Waterline: OCWA's Newsletter (Winter 2022)

Message from the CEO

Hello and welcome to the holiday issue of Waterline!

In the spring issue, I shared my immediate priorities to rebuild connections with staff and partners that had been challenged during the pandemic, and to work on refreshing the Agency’s long-term strategic plan.

Since then, I’ve visited many Ontario communities and met with local OCWA staff and clients. Thank you to everyone who hosted me and took the time to connect in person. The regional staff town halls and visits to the communities that OCWA serves were the highlight of my year. Having face-to-face conversations and connecting with staff and clients on a personal level was energizing and has allowed me to focus our priorities.

I continue to be impressed by the hard work and commitment of OCWA staff and appreciated receiving their feedback, including opportunities for improvement. It was also important to me to hear from our clients about how they are managing during these uncertain economic times, their priorities around water and wastewater, and how OCWA can best support them. What I heard from both staff and clients is also informing our work on OCWA’s new strategic plan.

During my community visits, some of the challenges our client partners shared with me are being experienced worldwide. Inflation and supply shortages are affecting everyone from families to businesses to governments. OCWA Senior Management and our procurement analysts have worked with our suppliers to ensure that we are responsive to changing market conditions and continue to meet the needs of our clients. Being Ontario’s largest provider of water and wastewater services, OCWA has the advantage of being able to harness its bulk buying power for chemicals and other materials and ensure the resiliency of supply.

There are also other advantages to being a large organization with operations spread across the province: Clients can tap into OCWA’s deep bench of technical talent located around Ontario. As you will read about in this issue of Waterline, the Town of Bruce Mines was able to draw from the expertise of specialists from the Agency’s Innovation, Technology and Alternative Delivery group to find and pilot an innovative, cost-effective technology to clean lagoon sludge, along with assistance from local OCWA staff. The team was also able to help the Town secure project funding. This team approach makes OCWA unique in Ontario among water and wastewater providers.

In this issue, I am also happy to have the opportunity to introduce you to two new Regional Hub Managers – Caralynn McRae in Georgian Highlands and Johanna Kirkbride in our newly created First Nations Regional Hub based out of Thunder Bay. Both are seasoned OCWA professionals who bring a wealth of experience to their new roles.

These are just a couple of the stories in this issue of Waterline. It’s a great read and I hope that you enjoy it!

I would like to close by thanking our clients for continuing to place their trust in OCWA and allowing us to be part of their community. This past year had its challenges, but it was also a time of renewing connections and priorities. Looking ahead to 2023, I am excited to launch OCWA’s new strategic plan ensuring we achieve our Vision of being your Trusted Water Partner For Life – and also to celebrate the Agency’s 30^th anniversary!

In the meantime, I am looking forward to spending the holidays with my family. I hope to fit in a few card and board games – my aim is not to lose to my kids in every game! As for New Year’s resolutions, at OCWA our resolution is to continue to support our staff as they deliver safe and reliable services to communities during these challenging times.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday, everyone. See you next year.

Alicia Fraser,

President & CEO, OCWA

Sludge-Eating Bugs Clean Up Lagoon:

OCWA pilots innovative solution in Bruce Mines

Accumulated sludge is a common issue in communities that use lagoons to treat wastewater. But one community where OCWA operates is achieving significant results with an innovative and cost-effective solution to remove the excess sludge that can build up in lagoons.

Like many smaller communities in Ontario, the Town of Bruce Mines on the north shore of Lake Huron treats its wastewater using a lagoon system. Over time, high levels of sludge had built up in the Town’s two wastewater lagoons. Accumulated sludge affects treatment performance and has traditionally been costly to remove.

Local OCWA operations staff and specialists from the Agency’s Innovation, Technology and Alternative Delivery group began looking for a cost-effective and efficient way to remove the excess sludge. After examining solutions with proven results in other communities, OCWA and the Town agreed that piloting a natural biological technology was the best option. Put simply, the product is a proprietary blend of naturally occurring microbes that clean lagoons by eating sludge.

OCWA assisted with funding application

OCWA helped the Town submit an application for funding under the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund. The project successfully received 50% funding, and in August 2021 OCWA began piloting application of the microbes to the Town’s two lagoons. It seemed apparent early on that the microbes were doing their job, with preliminary results showing a sizeable reduction in lagoon sludge. Halfway through the two-year pilot (August 2022), the initial results were confirmed, as testing revealed the microbes had removed more than half of the sludge in the lagoons.

“At first, we were asking ourselves where all the sludge went,” said Aaron Law, OCWA’s Program Manager of Biosolids, Organics & Resource Recovery. “It was hard not to get too excited after the preliminary results – it was a great day when we got that confirmation.”

Town very happy with results

“The Town is very happy with the results of the pilot so far. The amount of sludge that has been removed from our lagoons is impressive,” said Bruce Mines Mayor Lory Patteri. “And using this biological technology is proving to be a far more cost-effective way of cleaning the lagoons than traditional dredging.”

What’s more, the project has achieved additional environmental benefits because the sludge is digested in the lagoon rather than being removed, hauled and disposed of in a landfill. Landfilling the sludge would have resulted in 816 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as CO2 equivalents.

The pilot project will continue until August 2023, when an official decision will be made about whether the Town will adopt the solution for the long term.

This is just one of the many innovative projects that OCWA is working on in partnership with client communities. Do you have a lagoon maintenance issue that you would like to discuss? Please get in touch with your local OCWA representative or send a message to ocwa@ocwa.com.

First Nations Advisory Circle Meets In Person

After many virtual sessions over the past year, OCWA was honoured to host the first in-person gathering of the First Nations Advisory Circle on December 2nd. The group toured the Arthur P. Kennedy Water Treatment Plant in Mississauga followed by a discussion of important water issues facing First Nations communities.

Chaired by Robert Watts (Vice President, Indigenous Relations and Strategic Planning, Nuclear Waste Management Organization and a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River), the Circle reports to OCWA’s Board of Directors and provides advice and recommendations on how the Agency can enhance its partnerships with First Nations communities and better support their water and wastewater needs and concerns. The Circle may also advise on the integration of First Nation perspectives into OCWA’s strategies.

Pictured left to right: Chad Byce (Senior Operations Manager, First Nations Regional Hub, OCWA); John Kingsbury (Director of Business Development, OCWA); Richard Junkin (VP Operations, OCWA); Mike Mortimer (VP Operations, South Peel Region); Johanna Kirkbride (Regional Manager, First Nations Regional Hub, OCWA); Robert Watts-Chair (Vice President, Indigenous Relations and Strategic Planning, Nuclear Waste Management Organization, from Six Nations of the Grand River); Sylvia Plain (Founder/Coordinator, Great Lakes Canoe Journey Education Program, from Aamjiwnaang First Nation); Alicia Fraser (President & CEO, OCWA), Robin Kind (Executive VP & General Counsel, OCWA); Gary Naponse (Director of Housing and Infrastructure, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek), Joseph Wabegijig (Founder and CEO, Phoenix Smart Infrastructure, from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory). Attended but not pictured: Phil Tangie (Hub Manager, Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council, from Michipicoten First Nation); Melanie Debassige (Board of Directors, OCWA, from M’Chigeeng First Nation); Joseph Pennachetti (Chair, Board of Directors, OCWA).

OCWA Staff Announcements

OCWA is very pleased to welcome two new OCWA Regional Hub Managers: Caralynn McRae in the Georgian Highlands Regional Hub and Johanna Kirkbride in our newly created First Nations Regional Hub based out of Thunder Bay. Both are seasoned OCWA professionals who bring a wealth of experience to their new roles.

Caralynn has been part of the Georgian Highlands team for many years, most recently as the Regional Hub Business Manager.

Johanna comes from a very diverse operations and administration background, both with OCWA and also the private sector. Johanna lives in Thunder Bay, and has most recently worked within OCWA’s Business Development Group.

Caralynn and Johanna look forward to building strong relationships with our client partners and supporting their water and wastewater needs.

Capital Planning & Major Maintenance –

Think Bigger When Budgeting!

Have you been to the grocery store lately? Everything costs so much more. Budgeting for groceries means shopping smarter and anticipating bigger price tags. Planning your municipal water and wastewater capital budget is no different.

Rising costs, shortages and manufacturing delays of many goods and services are affecting almost every project and operating plant. To help mitigate the impact of these uncertain times, municipalities must take the time to plan, anticipate issues and build in contingencies to their budgets and schedules

OCWA is supporting our municipal partners in the capital planning process. A quick list of suggested actions to help clients plan, anticipate and build-in contingency includes:

Revise/review project budgets – do not assume same as last year.
Follow up on previous quotations and confirm if prices and schedules are still realistic. Expect an increase in both.
Revise/review project delivery schedules. Remember that longer projects mean higher costs.
Identify project risks early and mitigate.
Source out new funding: Is there an energy savings and/or innovation component?
Is pre-purchasing equipment an option? How will I address the increased risk that comes with this delivery model?
Can I separate shop drawing delivery from equipment delivery to save schedule?
Consider timing a Request for Bid (RFB) to capitalize on slower construction periods.
Bundle multiple projects to deliver as one.

If you are looking for more information on any of these ideas, please contact your local OCWA representative. We’d be happy to discuss how we can support you in the development of your capital and major maintenance plans.

New Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval

CLI-ECA for Sanitary and Stormwater Systems: What does it mean for your municipality?

Has your municipality submitted its Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval (CLI-ECA) application yet? Have you reviewed the draft ECAs? Do you understand what this regulatory change means for your municipality moving forward?

The Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) has adopted a Consolidated Linear Infrastructure permissions approach for projects related to sewage collection and stormwater management. This will enable low-risk public infrastructure projects to be built sooner by modernizing the approach to linear infrastructure permissions. It removes the current fragmented system of overlapping approvals with outdated conditions and replaces them with one sanitary or one stormwater ECA with a consistent set of conditions across the province.

These new ECAs have short-term as well as long-term implications for municipal systems. In the short term, operations manuals, annual inspections, signage and performance reporting will now be required for these systems. Longer term, additional studies prepared by qualified professionals may be required depending on your infrastructure design. OCWA’s operational and technical teams are working to support our clients with preparing ECA applications reviewing draft ECAs, and developing plans to meet the additional requirements.

If you would like OCWA’s support to help understand the impacts of these new ECAs moving forward, please contact your local OCWA representative.

OCWA Water Talks Returning in 2023

Thanks to everyone who attended one or more of our OCWA Water Talks this past year. And to those who filled out the post-webinar survey or provided feedback through other avenues – we greatly appreciate your input.

We are happy to announce that Water Talks will return in 2023 with a brand new line-up of free webinars featuring OCWA subject matter experts.

The 2022 series covered a range of popular topics, including trends in the water and wastewater sector, planning successful water tower projects, hydro bill analysis, understanding wastewater lagoons, and inflow & infiltration.

We are finalizing topics for Water Talks 2023 and will be sending out a “Save the Date” email in the new year. We hope you will be able to join us!

OCWA is an agency of the Province of Ontario mandated to provide safe, reliable

and cost-effective clean water services to the people of Ontario.

Waterline est disponible en français sur demande.

Veuillez envoyer un courriel à ocwa@ocwa.com.