July 2010

Environmental Award

The Environmental Award recognizes the application of science, technology and engineering to a healthy environment within the professions of engineering and geoscience.
 

Abydoz Environmental Ltd. and the Towns of Appleton and Glenwood

As

Kermit the frog famously said, ‘it isn’t easy, being green,’ and the Mayors of Glenwood and Appleton might agree with him.

The towns of Appleton and Glenwood are located beside the Gander River and, in 2002, their towns’ wastewater was treated in old, overloaded treatment plants that were costly to maintain, and not providing sufficient treatment.

They hired CECON consulting engineers to research more efficient treatment options and chose the Kickuth Root Zone engineered wetland system, licensed to Abydoz Environmental Ltd.

Dr. Kickuth, a German researcher, had pioneered this method in the ‘60’s and it has been used successfully throughout Europe. Abydoz has obtained the Canadian license and performed research in Newfoundland to adapt the system to the Canadian climate.

The system uses no electricity and no chemicals, therefore is not as costly to maintain and operate. The wetland beds are planted with special reed plants that transfer oxygen to the root system and host beneficial micro-organisms. They consume the organic matter and purify the wastewater, which is returned to the Gander River.

The Appleton/Glenwood system was designed in 2005 and construction was completed in six months in 2006. The treatment objectives have been exceeded and the system has performed above expectations.

Mayor Flynn of Appleton had some initial concerns as to whether the plants would survive the cold winters in central Newfoundland, and whether the system would be cost-effective to operate and maintain.

In fact, the reeds have flourished and multiplied and the system is cheaper to operate than either of the two previous systems. In fact, adds Glenwood’s Mayor Bursey, it costs less and less each year, as the development expands, including the new sludge cells. Environmentally, it’s one of the best systems you can find, he says.

“It was certainly the right decision for the area; and the right decision for the Gander River,” adds Mayor Flynn.

The Abydoz system has won previous awards: two provincial government Environmental Awards, and a Sustainability Award from the National Research Council.

Therefore, in recognition of the application of science, technology and engineering to environmental management and sustainable development, Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador confers the Environmental Award on Abydoz Environmental Ltd. and the Towns of Appleton and Glenwood.

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© Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador