Advancing Peat Filter Wastewater Treatment for Small Communities: Linking Design to Community Needs

December 2008 - Rural communities across Canada need safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment in order to protect against serious risks to human health and environmental quality. The cost of installing centralized sewage systems to acceptable treatment standards is a colossal challenge for small communities, particularly in the Canadian North. Furthermore, the long term upkeep and skilled labour required for centralized systems make them inappropriate to the fiscal abilities of many small communities.

At Intervale, we are working with engineers to develop a solution to one of humankind's most basic needs. By designing natural, peat filter wastewater treatment systems adaptable to rural conditions, and demonstrating their effectiveness in cold climates, our team is helping to address one of the most pressing needs of rural communities today. And at the same time, we are sharing information about how to manage peatlands sustainably.

We work with Dennis Martin of Golder Associates on the design of a peat filter system that fits the geographic, economic, and cultural circumstances of small communities. In Newfoundland and Labrador there are now completed demonstration sites involving a school, a cluster of homes, and a popular destination at a national park. Through our efforts with federal and provincial institutions, Intervale is helping to promote integrated wastewater management across North America. On a more local scale, we hope to make available to homeowners, schools, businesses, and small communities an affordable option for safe, effective, and natural wastewater treatment.

The construction cost of a peat filter system is competitive with and in some cases much lower than more conventional alternatives. The system disinfects to the point where the treated effluent meets swimming criteria or better. Peat filters can be built in gradual stages, as modular units, as financing permits, or as a business or residential area expands. The system components have been proven beyond 25 years; in other words, the original peat goes on working year after year, without need for replacement. Schools, health clinics, businesses, and homes where peat filters have been installed are demonstrating that not only is the system easy to understand, but it is also a useful teaching tool for conservation.

In August of 2005, two peat filtration systems were constructed in the Town of Forteau, Labrador. The systems were created using a new peat bale technology, which is a modification of the traditional loose peat design that has been known for several decades. The bales are constructed of burlap and contain pre-compressed sphagnum peat moss harvested in Newfoundland by Hi-Point Industries. Three layers of peat bales form each system, each of which is designed to accommodate the septic wastewater from two households. The construction was a partnership between the Newfoundland & Labrador Department of Municipal Affairs and the Town of Forteau, with coordination and funding from Intervale and its financial supporters.

That same year, Parks Canada at Gros Morne National Park installed a conventional peat filter wastewater treatment system for the facility at Western Brook Pond, which sees an average of 27,000 visitors per year seasonally. Monitoring results from the Gros Morne peat system is demonstrating very high performance. The wastewater is safe for people, fish and wildlife, and the surrounding environment. Parks Canada’s adoption of the peat filter technology is another indication of Intervale’s influence in promoting natural, high performance treatment of wastewater.

Major funding for this work comes from The EJLB Foundation, with additional support from Environment Canada, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and local businesses.

For further details and photographs about sphagnum peat filter wastewater treatment systems, download the Intervale brochure “Peat Filter Wastewater Treatment.”

For additional information, contact info@intervale.ca