BCWWA 2017 Yukon Water & Wastewater Conference & Tradeshow

BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA) is hosting a two-day conference to provide water professionals the opportunity to network and discuss solutions to unique issues the northern water community faces. This year’s conference will be held in Whitehorse, YT, at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre. Join our water and waste professionals to learn, share and network during the conference. We are pleased to support three colleagues who will be speaking on their experience with northern community projects.

Waste Management Planning and Infrastructure for Remote Communities 
Nathalie Maurer – Intermediate Environmental Engineer

Waste management in remote communities relies on landfills which are often poorly managed resulting in environmental concerns. Properly managing very small waste landfills can be cost prohibitive and usually does not provide the communities an opportunity to recycle. Learn how two communities improved upon current waste management systems with the most appropriate waste management infrastructure which included a transfer station for the community of Good Hope Lake and a recycling trailer for Lower Post.

Nathalie Maurer has over 8 years of experience in landfill engineering and waste management. Recently she has been gaining experience in recycling, organics management and alternatives to traditional landfilling methods. She completed the waste management analysis for both communities (Lower Post and Good Hope Lake), and she is the assistant project manager of the design and construction for the Good Hope Lake Transfer Station. She works closely with MH’s office in Whitehorse and has provided some operations advice and closure planning for small remote landfills in the Yukon.

The Cost of Water – How it can be Used as a Tool to Make Decisions
Adam Greenwood – Water Resource Engineer

Maintaining access to clean drinking water remains a high priority for all communities in Yukon which is reflected in the Yukon Water Strategy and Action Plan’s goal of providing water for people. One of the action items identified in the Water Strategy is to complete a baseline data review of the water use and cost of providing water throughout Yukon. The findings of this task reveal that the cost and water usage varies substantially across the Yukon. This information may be used to understand further where the costs of providing water originate. In this presentation, learn how the findings of this assessment can be used as a tool to maintain this essential service.

Adam has worked with various small to midsized communities in Yukon, BC and Alberta for the past 10 years on water-related projects. Municipal finance and helping communities manage their water infrastructure through the various cost recovery mechanisms is one of Adam’s main interests. Adam has worked with the Yukon Government over the past year to complete a territory-wide assessment of water cost and usage and is helping to develop a strategy on how this information may be used to create more sustainable water systems.

City of Whitehorse Water Source – Building and Protecting a Safe, Sustainable Water Source
Forest Pearson – Senior Geological Engineer

Over the past decade, the City of Whitehorse has moved to a fully groundwater supplied municipal water supply.  Whitehorse is fortunate to have a unique, high-yield, high-quality water supply aquifer within a portion of the City.  The utilization of this resource provides a safer, lower-cost water supply, ultimately resulting in a more sustainable water system.  This talk will first cover the history exploration and development of this water supply, which has occurred over the past 20 years, followed by the next steps,  protecting this valuable resource.  The City will share its work on the development, and more importantly, the ongoing implementation of its source water protection plan.

Forest has been project manager for many large projects, high profile planning projects in the Yukon such as renewable energy projects, transmission lines, water and wastewater planning, groundwater supply and flood management. He has provided technical expertise in hydropower assessments, environmental site assessments, environmental assessment and permitting, solid waste management, contaminant hydrogeology, groundwater supply, terrain analysis, and geographic information systems (GIS).