Projects


Click to view large image



Click to view large image



Final Effluent, The Toronto Waldorf School
Integrated Community
Energy and Water Systems

EcoWerks Technologies Corporation is the primary design consultant on energy and water issues for the 3,000 person 55+ Heather Glen Rotary Village.
  • 35 year life cycle costing, environmental impact
  • Cogeneration district energy and wastewater treatment contained in a utility centre
  • Closed loop wastewater treatment provides nutrients and water to golf course
  • Treated effluent creates surface water features and augments habitat
  • Buildings 35%-50% more efficient
  • Stormwater used as resource on-site
  • Orientation, greenspace, pedestrian routes
  • Renewable energy
  • 50% reduction in greenhouse gases
The communal Eco Rem process blends Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) with a natural, greenhouse approach in order to provide a public amenity and to close water and nutrient cycles. The Ontario Ministry of Environment gave Eco Rem a positive review under its New Environmental Technologies Evaluation program.

The Toronto Waldorf School
Eco Rem Reuse System
Closed Loop Water Reuse


Water reuse conserves water and greatly diminishes discharges to extend the life of aging septic systems. Reuse water is carried by a separate plumbing system with no cross connections to the potable plumbing. Health protection is guaranteed by physical filtration, ultraviolet light treatment, warning signs on piping, and a backflow preventor for backup water. Storage of reuse water is provided by a tank at The Body Shop and in the bottom of the wetlands at Kortright and Waldorf.

The Waldorf Eco Rem system has reused over 1 million litres of water since start-up!

Kortright Centre for Conservation
Eco Rem Sewage Treatment
and Water Reuse
The Toronto & Region
Conservation Authority


Kortright is Canada's most visited conservation area, with 180,000 visitors per year. It was so popular that the TRCA was faced with the prospect of a new very expensive, large septic system. EcoWerks' solution was to implement water conservation and reuse to reduce water discharge by 70% and have a biological treatment system that would be the foundation of an educational program. Visitors see how nature cleans water and witness plants and fish thriving on the wastewater nutrients. Kortright has developed tours for various student levels, primary, high school and university which involve observation, testing, and take-home exercises.

The Body Shop Canada Living Machine
Effluent Reuse

The Body Shop Canada, in the design of its Toronto headquarters (1993), took responsibility for its waste by incorporating an on-site biological sewage treatment system located in a greenhouse on the south side of its warehouse. Beauty and function combine in the botanical and biological workings of the system, offering an exciting way for the company to show off its corporate philosophy. Every drop reused is a drop of municipal water saved and a drop less discharged. Clean water from the marsh is pumped via a dedicated plumbing line to toilets and urinals as well as to two aquariums. Excess water from sinks and showers is discharged. Below, clockwise: Kortright aerobic tanks; class tour; Body Shop reuse tank and ultraviolet sterilization; reuse aquarium; Kortright wetland.

Kortright Aerobic Tanks
Kortright Class Tour
Kortright Wetland

Body Shop Reuse Tank
and Ultraviolet Sterilization
Body Shop
Reuse Aquarium