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In this worst case scenario, only the aesthetic guideline for total dissolved solids (TDS) for human drinking water guidelines (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME, 1992) was exceeded in all groundwater samples taken from areas influenced by Snowfluent. No livestock watering guidelines were exceeded in any of the groundwater samples collected during the 1998 production scale trial. Concentrations of nitrate and nitrite did not exceed the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) for human drinking water in any groundwater sample taken from areas influenced by Snowfluent. Three samples outside the areas of Snowfluent influence had concentrations of nitrite or nitrate, which exceeded the guidelines.
There were off-site odour impacts in the 1998 production-scale test. The odour was significant and objectionable. Odour in the 1997 pilot tests was significant only in the area where the snow plume was actually falling. The difference is attributable to anaerobic state of the lagoon water in 1998 compared to the wastewater that came directly from the malting plant in the 1997 tests. While odour treatments at the lagoon are likely needed to deal with this problem, Snowfluent’s ability to safely treat wastewater fresh from the food processing plant offers an alternative. Significant volumes of fresh wastewater could be directly land-applied with no or limited lagoon storage, avoiding the decomposition and odour production that occurs when nutrient rich wastewater is stored in lagoons.