IMPROVEMENTS IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Janet Baine, a communications specialist with the Grand River Conservation Authority, has written this article in today's Elmira Independent. Essentially the program brings all the operators, from 30 wastewater treatment plants up and down the Grand River, together to compare notes and operating strategies. While using the well overused term "optimized" what they are really doing is communicating with each other to help improve their efforts to clean wastewater, which is then being discharged into the Grand River. Clearly this program should also be used at the drinking water treatment plants up and down the Grand River and throughout Ontario. If it had been done ten years ago, perhaps the pathetic operational practices of the Walkerton P.U.C. could have been remedied in time. I agree with the following quote although it does concern me: "It is a cost-effective compliment to wastewater upgrades, which are very costly.". As long as this program is to compliment infrastructure upgrades rather than replace them, then it is a win-win scenario.