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: Sydney’s drinking water quality under threat from climate crisis, report finds
The Guardian
Sydney’s drinking water is unlikely to remain healthy unless the effects of the climate crisis are mitigated, according to a report handed to the New South Wales government. Click here to continue reading
Fears over Antarctic sea ice as yearly ozone layer hole forms ‘very early’
The Guardian
The hole in the ozone layer has begun to form early this year, prompting warnings that a larger-than-average hole may further warm the Southern Ocean while the level of Antarctic sea ice is at a record low. Satellite data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts suggests the hole has already begun to form over Antarctica. Click here to continue reading
Touring water infrastructure south of the border
Government of Alberta
Representatives from several southern Alberta communities will also attend the tour. The trip will include a visit to the St. Mary Canal and the repaired Drop 5 infrastructure, which helps divert water from the St. Mary River to the Milk River. During the tour, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss water security in the region and new areas for collaboration. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Public could receive hundreds of millions as water firms face sewage lawsuit
The Guardian
The public could receive hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation in the first class action against water companies which are alleged to have failed to reveal the true scale of raw sewage discharges, and abused their position as privatised monopolies. Click here to continue reading
Why B.C.’s lakes inspire legends and myths of monsters
CBC News
Travel to a popular lake in British Columbia, and chances are you’ll encounter a beach, some boats — and a tale about some sort of unidentified creature that lurks beneath the surface. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Hoodies sell out in Tonga as El Niño brings wintry chill
The Guardian
Tonga is bracing for more chilly weather as the Pacific nation shivers through one of its coldest winters ever, sparking a rush for jackets and heating units. The island has experienced unusually cold weather through July and Tonga Meteorological Services (TMS) recorded a low of 9.3 degrees Celsius at the Lapaha village weather station at the end of the month. The country’s record low of 8.7C was set in September 1994. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: More than 1m acres of Indigenous land flooded by dams, new study finds
The Guardian
More than a million acres of tribal land – an area larger than the state of Rhode Island – have been flooded by dams, compounding centuries of land seizures and forced displacement by settler colonials and the US government, new research has found. Click here to continue reading
Protecting nature at the Massé Stream in Montérégie, part of $6.7 million in national habitat protection
Water Canada
The project aims to improve the ecological functions of riparian buffer zones and the water quality of the Massé Stream, and will educate and raise community awareness of issues affecting natural biodiversity. As part of these efforts, Ciel et Terre will identify priority areas for intervention, clean up shorelines, plant riparian buffer strips, remove invasive exotic species, and deliver education and awareness campaigns. Click here to continue reading
Extreme weather: glacial flooding, wildfires and hailstorms cause havoc across the world – video
The Guardian
Countries across the globe are facing a range of extreme weather events. In Germany, snowploughs were deployed in the middle of summer to shift ice from roads after a hailstorm. Severe flooding has affected parts of Europe including Sweden and Slovenia, with hundreds of houses submerged. Human-caused climate change is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters, from heatwaves to floods to wildfires. Click here to continue reading
Special Areas farmers battle drought, grasshoppers and crop failures
East Central Alberta Review
Special Areas declared an agricultural disaster on July 12 for Special Areas No. 2, 3 and 4 due to prolonged drought conditions. According to information prepared by the Special Areas agricultural fieldmen, this year’s drought conditions have worsened due to the increased amount of grasshoppers they are seeing. Click here to continue reading