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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Wastewater surveillance continues to show persistent levels of SARS-CoV-2 as society reopens, February to December 2022
Water Canada
Statistics Canada, in partnership with the National Microbiology Laboratory from the Public Health Agency of Canada, continues to collect the Canadian Wastewater Survey (CWS) to better understand the levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the wastewater of five Canadian municipalities (Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montréal, and Halifax). Click here to continue reading
After the flood: Alberta communities assessing damage as water levels recede
CBC News
West-central Alberta communities are assessing damage and making repairs as flood waters recede. In the town of Edson, 100 kilometres west of Edmonton, a state of local emergency ended Monday after a tumultuous two weeks of fire and flood. Flooding prompted the emergency declaration on June 19, just days after town residents had been given the green light to go home after six days under wildfire evacuation orders. Click here to continue reading
‘It’s absolutely guaranteed’: the best and worst case scenarios for sea level rise
The Guardian
Not only is dangerous sea level rise “absolutely guaranteed”, but it will keep rising for centuries or millennia even if the world stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, experts say. Rising seas are one of the most severe consequences of a heating climate that are already being felt. Since the 1880s, mean sea level globally has already risen by 16cm to 21cm (6-8in). Half of that rise has happened over the past three decades. Click here to continue reading
Rain gardens could save salmon from toxic tire chemicals
Science Daily
Specially designed gardens could reduce the amount of a toxic chemical associated with tires entering our waterways by more than 90 per cent, new research shows. The chemical 6PPD-quinone can form when car tires interact with the atmosphere. It enters rivers and streams when rain runs off roads into waterways. It is toxic to coho salmon, rainbow trout and some other fish. Click here to continue reading
Potentially harmful blue-green algae found at Twin Valley Reservoir north of Claresholm
CTV News
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is warning people to avoid the water at the Twin Valley Reservoir, north of Claresholm, Alta., due to the presence of blue-green algae. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is naturally occurring but can potentially produce toxins that are harmful to people and pets. Click here to continue reading
‘Scary moment’ as orcas disrupt ocean boat race in latest display of puzzling behaviour
CBC News
A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race as it approached the Strait of Gibraltar, the latest encounter in what researchers say is a growing trend of aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas. Click here to continue reading
Alberta floods caused coal mine wastewater to run into environment: regulator
Global News
An environmental group is calling for stronger action from Alberta’s energy regulator after it announced heavy rain had caused flooding and excessive surface runoff at energy sites, including coal mines. The Alberta Energy Regulator posted on its website Tuesday that some coal mines in the Hinton and Grande Cache areas reported wastewater being discharged into the environment. Click here to continue reading
Antarctic ice shelves experienced only minor changes in surface melt since 1980
Science Daily
Antarctic ice shelves have experienced only minor changes in surface melt rates over the past four decades, unlike the rapid increase in surface melt experienced by Greenland’s glaciers during the same time period, according to new research. The news is not cause for celebration just yet, though — the researchers expect Antarctic ice shelf surface melt rates to increase substantially in the coming decades due to rising global air temperatures. Click here to continue reading
Alberta floods: Rivers receding west of Edmonton, some evacuation orders dropped
Global News
Rivers that had burst their banks west of Edmonton are starting to recede, though some danger still remains, according to the Alberta government. The Athabasca, McLeod, Pembina and North Saskatchewan rivers were high west and northwest of Edmonton after heavy rainfall across the province over the past week. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Texas governor signs bill rescinding water breaks as deadly heat grips state
The Guardian
Amid a dangerous heatwave that has brought blistering temperatures across Texas, the state’s governor signed a law this week eliminating local rules requiring water breaks for workers. Click here to continue reading