Water supply and sewage disposal in permafrost areas of northern Canada

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Dickens, H. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1959
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Canada; permafrost; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400066377; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400066377

Although the principles of water supply and sewage disposal in the north of Canada are the same as those for more temperate regions, the physical features of the installations often vary with the influence of low temperature and permafrost. These not only create technical problems of design but, when coupled with the relative isolation of most northern sites, they also introduce serious economic considerations. Operating costs as well as initial construction costs are higher, making facilities of the kind normally provided too expensive for many people.