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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State of emergency extended in central B.C. village as threat of water shortage looms
CBC News
The village, about 180 kilometres east of Prince George in central B.C., declared a state of emergency on Sept. 19 and restricted water usage the following day while under Stage 5 drought conditions — the highest level on the province’s severity scale. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘These levels are crazy’: Louisiana tap water sees huge spike in toxic chemicals
The Guardian
The water for a community along Louisiana’s Gulf coast has seen a significant increase in the levels of contaminants known as disinfection byproducts, according to recent state water tests reviewed by the Guardian. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), long-term exposure to such substances poses an increased risk of cancer. Click here to continue reading
Applications opening for livestock drought relief
Government of Alberta
Applications open Oct. 30 for the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance program, providing livestock producers with up to $165 million to maintain breeding herds. Click here to continue reading
Bitcoin mining has ‘very worrying’ impacts on land and water, not only carbon
Science Daily
As bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have grown in market share, they’ve been criticized for their heavy carbon footprint: Cryptocurrency mining is an energy-intensive endeavor. Mining has massive water and land footprints as well, according to a new study that is the first to detail country-by-country environmental impacts of bitcoin mining. Click here to continue reading
Cochrane water reservoir levels stabilized but ‘not out of the woods yet,’ say officials
CBC News
While Cochrane remains under a state of emergency, town officials announced water reservoir levels have been partially restored after a major pipeline break over the weekend. Speaking to the media Wednesday, emergency management deputy director Shawn Polley said that thanks to voluntary conservation efforts from residents and business, as well as water hauling from nearby communities, reservoir levels had “stabilized.” Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Venezuelans handpick plastic and rake up oil in bid to save Lake Maracaibo – video
The Guardian
Anglers in Venezuela have been raking up oil spills and collecting plastic waste from Lake Maracaibo to try to save the lake that sustains their livelihoods. President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the implementation of a “rescue, attention and decontamination” plan for the 13,000 sq km lake, one of South America’s largest and one of the oldest in the world. Click here to continue reading
Governments come together to build flood resilience in Nooksack, Sumas watersheds
Water Canada
An international, multi-government agreement that commits to addressing flood risks and restoring salmon habitat in portions of British Columbia’s Fraser Valley and Washington state’s Whatcom County has been finalized. The Transboundary Flood Initiative advances a collaborative framework to identify and pursue actions for flood-risk reduction and habitat restoration on the flood-prone Nooksack and Sumas watersheds. Click here to continue reading
Stantec enters design phase for Tampa Bay Water potable water supply project
Water Canada
Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has begun the final design phase of Segment B for the South Hillsborough Pipeline with longtime client Tampa Bay Water. Tampa Bay Water awarded the firm a contract amendment to include final design engineering and construction management at risk support services (CMAR), bringing Stantec’s total fees to US$14 million. With a construction cost of approximately US$100 million, Segment B will help meet the growing demand for potable water in Hillsborough County’s South-Central service area. Click here to continue reading
New method to analyze implications of large-scale flood adaptation
Science Daily
In a test of their new analysis tool, researchers show where ‘moving up’ or ‘moving over’ may make the most sense for those affected by the 2022 Pakistan flood, and what costs it would entail. Click here to continue reading
Pottery becomes water treatment device for Navajo Nation
Science Daily
Large chunks of the Navajo Nation in the Southwest lack access to clean drinkable water, a trend that has been rising in many parts of the U.S. in recent years. A research team aims to change that. Click here to continue reading