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: We can save lives and millions with less nitrate in drinking water
Science Daily
Denmark could save lives and more than $300 million a year by reducing the amount of nitrate in its drinking water. An ever-growing body of research concludes that the amount of nitrate in some Danish boreholes increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Click here to continue reading
Compare and contrast: Emmanuel Macron pledges €1bn to fund research into melting ice caps
The Guardian
France will spend €1bn (£880m) on polar research between now and 2030, amid rapidly rising scientific concern over the world’s melting ice caps and glaciers. A new polar science vessel will spearhead the effort, and France is calling for a moratorium on the exploitation of the seabed in polar regions, to which the UK, Canada, Brazil and 19 other countries have so far signed up. Click here to continue reading
Compare and contrast: Murray-Darling water buybacks won’t be enough if we can’t get water to where it’s needed
The Conversation Australia
The report from a Senate inquiry , released on Friday, supports buybacks but also makes key recommendations to remove “constraints” to water delivery. These are physical constraints or limits to the movement of water through the river system. Managers can only deliver so much water before it spills out of the river onto private land. Click here to continue reading
Water sharing agreements ‘helpful’ in a drought
The Western Producer
Irrigation districts in southern Alberta managed a tough growing season as drought maintains a stubborn hold and calls for maintaining co-operation between stakeholders and better water storage infrastructure continues. From the Milk River along the U.S. border to the Hay River running into the Northwest Territories, 50 water shortage advisories are currently in place across the province. Click here to continue reading
Too early for ice bubble walks on Abraham Lake near Nordegg, says Rocky Search and Rescue co-ordinator
Red Deer Advocate
Most of the Abraham Lake is still open water, yet people are posting pictures of themselves standing on ice bubbles on social media. And Van Heeren heard reports from a colleague that some skaters were out on frozen parts of the lake last weekend. Click here to continue reading
Lethbridge takes proactive steps to maintain water supply
Water Canada
It probably comes as no surprise that limited precipitation in 2023 has led to lower than typical water reserves across southern Alberta. The City of Lethbridge is carefully monitoring and taking proactive steps to ensure a sustained water supply for the region. Click here to continue reading
Three Hills pump house undergoes demolition
East Central Alberta Review
Nov. 2 removal of the Three Hills pump house by Red The Deer’s Diamond Demolition moves the Town closer to resuming full water services by the end of next summer. The new plant, constructed on the same site by Peace River’s AGS Mechanical Contractors, will allow the resumption of bulk water sales. The four-decades-old facility’s water mainline break in April resulted in Town insurers determining that the building was beyond repair. Click here to continue reading
Warman, SK, completes $21M wastewater infrastructure project
Water Canada
The City of Warman recently held a ribbon cutting and grand opening to officially celebrate the completion of its Sewage Treatment Lagoon Expansion and Improvements project. This approximately $21-million project was made possible with more than $13.2-million in combined Federal and Provincial funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s (ICIP) Green Infrastructure Stream. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: US chemical industry likely spent $110m trying to thwart PFAS legislation, study finds
The Guardian
The US chemical industry likely spent over $110m during the last two election cycles deploying lobbyists to kill dozens of pieces of PFAS legislation and slow administrative regulation around “forever chemicals”, a new analysis of federal lobbying documents has found. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: NSW households urged to reduce water use before state dips into drought
The Guardian
New South Wales residents have been urged to introduce water-saving measures before a looming drought causes major water storages to drop. It comes as data from Sydney Water revealed that households in Sydney’s richest suburbs use up to three times more water than the citywide average, and up to five times more than those living in regional and rural areas. Click here to continue reading