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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Fish mercury peaks in winter and near spawning, and reduces after growing season, study suggests
Science Daily
Fish consumption has long been associated with numerous health benefits. However, it is also the main dietary source of toxic mercury in humans. A year-round study from a boreal lake shows that mercury concentration in some fishes is significantly higher in winter and near spring spawning and lowest in autumn. Click here to continue reading
The depths of Canada’s chronic Indigenous community water problems start at the top, say experts
Northern Ontario Business
Access to clean, drinkable water is a widely acknowledged basic human right. But Canada seems to be running on two different sets of standards when it comes to executing on sewer and water treatment projects in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, according to one expert panel this week. Click here to continue reading
Alberta Health Services issues blue-green algae advisory for several lakes
Global News
Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued blue-green algae advisories for 13 lakes across the province. Jay White, an Alberta biologist, said advisories come when algae floats to the surface and looks like a paint-coloured stain on the water. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘Watermelon snow’ cloaks mountains of US west with mysterious color
The Guardian
High up in the mountains, amid pinyon pine and quaking aspen trees, the remaining remnants of the winter’s snow is dotted with hues of pinks, purples and oranges. Hikers, campers and church youth groups journeying by grasp it in their palms and liken it to flavored snow cones, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, pink lemonade, dissolved blood or if passersby conducted an art project using red food coloring. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: EPA begins to clean up black globs of asphalt from Yellowstone River train derailment
The Guardian
Globs of asphalt binder that spilled into Montana’s Yellowstone River during a bridge collapse and train derailment could be seen on islands and riverbanks downstream from Yellowstone National Park a week after the spill occurred, witnesses report. Click here to continue reading
‘Tar-like substance’ seeping out of ground among environmental concerns at Alberta park
CBC News
The Alberta government is trying to identify the risks and liabilities of continuing to operate an Edmonton-area park in the river valley, tender documents show. The province recently posted a request for proposals (RFP) for a Phase 2 environmental assessment of the Strathcona Science Provincial Park, just east of Edmonton. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘Stay out of the water’: what lurks below California’s zombie lake?
The Guardian
There are portions of California’s Tulare Lake, with its blue water that stretches for miles and birds bobbing around the shoreline, where it can be easy to forget that a few months ago, none of this was here at all. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Taps run dry on Thai island as tourism boom worsens water shortage
The Guardian
Authorities on Koh Samui are working to tackle a water shortage that has left taps running dry often for months, saying they do not want the Thai island to become a “disaster zone”. A lack of rain and a resurgence in tourism has put intense pressure on supplies, prompting Sutham Samthong, a deputy mayor of Koh Samui, to urge the public to use supplies sparingly. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: UK holds crisis talks as top water supplier seeks cash
Reuters
The British government has held emergency talks over the fate of the country’s biggest water supplier, Thames Water, and said it is ready for any outcome, including temporary state ownership, as the company buckles under huge debts. Click here to continue reading
Rain helps but much of the Prairies remain dry
The Western Producer
Spring rain that usually hits the Prairies in May came about a month later, and while the situation improved, southern Alberta producers continue to experience dry conditions. “It’s been wild,” Laura Richard, Agriculture Canada agroclimate analyst, said of this spring. Leading into the last week of spring, Richard said several record 24-hour rainfall events hit Alberta. But the volume and speed in which the precipitation fell may have not allowed for soil infiltration. Click here to continue reading