Photo: UBCO
UBCO School of Engineering researchers Rehan Sadiq and Haroon Mian have developed a new method for testing drinking.
A new method of assessing water quality developed by UBCO engineers could be groundbreaking.
According to the Canadian government, there are more than 50 long-term drinking water consultations in 32 municipalities. The Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines – created through a partnership with provinces, territories, and several federal agencies – are the foundation for setting drinking water quality requirements for all Canadians, said Haroon Mian, PhD student at UBC Okanagan.
“Human factors play an increasingly important role in the quality of drinking water,” explains Dr. Mian, first author of a recent study that supports a new method for assessing water quality. Mian recently worked with a team of researchers from UBCO’s School of Engineering to develop a method for testing water contamination that will be groundbreaking in water samples.
The water quality assessment technique takes into account all possible pollutants at the same time and checks the water quality. The new method can compare water samples to hundreds of baselines, not just a few as is common today, to ensure water quality.
“Our new technology provides decision makers with key metrics to ensure that their systems address unforeseen problems,” says Dr. Mian.
According to Dr. Mian cannot predict any assessment technique or instrument of all possible variables, such as contamination from floods and chemical spills. However, these problems can be alleviated with improved data collection in all water distribution systems. And that is exactly what their new technology does.
“In our analysis, we use a gray water footprint that calculates how much water is needed in a system to remove pollutants in order to make it potable,” he explains.
This gray water footprint can help water utilities make safer, more reliable, and faster decisions, adds Dr. Rehan Sadiq, an engineering professor and a co-author on this report.
“Reliable monitoring and evaluation of water quality can help to minimize the risk of water quality failures in water distribution networks,” says Dr. Sadiq. “Ultimately, we want to make sure that the water that comes out is safe when we turn the tap on. And ideally, we want this to be possible for all Canadians. “
Now researchers are turning to larger and more complex water distribution networks.
“We look forward to developing a real-time monitoring network in the not too distant future that will use this assessment tool as an engine,” said Dr. Mian.
