• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation

Before Header


Bracebridge Office: 1-705-645-0021

Hutchinson Environmental Sciences

Aquatic & Environmental Management Consultants

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Project Showcase
  • News
  • Contact
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Project Showcase
  • News
  • Contact

Wastewater Assimilation and Assessment Projects

Assimilative capacity assessments for lakes and rivers across the country, assisting government, First Nations and industrial clients with regulatory agency consultation to meet client objectives, maintain environmental regulatory requirements and protect receiving waters.

The Challenge

Waste waters must be managed with a recognition of the need for their treatment and disposal and the ability of the receiving waters to safely assimilate the discharge – balanced against the costs of treatment and public concern. Solutions must involve teamwork between our environmental scientists, wastewater engineers, regulators, stakeholders and our clients.

The Solution

Assessments begin with the synthesis and evaluation of existing data. These results are used to design focussed field investigations of point and non-point pollution sources to understand existing conditions of water quality and ecological responses.

Dye-tracer studies, often supported by drone video footage, are used to assess plume trajectory, dilution and time of travel for use as input to water quality models.

We apply our experience and refined field study results to modelling techniques – using simpler mass balance models, more complex multidimensional models such as CORMIX and QUAL2K to assess dilution and assimilation in the near and far field and models linking phosphorus in lakes to oxygenated fish habitat.

We develop mass balance and export coefficient models of hydrology and phosphorus dynamics to quantify loadings from natural sources, storm water, agriculture and WWTP discharges and develop “no net increase” management plans in large and complex watersheds.

We stay abreast of current developments – assessment techniques, site specific water quality objectives, emerging contaminants of concern and the technologies to treat them and pollutant offset trading. We develop practical and protective water quality and effluent discharge objectives.

Finally, we explain our results in clear language and meet with stakeholders to understand their concerns, explain the assessment process and respond to their questions.

The Outcome

A solid assimilation study is built from coupling the need for regulatory approval to the challenge posed by the discharge, the feasible level of treatment and the assimilative ability of the receiver. We complete our work on time, document it clearly and respond promptly and effectively to concerns, such that the necessary approvals allow new or expanded discharges to proceed on schedule. Regulators trust our work.


Project Lead(s):

  • Deborah Sinclair
  • Neil Hutchinson

Client: Municipal Government, Engineering Firms, Developers, Industries

Location: Nation Wide

Sector: Land Development, Government


Services Provided:

Watershed Management
Water Quality Monitoring
Wastewater
Environmental Assessment
Drinking Water
Urban Runoff

Case Studies:

  • Red Deer River & Tributaries Water Quality Assessment
  • Watershed Studies for New Urban Development
  • Town of Orangeville Revised WPCP Monitoring Program

  • Projects
  • Services
  • About
  • News

Site Footer

Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd.

Copyright © 2022 · Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd.

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

hesl
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.