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CONSERVATION CORNER take me to your litre! By Neal Klassen, MA Brought to you by the BCWWA Water Sustainability Committee S ome of us older folks might remember a song called I’m a Stranger Here by the Canadian group, The Five Man Electrical Band. It is about an alien who comes to Earth and is shocked to witness the environmental damage done to the planet in the name of progress. You younger folks should look it up on YouTube, if only to hear the emotional climax when the alien cries, “Oh you crazy fools, don’t you know you had it made…you were living in paradise.” Hey, it was the early ‘70s, what can I say? But, if someone from outer space really did visit our little blue planet, third from the sun, what would they think of our water conservation efforts? If the aliens took a tour across British Columbia, what would they see? Well, if they landed in Sparwood, they would no doubt be impressed by the world’s largest truck. But, then they would find out that Sparwood has a pretty impressive water conservation program for a relatively small town. Sparwood, along with 19 other communities and two regional districts in the Kootenays, is involved in the Columbia Basin Trust’s (CBT) Water Smart initiative. CBT has developed Water Smart Action Plans to help these communities reduce water consumption by 20% by 2015. If our alien friends then moved west and landed in the Okanagan, they would find that Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna and Penticton are all metered, and all have active water conservation programs. They might have lunch with the folks at the Okanagan Basin Water Board and hear about their region-wide water conservation programs. And so it would go, as the aliens travelled into the Fraser Valley and into Greater Vancouver. 38 Watermark Spring 2012 Every major community is doing serious, effective work at reducing water consumption. Not wanting to miss anyone, the aliens would go to the island and see the work done by the Capital Regional District, then head up north to Campbell River and see what is happening there. The point is, there is an awful lot going on when it comes to water conservation in British Columbia. The Province, regional governments, municipalities and other organizations are working both together and separately to meet the same goal. Is there overlap? Sure there is. Is there a leader – one voice that speaks for everyone? I don’t think so. Do we need to have one? Probably – but in a province as big and diverse as British Columbia, who is going to speak for both Sparwood and Surrey, for Keremeos and Kitimat? If aliens ever do land in British Columbia and demand, “Take me to your leader,” where should they be taken? There is really just one place, one organization, that is in the position to take on a leadership role in water conservation: BC Water & Waste Association. This organization is already at the forefront when it comes to operator training and cross connection control. Maybe it is time to develop a certified ‘Water Conservation Practitioner’ program. Such a program could offer a standard set of tools. Practitioners would learn how to interpret water consumption data, and how to develop specific measurable programs targeted to different audiences. They would learn how to do a cost-benefit analysis of rebate programs and how to assess the efficiency of a residential irrigation system. There are a number of specific skills required to develop and administer an effective water conservation program, but there are few places to actually learn those skills. Who better than BCWWA to lead the way by creating a certification program? Captain Kirk was no alien, but he knew a thing or two about space travel. When he said his mission was “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” he was not talking about being the first to use the low-flow toilets on the Enterprise. He was talking about leadership. Is it time for BCWWA to take on the leadership role for water conservation in British Columbia? click here to return to table of contents
BCIT advances. Get one degree closer to your career goals. BCIT degrees are well-recognized, industry-focused, and conveniently offered via various delivery options. >Construction Management 604.432.8351 or beth_currie@bcit.ca bcit.ca/cm >Environmental Engineering Technology 604.432.8539 or giti_abouhamzeh@bcit.ca bcit.ca/eet client: Lynne Cruz ad name: BTech Constr Mgmtm & Enviro Eng publication: Watermark (BCWWA) docket #: A17022 size: 4.625" x 4.625" or 7" x 3.25" (1/3 pg) colour: black template: program_text_nofill photo: no designer: Mirabelle proof 1: Feb 1, 2012 required: Feb 10, 2012 special notes: click here to return to table of contents It’s your career. Get it right. www.bcwwa.org 39
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Page 4 and 5: “Delpro introduces Metso, a provi
Page 6 and 7: PRESIdENT’S MESSAGE LEN STEIN, BC
Page 8 and 9: CEO’S MESSAGE DAISy FOSTER, CHIEF
Page 10 and 11: EdITOR’S MESSAGE CAROL CAMPBELL,
Page 12 and 13: AWWA dIRECTOR’S REPORT MIKE NOLAN
Page 14: CWWA dIRECTOR’S REPORT COLWyN SuN
Page 17 and 18: BCWWA PIPELINE • Regulation and P
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Page 21 and 22: C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Supplying Pre-
Page 23 and 24: Municipal: • Headworks fine scree
Page 25 and 26: hauled from other wastewater treatm
Page 28 and 29: CHalleNGes and OppOrtuNities for su
Page 30 and 31: UNBC Reseach team with Watershed St
Page 32 and 33: The Government of Canada recently l
Page 34 and 35: Haiti relief eartHquake effort From
Page 36 and 37: New streams of thought by Madjid Mo
Page 40 and 41: CLIMATE ChANGE CORNER Preparing for
Page 42 and 43: By Remi Allard, M. Eng., P. Eng. Pa
Page 44 and 45: young Professionals Committee updat
Page 46 and 47: 40th Annual Conference & trade show
Page 48 and 49: ConfErEnCE EvEnts OPENING CEREMONIE
Page 50 and 51: POSTER BOARD COMPETITION BCWWA’s
Page 52 and 53: WAtEr for pEoplE fundrAising EvEnts
Page 54 and 55: AnnuAl ConfErEnCE tEChniCAl tours s
Page 56 and 57: Monday 11:10 aM - 11:40 aM 3.6 The
Page 58 and 59: Monday 3:50 PM - 4:20 PM 9.4 New To
Page 60 and 61: session 16 Wastewater Issues III Se
Page 62 and 63: Advanced Anaerobic Digestion: Pract
Page 64 and 65: sMAll WAtEr systEMs syMposiuM Spons
Page 66 and 67: WEdnEsdAy sEMinArs Sponsored by Mye
Page 68 and 69: individuAl rEgistrAtion forM April
Page 70 and 71: coMPany inforMation Primary contact
Page 72 and 73: ExhiBitor profilEs (At Press Time)
Page 74 and 75: B.g.e. service & supply Ltd. 2 BGE
Page 76 and 77: craig Kelman and associates table P
Page 78 and 79: flowWorks.com 81 FlowWorks is a web
Page 80 and 81: itron canada inc. 82 2624 Dunwin Dr
Page 82 and 83: northlands Water and sewer supplies
Page 84 and 85: Pureworld solutions inc. 80 Providi
Page 86 and 87: smith cameron Pump solutions 63 We
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Vancouver Operators Symposium & Tra
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MIKE SEyMOUR I would like to serve
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AdVERTISER INFORMATION Watermark wo
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ACIDS ALKALI BIO-ENZYMES BLOWER &VA
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