water
What we doWhat we do
McGill Hydro Design is a student-led engineering club dedicated to developing innovative solutions for water-treatment and other water related engineering challenges. We aim to provide students with practical experience in the water engineering field through participation in various design competitions. We also strive to educate undergraduate engineering students about recent technical developments and future career opportunities in the industry.
Our team
We are a team of 30+ McGill students across 5 engineering disciplines. We operate under the guidance of faculty and graduate student advisors.
Exec team
Eight students run the club through the 2026–27 season, from design and lab work to sponsorship and logistics.
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Co-President
Marion Pénigot-Ponzo
Civil U4
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Co-President
Janaiya Pinder
Chemical U4
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VP External
Elliot Loveless
Civil U4
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VP Finance
Pardis Azadeh
Civil U3
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VP Communications
Finnan Jones
Civil U2
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VP Logistics
Octavia Francis
Civil U3
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VP Laboratory
Simonpietro Ruiz
Materials U4
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VP Design
Matthew Hurlburt
Civil U2
2027 competitions
The Canadian National Water Treatment Competition (CNWTC) is our primary focus for the 2026-27 academic year. In this competition, students are challenged to design a water treatment system capable of purifying a prescribed contaminated water sample using only materials available to the general public. Through the academic year, our team will research, design, test, and optimize the system before constructing it under time constraints at the national competition. The completed system is evaluated based on key water quality metrics such as pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen content of the purified sample.
Research & design
Designing and testing a treatment system built from materials available to the general public.
Build on the clock
The system is constructed under time constraints at the national competition.
Scored on water quality
Judges measure the purified sample against key water quality metrics.
Newsletter
Each month we publish a short newsletter covering what the team has done and what is coming next. The first issue will be posted here.
Sponsors
Sponsors make the build, the lab work, and the trip to competition possible.
Become a sponsor →Thank you to all our sponsors!
Contact us
Questions about joining, sponsoring, or the competition build? Email the team and we will get back to you.
hydrodesign@mcgilleus.caTeam info
Email: hydrodesign@mcgilleus.ca
McGill University817 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, QC, H3A 0C3
Newsletter
A monthly recap of the design work, lab sessions, and competition prep. Issues are posted in the newsletter section above.
Social media
Follow along for build updates and recruitment news.