Sandbanks Provincial Park
PRISTINE NATURAL SETTING
Internationally famous for its breathtaking sand dunes along the shores of Lake Ontario, Sandbanks Provincial Park is home to some of the world’s best white sand beaches and swimming. It has also been a popular filming location for many feature films including Resident Evil: AfterLife, Fly Away Home, Touching Wild Horses and Border Line.
The park is located in scenic Prince Edward County, Ontario, and is an extremely popular destination for car and RV campers as well as day guests. It’s one of the busiest parks in the province, playing host to more than 750,000 visitors every summer.
The park’s campground provides such amenities as drinking water taps, comfort stations with flush toilets and showers, and laundry facilities.
As part of the Ontario Parks system, Sandbanks places a high priority on environmentally friendly solutions for its operational needs that include the provision of safe, clean drinking water for its guests.
Client Needs
Safe, Chemical-Free and Environmentally Friendly
Superior Disinfection and Sanitizing Capabilities
Compliance With All Government Regulations
Safe Treatment of Large Volumes of Water
Easy Installation and Maintenance
Reduction of Costs
Fast Facts
CLIENT: Ontario Parks
LOCATION: Sandbank Provincial Park, ON, Canada
DATE: May 2017
CONTAMINANTS:
Bacteria, Virus, Cyst, Organics, Metals and other common contaminants found in ground water
FLOW RATE:
30 Gallons per Minute (with a 30 GPM backup system)
SPECIFYING ENGINEER:
Ontario Parks
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Peak Construction Group Ltd.
Sandbanks relies on shallow well groundwater as the source for its drinking water.
However, surface water can penetrate this groundwater, increasing the amount of organic material and potential bacteria in the groundwater while also affecting its colour.
The park was using chlorine as a primary treatment solution, but the chemical was reacting with the groundwater and created concern about the potential levels of a harmful by-product called THM (Tri-Halo-Methanes), a carcinogen. It is produced from the chlorination process and with varying levels of organics and other contaminants, there was constant flux in the amount of chlorine to use leading to more cumbersome treatment.
Sandbanks needed an environmentally friendly solution that could be the primary treatment for its water to reduce or prevent these harmful by-products and to use chlorine after ozone and filtration at a low level for residual protection through the pipes until used. The system also had to have the ability to treat large quantities of water and be easy to use and maintain.
THE ACLARUS SOLUTION
Aclarus had begun working with Ontario Parks in 2014 on other projects. In 2016 Ontario Parks released a public tender for a 30GPM ozone system with redundancy and filtration for this Sandbanks project that included the system as well as installation and other mechanical and electrical requirements. The tender specifically called for an NSF-61 compliant ozone system and we designed the system to meet their specifications and needs. Bidding companies received our design and quote for the ozone systems and start-up only and Peak Consctruction Group in Brighton Ontario was awarded the job.
The Aclarus solution included an ozone system generator and in-line monitoring for automatic use and control. The injection system also had contact tanks with mixing pumps, ozone off-gas destruct and ambient ozone alarm.
With ozone as the primary treatment, the use of chlorine could be decreased, which lowered the risk of harmful byproducts forming and much more consistent, lowered use of chlorine and chemicals.
The system worked steadily and increased and decreased treatment automatically based on flow and water quality.
Following treatment, the water is filtered through sediment and carbon filtration; before discharge through the park for use, chlorine is added at a much lower level in line with provincial guidelines of 0.25mg/L. This improved the overall water quality, lowered potential by-products, lowered chlorine use and costs with an easier to use system.
Bruce Voskamp, Partner, Peak Construction Group Ltd., was the Project Manager on the installation of the Aclarus ozone system. The delivery timelines on this project were extremely tight. Bruce was very impressed with how quickly and efficiently the Aclarus team were able to design, engineer and install the new ozone system.
Technical Specifications
60 gpm, 60gr/hr ozone generation; Duty Stand-by
Automatic backwash Nextsand sediment and activated charcoal filters
Automated Operations, Integrated Controls & Monitoring
NSF-61 Compliant; Meets or Exceeds Regulations
$0.03 per m3 operational cost
Aclarus delivered exactly what we asked for.
They were easy to work with and responded to all requests in a very timely and friendly manner. I can’t think of anything that could be improved upon during this process. The project outcome and follow-up were excellent!
Bruce Voskamp, Partner, Peak Construction Group Ltd.
THE BENEFITS
The campground water is chemical-free and safe for drinking by guests with a much lower potential for harmful by-products.
There is no need to purchase/store expensive chemicals. At about 5 cents per 1000 litres of water treated, it is significantly less than other treatments.
Completely disinfects the water; removes colour; removes harmful metals, microplastics and other micro-organisms more effectively than other treatments.
There are no chemical residuals or by-products; increased dissolved oxygen in the water improves the health of aquatic species. The water is treated with ozone as it flows for use in the campground operations without constant mixing and testing of chemicals.
The treated wastewater meets or exceeds all environmental regulations.
The system was easily retrofitted and installed into the existing building to help keep infrastructure costs low. The system is easy to use, takes up little room and is modular for easy expansion or service.
A Superior Chemical-Free Disinfectant Effective at Treating the Most Complex Water Problems Including:
Pathogens
Bacteria (E. coli, Streptococcus, Cholera, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium)
Viruses (Adenovirus, Legionella, Rotavirus, Salmonella, Influenza, Hepatitis, Polio)
Cysts (Giardia, Crypto, Cyclospora, E. Dispar)
Contaminants
Metals (Iron, Manganese, Sulphur, Lead, Arsenic)
Organics (Biofilm, Algae, Tannin, Colour, NOM)
Inorganics (Cyanides, COD)
Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Pharmaceuticals & Personal Care Products
Hormones, Antibiotics, Medications
Estrogen, Sulfamet, Oxycodone, Ibuprofen, Triclosan
Amphetamines, Cocaine, Opioids
PFAS (per & Polyfluoroalkyl Substances - Teflon)
Micropollutants & Microplastics
We Can Help
Do you have a water challenge or want to learn more about this use case?
We’d love to discuss your water treatment needs and develop a solution that’s right for you.