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.

Month Total flow raw (ML) Total flow treated (ML) Average day raw (ML) Average day treated (ML) Minimum day treated (ML) Maximum day treated (ML) Minimum flow rate treated (ML/d) Maximum flow rate treated (ML/d) Total waste sludge (ML)
Jan. 1182.971 1072.557 38.160 34.599 31.344 38.863 0.062 61.614 1.404
Feb. 1058.268 969.115 37.795 34.611 28.330 40.405 13.327 58.600 3.179
March 1169.748 1099.411 37.734 35.465 31.912 38.999 0.062 56.818 0.683
April 1076.665 1020.415 35.889 34.014 31.152 37.689 7.541 54.000 0.760
May 1344.491 1265.264 43.371 40.815 32.862 54.760 0.067 77.705 0.760
June 1479.025 1386.422 49.301 46.214 34.121 56.645 21.109 73.722 0.760
July 1512.332 1336.091 48.724 46.072 38.850 55.285 0.072 91.153 0.733
Aug. 1757.208 1663.522 56.684 53.662 43.486 63.597 0.067 84.234 0.760
Sept. 1386.313 1298.075 46.210 43.269 35.881 55.170 0.057 69.636 0.565
Oct. 1283.295 1196.934 41.397 38.611 34.645 43.483 0.061 69.880 0.496
Nov. 1186.444 1105.778 39.548 36.859 33.442 40.364 0.050 57.007 0.548
Dec. 1219.742 1140.602 39.347 36.794 32.699 42.262 0.045 53.162 0.590

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 treated 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

Month Average day treated (ML) Per cent of average day treated rated capacity Maximum day treated (ML) Per cent of maximum day treated rated capacity Maximum flow rate treated (ML/d) Per cent of maximum flow rate rated capacity
Jan. 34.599 23.8% 38.863 26.7% 61.614 42.3%
Feb. 34.611 23.8% 40.405 27.8% 58.600 40.3%
March 35.465 24.4% 38.999 26.8% 56.818 39.1%
April 34.014 23.4% 37.689 25.9% 54.000 37.1%
May 40.815 28.1% 54.760 37.6% 77.705 53.4%
June 46.214 31.8% 56.645 38.9% 73.722 50.7%
July 46.072 31.7% 55.285 38.0% 91.153 62.6%
Aug. 53.662 36.9% 63.597 43.7% 84.234 57.9%
Sept. 43.269 29.7% 55.170 37.9% 69.636 47.9%
Oct. 43.269 26.5% 43.483 29.9% 69.880 48.0%
Nov. 36.859 25.3% 40.364 27.7% 57.007 39.2%
Dec. 36.794 25.3% 32.699 22.5% 53.162 36.5%
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