Team
John Lam
Engineering Manager, Atlantic First Nations Water Authority Inc.
John C. Lam, P.Eng., is Director of Engineering for the AFNWA, and started with the Water Authority in November 2020. In this role, John is responsible for asset management, master planning, capital improvement planning, and provision of technical services that support the short and long–term management of the water and wastewater assets.
John graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, majoring in the fields of environmental and hydraulic structures. Since graduation, he has worked in many parts of Atlantic Canada, various locations across Canada including living and working in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories for four years, Bermuda and Europe.
John was the project manager, or lead process engineer for the design, assessment or operation of nearly 100 water and wastewater facilities. Over his 30+ years of consulting engineering career, John has acquired significant engineering expertise in virtually all types of water and wastewater treatment technologies. John was involved in some projects that contributed to the development of innovative enhancements to treatment technologies including disposal of treated effluent using evapotranspiration, moving bed bioreactor treatment using dissolved air flotation for clarification, Sequencing Batch Reactor wastewater treatment, greenhouse wastewater treatment, biosolids management using fly larvae and vermiculture and engineered spring/siphon for supply of water.
He was the lead author for the Atlantic Canada Wastewater Guidelines Manual for Collection, Treatment, and Disposal (2006) and is a steering committee member for the current update of both the water and wastewater guidelines.
John has worked in provincial and territorial governments including Rankin Inlet as project officer (Public Works) and regional municipal engineer (Municipal Affairs) for the Government of the Northwest Territories prior to the formation of Nunavut, and as the program lead for wastewater program for Nova Scotia Environment.
As a Class I Wastewater Treatment Operator, John operated up to 20 wastewater treatment plants in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Bermuda. He has developed and delivered numerous technical and continuing education training courses for Nova Scotia Environment, Atlantic Canada Water & Wastewater Association, Maritime Provinces Water & Wastewater Association, Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University and Nova Scotia Community College.
John has served as board and committee member for:
- Atlantic Canada Water & Wastewater Association
- Canadian Water & Wastewater Association
- Canadian Affairs Committee of the American Water Works Association
- Canadian Council of the Ministers of the Environment Municipal Wastewater Project Team
- Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia
- Engineers Nova Scotia