Conclusion
It is imperative wastewater be treated before discharging to surface waters, and discharge should be minimized to protect the surrounding ecosystems. Wastewater management has historically shifted toward a centralized scheme, with the public perception being a centralized sewer best protects the public and environmental health. However, water tables are dropping at drastic rates, and sewers continue to discharge trillions of litres of untreated sewage into surface waters worldwide every year.
The environmental and health effects of this political negligence are unacceptable. Engineers and regulators in the wastewater industry need to protect both public and environmental health in the most effective and sustainable manner. For this to happen, many in the water sector need to consider alternative approaches that could be implemented in both new development and infrastructure upgrade projects. Water reuse and soil-based wastewater treatment systems are only two of the many options available to provide communities with flexible and sustainable solutions.
All options need to be evaluated, especially when considering systems that provide greater protection of public and environmental health. Future developments in policy will include guidance on treatment strategies, cross-connection protections, and better management of an important resource.
| RANGE OF BENEFITS |
| Possible Water Efficiency (WE), Sustainable Sites (SS), and Innovation points can be achieved with water reuse systems for projects seeking certification under Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC’s) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating programs.
For example, for projects certifying at the building scale using LEED Homes Mid-rise v3, the following credits can be earned for building wastewater recycling and reuse:
For projects certifying at the district scale using LEED Neighborhood Development v3 or v4, credits that can be earned include:
For projects using LEED Commercial Interiors Mid-rise v1, there is SS: Innovative Wastewater Technologies, while Beyond LEED Homes Mid-rise v3 offers Energy & Atmosphere (EA) credit 1, Testing & Verification. |
Jennifer Cisneros is the director of marketing at Bio-Microbics, and also chairs the Marketing Committee for the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA). She has worked for the past eight years with the Technical Practices and Education Committees at NOWRA, along with various departments at Bio-Microbics, to create, write, and distribute content for the water industry. She can be reached at jcisneros@biomicrobics.com.
