About the Innovation

Every time a toilet flushes, the wastewater (sewage) flows out of the building through a system of pipes. What happens to it will depend on many factors, including location. Big city needs are different than rural needs. If Canada's geology was the same, coming up with an effective and appropriate sewage treatment and disposal system would be an easy task.

Unfortunately, it's not. Civil Engineer Kelly Galloway is the Senior Engineering Consultant at the company she started, Engineering Technologies Canada Ltd. She is helping to transform Canada into a more environmentally conscientious country by designing and building innovative, environmentally friendly waste disposal systems. In her work, she examines test holes dug with a backhoe and carries out a variety of field and laboratory tests to determine the underground properties of soil, rocks and water. She also uses soils and topographic and geographical information system models to prepare sewer-servicing plans for rural and small communities. The projects are often complex, with unique characteristics.

Two years ago, ETC designed a sewage treatment and disposal system for the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park in New Brunswick. The Recirculating Sand Filter sewage treatment system was the first of its kind in the province. When the treated sewage leaves the sand filter, it is so clear that it looks like tap water. This treated water is applied to the soil using a subsurface drip irrigation system, the first of its kind in eastern Canada. Not a drop of effluent is discharged into the Bay of Fundy. Kelly says that one of the greatest challenges in this field is educating clients about the importance of having an adequate sewage system and why they should place as much importance on it as they do on the curtains or flower beds for their new development.

About the Innovator

Kelly's work has made her very humble. "Although we know a great deal about the way things work, we still have a lot to learn, she says, "The natural systems that exist around us continue to amaze me for their inherent 'perfection' in design."

Besides making her life very busy, her work has inspired Kelly to find solutions to the problems of pollution caused by the mismanagement of human waste. "When travelling with my family, I am constantly looking at what other communities and facilities are doing to manage their sewage, because who knows, it could be a good solution for my next Maritime challenge!"

Her support system includes her husband and family, former teachers and professors, and more recently, her network of colleagues from across North America who also work in this very specialized and challenging field of engineering. Kelly actively promotes science and engineering and has acted as a mentor for young women considering engineering as a career. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Kelly now lives in PEI with her husband and children.