Environment Canada estimates that 91 percent of Canadians are served by municipal water systems and 85 percent by municipal wastewater systems. Effective management of these systems requires interaction between many groups and levels of government, and the scope of the research, technology and management approaches relevant to this task is large and complex. Identifying and adopting the best practices cannot be achieved by any one group alone.

The Canadian Municipal Water Consortium is a national network of water researchers, managers and regulators. The CMWC connects leading researchers with individuals across Canada who manage and regulate municipal water systems to ensure managers are provided with innovative, research-based options to address their key management challenges.

The CMWC’s primary focus is to advance Canada’s capacity to develop better and more efficient policy and practice in managing municipal water supplies and systems. The CMWC has five focus areas, which were developed through a series of consultation workshops.

• Download the CMWC Nov. 28 & Dec. 11, 2007 consultation workshops report
• Download the CMWC Nov. 28 & Dec. 11, 2007 consultation workshops report appendix
• Download the CMWC Aug. 18, 2008 advisory workshop report

The CMWC’s five focus areas and projects that have been initiated in them are noted below.

1. Putting risks in context

• Managing uncertainty in the provision of safe water, a knowledge synthesis and framework study led by Dr. Steve Hrudey, University of Alberta

2. Incorporating water valuation and costing in water management strategies

3. Options to address emerging contaminants

In 2009, a workshop was held to provide a high-level international overview of the CMWC’s work to date and gain an international perspective to inform a call for proposals in the options to address emerging contaminants focus area.

• Download the summary workshop analysis

The purpose of the call was to identify and support well-integrated national and multidisciplinary research teams that could provide the CMWC with a strong national knowledge base on two topics within the options to address emerging contaminants focus area —

i. Practical monitoring and assessment strategies to discern ecosystem health impacts of wastewater discharges of emerging contaminants

ii. Determining the efficacy of emerging contaminant removal within existing treatment trains, with particular emphasis on the effects of Canadian cold climate and seasonal conditions

• Download the call for EOIs (English)
• Download the call for EOIs (French)

The CMWC initiated two inaugural research projects for 2010–12:

• Assessing the impacts on aquatic organisms exposed to emerging contaminants in wastewater discharges, led by Dr. Chris Metcalfe, Trent University
• Determining the efficacy of emerging contaminant removal within existing treatment trains relevant to Canadian conditions through chemical and toxicological assessments, led by Wayne Parker, University of Waterloo

4. Cost-effective reuse of municipal and industrial wastewater and residuals

• Opportunities to Exploit Municipal and Industrial Wastewater as a Resource: A State of the Science Review, a CMWC /OCE Interacts report prepared by Dr. Wayne Parker, University of Waterloo

5. Innovative options for combined energy and demand management

• Urban Water Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy, a CMWC /OCE Interacts report prepared by Dr. Warren Stiver, University of Guelph
• Demand Management — Improved Technologies or Systems to Reduce Water and Energy Demand Including Smart Meters, a CMWC /OCE Interacts report prepared by Dr. Bryan W. Karney, University of Toronto