Long-term Evaluation of Final Effluent Quality from Kitchener and Waterloo Wastewater Treatment Plants in the Grand River Watershed, Ontario

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the quality of final effluent being discharged into the Grand River watershed, from the Kitchener and Waterloo wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), pre and post upgrades. The final effluent has been analyzed for nutrient levels, pharmaceuticals, total estrogenicity, and specific hormones, since 2010. A better understanding of effluent quality will help predict relationships between contaminant exposure and biological responses. This data set is collected to support the project titled “Linking multiple stressors to adverse ecological response". This is a Pillar 1-2 project under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

One litre grab samples were collected in amber bottles just before the outfall, and extracted using solid phase extraction cartridges. All samples are collected once at between August and November. Sampling methods are adopted from MJ Arlos et al (2015) study (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.11.008). The samples were analyzed using both a biological assay (yeast estrogen screen) for total estrogenicity, and a chemical analysis for specific pharmaceuticals and hormone concentrations (LC-MS/MS). They were also analyzed for various nutrients by Maxxam Analytics. All laboratory analysis is conducted in the Aquatic Toxicology and Ecosystem Remediation Laboratory, located the University of Waterloo.

Servos, M., Srikanthan, N., Bragg, L., & Dhiyebi, H. (2019). Long-term Evaluation of Final Effluent Quality from Kitchener and Waterloo Wastewater Treatment Plants in the Grand River Watershed, Ontario. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). (Unpublished Data).

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