Lynn Creek poses flood and erosion risks in North Vancouver, BC. The surrounding urban areas are not protected by structural flood protection measures, and flood mitigation has historically been conducted through gravel removals, which increase the depth of the channel. Recent analysis has shown that gravel removals are relatively ineffective at reducing the flood risk, […]

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are groups of contaminants that have received much attention due to their frequent detection in the environment and potential adverse health effect on humans and animals. PFASs can be removed from water using adsorption processes. Adsorbent produced by pyrolysis of sewage sludge (SBAC) offers a promising sustainable solution for removing […]

The general objective of the proposed activity is to increase the future productivity of Burrard Inlet and the contribution of seafood to the diet of Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) members in support of the TWN Cumulative Effects Monitoring Initiative. Specifically we propose to (1) quantify the ecological variables driving contemporary clam density, biomass and diversity; (2) […]

Municipalities across Canada are in need of sustainable strategies to manage their sewage sludge. The goal of this project is to create an intuitive, user-friendly software tool to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts associated with alternative sewage sludge management and disposal strategies. The project will support Kerr Wood Leidal Associates, a recognized leader in […]

Large amounts of sewage sludge (SS) have been generated yearly by municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWPs), which entail huge operational expenses and advanced treatments, and the final disposal of biosolids in agricultural applications is reduced because of the potential environmental risks (e.g., heavy metals and emerging contaminants) associated with biosolids applications. The increased use of […]

The general objective of the proposed activity is to increase the future productivity of Burrard Inlet and the contribution of seafood to the diet of Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) members in support of the TWN Cumulative Effects Monitoring Initiative. Specifically, we propose to identify the primary environmental drivers of clam productivity and species composition in Burrard […]

The objective of this project is to assess the performance of engineered instream structures and observe changes in bed morphology that occurred on a side-channel restoration project on the Seymour River in British Columbia through field work and 2D modelling. Field work includes the collection of velocities using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), several […]

The intern will undertake a project which analyses several drainage structures of an experimental green roof while developing a numerical model to mimic the experimentally obtained results. In addition, the intern will also be involved in working on an Integrated Stormwater Management Plan, and low impact development methods. The partner organization will benefit by having […]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) release to stormwater through wear of asphalt and tire as well as deposition of vehicle exhaust – are of great concern due to its acute toxic, carcinogenic and estrogenic effects on aquatic organisms. Stormwater contaminated with these organic pollutants pose a threat to receiving waters. Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) is a […]

Pollutants in stormwater runoff and municipal wastewater are grave concerns to the receiving environment of lakes and streams, as nutrients (Phosphorus (P), Nitrogen (N)) contribute to eutrophication. While rain gardens are effective to retain and retard stormwater runoff and removal of certain organic pollutants, limited studies have been conducted on nutrient capture. This research focuses […]

Rivers naturally shift and move through lateral erosion and deposition, which can cause problems for infrastructure that is built on riverbanks. Traditional engineering solutions have entirely halted lateral movement, which can have negative consequences. This research is investigating an alternative method, which uses grains that are within the grain size distribution of the riverbed, rather […]

Sewage sludge wastes have been treated by diverse techniques to obtain sludge-based activated carbon (SBAC). These materials show excellent properties as sorbents of, e.g., organic pollutants, heavy metals, and nitrogen/phosphorous-based nutrients. In a previous research, the loading of emerging contaminants on SBAC has been achieved. As an extension of this work, we propose to study […]