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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‘Train Wreck’ Feared as BC Water Use Rules Begin to Bite
The Tyee
With large parts of British Columbia in drought this summer, the province is beginning to cut groundwater access to unlicensed water users. But critics like BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau say users losing access to water — including farmers — are victims of a botched government attempt to transition to a new licensing system. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: As Armenian Fish Farming Expands, a Pristine Aquifer Is Drying Up
Yale Environment 360
In recent decades, aquaculture has proliferated in Armenia’s Ararat Valley. The heightened use of water, combined with a warming climate and increased drought, has led to groundwater reserves shrinking by two-thirds, once-bountiful farms withering, and wells going dry. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Oil drilling threatens the Okavango River Basin, putting water in Namibia and Botswana at risk
The Conversation Africa
The Namibian and Botswana governments may be risking their water resources for oil and gas revenue. They have licensed a Canadian firm, ReconAfrica, to prospect for oil in the Cubango Okavango River Basin, in an area covering 34,000km². Click here to continue reading
Even treated wastewater affects our rivers
Science Daily
Wastewater treatment plants are undoubtedly a great achievement. After all, they have made a significant contribution to improving the quality of natural waters. A study shows, however, that substances still manage to enter the water cycle that have an impact on the composition of the organisms living in it. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘An utter disgrace’: 90% of England’s most precious river habitats blighted by raw sewage and farming pollution
The Guardian
More than 90% of freshwater habitats on England’s most precious rivers are in unfavourable condition, blighted by farming pollution, raw sewage and water abstraction, an Observer investigation reveals. None of the approximately 40 rivers with protected habitats in England are in overall good health, according to an analysis of government inspection reports. These include the River Avon in Hampshire, the Wensum in Norfolk and the Eden in Cumbria. Click here to continue reading
Amid drought, several Metro Vancouver cities are inviting residents to show off their brown lawn — for a prize
CBC News
Amidst new water restrictions, several Lower Mainland municipalities are encouraging residents to flaunt their dehydrated lawns with pride. Municipalities including Port Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack are asking residents to submit photos of their well-maintained, albeit brown lawns to win a prize. Click here to continue reading
‘The saving grace for agriculture’: Farmers look to irrigation amid climate woes
CBC News
Sean Stanford’s wheat farm just south of Lethbridge, Alta. falls within the far left corner of Palliser’s Triangle — an expanse of prairie grassland encompassing much of southeast Alberta, a swath of southern Saskatchewan, and the southwest corner of Manitoba. The area is named for explorer Capt. John Palliser, who in 1857, famously declared the entire region a wasteland — so hot and arid that no crops would ever grow. Click here to continue reading
Drought can have an impact on soil test results
The Western Producer
The direct damage from drought is obvious, but the real hurt might lie deeper in the soil and affect next year’s crop. The crop-killing drought that’s hanging prairie crops out to dry will have an impact on residual nutrients this fall. What can producers expect to see in their soil tests? Click here to continue reading
Drones put to work tracking down water stress relationship
The Western Producer
A University of Saskatchewan researcher is using drones to study the correlation between the thermal temperature of a plant and water stress, which typically means a shortness of water. Click here to continue reading
Return of El Niño raises risk of hunger, drought and malaria, scientists warn
The Guardian
The return of El Niño against the backdrop of the climate crisis will hurt people’s health in many parts of the world, scientists have warned. The hot natural weather pattern is back after three years of its cooler sister, La Niña, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed last month. As it grows stronger, scientists fear it will raise the risk in some countries of hunger, drought and malaria. Click here to continue reading