The following five news stories were the most read in the wastewater category on Water Canada’s website.

  1. New Test Produces Failing Grade for ‘Flushability’ of Single-Use Wipes

The first-ever test of single-use wipes against rigorous criteria for flushability produced failing grade for all 101 products. The findings are summarized in a report, Defining ‘Flushability’ for Sewer Use, that came out of Ryerson University’s Flushability Lab at Ryerson Urban Water. Tests evaluated 101 single-use products, of which 23 were labeled as ‘flushable’ by the manufacturer. Results showed that not one single wipe was able to fall apart or disperse safely through the sewer system test. Read the full news story here.

  1. StatsCan Reports on Sewage Flows through Municipal Wastewater Systems

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) provided information on sewage flow through municipal wastewater systems from 2013 to 2017. Just over 5 900 million cubic metres of sewage flowed through municipal wastewater systems in Canada that processed 100 cubic metres per day or more of sewage in 2017, equivalent to the volume of water that flows over Niagara Falls over a 24-day period. Read the full news story here.

  1. New Notification Protocol for CSOs in Hamilton, ON

The City of Hamilton’s Public Works Committee received a presentation from Nick Winters, director of water and wastewater operations, on November 4, 2019 regarding an enhanced public notification protocol for bypasses at the wastewater treatment plant or at combined sewer overflow (CSO) locations. Read the full news story here.

  1. Microplastics Potentially Causing Catastrophic Consequences

Plastics in our waste streams are breaking down into tiny particles and causing potentially catastrophic consequences for human health and our aquatic systems, according to new research from the University of Surrey and Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials. Read the full news story here.

  1. Laundry in Canada and U.S. Releases Trillions of Plastic Microfibres: Study

A study by Ocean Wise estimates that 878 tonnes of plastic microfibres are released from household laundry in Canada and the United States through wastewater treatment plants every year. This is the equivalent weight of 10 blue whales collectively into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Read the full news story here.

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