Review of on-site and communal water and sanitation systems for remote communities

Abstract

Many small communities across Canada rely on on-site or communal water and wastewater systems to meet their needs, and several factors are likely to reinforce this direction: a) the reduction in grants available from senior levels of government to assist small communities with capital upgrades; b) the emergence of new small scale technologies for water and wastewater treatment that can be cost-effectively applied at the small community level, reducing the need for costly underground piping networks; and c) regulatory pressures to adopt full cost pricing that will force small communities to seek lower cost solutions. Servicing costs for small communities may be significantly reduced and still provide acceptable and comparable levels of service, as well as employment opportunities within the communities. Because many significant problems and / or failures in on-site and communal water systems have been attributed to inadequate OM, it is unlikely that more complex technologies requiring higher levels of expertise will represent a sustainable solution. On-site and communal systems may be a more sustainable solution for smaller communities, perhaps using contract OM services, and should be carefully considered. © 2008 WIT Press.