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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Emulating how krill swim to build a robotic platform for ocean navigation
Science Daily
Picture a network of interconnected, autonomous robots working together in a coordinated dance to navigate the pitch-black surroundings of the ocean while carrying out scientific surveys or search-and-rescue missions. Click here to continue reading
Orca calf spotted near Tofino, B.C., an apparent new addition to an endangered pod
CTV News
A baby orca has apparently been born to an endangered killer whale population in the Pacific Northwest, scientists reported. The Center for Whale Research announced the baby orca Friday on Facebook, saying the organization received photos showing what appears to be a new calf in L pod, part of the population known as the southern resident orcas, near Tofino, British Columbia. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Call for Thames Water inquiry after children fell ill after swimming in river
The Guardian
Thames Water customers have called for an urgent inquiry into the company’s finances after children became seriously unwell from swimming in the river and homes were left without water during a drought. Campaigners have expressed astonishment that the company may be bailed out by the taxpayer after it failed to invest appropriately in infrastructure to stop sewage spills and leaks. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘It gets worse every day’: why are sea lions and dolphins dying along California’s coast?
The Guardian
The culprit is an algae named pseudo-nitzschia, which produces an amino acid that can act as a neurotoxin. A similar outbreak last year sickened dozens of sea lions and other marine life, but many think this year’s outbreak is even worse. Sam Dover, a co-founder of CIMWI and its director of veterinary medicine, notes that “in 35 years of doing this work, the current crisis is just unprecedented”. Click here to continue reading
City of Red Deer loses appeal to get provincial disaster relief for residents
Red Deer Advocate
Provincial disaster relief funding for private property owners in Red Deer, who were impacted by flooding last June, has been denied on appeal. Last fall the city submitted an application to the province for an estimated $4.5 to $6 million on behalf of about 300 residents and property owners. Click here to continue reading
Lacombe County fishing for boat launch funding
Red Deer Advocate
Lacombe County is testing the waters to see if there is any provincial or federal funding available to build new boat launches on Sylvan or Gull Lakes. Boat launches have been on the county’s radar screen for well over two decades. A number of studies have been done over the years to narrow down the best locations. Click here to continue reading
Alberta regulator issues clean-up order to Cenovus after diesel spill in northern Alberta lake
CBC News
Cenovus Energy Inc. has been issued a clean-up order by the Alberta Energy Regulator after more than 1,000 litres of diesel spilled into a northern Alberta lake. The non-compliance order issued by the regulator last week says Cenovus was operating a temporary diesel generator earlier this month near Rainbow Lake as a result of the loss of electricity infrastructure due to wildfire. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘We could lose our status as a state’: what happens to a people when their land disappears
The Guardian
Small island nations would rather fight than flee, but rising sea levels have prompted apocalyptic legal discussions about whether a state is still a state if its land disappears below the waves. Click here to continue reading
Making waves: SAIT students dive into real-world water solutions
Water Canada
Water, water everywhere! It’s a compound we can’t live without. Yet, as much as we rely on water for our survival, it can also be a source of damage — with flooding wreaking havoc on crops and communities, and scarcity impacting health and survival. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (SAIT) Integrated Water Management students are starting local with solutions to tackle the threat of flooding damage as well as increasing conservation in landscape use. Click here to continue reading
CBRM advancing plans to establish a UARB-regulated water/wastewater commission
Water Canada
Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) Council has moved a step forward in the establishment of a new governance and operational structure for water and wastewater in CBRM. The CBRM Water Utility and CBRM Wastewater Department are in process of becoming a Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB)-regulated commission named the CBRM Water and Wastewater Commission. Click here to continue reading