Water News
Alberta Water News is a free, subscription-based service that provides the latest information on water news across Alberta and upcoming events.
The news is distributed weekly on Mondays via a collated email and Monday to Friday via WaterPortal social media (X was Twitter). Please note that news will not be distributed on Holiday Mondays and will be released the following Tuesday.
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Compare and contrast: Lake Powell Plumbing Will Be Repaired, but Some Say Glen Canyon Dam Needs a Long-Term Fix
Inside Climate News
Federal water managers will repair a set of little-used pipes within Glen Canyon Dam after discovering damage earlier this year. The tubes, called river outlet works, have been a focus for Colorado River watchers in recent years. If Lake Powell falls much lower, they could be the only way to pass water from the nation’s second-largest reservoir to the 25 million people downstream of the dam. Click here to read the story.
Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.
Compare and contrast: Maine officials trying to hide scale of ex-navy base PFAS spill, advocates suspect
The Guardian
A former US navy base in Maine has caused among the largest accidental spills of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” ever recorded in the nation, and public health advocates suspect state officials are attempting to cover up its scale by reporting misleading and incomplete data. Click here to read the story.
Alberta First Nation suing federal government over unclean tap water
CBC
The Ermineskin Cree Nation says Ottawa’s proposed legislation on First Nations drinking water fails to recognize that people on reserves have the same right to trust what comes out of their tap as every Canadian. Click here to read the story.
Click the following link for more information on Governance.
Calgary pipeline repairs to be complete by this weekend
CBC
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says construction work has been going well and is expected to be wrapped up by this weekend, with restrictions being lifted by Sept. 22. “Thanks to round-the-clock work that’s being done by construction crews as well as the advance planning that’s being done by city experts, we are expecting construction on the Bearspaw south feeder main to be completed this weekend.” Click here to read the story.
Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.
Compare and contrast: Severe drought drops water level to historic low on the Paraguay River, a regional lifeline
The Canadian Press
A powerful drought in Brazil’s Pantanal region led on Monday to the lowest water levels on the Paraguay River in more than a century, disrupting commerce on the major waterway, creating hazards for local transport and offering a grim warning for other parts of the world. Click here to read the story.
Click the following link for more information on Drought.
Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Sarah Nathan honoured with prestigious conservation award
Water Canada
Sarah Nathan, Manager of Provincial Operations for Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in British Columbia, has been awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal for her exceptional contributions to environmental conservation. The honour was presented by Nathan Cullen, B.C. Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, recognizing Nathan’s tireless work in protecting and restoring critical wetland habitats across the province. Click here to read the story.
Compare and contrast: Low Mississippi levels threaten exports
The Western Producer
Low water conditions have led to several barges running aground along a key stretch of the lower Mississippi River, the U.S. Coast Guard said last week, just as the busiest U.S. grain export season gets underway. Click here to read the story.
Click the following link for more information on Drought.
Work on Calgary water main ahead of schedule, restrictions could be lifted sooner
CTV News
Calgarians and area residents kept their water use in check for a second day in a row, building momentum on some good news that repair work could be finished ahead of schedule. Residents and businesses used 484 million litres of water on Wednesday, up from the 481 million litres used on Tuesday. Click here to read the story.
Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.
Compare and contrast: Brazil’s hydropower faces risk from drying river basins
Reuters
Soil moisture in Brazil’s main river basins used for hydropower generation has fallen to nearly two-decade lows threatening a prolonged impact from a serious drought even after rains return. Click here to read the story.
Compare and contrast: In arid New Mexico, rural towns eye treated oil wastewater as a solution to drought
Reuters
A growing group of New Mexico politicians want the state to develop regulations allowing for the millions of gallons of so-called produced water gushing up daily alongside the Permian basin’s prolific oil and gas to be treated and used and who are encouraging companies to figure out how to make it happen cheaply, safely and at scale. Click here to read the story.