Bow River Basin Water Reuse/Stormwater Use Study

The purpose of this project is to provide a vision for water reuse/stormwater use in the Bow River Basin. This will require a review of what reuse currently exists in the Basin and the status of Canadian Federal, Provincial, and Municipal Legislation (Acts/Regulations/Bylaws and Guidelines) with respect to wastewater effluent and stormwater for reuse for a variety of end-uses. Following this review, a gap analysis should be conducted to understand the potential for water reuse in the Bow Basin. The findings of this research are specifically of interest to a wide spectrum of organizations and individuals working with this critical and limited resource. Risks and mitigation including health risks should be considered in the gap analysis (e.g., AHS, with the guidance of Dr. Nick Ashbolt, has already done a lot of this and this should be included). Tthis project should provide a synthesis of the benefits and challenges for increased adoption of wastewater treatment effluent and stormwater for reuse in the Bow River Basin.The Bow watershed has been acknowledged to be limited in its water availability. The water allocations in the Bow basin may have already reached or exceeded its limits. This recognition, along with the intent to set a path forward towards a sustainable environment and economy, provided the backdrop to the SSRB Watershed Management Plan (WMP). The SSRB WMP key recommendations were to place a moratorium on new water licenses, establishing water conservation objectives. This effectively creat3ed a water license market which places a monetary value on water availability and provided market incentives to use water efficiently and to support ingenuity to manage this resource. With water availability limited, climate change, and other pressures on this resource, increasing alternative strategies and processes to meet water needs and watershed health criteria are needed.Water re-use of treated effluent and stormwater is an area of great interest to meeting water use needs and providing resilience to communities in light of water supply risks driven by pressures on the watershed and climate change. This is a new area for water management with some pilot projects underway in Alberta and initial development of guidelines on water reuse being considered by The Province.Potential end-uses for treated wastewater effluent and/or stormwater in the Bow Basin include:o Hydroponicso Legal cannabis operationso Aquifer recharge and storageo Greywater use (e.g., toilet flushing)o Consumptive use such as beer, liquor, potable water, etc.o Irrigation including diverse uses such as:§ Golf Courses§ Municipal irrigation uses,§ Tree nurseries, garden centres, and§ Agriculture.o Industrial applications (such as cooling tower water for co-generation energy plants, vehicle washing).The purpose of this project is to provide a vision for water reuse/stormwater use in the Bow River Basin. This will require a review of what reuse currently exists in the Basin and the status of Canadian Federal, Provincial, and Municipal Legislation (Acts/Regulations/Bylaws and Guidelines) with respect to wastewater effluent and stormwater for reuse for a variety of end-uses. Following this review, a gap analysis should be conducted to understand the potential for water reuse in the Bow Basin. The findings of this research are specifically of interest to a wide spectrum of organizations and individuals working with this critical and limited resource. Risks and mitigation including health risks should be considered in the gap analysis (e.g., AHS, with the guidance of Dr. Nick Ashbolt, has already done a lot of this and this should be included). To develop a vision for water reuse in the Bow Basin, this project should provide a synthesis of the benefits and challenges for increased adoption of wastewater treatment effluent and stormwater for reuse in the Bow River Basin.