Securing Availability of our Greatest Resource – Urban Systems

 Life as we know it is threatened when fresh water grows scarce – particularly during drought and when contaminated by human or non-human events.

It seems only practical and reasonable for a government to have enforceable policies in place to secure the availability of our greatest resource. Alberta and British Columbia are the only provinces in Canada to boast water reuse guidelines and regulations.

Industry and agriculture are some of the biggest water users on the planet.

As the desire to secure our freshest resources for our most vulnerable continues to rise, it seems some of the greatest opportunities for reclaiming or reusing wastewater and stormwater begins with industrial and agricultural users.

In the past couple of decades, potable and non-potable reuse projects have been implemented in the USA, Australia and Canada. Some of these practices include treating recycled wastewater and stormwater for the purposes of:

• Drinking water aquifer restoration;
• Well stimulation fluids;
• Dust suppression;
• Livestock watering;
• Sub-surface irrigation; and,
• Spray irrigation.

There is a great opportunity for policy and best-practice intervention in the industrial sector due to its focus on production. Securing the cheapest and most secure water resource and not necessarily the freshest is of greater importance. Industrial water for processing is typically associated with minimal risk of direct human exposure, and not associated with direct withdrawal for consumption.

In British Columbia, Canbriam Energy Inc. has a water strategy that includes the use of recycled frac flowback water. There are holding ponds, pipe systems, mechanical water filtration and chemical treatment designed for reuse in completions. This is an innovative Canadian project that demonstrates how the oil and gas industry can be leaders in water reuse.

Through interviews with the Government of Alberta, the following can be expected from the first draft of Alberta’s water reuse policy:

• Providing a framework for justification of a project and a common language and dialogue between the proponent and the Government of Alberta
• Methods of treatment will not be the focus in the new policy
  o Future innovations should be encouraged, therefore outlining prescriptive treatment methods is not a priority
• a risk based approach will be used to determine risks to the environment and/or human health of a specific reuse project
• When used as intended, the policy and risk framework will condense and clarify the regulatory framework according to the risks associated with the project
• Water quality criteria will be in alignment with what exists in current policy in Alberta and Canada. Where gaps exist, other jurisdictions will be referenced for best practices such as EPA in the USA, Australia and the European Union
• Proponent must be able to demonstrate that they meet acceptable standards. This may be accomplished by:
  o Analytical methods
  o Monitoring
  o Precedent and standard set by existing successful practices
• Low risk reuse and stormwater use projects may have streamlined approval processes
• Potable reuse and stormwater use project approval will not be streamlined at this time, as risks associated are considered high

We foresee that this new water reuse policy will become a platform for building a sustainable, water-secure future for all Albertans. It might be some time before direct potable reuse, however it is possible that indirect potable reuse will be fast tracked and soon on the rise in Alberta. The first draft will become a roadmap for exciting future innovation.

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”  — Leonardo da Vinci

Read more at: Urban Systems

Media

Taxonomy

• Treatment
• Water Reuse & Recycling
• Industrial Water Reuse
• Reuse