This research program was designed to evaluate both the technical and socio-economic feasibility of programs which reduce loadings from various pathogen sources and process modifications that can make biological disinfection of wastewater treatment more effective.
This project aimed to provide a collaborative environment for investigators and partners to advance research on the risk of waterborne enteric disease. The key users of the research outcomes are project partners, including regional water services, conservation authorities, and provincial and federal agencies.
The accumulation of biological matter in domestic wells, known as biofouling, is a widespread problem across Canada, one which presents a particular challenge to fractured rock aquifers. This research project drew on a unique integration of geology, hydrogeology, chemistry and microbiology to advance the scientific understanding of biofouling and pathogen transport in fractured rock [...]
The overall objective of this project was to enhance the understanding of conditions that control the occurrence and mobility of microbes in regional groundwater systems by conducting detailed spatial and temporal monitoring of selected indicator species near a vulnerable municipal groundwater supply system.
This project has developed rapid, sensitive, quantitative methods to detect and study index microorganisms and pathogens in water, validate and use these methods under field conditions using samples from various Canadian cities, and analyze the data to provide regulatory oversight criteria and better public health protection.
The project team, led by Dr. X. Chris Le, investigates three knowledge gaps: 1) the effects of arsenic on DNA damage and repair, 2) characterizing new arsenic species, and 3) developing a map of Canada that characterizes how many Canadians are being exposed to arsenic in drinking water, and to what level.
This project was designed to determine the extent to which consumers would be willing to pay higher prices for better quality drinking water that reduces their exposure to the pathogens and other potentially harmful compounds in tap water.
This objective of this research was to develop new analytical techniques for determining previously unknown DBPs, and analyse and compare how DBPs are formed during different disinfection processes.
This project positioned Canada to become a leader in the area of consumer preferences and perceptions about water quality. Focusing on the gap between perceived drinking water risks and actual health risks, the project examined the implications of this gap, as well as the factors that explain the development of the average consumer's risk perceptions.
This project, led by Dr. Ed McBean, involved three workshops and the development of a board that focused on sharing information and creating a dialogue around the challenges and needs of small water systems in order to inform water treatment.