Peterborough is a Centre for Water Technologies Research

Peterborough is a community shaped by its connection to water – the surrounding “Kawartha” lakes provide tremendous natural resources  for the region. The word “Kawartha” is a Mississauga word meaning “bright waters and happy lands”. Today, with the local research centres supporting Peterborough’s growing water technologies sector, “bright” certainly also describes the innovative minds that are working to bring water technologies products, research methods and solutions to market.

The Peterborough region is home to several research centres.

• The Water Quality Centre at Trent University has a long history of research in aquatic/water studies. The laboratory at Trent is internationally-recognized as one of the best in the world for water analysis. At the Trent Water Quality Centre, they develop and apply innovative techniques for analyzing contaminants in water systems, as well as determining impacts of a variety of factors on water quality.
• Trent’s Institute for Watershed Science takes an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional approach to the science, management, training and technology transfer that goes into understanding and managing healthy watershed systems.
• The Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT) is located in Lindsay, Ontario (an easy 30 minute drive from Peterborough) and is a part of the region’s water technologies supply chain. This centre is internationally-recognized for its commitment to excellence in water research and education. Their facilities include an indoor greenhouse research facility, outdoor research test cells and ponds and analytical laboratory.

Outside of our local educational institutions, there are also private innovation and research companies that specialize in water technologies in Peterborough, including:

• SGS Canada in Lakefield is a leading provider of drinking water testing in Canada. The majority of Ontario’s drinking water comes through their facility in Lakefield. They are able to ship samples overnight to Toronto and other major centres. They provide water quality assurance services and prevent wastewater from contributing to environmental contamination.
• Noble Purification Inc. is evolving what water technology will look like in the future. Their innovative system Euglena BioFiltration System™ is a concept inspired by nature. The idea is derived from algae blooms and their ability to extract nearly all nutrients from their surroundings.  The Noble Purification team also took this one step further to employ a very unique alga that can be tricked into absorbing minerals, heavy metals, excessive nutrients and other pollutants from an aquatic environment.  The Euglena BioFiltration System™ recreates an algae bloom and harnesses Euglena’s physiological capabilities to create a cleaner, controlled way of removing excessive nutrients or contaminants, and avoiding their inevitable release into the environment.

The existing talent and resources is a tremendous asset for this region’s growth opportunities in the water technologies sector. Would you like to learn more?

Please contact:

Mounira Benallou

Supply Chain Development Lead at Peterborough Economic Development

705-743-0777 Ext.2132
MBenallou@gpaedc.on.ca