2024 Water Canada Awards Winners
Water Canada celebrated the winners of the 2024 Water Canada Awards on August 13, 2024. Hosted by Actual Media’s Content Director Corinne Lynds, the presentation of the 2024 Water Canada Awards recognized individuals, projects, and technologies that have made significant contributions to the water industry in Canada and beyond. Click here to see the full list of incredible 2024 finalists >>>
The winners of the 2024 Water Canada Awards are:
Category - Projects: Stormwater
Hamilton Drone Driven Approach
Revolutionizing Stormwater Management: Hamilton Water’s Drone-Driven Approach for Enhanced Data Accuracy and Compliance
In 2023, Hamilton Water embraced drone technology to enhance stormwater facility data accuracy, aligning with new compliance regulations for improved pond dredging timing. The city manages 130 stormwater management facilities (SWMF), crucial for runoff detention and sediment settlement. Traditionally, sediment surveys required labour-intensive, manual measurements, posing accuracy and safety challenges. This innovative approach utilizes drone-mounted sonar for precise sediment level estimation. The drones, equipped with advanced sonar and photogrammetry technology, map SWMFs in high resolution, offering a more accurate assessment of storage capacity. This data-driven methodology optimizes dredging schedules, ensuring effective stormwater treatment and financial efficiency. The project allows for accurate maintenance planning, ensuring optimal dredging times, saving costs, and enhancing safety by reducing on-water crew requirements.
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Category - Projects: Drinking Water
Professional Practice Guidelines
Professional Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of One Water System Risk Management Plans in British Columbia
The traditional regulatory approach for water management often overlooks enterprise-level risks, such as organizational, financial, and climate-related ones, leading to water system failures. This is alarming considering the $12-billion infrastructure deficit in B.C., and recent climate-related impacts like flooding in Grand Forks and Merritt, and droughts province-wide. Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) crafted interim professional practice guidelines on One Water System Risk Management to address this gap. These guidelines propose a holistic approach to water management, addressing both technical and systemic risks. EGBC has actively involved various partners, including provincial ministries, municipalities, health authorities, Indigenous organizations, and non-profits, ensuring alignment with diverse water supply systems and provincial water management. EGBC piloted the approach with two local governments in BC, demonstrating its benefits in tackling water system risks and prioritizing critical infrastructure. A complementary planning guide is being developed to support communities in adopting a One Water approach, providing strategies for consistent application in water system risk management. EGBC’s leadership in institutionalizing a One Water approach provides a model for engineers to apply holistic risk management with local governments and Indigenous communities.
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Category - Projects: Wastewater
Hamilton Water’s – Enhanced Sewer Inspection Program
Hamilton Water’s Enhanced Sewer Inspection Program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at ensuring a sustainable and healthy sewer system. Key components include: Maintenance Access Hole Inspections: Routine checks focused on structural integrity with a special emphasis on detecting misconnected sewers. Cross Connection Detection: Targeting improper connections between stormwater and sanitary sewers to prevent contamination. Sampling Programs: Regular monitoring of sewer effluent to assess and maintain system health. Dry Weather In-Pipe Sewer Sampling: A proactive measure for accurate system assessments under normal conditions. Sewer Lateral Cross Connection Program: Focused on private property connections, ensuring proper configuration to avoid environmental hazards. The program’s primary goal is to eliminate dry weather discharges into the environment, thereby protecting our waterways and promoting public health.
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Category - Projects: Downstream
Water Movement – Youth Leaders
In the Indigenous water sector, operator retention is alarmingly low, and the next generation is disengaged—hardly surprising when visibility into water sector professions, particularly the role of operators, is nearly nonexistent. Water Movement’s interactive workshops confront this disconnect head-on, creating an environment where knowledge and passion for water management are not just taught but experienced. We’ve developed an interactive workshop that brings to life the water profession for students. Unlike conventional lectures, our workshops captivate participants with the construction of edible water pods and the sharing of knowledge through an energy circle. These hands-on experiences allow students to connect directly with operators, water keepers and engineers. Through both in-person and virtual workshops, we’re reaching Indigenous communities nationwide, igniting an interest in the sector among those who may one day be its backbone. Simultaneously, our university sessions target future project managers, engineers, and policymakers, stressing the criticality of collaboration with operators to avoid the siloed approaches that currently challenge the industry. This holistic strategy is Water Movement’s commitment to reshaping the sector’s landscape: by fostering a greater understanding and respect for the operator’s role, we aim to enhance retention and ensure that operators feel valued and integral to community success, paving the way for a sustainable water future.
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Category - Projects: Conservation
Waterlix AI
Waterlix uses AI and remote sensing for real-time global water pollution monitoring. It identifies pollution sources, crucial for environmental protection. The technology spans Great Lakes, Brazil, Germany, UK, Singapore, and parts of Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, Red Sea, and Ukraine. It targets key pollutants like nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia. Waterlix analyzes satellite and has overcome challenges like image reliability, data noise, and climate change effects. It uses AI and mathematical modeling to eliminate cloud effects. Waterlix has a live global pollution tracking pipeline, a significant advancement. This project could greatly enhance water pollution monitoring, a critical concern for water utilities and communities.
Category - Projects: Policy
National Indigenous Water Operator Day (NIWOD)
National Indigenous Water Operator Day (NIWOD), inaugurated by Water Movement in 2022, has dramatically shifted the landscape of water management in Canada. It has transformed the way Indigenous water operators are recognized, integrating their critical insights and experiences into the national policy framework. This direct engagement with policymakers in Ottawa, advocating for legal recognition of NIWOD, marked a historic step towards embedding Indigenous perspectives in water governance, influencing changes that resonate across the sector. NIWOD’s establishment has led to increased awareness and acknowledgment of the vital role these operators play in ensuring water quality and safety in Indigenous communities. By bringing operators to the policy-making table, it has facilitated a dialogue that was previously absent, combining traditional knowledge with modern practices, and influencing policy decisions that affect stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water management. This engagement has not only empowered operators but has also raised the profile of their profession, inspired youth interest in water management careers, and fostered community pride in their water heroes. The recognition by figures like Honourable Pierre Poilievre and Right Honourable Justin Trudeau underscores its national significance and the successful elevation of water operators’ voices in shaping a more sustainable and equitable water future for Canada.
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Category - Projects: Education
Wastewater-based Surveillance (WBS)
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has existed since the 1940s. However, it emerged more prominently during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as an evidence-based, cost-effective, and robust detection method for infectious diseases at all stages. Despite the rapid progress between 2020 and 2022, many questions about WBS and its methodologies remained. To foster ongoing discussions, Canadian Water Network (CWN) and the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) established a peer-learning program. Between April 2023 and March 2024, the program witnessed active engagement from 28 public health practitioners from five provinces. These practitioners met monthly to share their knowledge and information about their needs. They also had the opportunity to learn from and interact with notable experts like Dr. Amy Kirby from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Gertjan Medema from the KWR Watercycle Research Institute, and Dr. Doug Manuel from the University of Ottawa. The program benefits from CWN’s experience running Strategic Sharing Groups (SSGs). SSGs convene thought leaders to share knowledge on emerging topics. The team actively frames the discussions and curates key insights for program participants to accelerate, advance and improve decision-making.
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Category - Technology: New Tech
Buoyancy Enhanced Membrane Filtration (BEMF)
Peter Christou innovated Swirltex’s BEMF technology in his Edmonton garage. This advancement addresses issues in membrane-based wastewater treatment, tackling high energy consumption, poor contaminants separation, fouling, excessive chemical usage, and maintenance costs. BEMF significantly enhances tubular membrane performance by introducing air injection, creating a two-phase flow and centrifugal force, thus enabling use in complex wastewater applications with reduced energy consumption and promoting water reuse. This breakthrough is deployed in challenging waste streams like coal wastewater, produced water, food & beverage, and forestry applications, enhancing wastewater treatment and reuse efficiency. Presently, BEMF technology stands as one of Canada’s largest wastewater treatment and reuse systems
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Category - People: Emerging Leader
Emily Lorra Hines
When speaking to colleagues, many of whom work in the highest level of government, academia, and civil society, we continue to hear ringing endorsements of Emily’s talents, skills and leadership and compliments about her enthusiasm and passion for water. She presents herself with confidence, professionalism, empathy, and a strong desire to create a better environment. She influences the Canadian water community through her work on the Canada Water Agency and forging partnerships by co-leading the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters, representing over 75 organizations. Additionally, Emily inspires young water professionals through mentorship. In 2023, she spoke at the UNECE on the barriers youth face starting in the water sector and at U of T, McGill, and TMU to graduate classes to offer support, guidance, and insider information to best help their career journeys. As she progresses in the sector, she ensures that she creates a path for many to follow alongside her.
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Category - People: Operator of the Year
Jonathan Riberdy
Jonathan Riberdy has taken a stressful and sometimes impossible-feeling situation and has used it to spread the word on the importance of water operators, especially in First Nation communities. Sit with him for a moment or two and he’ll share with you his dreams and aspirations to inspire the next generation in water. He’s not just an ideas guy–he’s a hard worker, driven to perfection, who finds time in the little downtime he has after juggling the needs of an underfunded and difficult to maintain water treatment plant to care for both his family and community.
More information:
Hidden Hero: Zhiibaahaasing water operator’s drive for safe drinking water
Category - People: Water Steward of the Year
Mark Mattson
For over 23 years, Mark Mattson has used his passion for water and legal acumen to start a movement for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water. As an Environmental lawyer, Mark has held industry and individuals accountable for pollution. His community impact has been felt with over 2 billion dollars invested in the restoration of water quality around the Great Lakes. As a member of the IJC’s Water Quality Board, and Great Lakes Guardians, Mark has been an influential voice in the decision of the past, present and future of the Great Lakes. Mark is the recipient of the Toronto Foundation’s Vital People Award in 2010 and is the President, CEO, and Founder of Swim Drink Fish Canada.
Congratulations to all the Water Canada Award winners and finalists. Your contributions exemplify the best of the best in Canada’s water sector!
