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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Disagreements between city, territory slowed Iqaluit water crisis response: report
CBC News
A bypass system that allowed people in Iqaluit to drink the city’s tap water again after it was contaminated with fuel could have come online earlier, according to a report from a third-party review of the 2021 water crisis. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Hundreds of potentially toxic road runoff outfalls polluting England’s rivers
The Guardian
A toxic cocktail of damaging chemicals created by road pollution is flowing into England’s rivers and no regulator is monitoring the scale of its impact on wildlife or public health. More than 18,000 outfalls, such as pipes, and about 7,700 soakaways managed by National Highways discharge rainwater potentially contaminated with heavy metals, hydrocarbons, microplastics and other chemicals from the main road network into rivers and on to land. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘Exceptional year’: Mont Blanc shrinks by another 2 metres
The Guardian
Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps, has shrunk by 2.2 metres since 2021 to its lowest height in recent memory. The mountain, which is capped by a ridge of ice covering the rock, was measured by a team of surveyors from the Haute-Savoie regional administration, aided by a drone. Click here to continue reading
International recognition for the protection of the Magpie River
Water Canada
The Muteshekau-shipu Alliance is pleased to announce that the Magpie River has been registered as an Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA), an internationally recognized status for the conservation of Indigenous territory. It is the first territory in Canada to achieve ICCA status, the result of an initiative announced by the Alliance last December. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Wetlands win reprieve after deal over Andalucian natural space
The Guardian
A controversial plan that would have placed one of Europe’s most important and threatened wetlands in even greater jeopardy has been paused after an unexpected agreement was reached between Spain’s caretaker government and the regional authorities in Andalucía. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Type of storm that drenched New York is up to 20% wetter due to climate crisis
The Guardian
The unmistakable influence of the climate crisis helped cause New York City to be inundated by a month’s worth of rain within just a few hours on Friday, scientists have warned, amid concerns over how well the city is prepared for severe climate shocks. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Rare tidal phenomenon in Chinese river creates pec
CBC News
The Qiantang River in eastern China was a sight to behold as a fish scale-shaped tide was seen forming on the water’s surface. This type of tide is rare, discovered only in the past few years, and usually lasts only about a dozen minutes before fading. There was also a crossing tide — where two tides collide into each other — on the Qiantang River, creating a different but equally striking visual. Click here to continue reading
Despite being properly treated and highly diluted, wastewater still impacts on the river ecosystem
Science Daily
An experiment using water from a large wastewater treatment plant has shown that this water continues to affect river diversity and the trophic web (food web) despite being properly treated and highly diluted before discharge. The study shows that the limits currently in place and the procedures used to treat wastewater may not be sufficient to protect the natural properties of food webs. Click here to continue reading
Study: UBCO researcher examines how wildfires can transform rivers
Water Canada
After wildfire, the devastation to the landscape and communities is obvious and unforgettable. And now, a UBC Okanagan researcher is taking a different look at fire-impacted areas. Dr. Alessandro Ielpi, an Assistant Professor in Geomorphology with UBCO’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, recently published research examining how the record-setting 2017 Elephant Hill Fire affected the Bonaparte River near Cache Creek, BC. Click here to continue reading
Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water
Science Daily
Researchers have designed a new solar desalination system that takes in saltwater and heats it with natural sunlight. The system flushes out accumulated salt, so replacement parts aren’t needed often, meaning the system could potentially produce drinking water at a rate and price that is cheaper than tap water. Click here to continue reading