurface discharge. 

Available at www.techstreet.com/nsfgate.html. 

Standards Building Types Influent Types Effluent Uses Ratings 

NSF/ANSI 350 Residential; up to 1,500 gallons 

per day 

Commercial; above 1,500 gallons 

per day, and all capacities of 

commercial laundry water 

NSF/ANSI 350-1 Laundry water only 

Residential; up to 1,500 gallons 

per day 

Commercial; above 1,500 gallons 

per day, and all capacities of 

commercial laundry water 

• Combined black and graywater 

• Graywater 

• Bathing water only 

• Laundry water only 

• Combined black and graywater 

• Graywater 


• Graywater 


• laundry water only 

• Graywater 


• Laundry water only 

Table 2 Residential wastewater test water concentration (30-day average) 

Non-potable; such as surface 

and subsurface irrigation, toilet 

and urinal flushing 

• Two classifications that vary slightly in 

effluent quality: 

• Class R: single family residential 

• Class C: multi-family and commercial 

• Systems are further described based 

on the type of influent (combined, 

graywater, bathing only, laundry only) 

Subsurface irrigation only • Single effluent quality with no 

classifications 

• Systems are further described based 

on the type of influent (graywater, 

bathing only, laundry only) 

Parameter Required range 

Total suspended solids (TSS) 100 – 350 mg/L 

Five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) 100 – 300 mg/L 

Table 3 Graywater test water concentration (combined laundry and bathing water; 30-day average) 

Parameter Required range 

TSS 80 – 160 mg/L 

BOD5 130 – 180 mg/L 

Temperature 25 – 35°C 

pH 6.5 – 8.0 

Turbidity 50 – 100 NTU 

Total phosphorous - P 1.0 – 3.0 mg/L 

Total Kjeldahl nitrogen – N 3.0 – 5.0 mg/L 

Chemical oxygen demand 250 – 400 mg/L 

Total organic carbon 50 – 100 mg/L 

Total coliforms 103 – 104 cfu/100 mL 

E. coli 102 – 103 cfu/100 mL 

continued on page 30… 

29

30 



Table 4 Summary of draft NSF Standard 350 effluent criteria for individual classifications: 

Parameter 

Overall Test 

Average 

Class R Class C 

Single Sample 

Maximum 

Overall Test 

Average 

Single Sample 

Maximum 

CBOD5 (mg/L) 10 25 10 25 

TSS (mg/L) 10 30 10 30 

Turbidity (NTU) 5 10 2 5 

E. coli 2 

(MPN/100 mL) 

14 240 2.2 200 

pH (SU) 6.0 – 9.0 NA 1 6.0 – 9.0 NA 

Storage vessel 

disinfection 

(mg/L) 3 

≥ 0.5 – 

≤ 2.5 

NA 

≥ 0.5 – 

≤ 2.5 

Color MR 4 NA MR NA 

Odor Non-offensive NA Non-offensive NA 

Oily film 

and foam 

Non-detectable Non-detectable Non-detectable Non-detectable 

Energy 

consumption 

MR NA MR NA 

1 NA: not applicable. 

2 Calculated as geometric mean 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NA 

3 As chlorine. Other disinfectants can 

be used. 

4 MR: Measured and reported only. 

Table 5 Summary of draft NSF Standard 350-1 effluent criteria 

for individual classifications: 

Parameter Test Average 

CBOD5 (mg/L) 25 mg/L 

TSS (mg/L) 30 mg/L 

pH (SU) 6.0 – 9.0 

Color MR 1 

Odor Non-offensive 

Oily film and foam Non-detectable 

Energy consumption MR 

1 MR: Measured and reported only. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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32 


…from page 23 

Table 5 Average concentrations at the effluent of the self-cleaning UV unit (restaurant) 


Fecal coliforms counts/100 mL


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Volume 13, Issue 1 - Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association

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