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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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
Olds, Alta., issues boil water advisory after power failure at water treatment plant
CBC News
A boil water advisory is in place in the town of Olds, Alta. after a power failure was reported at the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission water treatment plant, located on the banks of the Red Deer River. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: More than 4,000 English flood defences ‘almost useless’, analysis finds
The Guardian
More than 4,000 of England’s vital flood defences are so damaged they are almost useless, including hundreds in areas battered by Storm Babet. Nearly 800 critical assets – defined as those where there is a high risk to life and property – were in a “poor” or “very poor” condition in the 10 English counties worst affected by last week’s historic downpours. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: US Halloween pumpkin crop hit by extreme weather and lack of water
The Guardian
For some pumpkin growers in states such as Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, this year’s pumpkin crop was a reminder of the water challenges hitting agriculture across the south-west and west as human-caused climate change exacerbates drought and heat extremes. Click here to continue reading