Are sprinkler systems harming our flora and fauna?

CCS team investigates how sprinkler systems’ may harm our flora & fauna

What happens when the sprinkler systems in buildings get cleaned out? How much of this fluid is released? If it is released down storm drains, where does it go? Does anything in it have the potential to harm flora or fauna? These are a few of the questions that our team, Coastal Clarity Solutions (CCS), is working in collaboration with the Capital Regional District (CRD) Regional Source Control Program (RSCP) to address throughout our BSc in Environmental Science program at Royal Roads University (RRU).

The project will enable the CRD to recommend what businesses should use in sprinkler systems, whether that be potable water or a solution of fire retardants and corrosion inhibitors. It will inform the CRD on the treatment of this fluid and the anticipated volume in a given year.

Since the beginning of this project, we have completed extensive regulatory and literature review as well as have begun interviewing businesses that maintain these systems to determine current practices. The next step of our project will be to sample fire suppression systems to evaluate if the current understanding of these systems reflects reality. Once this is complete, we’ll evaluate the associated human and environmental risks and suggest mitigation solutions. Through this project, we hope to enlighten the CRD as to current practices and recommend future action to protect municipal infrastructure and ecological life.