About Us

Craig Jowett, Ph.D., P.Eng., founder of Waterloo Biofilter

A Legacy in Research

Waterloo Biofilter Systems Inc. is a Canadian-owned and operated company that develops, designs, manufactures and maintains advanced onsite wastewater treatment systems. We are committed to high quality treatment, low electricity usage, and system robustness.

Since the first pilot installation in 1991, our technology has proven itself to be the most reliable system available. Incorporated in 1995, our company continually strives to lead the industry in innovation and service. We are responsible for numerous advances in our field, both scientific and technological, that are used every day to help protect our natural environment and water supplies.

The patented Waterloo Biofilter was developed at the University of Waterloo, in the Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research.

What We Can Do For You

SYSTEM DESIGN

We are proud to lend our years of industry experience to your project engineer or we can recommend an experienced Waterloo Biofilter system designer for you to work with.

TRAINING

We hold annual training seminars where installers, engineers, and regulators come together to learn about our newest technologies and discuss developments in our industry.

Maintenance Services by Waterloo Biofilter

ONGOING SUPPORT

We offer support to our customers post-installation, and also operate and maintain a number of our commercial installations.

We employ a qualified team of
professionals in research & development,
production, and customer service.

We are proud of what we have contributed to our field.

Read more about some of our accomplishments to date.

1991

Developed the world’s first biological trickling filter utilizing an absorbent, synthetic filter medium.

Our patented foam filter medium

1995

Developed the first Shallow Area Bed disposal system for sand filter quality effluent in North America.

1996

Introduced the Shallow Pressure Trench disposal system for sand filter quality effluent in Ontario – now in the Ontario Building Code.

1997

Pioneered the use of effluent filters in Ontario – now a mandatory septic system component under the Ontario Building Code.

1998

Participated in Canada’s first residential sewage reuse application, the Toronto Healthy HouseTM – winner of the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation’s Healthy HousingTM Design Competition.

Toronto Healthy House – sustainable housing experiment

1999

Implemented the reuse of treated wastewater for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, truck washing, and toilet flushing.

2000

Developed the world’s first no-airspace, laminar flow septic tank – capable of improving treatment and drastically reducing sludge and scum accumulation compared to conventional septic tanks.

Waterloo Biofilter WaterTube™ septic tank

2001

Developed the world’s first free-draining, trickling biological anoxic filter (BAF) for thorough and complete nitrogen removal.

2006

Introduced the Flat Bed Biofilter, the world’s first at-grade open-bottom wastewater treatment unit.

2009

Participated in the Ontario Green Schools Pilot Initiative demonstrating the greatly reduced electricity usage and operations and maintenance costs of the Waterloo Biofilter system.

2012

Developed the patented Waterloo EC-P™ device for removing phosphorus from sewage using low energy electrochemistry.

2014

Demonstrated the ability of the Waterloo EC-P™ to recycle captured phosphorus as a fertilizing soil amendment in conjunction with the University of Guelph.

2015

Introduced the use of agricultural sulfur for autotrophic denitrification to Canada with the WaterNOx-LS™.

Achieved certification of the Waterloo Biofilter system to the CAN/BNQ 3680-600 Standard.

2016

Developed the anaerobic digester, a simple an inexpensive modification to septic tanks for increasing treatment efficiency and reducing sludge production by 50%.

2018

Introduced the Waterloo Smart Panel for live monitoring, remote control, data logging, and alarm notification for onsite sewage treatment systems.

2021

Waterloo Biofilter joins the list Canada’s Top Growing Companies in The Globe and Mail’s third-annual rankings report.

Learn More

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