| Appropriate and efficient wastewater management is a concern for all Canadians. Following recent wastewater treatment failures, the need for new technologies and management to provide successful wastewater treatment has come to the forefront. Small Rural Communities (SRC's), especially First Nations communities face significant challenges and have special needs that must be met due to their remoteness, lack of resources and northern climate. In order to select wastewater treatment technologies which are going to be successful in these communities, there needs to be a multi-criteria process of assessing technology options which involves all relevant stakeholders (experts and technology users). This should ensure a balanced approach to analysis and selection of the appropriate treatment technologies. The process would utilise a "Sustainability Tool", evaluating economic, environmental and social criteria. The "Sustainability tool" proposed involves the use of a Selection Matrix coupled with a survey to provide a means of incorporating sustainability features from the community into the selection process. Use of the tool allows quantitative input from all stakeholders through rating and weighting of responses to critical questions relevant to the selection of alternative treatment technologies. This paper develops the methodology for a Sustainable Screening Tool utilizing input from several First Nations communities and various acknowledged experts with experience in First Nations wastewater technologies. |
