Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) retained NovaTec Consultants Inc.
to collate and summarize water reuse standards and treatment technology verification
testing protocols, used by various countries, states and provinces worldwide. The
objective of summarizing these standards is to aid CMHC in developing suitable reuse
standards and technology verification protocols for use in residential applications in
Canada.
The review of international reuse regulation standards and their protocols was divided
into two tasks.
Task one examined effluent quality standards with respect to biological, biochemical and
physical water quality parameters. The assessment focused on municipal and residential
water reuse applications, including toilet flushing, bathing, showering, laundry, washing,
landscape & garden irrigation. Although there were many standards worldwide for
water reuse, it was discovered these standards differed in their water reuse application,
their effluent quality standard and in their monitoring programs.
The second task identified treatment technology verification protocols in use for both lab
and field testing appropriate for reuse applications. Components of the verification
protocols that were identified included dosage, monitoring parameters, number and
frequency of sampling, duration of testing, influent and effluent characteristics, stress
testing and deliverables (i.e. O&M manuals, installation and trouble shooting guides).
Although monitoring protocols exist for treatment plants that had been installed for reuse
application, few of those identified were intended to test and verify system performance
prior to field installation. Nine testing protocols were identified. These protocols test a
wide range of wastewater technologies, from domestic onsite wastewater treatment
systems for water reuse, to ship-board treatment systems, potable wastewater treatment
systems and disinfection systems. Includes table.