Characterizing phosphorus removal in passive waste stabilization ponds in Arctic communities

A majority of communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut rely on passive waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) for domestic wastewater treatment. Little research has been conducted on the treatment performance of these systems. Therefore, in response to impending federal wastewater regulations, a r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic Science
Main Authors: Schmidt, Jordan J., Ragush, Colin M., Krkosek, Wendy H., Gagnon, Graham A., Jamieson, Rob C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/as-2015-0002
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/as-2015-0002
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/as-2015-0002
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Summary:A majority of communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut rely on passive waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) for domestic wastewater treatment. Little research has been conducted on the treatment performance of these systems. Therefore, in response to impending federal wastewater regulations, a research program was conducted in order to characterize contaminant removal, with phosphorus a contaminant of particular concern. The performance of WSPs in the Arctic communities of Kugaaruk, Pond Inlet, Grise Fiord, and Clyde River was evaluated from 2011 to 2014. Removal of total phosphorus was highly variable, ranging from 24% (Pond Inlet, 2014) to 76% (Grise Fiord, 2011). The average removal efficiency was 44%. Effluent total phosphorus concentrations generally exceeded 7 mg P/L, partly due to elevated raw wastewater concentrations. Over the course of the treatment season (defined as June to September, when the WSP is thawed), limited additional total phosphorus removal was observed. A fractionation analysis of WSP sediments showed that organic phosphorus and phosphorus bound to aluminum and iron were the predominant forms, which provided insight into primary treatment mechanisms. Further studies on these mechanisms are needed in order to optimize Arctic WSP treatment.