British Columbia Challenge 2020
Hosted By
Congratulations to the finalists
First Place
Ozero Solutions
A technology to decontaminate ballast water in sport boats to prevent the propagation of zebra and quagga mussels in freshwater.
Team:
Benjamin Farley, Maxime Guay, Olivier Harpin, Olivier Liberge, Christophe Morin & Matys Tessier
Second Place
GAPSS
An engineering solution, adapted to the land contour, to collect debris, waste, and sediment as it flows over the urban landscape in times of high water events.
Team:
Jacob Sol, Rudransh Kumar, Cole White-Robinson, Ayden Wong & Graeme Kumagai
Third Place
Above Atlantis
Above Atlantis is tackling the issue of flood risk through the development of an interactive online platform that makes flood information more accessible to the public.
Team:
Jay Matsushiba, Hanieh Daliri, Shantanu Dutt & Joshua Kamijan
Fourth Place
Elite - Public Choice Award
A gravity-based filtration system that removes oil, dust and petroleum contaminants from water.
Team:
Ahmed Ramadan, Gavin Saini, Harvey Mann & Keyvan Khadem
Fifth Place
UNITE AG
A digital simulated platform that provides feedback to policymakers on the efficacy of farm incentives aimed at water conservation & nutrient management to protect water quality.
Team:
Waseem Jawad, Luke Trinity
The Water Issues
How can we improve water quality in our lakes and streams by reducing stormwater contamination?
Hydrocarbon, metal and pathogen contaminants run off of roads, sidewalks and driveways and flow through the stormwater system into our lakes and streams. The pollutants degrade drinking water, harm fish, and the quality of swimming beaches. Stormwater pollution is a serious problem in B.C., where many communities rely on surface drinking water sources, but the problem is widespread throughout North America and the world.
Water Issue Leader:
Larratt Aquatic Consulting Ltd. and Associated Environmental Consultants Inc
How can we prevent damage from invasive mussels?
Technology is needed to improve prevention methods, and also to develop ways to minimize the damage the mussels do to boats, intakes and other infrastructure. Such technology would have a market across most of North America.
Water Issue Leader:
Okanagan Basin Water Board
How can we reduce the amount of water used outdoors by B.C. homes and businesses?
In the Okanagan, residential outdoor watering is the second-highest use after agriculture, primarily on lawns, created for mostly cosmetic purposes, and gardens. Residential outdoor water use creates an economic burden on communities for the costs of piping, storage and infrastructure to service the high summer water demand. Technology to reduce outdoor use could be widely applied throughout the North American west.
Water Issue Leader:
City of Kelowna and Regional District of North Okanagan.
How can we reduce damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure and better communicate the risk of flooding to communities?
New technology to improve the way we reduce flood hazards in communities and communicate flood risk would be valuable to local and senior governments, the insurance industry and to consumers across North America and internationally.
Water Issue Leader:
Fraser Basin Council and Natural Resources Canada
How can we improve access to clean drinking water for Indigenous communities in B.C.?
Indigenous communities throughout Canada lack access to clean and safe drinking water. Solutions need to be found to improve water testing and treatment in order to realize basic human rights for Indigenous Peoples in Canada and address the disproportionate lack of clean drinking water.
Water Issue Leaders:
Natural Resources Research and Okanagan Nation Alliance
Advisory Committee
Anna Warwick Sears
Executive Director, Okanagan Basin Water Board
Denise Neilsen
Director – Okanagan Water Stewardship Council
Dave Teasdale
Professor – Okanagan College
Andrew Greer
CoFounder & Community Catalyst – PURPPL Accelerator
David Saltman
Founder – Okanagan Sustainability Leadership Council
Rehan Sadiq
Dean and Professor – School of Engineering University of British Columbia Okanagan
Kariann Aarup
Partnerships and Program Development – AquaHacking
Corie Griffiths
Director – Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission
Jeremy Clowes
Principal – Water and Waste Water Engineer Urban Systems
Don Dobson
Principal – Dobson Engineering
Rod MacLean
Manager – Utility Planning City of Kelowna Okanagan Nation Alliance – member to be confirmed
Matthew Woods
Manager – Cleantech Planning and Innovation Branch Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology Province of British Columbia
Tarik Dessouki
Director – Environmental and Climate Monitory Section B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
