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OCWA Board Member Added to Diversity 50 

OCWA Board Member, Melanie Debassige, was recently added to the Canadian Board Diversity Council (CBDC) of 50. The CBDC is a leading Canadian organization advancing diversity on Canada's boards and each year, helps identify 50 new board-ready diverse candidates. 

Melanie was a Manager of Special Projects and Partnership Development with Milman Industries a Mining Services company in Sudbury, Ontario. She was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to the Ontario Clean Water Agency Board of Directors in October 2013. In October 2015, she was named Chief of Staff with the BC Assembly of First Nations.
  
Great Lakes Protection Act Passes

October 7, 2015 marked the passing of the Great Lakes Protection Act, which helps strengthen Ontario's ability to keep the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River clean, as well as to protect and restore the waterways that flow into them.

 

events
Upcoming Events
South Central Ontario Water Works Association
November 4, 2015
Kitchener, ON

South Central Ontario Water Works Association
November 20, 2015
London, ON
More Information

2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Paris 2015)
November 30-December 11, 2015
Paris, France
More Information
Waterline Fall 2015

 
story1Streamline the municipal budget process with OCWA capital planning reports
 
OCWA operators collect massive amounts of data about the water and wastewater systems they operate during the course of a year - gaining extensive knowledge of what's working well, what's problematic, and what's due for upgrade or replacement. As the annual municipal budget cycle looms closer, this data is compiled and presented to each client as a list of potential capital projects aimed at improving system performance in several areas, including process control, reliability, energy efficiency and sustainability.

"Our operations and maintenance staff identify rehabilitation and renewal needs to ensure reliable, cost-effective operations over the long term," says Jason Speers, Program Manager, OCWA Tools Evolution Program. Each set of recommendations is delivered as a formal report that complies with Drinking Water Quality Management Standards (DWQMS) and is ready for review by asset managers and city administrators.

Capital or major maintenance recommendations are a standard component in every operations and maintenance agreement with OCWA and provide tremendous value for clients - particularly for small and medium-sized municipalities that may face challenges in collecting, interpreting and presenting the required data. Much of the data is collected through IT infrastructure and software that OCWA developed specifically to support the unique needs of municipal water and wastewater systems.

"This is an extremely efficient and cost-effective way for a municipality to develop a capital plan and budget," Jason says. "Data collection and analysis is performed daily by our experienced operations and maintenance staff. When this information is presented annually as a 10-year forecast of recommendations, it acts as a key input to the comprehensive long-term plans our clients take to Council."

OCWA O&M clients can watch for their annual recommendations to be delivered this fall.

To learn more about OCWA and its role in assisting clients with Capital Planning contact:

Jason Speers
Program Manager, OCWA Tools Evolution Program
O: (416) 775-0568
M: (416) 770-6510

story2OCWA energy efficiency program pays you for reducing power usage

Earn a cash incentive on every kWh of energy savings
 
What are the best ways to maximize energy efficiency in your treatment plant operations? OCWA can help you find out, with a comprehensive program that identifies opportunities for energy savings, recommends the best available technologies to do the job, and then pays an incentive on the savings once retrofits or upgrades are made. 

"We look primarily at process-related energy consumption and operational efficiencies that can be gained  through optimization or equipment retrofits," says Indra Maharjan, Program Manager, Energy Conservation. Once the changes are made, OCWA offers a pay-for-performance (P4P) incentive for every kilowatt hour of verified annual energy savings from the project, made possible through financial support from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), to a maximum of 50% of eligible project costs.

"Water and wastewater treatment is a complex process with many factors that influence energy consumption," says Indra. "OCWA has a deep understanding of operations at many water and wastewater treatment plants across Ontario and we can leverage this knowledge to accurately assess current energy consumption, estimate savings and recommend solutions that will yield the best return on investment."

Representatives from the Ontario Clean Water Agency and Hydro One present a cheque for over $50,000 to the Municipality of Central Elgin as part of Hydro One Network's saveONenergy (SOE) program. From left: Dave Neely, Process Specialist, OCWA; Hank Andres, Senior Project Manager, OCWA Engineering; Indra Maharjan, Program Manager, Energy Conservation, OCWA; Maria Pavlakos, Senior Conservation Analyst, Hydro One Networks; Mayor David Marr, Municipality of Central Elgin; Jackie Muller, Business Development Manager, OCWA

Over 100 Ontario municipalities have already accessed OCWA's energy services, resulting in 70 energy implementation projects. To date, these projects have generated approximately 5,300 MWh in annual energy savings and have received more than $650,000 in incentives through the IESO saveONenergy program. "Energy efficiencies adopted through the program will continue to generate future savings," Indra says. "Electricity prices are forecast to rise significantly in the coming years, so we encourage all Ontario municipalities to consider participating in the program to earn reimbursement incentives and save money over the long term."

Projects that are eligible for the P4P Energy Initiative include: 
  • Equipment Retrofit (pumps, motors, compressors)
  • Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) installation
  • SCADA Upgrades with power monitoring component
  • Aeration Systems Upgrades
  • Operational Changes


Learn how OCWA helped the City of Stratford save $68,000 in annual operating costs and earn $58,000 in program incentives.

For more information about the program, contact:
Indra Maharjan, CEM, P.Eng., CMVP
Program Manager, Energy Conservation
O: 905-491-3067
M: 416-347-5878
imaharjan@ocwa.com

story3Are you getting the most from your SCADA system?

SCADA systems have the capability to monitor, control and record virtually every aspect of process operations at a water or wastewater treatment plant. But if your plant operations are not taking full advantage of powerful SCADA capabilities, modest investments in SCADA hardware and software, through OCWA's Tools Evolution Program (OTEP), can help your facility to achieve big gains in automation and efficiency.

"We continually see SCADA implementations produce significant operational savings that enable municipalities to quickly recover project costs," says Mohammad Qureshi, Vice President, Information and Information Technology at OCWA. "Our team can tailor a SCADA solution that can be implemented all at once, or in phases, to fit the operational and reporting needs and the budget constraints of any client."

A well-integrated SCADA system can enable major plant efficiencies, including remote control and monitoring, alarms, and collection of critical operational data-not only from the plant, but also from the distribution and collection system. This data can be used to assess overall system efficiency and help to identify potential improvements in the treatment process and in energy usage.

"A key element of the program is to enable more efficient operations with mobile technology, which is one of the biggest benefits for smaller facilities," says Mohammad. "When operators can remotely monitor and control a plant it enables them to address alarms at any time from wherever they are without having to travel back to the client's facility, ensuring that issues are dealt with as quickly as possible. Using smartphones to monitor plants enhances the quality of service that we deliver to our clients, providing them with reassurance that someone is always on hand to oversee the operation of their facilities, while helping to manage their overall operational costs."

OCWA provides comprehensive SCADA services that include design, implementation and commissioning for water and wastewater treatment plants of all sizes.

Download our brochure for more information about OCWA SCADA services.

To learn more and to discuss your SCADA needs for plant monitoring, control and data collection, contact:

Mohammad Qureshi
Vice President, Information and Information Technology
O:  416-775-0536
mqureshi@ocwa.com
  

ocwainthecommunity
OCWA In The Community



The OCWA Jets Soar at WEFTEC 2015 - 1st Place in Maintenance!
The OCWA Jets Place 1st in the Maintenance Event at WEFTEC 2015!
 
From L.-R.: Alan Robdrup, Jason Mank, Richard Junkin (coach), Marcel Misuraca and Tom Nicol
 
Congratulations to the OCWA Jets, who competed in the Operations Challenge at WEFTEC 2015 in Chicago. The Jets, competing in Division One against International teams, took first place in the Maintenance and third place in the Collection events!
 

Serpent River First Nation Water Treatment Facility Grand Opening!

OCWA CEO Rob Andrews joins community representatives at the grand opening of the Serpent River First Nation Water Treatment Facility on September 23, 2015
 
OCWA's CEO Rob Andrews attended the grand opening of the Serpent River First Nation Water Treatment Facility. OCWA was proud to have played a role in providing Project Management services since the beginning of the project in 2007 - from design to construction. OCWA has also provided operational support during the pre-commissioning and commissioning of the project and will provide support for one month post-commissioning.  


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and cost-effective clean water services to the people of Ontario.

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Ontario Clean Water Agency
waterline@ocwa.com  | http://www.ocwa.com
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