Water Quality

SENES provides a broad scope of services related to the aquatic environment and the management of water resources , and to the Municipal/Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA),. These include: setting proposed effluent quality for point source discharges, the design and undertaking of water quality and aquatic biota monitoring programs; assessment of impacts on the aquatic environment of proposed projects including evaluation of the trophic status and development capacity of lake systems; and the development and application of computer models that simulate contaminant behaviour in the environment and their transfer through aquatic ecosystems.

These types of studies include design and implementation of the monitoring programs necessary to characterize a particular industrial sector.

SENES provides expert advice on compliance with the MISA regulations through the preparation of annual reports and monitoring of process and cooling water effluents. SENES has prepared Storm Water Control Study (SWCS) reports and provided options for prevention and control methods.

The aquatic component of studies involves the monitoring of baseline conditions in an area, and the estimation of the likely impacts of various activities on receiving water quality. Surface water, fish, phytoplankton, benthic and macrophyte samples can be collected and analyzed to describe the existing environment. Field programs can be designed to collect sediments in local harbours and a proposed disposal area. The suitability of sediments for open water disposal can be assessed, as well as the use of the dredged sediments for beach nourishment.

Drinking water quality can be reviewed for a wide range of organic and inorganic substances. These types of reviews include the development of environmental behaviour profiles, health consideration profiles, and production/usage profiles, which when considered in conjunction with concentrations measured in the environment, can be used to estimate the contribution of drinking water to total exposure.