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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Calgary lifts outdoor water restrictions as cold weather expected to reduce use
CBC News
The City of Calgary says it is lifting its outdoor water restrictions, but it’s still asking residents to use water wisely. Officials say the restrictions, which have been in effect for two months, will be removed Tuesday. They were implemented in mid-August due to record low flows in the Bow and Elbow rivers that supply the city and other downstream communities across the Prairies. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Rescuers free humpback whale ‘hog-tied’ to 300lb crab pot in Alaska
The Guardian
A young humpback whale was freed by rescuers in Alaska after it was discovered hog-tied to a 300lb crab pot. The rescue, which occurred on 11 October, came after two local residents discovered the trapped whale a day earlier in the coastal waters near Gustavus, a city close to Glacier Bay national park in the southernmost part of Alaska. Researchers estimate the whale to be about three to four years old. Click here to continue reading
‘Snowmazing’ conditions lead to early openings for some southern Alberta ski hills
Calgary Herald
With healthy levels of snowfall to close out October, several southern Alberta ski hills are planning opening days early next month. Mt. Norquay will be the first out of the gate, with opening day scheduled for Friday, followed by Nakiska, which is set to open some of its higher-terrain, intermediate to advanced level slopes on Saturday. Lake Louise Ski Area is set to open the following weekend. Click here to continue reading
Lakes in Kootenay and Yoho National Parks closed after suspected whirling disease
CBC News
All bodies of water in Kootenay and Yoho National Parks have been closed for the next five months after a suspected case of whirling disease was reported in British Columbia’s southeast Rocky Mountains. Parks Canada says in a news release it’s the first time the microscopic parasite that causes the fatal disease in fish has been detected in the province. Click here to continue reading
Drought reveals cracks in Canada-U.S. Columbia River Treaty as B.C. lake dries up
CBC News
The resident of Nakusp on the shores of the reservoir in British Columbia’s southern Interior says she’s seen thousands of dead fish on the shore, and the receding waterline means boat access has been cut to waterfront properties. Instead of lapping waters, some homes now face an expanse of sucking quicksand. Drought is part of the reason. But so too is the Columbia River Treaty with the United States that obligates B.C. to direct water from the reservoir across the border at American behest. Click here to continue reading
The race of water droplets
Science Daily
How fast does a droplet flow along a fiber? It depends on the diameter of the fiber… and also on its substructure! These are the findings of a study conducted by researchers who are interested in microfluidics, especially water harvesting in arid/semi-arid regions of our planet. Click here to continue reading
Tracking down environmental toxins
Science Daily
PFAS, a family of highly fluorinated substances, represent a danger for humans and the environment. Particularly problematic members of this family, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) appear to cause organ damage and cancer, as well as disrupting the endocrine system. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: To the delight of eager U.K. ecologists, London welcomes its first baby beaver in centuries
CBC News
A baby beaver was spotted splashing about with its parents in the stark, black-and-white video recording captured by cameras set up around its habitat. The baby, known as a kit, is believed to be the first to be born in the area in hundreds of years. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: How the US supreme court and an Idaho couple upended wetlands protection
The Guardian
Often dismissed as dismal wet bogs and rampantly cleared since European arrival in the US, the underappreciated importance of wetlands has been placed into sharp relief by a supreme court ruling that has plunged many of these ecosystems into new peril. Click here to continue reading
Hillhurst, Edgemont, Silver Springs, downtown core hit by water main breaks
CTV News
Many Calgarians weren’t getting any water when they turned on the taps Saturday, due to numerous water main outages and breaks. That included troubles Saturday in a number of Beltine-area communities, as well as Edgemont, Hillhurst, Silver Springs and the downtown core. Trucks with water tanks were brought in to provide a temporary supply until water is restored. Click here to continue reading