WCWC Pilot Testing Program
Decentralized Pilot Testing for Wauzhushk Onigum Nation
The Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC) provides information and education to Ontario’s owners, operators, operating authorities and First Nations drinking water systems. Through this pilot testing program, relevant information is provided to enhance our clients’ understanding of source water quality and the performance of current treatment and possible alternative options.
Under the program WCWC sets up pilot projects to test alternative treatment parameters or technologies. Your water is shipped to the Centre in Walkerton or we attend at your facility. WCWC recognizes the financial challenges faced by small system operators and does not charge for its staff time to undertake this work.
Raw water sources, specifically inland lakes, rivers and groundwater, are site specific and could be challenging to treat. Information from literature and other case studies are not always transferable because of the differences in raw water quality and testing conditions. WCWC’s Pilot Testing Program fills this information gap using the approach of pilot and bench scale testing to provide more relevant and meaningful information.
Here’s how WCWC can help:
- continuous engagement with drinking operators throughout the project to determine and address their information needs
- a customized learning opportunity through a knowledge transfer seminar to present and discuss the results with the operators of the system
- interim and final reports outlining the results of the project
- presentations of the results at conferences to benefit other drinking water systems, all without mentioning the client name if requested
- addition to training materials as appropriate
Testing can be conducted at WCWC’s facility in Walkerton or at your location (bench scale)
WCWC’s Technology Demonstration Facility in Walkerton has a lab and many pilot systems. These systems include a dual train conventional treatment pilot plant, ozone systems, a dissolved air floatation pilot plant, Ultraviolet Light (UV) treatment systems, slow sand, green sand and membrane filtration systems. Some of the pilot systems can be operated side by side using the same feed water. WCWC has also the capacity to pilot advanced oxidation processes (AOP) based either on ozone or UV light.
The lab is equipped with bench top and portable instruments such as an organic carbon analyzer, jar testers, spectrophotometers, colorimeters and numerous other instruments. Depending on the scope of the project, WCWC staff can conduct bench scale tests at your location as well. WCWC is working to expand its inventory of mobile pilot systems and portable instruments.
For more information www.wcwc.ca/en/research/pilot-testing-services/
or to discuss this program please contact:
Devendra Borikar, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Lead Technology Demonstration at dborikar@wcwc.ca, or call 1-866-515-0550 ext. 313.
or
Souleymane Ndiongue, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Manager, WCWC Research & Technology Institute at sndiongue@wcwc.ca, or call
1-866-515-0550 ext 308