Niagara Falls Water Treatment Plant - 2021 Summary Report

This report summarizes the water flows for the Niagara Falls Water Treatment Plant, drinking water system number 220002084, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021.

This report satisfies the requirements of Ontario Regulation 170/03 - Drinking Water Systems.

Summary of non-compliance

The Niagara Falls Water Treatment Plant was found to be in non-compliance with regulations and/or system Licence, as follows:

Inspection rating

With consideration for the non-compliance noted below, the Niagara Falls Water Treatment Plant was granted a 99.34 per cent inspection rating during the 2021 - 2022 Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks annual drinking water system inspection.

Non-compliance

Niagara Region was found to be in non-compliance with section 15.2, Schedule B, of the water treatment plant's Municipal Drinking Water Licence which requires any alteration to any treatment subsystem to be incorporated into process flow diagrams, process and instrumentation diagrams, and record drawings and diagrams within one year of the alteration being completed or placed into service.

Event details

It was observed that the Region did not incorporate modifications, completed more than one year prior to the inspection date, into process flow diagrams, process and instrumentation diagrams, record drawings and diagrams for several projects.

Corrective actions

Staff have reviewed the requirements of section 15.2, Schedule B, of the Municipal Drinking Water Licence and have followed up with the local Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks inspector to seek clarification on requirements.

An internal procedure has been drafted which outlines the process for internal staff to ensure drawings, and other project deliverables, are completed within regulated timelines for projects originating from current and capital budgets. The procedure will be finalized once clarification from the inspector is received. To ensure awareness and prevent reoccurrence, training on the procedure will be conducted for relevant staff throughout the water and wastewater services division.

As a proactive approach, staff have reviewed modification records for the last five years for all water treatment plants and are in the process of drafting a plan to address deficiencies for all plants. This plan, the procedure, and associated training records will be provided to the inspector for review and acceptance once completed.

With consideration for required clarification, the original deadlines of Jan. 31, 2022 (procedure and plan development) and Feb. 28, 2022 (training) for this work have been lifted by the inspector. Staff will keep senior leadership and the inspector informed of progress.

Summary of water treatment plant flows

The flow rates captured below are moments in time, and can be affected by various circumstances, such as pump changes or valve position. It is not unusual to have higher or lower than normal flows for this reason.

The flow rates are moments in time, and can be affected by various circumstances, such as pump changes or valve position and therefore not unusual to have higher or lower than normal flows.

Flow totals

• Total flow raw was 15656.502 ML
• Total flow treated was 14554.186 ML
• Total waste sludge was 11.238 ML

Minimums

• Minimum day treated was 28.330 ML
• Minimum flow rate treated was 0.045 ML
• Total waste sludge minimum was 0.496 ML

Maximums

• Maximum day treated was 63.597 ML
• Maximum flow rate treated was 91.153 ML
• Total waste sludge maximum was 3.179 ML

Averages

• Total flow treated average was 1212.849 ML
• Total average day raw was 42.847 ML
• Total average day raw was 40.082 ML
• Total waste sludge average was 0.937 ML

Comparison of actual to system approved flow

Flow rates are required by Municipal Drinking Water Licence number 007-202.

Maximum daily flow: 44.000 ML
Maximum flow rate: 44.000 ML/day

Water

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