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.
Subscribe here for the free service Weekly Newsletter, or follow the WaterPortal on your preferred social media platform.
Balancing global water supplies
CIFAR News
The growing issue of climate change has exposed widely documented areas of inequity. The International Monetary Fund notes that the world’s poorest countries — those that rely most heavily on sectors like agriculture, fishing and forestry — are experiencing heightened levels of hardship with the acceleration of climate change. Click here to continue reading
Compare and contrast: El Niño may be drying out the southern hemisphere – here’s how that affects the whole planet
The Conversation UK
A new study has shown that the southern hemisphere has been drying out more than the northern hemisphere over the past two decades (2001-2020). The authors suggest the principle cause is the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, which occurs every few years when ocean water in the eastern Pacific is warmer than usual. Click here to continue reading
Suncor plans to pump 1 billion barrels of oil from a wetland — but vows to protect the other half with a wall
CBC News
McClelland Lake in northern Alberta is at once an important gathering place for local First Nations, a carbon sink, a wildlife habitat and a major potential source of bitumen. Plans to mine it have been brewing since 2002, when the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (a precursor to the Alberta Energy Regulator) allowed the company TrueNorth Energy to develop part of the wetland within its oilsands lease. Those plans kicked into high gear last fall, when the energy regulator gave current owner Suncor a green light to move ahead with its operational plan. Click here to continue reading
Town of Neepawa, MB recognized for 100+ year-old cast iron drinking water pipes
Water Canada
The Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (DIPRA) welcomes the town of Neepawa in Manitoba, Canada, to the Century Club, which celebrates the strength and durability of cast iron water mains. Neepawa installed the cast iron mains along its Mountain Avenue in 1912. The town is currently in the process of replacing 4-inch mains with larger pipes to aid in fire flow operations, said Operations Manager Denis Saquet. There are also original 6- and 8-inch mains still in operation today. Click here to continue reading
Canada and British Columbia invest in the final phase of wastewater infrastructure upgrades
Water Canada
The final phase of wastewater infrastructure upgrades is set to get underway thanks to an investment of more than $10.1 million from the governments of Canada and British Columbia, as well as Lake Cowichan. Announced by Minister Sean Fraser, Minister Anne Kang, and Mayor Tim McGonigle, this project will enhance the wastewater system, safeguarding the Cowichan River. Click here to continue reading
Low river levels result in concentrated trout spawning locations in Calgary
Global News
Fall brings brown trout spawning time along Calgary’s Bow and Elbow rivers, and a group of citizen scientists hope to capture a better picture of how that fish population is faring. Volunteers with Calgary River Valleys (CRV) were on the Bow River from Baker Park to Parkdale counting spawning nests called redds. Click here to continue reading
Calgary lifts outdoor water restrictions as cold weather expected to reduce use
CBC News
The City of Calgary says it is lifting its outdoor water restrictions, but it’s still asking residents to use water wisely. Officials say the restrictions, which have been in effect for two months, will be removed Tuesday. They were implemented in mid-August due to record low flows in the Bow and Elbow rivers that supply the city and other downstream communities across the Prairies. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Rescuers free humpback whale ‘hog-tied’ to 300lb crab pot in Alaska
The Guardian
A young humpback whale was freed by rescuers in Alaska after it was discovered hog-tied to a 300lb crab pot. The rescue, which occurred on 11 October, came after two local residents discovered the trapped whale a day earlier in the coastal waters near Gustavus, a city close to Glacier Bay national park in the southernmost part of Alaska. Researchers estimate the whale to be about three to four years old. Click here to continue reading
‘Snowmazing’ conditions lead to early openings for some southern Alberta ski hills
Calgary Herald
With healthy levels of snowfall to close out October, several southern Alberta ski hills are planning opening days early next month. Mt. Norquay will be the first out of the gate, with opening day scheduled for Friday, followed by Nakiska, which is set to open some of its higher-terrain, intermediate to advanced level slopes on Saturday. Lake Louise Ski Area is set to open the following weekend. Click here to continue reading
Lakes in Kootenay and Yoho National Parks closed after suspected whirling disease
CBC News
All bodies of water in Kootenay and Yoho National Parks have been closed for the next five months after a suspected case of whirling disease was reported in British Columbia’s southeast Rocky Mountains. Parks Canada says in a news release it’s the first time the microscopic parasite that causes the fatal disease in fish has been detected in the province. Click here to continue reading