The technological projects showcased that day included a collaboration among Michèle Prévost and Benoit Barbeau, professors in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering and co-chairholders of the NSERC Industrial Chair in Drinking Water Treatment at Polytechnique Montréal, and the Ville de Laval, the Ville de Montréal and John Meunier Inc.-Veolia Group. The NSERC Industrial Chair in Drinking Water Treatment at Polytechnique Montréal has existed since 1992 and today is recognized as a world leader in drinking water treatment and distribution. For more than 20 years now, the Chair has enjoyed sustained and fruitful partnerships with the industry, including John Meunier Inc.-Veolia Group, and supports numerous municipalities, including the cities of Montréal and Laval, the greatest producers of drinking water in Québec.

From legionella testing to the detection of lead and emerging contaminants, the Chair's range of activities is wide, and its effects can be calculated not only in terms of financial impact but also in terms of public health benefits. The Chair's work provides municipalities with concrete responses to help them face many issues. For example, the Chair's work made it possible to confirm the choice of green treatment approaches to minimize waste and the use of chemical products in Ville de Montréal filtration plants. The testing of these approaches represents capital savings of over $20 million as well as minimizing operating costs and waste production.

The training of highly qualified employees is also a major benefit for the industry and for society. Graduates of the Chair's programs number in the hundreds, and today they work in engineering consulting, the manufacturing industry, provincial and federal ministries, the engineering services for many municipalities, various teaching institutions, and international organizations such as the UN, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and Water for People.

Left to right: Denis Allard, Ville de Laval; Chantal Morissette, Ville de Montréal; Michèle Prévost, Polytechnique Montréal; Benoit Barbeau, Polytechnique Montréal; Édith Laflamme, John Meunier Inc-Veolia Group, and Jean-Louis Legault, ADRIQ.

During its fourth accounting period begun in 2010, the Chair enjoyed financial support totalling $8.3 million. In 2003, the Centre de recherche, développement et validation des technologies et procédés en traitement des eaux (CREDEAU), created by a consortium of Polytechnique Montréal, the École de technologie supérieure, Université du Québec à Montréal, McGill University and the INRS-Institut Armand Frappier, joined forces with the Chair. The Chair's activities, combined with those of CREDEAU, make Polytechnique a true national and international centre for excellence in regard to drinking water research. This position helps the institution and its partners to attract many students, as well as internationally renowned researchers who want to take part in the high-calibre research work taking place there.

Our warmest congratulations for this honour! 

See also:
Expertise fact sheet for Michèle Prévost
Expertise fact sheet for Benoit Barbeau
CREDEAU website
ADRIQ website