This project explored and developed a variety of empirical down-scaling methods to estimate a number of “100-year” precipitation projection scenarios for Victoria, the Fraser River Basin, Montreal and Niagara, all of which are vulnerable to climate change.
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.
In this project, the development and assessment of novel methods for detecting and determining the viability and infectivity of oocysts were researched, which is essential for assessing the presence, prevalence and infectivity of pathogens in municipal water sources.
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 research used a combination of techniques to determine contaminant loadings for the 30 sub-watersheds that contribute to the Lower Fraser Valley. It addressed the challenge of scaling up from sub-watersheds to watersheds, connecting land use to water quality data using GIS, nutrient budgets, modelling, hydrometric and stream monitoring data.