For BluMetric, delivering mission-ready water means embracing the whole water cycle from its initial water source to its final destination, through environmental stewardship and innovative cleantech solutions.

BluMetric – The Cycle of Water

BY JAMES CARELESS

In today’s world, the value of clean drinking water cannot be overstated. Whether in a defence or a civilian context, clean water is a precious resource that no one can live without.

            Providing clean water through advanced filtration/treatment systems is the mission of BluMetric. This Ottawa-based consulting and engineering firm designs, fabricates, delivers, and services clean water treatment systems for the CAF and other defence, commercial, and industrial clients. BluMetric’s water treatment systems are used by the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Navy, among others.

            “There is now a strategic imperative for water at many, many levels, whether it’s humanitarian, military, or economic,” said Scott Healey, BluMetric’s Senior Business Development Manager of CleanTech. “We appreciate that water is going to be a commodity of importance across the globe with regards to both stability and for human development. This is an imperative that BluMetric is ideally positioned to address not just for the Canadian Armed Forces but for Canada and international clients.”

LISTEN: CDR Radio Episode 45 – BluMetric Environmental

WHO IS BLUMETRIC
AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

BluMetric was created in 2012 through the merger of Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd. (WESA) and Seprotech. Both were Canadian companies with decades of proven experience in environmental consulting and water technology solutions.

In September of 2024, BluMetric purchased Gemini Water, a water treatment systems company in Gainesville, Florida. This has made it possible for BluMetric to move beyond Canada into the U.S. and Caribbean markets.

            Today, BluMetric provides a wide range of services to the North American market. They include the design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, and operation of water and wastewater treatment plants throughout the world, plus hydrogeology, industrial hygiene, occupational health and safety, environmental risk assessment, geomatics and GIS, environmental compliance auditing, and management systems.

            “With approximately 220 professionals in our roster, BluMetric is a small/medium enterprise that emphasizes agility, adaptability, and personalized services, enabling us to make a significant impact when fulfilling military needs and applications,” said Corey Switzer, the company’s Director of CleanTech. “Our agility and adaptability allows BluMetric to respond quickly to evolving client needs. We deliver customized solutions that larger competitors often cannot match, and we understand where our strengths are and strive for continuous improvement.”

BLUMETRIC’S WORK WITH THE CAF

BluMetric’s water treatment systems can be found in widespread use throughout the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). One of these systems is the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU), a containerized, portable water treatment unit that can produce reliable drinking water from nearly any water source. The ROWPUs are typically deployed during CAF military operations and humanitarian/disaster relief missions. A single ROWPU can provide 150 cubic metres of drinking water daily. That’s enough for 3,000 people at an average consumption of 50 litres/day/person.

            In partnership with Rheinmetall, BluMetric has built a smaller, self-contained version of the ROWPU called the Advanced Sub-Unit Water Purification System (ASUWPS). Designed with portability in mind, the ASUWPS can provide drinking water for 125-250 personnel daily.

 Meanwhile, BluMetric is under contract to the RCN to support the Mk III Shipboard Reverse Osmosis Desalination (SROD) Water Purification Units used on the Halifax-class frigates. Some of these ships have also been upgraded with BluMetric Mk IV SRODs, which offers significant improvements over the Mk III system currently installed in the RCN’s Halifax-class frigates. “Our SRODs are also being installed in the new ships coming off the production line, in particular the Joint Support Ships under contract to Seaspan Shipyards,” Healey said.

As well, BluMetric and Thales have partnered to support the RCN’s Arctic & Offshore Patrol Ships, Joint Support Ships, Minor Warships, and Auxiliary Vessels. BluMetric has also joined Team Vigilance, along with Vard Marine Inc., Ontario Shipyards, Thales Canada, SH Defence, and Fincantieri. The Vigilance is a proposed made-in-Canada replacement for the RCN’s Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV), under Pillar Two of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

MAXIMIZING WATER RECOVERY

When you’re dealing with a precious resource, you want to conserve as much of it as possible. When it comes to water, you want to reclaim as much drinkable water from wastewater as you can.

            This is what BluMetric’s militarized Mobile Wastewater Treatment Plant (MWTP) does. To be specific, this self-contained mobile sewage wastewater treatment system can treat up to 215 cubic metres of water a day, with 90-95% water recovery from the MWTP process. This is enough clean drinking water to support upwards of 150 people/day, with an output that meets Canadian drinking water standards. To make matters even better, the MWTP comes fully contained in two 8′ x 8′ x 20′ containers that can be transported by air, land, or sea, and can be deployed in just four hours after delivery to provide 24/7 service.

            “Our goal is to come up with a smaller version of the MWTP that could be used for the Canadian submarine program, as well as future surface ships and retrofits of existing vessels,” said Switzer. “This level of wastewater reclamation would be good for the navy, and good for the environment.”

DELIVERING MISSION-READY WATER

            All of these BluMetric products are driven by a common passion — namely to deliver

‘mission-ready water’ to the military and civilian customers that the company supports.

“We are proud of our reputation for delivering mission-ready water to our partners,” Switzer told CDR. “For BluMetric, delivering mission-ready water really embraces the whole water cycle from its initial water source to its final destination through environmental stewardship and innovative cleantech solutions. At our company, we’re focused on environmental sustainability and the water domain, and it’s our mission to work with our partners to ensure that natural water at every stage of the cycle is respected with tomorrow in mind.”

As for the future, “BluMetric is very much looking forward to continuing to grow in these fields that Corey and I have described,” said Healey. “We have the right people to design, build, and maintain those systems, and to grow this technology for the Canadian Armed Forces and our other clients.”

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief