Research suggests cost-saving alternative to filtration of trout lake reservoir
Alexandria, VA, July 2, 2002 -- The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announces the nomination of Richard Miron and Alex Omiccioli as the 2002 Canadian finalists for the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP).
The SJWP is considered the world's most prestigious water science prize awarded to youth. Miron and Omiccioli, both seniors at Algonquin Secondary School in North Bay, Ontario, were awarded an all-expenses paid trip to Stockholm, Sweden, during World Water Week, August 10-16, 2002, where they will represent Canada in the international competition. The international award includes a crystal sculpture and $5,000 USD presented by HRH Crown Princess Victoria, patron of the SJWP.
Their project, CAST - Chironomid Algonquin Sampling Technology, set out to test the water quality of Trout Lake, North Bay, Ontario. The City of North Bay is considering filtering its water supply because it is unsure of the continued water quality of its main reservoir, Trout Lake. This study suggests that the water intake should be moved closer to the 68m Basin to access extremely high quality raw water. Continued treatment of raw water using chlorination and ultra-violet light, may well meet all the Ontario Drinking Water Objectives and thus save the City millions of dollars in filtering costs.
The students found that the microbiological assemblage method (originally proposed by Ole Saether in 1979) for characterizing water supplies is a much more accurate and reliable indicator than physical chemical characterization (phosphorus tests) presented by the Ministry of Environment. Based on this finding, they designed a cost effective, highly efficient sampler. They call the system CAST (Chironomid Algonquin Sampling Technology.)
"I was very impressed by the student's ingenuity in designing an improved lake sediment sampler. Furthermore, their ability to apply the sampling technique to a water quality monitoring program using bioindicators demonstrated a remarkable combination of academic knowledge and practical skills," explained Dr. Gordon Putz, nomination chair. "After observing the enthusiasm and commitment of all the 2002 Canadian SJWP competitors I am confident the future stewardship of the water environment will be in good hands."
The Canadian SJWP is sponsored by the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association and WEF Member Associations: British Columbia Water & Waste Association, Western Canada Water Environment, Ontario Water Environment Association, and the RESEAU environnement, Inc. It is awarded annually to high school students who have contributed to water conservation and improvement through outstanding research. For more information about the Canadian Stockholm Junior Water Prize visit http://www.wef.org/publicinfo/stockholm/canada.jhtml.
The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize was established by the Stockholm Water Foundation in 1995 and is sponsored by ITT Industries to engage and support the interest of young people in water environment issues. For more information about the international competition visit the Stockholm International Water Institute www.siwi.org.
Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes more than 100,000 water quality professionals from 77 Member Associations in 31 countries.
