Bacterial communities and treatment of municipal wastewater in arctic waste stabilization ponds

The objective of the present study was to investigate the size, composition, diversity, and putative function of bacterial communities associated with treatment of municipal wastewater in passive waste stabilization ponds (WSP) operated in the Arctic. Information about the microbiology of these systems can help in optimizing the treatment systems in remote cold-climate areas. We conducted the fieldwork for this study over three years (2012-2014) in the two remote communities in Nunavut, Canada, where one-cell and two-cell WSP systems are used to provide primary treatment.