Application of Packaged MBR System for Northern Ontario Mining Camp Community

The Detour Lake deposit is Canada's largest undeveloped pure gold reserve and, with 14.9 million ounces, ranks fourth among the top ten largest gold reserves in North America. During the planning stage of the project, it was estimated that up to 1,000 construction crews will be working around the mines and living in a centralized camp compound with full facility (offices, sleepers, kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, laundry rooms, gym facilities, entertainment centers, and service and maintenance buildings). To protect the ecologically sensitive surrounding areas, the camp needs to comply with stringent effluent discharge objective limit of BOD less than 10 mg/L, TSS of less than 10 mg/L, TP of less than 0.3 mg/L, TAN of less than 2 mg/L (year around limit), and E. coli of less than 100 CFU/100 ml. The environmental study report concluded that Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) was the best option for the treatment of camp wastewater under harsh winter climate condition.