Building a Water Quality Research Platform in Urban and Urbanizing Watersheds

Designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 1994, the Grand River flows for more than 300 km through the heart of southwestern Ontario before reaching Lake Erie. The watershed is home to 29 municipalities and almost one million residents. Significant urban growth is anticipated in this region, making it an excellent focus for researching new ways to address a globally significant concern: ensuring that growth, development, and urbanization are managed in ways that protect the functioning of ecosystems. Specific concerns include major urban growth within the watershed, and aging infrastructure that is reaching capacity. A lack of demonstration facilities for companies to test and develop technologies in real-world watershed environments hinders the deployment of new potential solutions. The Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) is building a platform to address these issues. The SOWC is a suite of facilities for turning water ideas into water innovations through research, development, testing, and demonstration of water technologies in real world environments. Partners include eight universities, regional municipalities, and not-for-profits. The project is supported by the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario along with private sector sponsors, including IBM as primary corporate supporter. As the SOWC platform capacity becomes available in 2013/2014, project activity will increase throughout the platform, leading towards innovative solutions in the water sector. Currently, there are several multifaceted projects being established across the platform.