SDG 6 - Strategic Initiatives

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Wastewater Treatment
Pollution Reduction
Water Consumption & Reuse
Outreach
Water Conservation
Water Extraction
Water Security
Water Conscious Usage
Free Drinking Water
Water-Conscious Building

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Western University adheres to stringent water quality standards and discharge guidelines to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.

Our wastewater is directed via the sanitary sewer system to the Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant. This ensures compliance with the  Ontario Water Management Quality Guidelines and the City of London’s Wastewater and Stormwater Bylaw. These guidelines are designed to safeguard all forms of aquatic life and their life cycles.

Western has implemented targeted measures to pre-treat greywater before it enters the utility’s sewer system, including the installation of sink grease traps in research laboratories. As a member of the Ontario Water Consortium, Western collaborates with the City of London to demonstrate and validate innovative, near-market wastewater treatment technologies. Western has partnered with the Government of Ontario on wastewater monitoring initiatives to enhance environmental protection and public health. The WesternWater Centre conducts research on water and wastewater treatment.

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Western University has processes in place to prevent and reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities. This includes processes to prevent polluted water from entering the water system, including pollution caused by accidents and incidents at the university. 

Western University abides by federal, provincial, and municipal regulations, as well as our own policies, to protect water resources and prevent marine pollution. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act regulates the disposal of wastes into bodies of water. The Ontario Water Resources Act regulates water quality and prohibits the discharge of pollutants into Ontario’s waters. London’s Water By-law (W-8) prohibits non-potable water from entering the water distribution system, and the Waste Discharge By-law (WM-16) regulates and enforces waste disposal into the public sewage systems. 

Western’s Policy on Environment and Sustainability commits to promoting sustainability as well as reducing waste and hazardous materials. Comprehensive procedures are in place to prevent polluted water from entering the water system, including: stringent protocols for handling and disposing of contaminated biowaste, emergency response plans for accidents, and regular safety audits to ensure compliance with environmental standards. Key policies include: 

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Western tracks campus water consumption. An official review of our Energy Conservation and Demand Management 2019-2024 Plan revealed that while space at Western increased by 6% from the 2018 benchmark, our water use was reduced by 9%, and our water use intensity was reduced by 14%. 

Western’s policy of water reuse includes the installation of 88 water meters that provide real-time data, annual testing of 651 backflow devices, and steam condensate recovery, saving over 200,000m3 of municipal water in 2023. The university also employs low-flow fixtures, low-irrigation landscaping, and cooling system improvements to further reduce water consumption. The multi-purpose greywater system alone has mitigated 10 million litres of municipal water since 2017. 

Wastewater is directed to the Greenway Wastewater Treatment plant, and Low Impact Development systems, such as an on-campus rain garden, manage stormwater and support biodiversity. Additionally, Western has increased bottle filling stations and practices sustainable landscaping by reducing high-water requirement plantings and decommissioning irrigation systems. 

Building projects must follow our Sustainable Design Guidelines: Projects must be designed to conserve and optimize potable water use for building and landscape loads in support of meeting Western’s water use performance goals. They should design for rainwater; condensate recovery; or stormwater capture, treatment, and reuse. 

Western measures the steam condensate recovered from the central steam heating plant. In 2023, 217,629m3 were recovered and reused. 

Outreach: freshwater ecosystems, water management, overfishing

Western has several programs designed to educate and engage various audiences on the importance of water conservation, management, and overfishing for local and national community outreach.

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Western makes practical contributions towards off-campus water conservation support through partnerships and research that impact the local and regional communities.

  • Western is a member of the Ontario Water Consortium (OWC), a platform for industry, academia, government, and end-users. OWC connects leaders at the forefront of water innovation. Its mission is to enable a thriving community of the most ambitious and innovative partners to advance technologies and science. OWC provides tools, policy, and knowledge exchange to address the economic, environmental, and social issues that stem from challenges in the urban water cycle.
  • The WesternWater Centre concentrates on the research leading to innovative solutions addressing all aspects related to clean water supply and water-environment issues, including the protection and management of water resources, resource recovery, and treatment technologies. Learn more about our Water Resources theme.
  • Ivey’s Global Leadership course works with a local company, Trojan Technologies, on global clean water solutions.

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Western University participates in sustainable water extraction techniques by receiving its water from the municipal water supply systems. Most of London’s water comes from Lake Huron, and a small amount from Lake Erie. We are served by the Lake Huron & Elgin Primary Water Supply Systems. They each have an Environmental Management System registered to the ISO 14001 international standard. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks requires that each drinking water system have an accredited operating authority.

Western’s historical water consumption can be found on the Sustainability website. Learn about our Water Efficiency Upgrades.

RESTORE – Research for Subsurface Transport and Remediation conducts innovative research aimed at addressing the sustainable management of our water resources.

Cooperation on Water Security

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Western cooperates with local, regional, national, and global governments on water security. 

  • Ontario Water Consortium: as a member, Western collaborates with federal and provincial governments to enhance water security through research, development, and the implementation of innovative water technologies.
  • WesternWater Centre: collaborates with government organizations to develop innovative solutions for water security, focusing on clean water supply, resource recovery, and the protection and management of water resources.
  • RESTORE: collaborates with government agencies to enhance water security through innovative research, advanced computer modeling, and the development of sustainable water management technologies.
  • Global Leadership: Ivey partners with Trojan Technology on the environmental stewardship of water, primarily serving the municipal sector.
  • First Nations & Municipalities: Western studies regional relationships between First Nations and municipalities across Ontario.
  • Addressing Forever Chemicals: researchers at Western’s Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) and collaborators from academia, government, and industry are identifying and treating ‘forever chemicals’ in water systems, an ever-increasing environmental concern, which affects more than 2.5 million Canadians.
  • Flushable Products: Barry Orr, sewer outreach and control inspector at the City of London, has worked with many groups of Western students amid a long-term effort to drive change with wipe manufacturers and international organizations.
  • Global Water Brigades: an international movement of university students working alongside local communities and technicians to implement clean water systems in the developing world.
  • Western Heads East: established in highly underserviced areas of Sub-Saharan Africa in collaboration with local NGOs, universities, and medical research institutes, Western Heads East conducts research on groundwater use and water capture and recycling.

water9.pngPromoting Water-Conscious Usage

Western University has implemented several initiatives to promote water-conscious usage. 

On campus

  • Efficiency Upgrades: The university has installed low-flow fixtures, greywater management systems, and low-irrigation landscaping to reduce water consumption. 
  • Refill. Rehydrate. Repeat.: This campaign encourages the use of reusable water bottles, and Western has stopped selling plastic bottled water across campus. 
  • Waterless Urinals: As part of a pilot project, waterless urinals have been installed in the Faculty of Education building, saving approximately 300,000 liters of water per year. 
  • Greywater System: The power plant uses a multi-purpose greywater system, which has saved 10 million liters of municipal water since 2017. 
  • EZ H2O Bottle Filling Stations: These stations are being installed and retrofitted to existing water fountains to encourage the use of reusable bottles. 
  • Annual Testing: Facilities Management tests 651 backflow devices annually to protect the drinking water from contamination. 

Off Campus

  • WaterAid Western: This is a student club focusing on awareness and education of the public about sustainable water solutions. 
  • You And I Are Water Earth Fire Air Of Life And Death – PART 5 – Water (2024): This project takes place on 12 annual December 12ths. The 2024 project, focused on water, was hosted by ARTLAB. It included the UpStream/DownStream presentation about clean drinking water and healthy river ecology, with footage of Deshkan Ziibi. 
  • Unclaim. Unsettle. Belong: An exhibit at McIntosh Gallery explores how the Coves neighbourhood, rivers, and ponds are being reclaimed by nature to inspire hope and resiliency for the future. 
  • Water Management Under Changing Climate: This seminar will prove valuable for practitioners in water resources management who hold an interest in climate change and its effects on water resources. 
  • International Conference on Flood Management: Western will host this international conference to promote sustainable solutions to mitigate the impact of floods. 
  • SPARK Seminar Series: The Seminar Platform for Adaptive Resilience Knowledge focuses on topics including water resource management and climate change adaptation. 
  • RESTORE: Research for Subsurface Transport and Remediation combines state-of-the-art laboratories, field research, advanced computer modeling, commercialization with national and international collaborations, and strong industrial partnerships to address sustainable management of our water resources. 
    • Urban stormwater management project: This project improves understanding of pollutants in stormwater runoff to effectively plan and design stormwater management practices that will reduce the impact of runoff on ecosystems in London. 

These efforts reflect Western University’s commitment to sustainability and water conservation. 

Free Drinking Water

The municipal drinking water system in London, Ontario is comprehensive and well-regulated. It is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002. The City of London performs over 12,000 water quality tests annually to ensure the city water is always safe to drink. All of the tap water at Western University is connected to city water, meaning our tap water is free for all and always safe to drink. 

Additionally, in an effort to reduce plastic pollution, Western has installed more than 200 water refill stations around campus which make filling re-usable bottles quick and easy. These are free and for use of anyone on campus grounds. 

Water-Conscious Building and Planting

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Western is conscious of water use in building and planting decisions. 

  • Sustainable Design Guidelines: These guidelines require new building projects to aim for LEED v4 Silver certification at minimum. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) water use standards include outdoor water use reduction, indoor water use reduction, building-level water metering, cooling tower water use, and additional water metering. 
    • Climate Change Adaptation: Projects must include strategies such as solar shading and rainwater harvesting. 
    • Water Use: These guidelines consider design strategies that conserve potable water and reduce demand on all systems. 
    • Site Considerations: These guidelines shed light on requirements and best practices relating to landscape design and support multiple objectives of conserving potable water, managing stormwater on-site, minimizing the urban heat island effect, and erosion and sedimentation control requirements. 
    • Richard Ivey Building: For example, this build reduced potable water use by 58%, incorporated drought-resistant landscaping, and eliminated the need for a permanent irrigation system. 
  • Western’s Open Space Strategy: This strategy includes a section on planting design guidelines, which prioritize water and drought-resistant plants, as well as low-maintenance plants.  
  • Raingardens: These have been installed in several locations. Consisting of a mix of native and non-native species that are pollinator-friendly and drought- and salt-tolerant, the rain gardens absorb excess water, reducing the runoff that would otherwise flow into the river and potentially lead to flooding. 
  • Ecological Landscaping: Landscape Services consider native plants first in planting plans, and the right plant is selected for the right location. 
  • Invasive Species Management: Invasive species are not planted. They are controlled in some areas, replaced with native species is some cases, and cut down at the end of their natural life in others (e.g., Norway Maples).