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: Water hookups come to Alaska Yup’ik village, and residents are thrilled to ditch their honey buckets
CBC News
Many Alaska villages don’t have running water and flushing toilets. Instead of using a bathroom, people retire to a room in a house, pull a curtain and use a honey bucket — typically a five-gallon bucket with a toilet seat on top and a plastic bag inside. Instead of showers, they rely on steam baths or sponge baths. Water for drinking and washing has to be hauled in. Click here to continue reading
Study reveals human destruction of global floodplains
Science Daily
A hydrologist’s study provides a global estimate of human destruction of natural floodplains. The study can help guide future development in a way that can restore and conserve vital floodplain habitats that are critical to wildlife, water quality and reducing flood risk for people. Click here to continue reading
B.C. drought brings increased flood risks, far-reaching damage, experts warn
CBC News
As severe drought conditions have helped usher in British Columbia’s most devastating wildfire season on record, experts and elected officials are warning of increased flooding risks and lingering damage even after wetter weather returns. Click here to continue reading
22 Acres of riparian lands donated to Fort Erie
Water Canada
In May 2022, an environmentally friendly settlement regarding the Harbourtown Development was reached between the developer and Fort Erie Community Voices. The settlement included an increase in environmentally protected lands while creating three vernal ponds for amphibian breeding. The additional 22 acres of riparian lands will help expand and preserve the environmentally protected areas connected with Waverly Beach Park. This donation will protect part of our significant natural sites for wildlife to prosper and residents to enjoy. Click here to continue reading
Artificial intelligence technology behind ChatGPT was built in Iowa — with a lot of water
The Associated Press
The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure. But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool a powerful supercomputer as it helped teach its AI systems how to mimic human writing. Click here to continue reading
Compare and contrast: From Carbon Sink to Source: The Stark Changes in Arctic Lakes
Yale Environment 360
For millennia, lakes in Greenland’s dry tundra have locked up huge loads of carbon in their sediment. But as the region becomes warmer and wetter, scientists believe these lakes are becoming sources of carbon, which could have major consequences for the world’s climate. Click here to continue reading
Some fish species are shrinking, scientists say, probably due to global heating
The Guardian
A global analysis of thousands of animal and plant sizes has found that species are shrinking, an effect most clearly found by researchers in changes to the body size of fish, which are getting smaller. Species such as the thorny skate, a north Atlantic fish that can grow up to a metre in length, have become smaller, while smaller-bodied species such as mackerel are growing in abundance, according to the researchers, changing the composition and functioning of ecosystems. Click here to continue reading
Alta. irrigators watch river levels
The Western Producer
Late August rains in parts of southern Alberta are providing relief but river levels remain far below historical averages. That has caused irrigation districts to post early shut-off notices. Flow rates for the Oldman and Bow rivers, which converge to form the South Saskatchewan just upstream from Medicine Hat, have been stifled all season as a sudden spring heat wave saw mountain headwaters melt quickly while precipitation remained elusive all season. Click here to continue reading
Calgary marks completion of downtown flood barrier
Global News
Ten years after flooding devastated the city, Calgary’s downtown and Eau Claire neighbourhoods have more protection now that the flood wall is complete. The downtown flood barrier runs 1.39 kilometres long along the south bank of the Bow River, and consists of steel sheet piles, earthen berms, concrete walls and stop log openings designed to resist a one-in-200-year flood event. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Intense rainfall drenches Hong Kong, causes widespread flooding
CBC News
Torrential rain deluged Hong Kong on Friday leading to widespread flooding across the densely packed city, submerging streets, shopping malls and metro stations, as authorities shut schools and asked workers to stay at home. Click here to continue reading