Water News 2024

Compare and contrast: Climate Change Contributes to Shift in Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms

Inside Climate News

Algal blooms occur when cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, grow out of control due to a combination of excess nutrients, weather patterns and other ecological factors. The blooms can be a serious public health problem because some types of cyanobacteria produce toxins.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Northern Scotland’s Flow Country becomes world heritage site

The Guardian

Planet’s largest blanket bog is first peatland to be designated by Unesco after a 40-year campaign by environmentalists.   Click here to read the story.

Star Blanket Cree Nation lifts long-term drinking water advisory

Water Canada

A new state-of-the-art water treatment plant is providing clean drinking water to all homes and supporting Star Blanket Cree Nation in living without a drinking water advisory for the first time in over 17 years. The community’s dedication and commitment to providing clean, safe drinking water has helped them to lift the boil water advisory that had been in effect since 2007 for the 300 residents living on reserve.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Great Salt Lake a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions

Science Daily

Newly announced research examining greenhouse gas emissions from the drying lake bed of Great Salt Lake, Utah, calculates that 4.1 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were released in 2020. This research suggests that drying lake beds are an overlooked but potentially significant source of greenhouse gases, which may further increase due to climate change.   Click here to read the story.

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Toronto seeks to make commercial and industrial sectors pay for stormwater runoff

National Observer

After last week’s severe storm and flooding, Toronto’s controversial stormwater charge, dubbed “the rain tax” by critics, has resurfaced at city council with a motion by mayor Olivia Chow.   Click here to read the story.

To address the growing issue of microplastics in the Great Lakes, we need to curb our consumption

The Conversation – Canada

In the Great Lakes, plastic pollution along the shorelines poses a major challenge: 86 per cent of litter collected on Great Lakes beaches is either partially or completely composed of plastic. This is worrisome, given the lakes supply 40 million people with drinking water and represent a combined GDP of US$6 trillion.   Click here to read the story.

‘Containment breached’: how an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario

The Narwhal

Last summer, contaminated sludge from a fire at a chemical plant reached Lake Ontario. The spill report raises questions about what the province told the public.   Click here to read the story.

Canada’s premiers forced to confront escalating climate change-related disasters

The Canadian Press

As Canada’s premiers reckoned with housing, health care and their contentious relationship with Ottawa during meetings last week in Halifax, many of them remained consumed by climate change-related natural disasters that have only escalated since they returned home.   Click here to read the story.

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Ducks Unlimited Canada releases field guide to Yukon’s valuable wetlands

Water Canada

As a companion resource supporting the Yukon government’s Policy for Stewardship of Yukon’s Wetlands, this comprehensive guide provides detailed information to help users identify and classify the various wetland types found across the Yukon.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Waters along Bar Harbor, Acadia home to billions of microplastics

Science Daily

Researchers reveal there are an estimated 400 billion microplastic fibers on the surface of Frenchman Bay, which borders Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in Maine, and several connected rivers and estuaries where freshwater from rivers meet salty seawater.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: German government signs off on hydrogen import strategy

Reuters

Hydrogen, provided it is green, so produced in an electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, can help the transition to a lower carbon economy.   Click here to read the story.

N.W.T. is asking Alberta to keep it more informed about spills in its water. It’s waiting for an answer

CBC

The Northwest Territories is suggesting updates to a water agreement with Alberta that will keep it more in the know about spills that could flow into its waterways, but says it’s still waiting for a full response from Alberta on its proposal.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Drawing water from dry air

Science Daily

A prototype device harvests drinking water from the atmosphere, even in arid places.   Click here to read the story.

Calgary moves to Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions

CTV News

Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, acknowledged it’s news Calgarians have been waiting for.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Germany records its wettest year ever: What’s needed to protect citizens during deadly floods?

EuroNews Green

Germany has just gone through its wettest year on record, with rainfall up by 35 per cent. An average of 1,070 litres of rain per square metre fell across the country from July 2023 to June 2024, compared with the 1961-1990 average of 789 litres.   Click here to read the story.

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Flushing the ‘ick’ factor

CBC

Sewage as drinking water? It’s one secret weapon as North America seeks solutions to a water crisis.   Click here to read the story.

Sea to Sky communities to receive water infrastructure upgrades

Water Canada

Pemberton will make upgrades after a combined investment of more than $8.1 million from the federal and provincial governments, and the Village of Pemberton. This project will construct a new water treatment plant to provide efficient and reliable water treatment services. It will include an oxidation and filtration system to lower iron and manganese levels in the source water, thereby increasing quality of the drinking water.   Click here to read the story.

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Milk River to be a ‘dry town’ as repairing burst water pipeline to last into next year

CBC

Some communities and farms in the Milk River basin are facing extended water challenges after officials announced repairs to two century-old siphons near the Canada-U.S. border won’t be complete until late summer or early fall 2025.   Click here to read the story.

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St. Albert pauses non-essential municipal water use, no measures anticipated for Edmonton

CTV News

The City of St. Albert has announced it is enacting “water demand management measure B,” effective immediately and has discontinued non-essential use of potable water for municipal operations.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: UK water companies fail to get basics right, environmental regulator says

Reuters

Britain’s Environment Agency on Tuesday lambasted the country’s water companies for spewing sewage into rivers and seas, saying the majority of them were failing to get the basics right, as it outlined plans for a tougher regulatory approach.   Click here to read the story.

How the PC government was going to end private drinking water testing in Ontario

The Pointer

In one of last year’s reports from the Provincial Auditor General was a piece of information that caught the attention of a civil servant. The Auditor General had detailed a plan by the PC government to gradually discontinue testing of private drinking water sources across Ontario.   Click here to read the story.

Blue-green algae could be coming to a lake near you as Alberta heat wave continues

CBC

Albertans are being warned to be on the lookout for potentially toxic blue-green algae in lakes as an ongoing heat wave creates prime conditions for the blooms to thrive.   Click here to read the story.

Town of Portugal Cove – St. Philip’s to receive improved drinking water system

Water Canada

A cost-shared investment of approximately $3.8 million between the Provincial Government and the Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s will support necessary drinking water supply upgrades for the town.   Click here to read the story.

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Invasive fish species dumped in Manitoba water bodies disrupting ‘very delicate’ ecosystems: fisheries manager

CBC

Native fish populations once thrived, but some now declining because of illegally introduced predators.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Could lead overcome reverse current and advance a green hydrogen economy?

Science Daily

Researchers developed a catalyst that enhances the stability of alkaline water electrolysis systems.   Click here to read the story.

Calgary staying put with Stage 2 outdoor water restrictions, citing issues with water intake pumps

CBC

“This morning, we learned that there have been some issues with water intake pumps at both the Bearspaw and Glenmore treatment facilities, because of the hot weather,” Gondek said. “There have also been a total of three wire snaps that were detected over the weekend.”   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: In Idaho, Water Shortages Pit Farmers Against One Another

Inside Climate News

This summer, a short-lived curtailment order brought a dispute to a head between farmers irrigating from the Snake River and those dependent on groundwater. Without a long-term plan to share water, the cuts could come back next year.   Click here to read the story.

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Will a $1-billion flooding bill finally make the GTA take stormwater seriously?

The Narwhal

Shoring up our cities to withstand the impacts of extreme weather may not be the most exciting proposal for city budgets, but flooding in the Greater Toronto Area this week is proof that it is critical.   Click here to read the story.

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Yukon government ready to step in after mine disaster, firm’s silence ‘unhelpful’

The Canadian Press

Yukon’s deputy mining minister says it’s “unfortunate and frankly unhelpful” that the owners of the Eagle Gold mine have been “silent in general” about action to remedy a disastrous ore slide that spilled hundreds of millions of litres of cyanide solution.   Click here to read the story.

Yukon water regulator said miner ‘flouted’ licence, saved millions, long before spill

The Canadian Press

Two years before the disastrous ore slide and spill of cyanide solution last month at the Eagle Gold mine in Yukon, the former head of the Yukon Water Board accused the mine’s owner of violating conditions of its water licence. The then director of the Yukon Water Board, told a court that Victoria Gold “flouted” conditions of the licence, increasing environmental risks while saving millions by allegedly failing to re-contour slopes at the mine.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: When a Retired Scientist Suggested Virginia Weaken Wetlands Protections, the State Said, No Way

Inside Climate News

After the Supreme Court weakened federal protection of wetlands last year, a Trump transition team member from Fairfax County urged the state to follow suit. But Virginia’s top environmental regulator stood his ground.   Click here to read the story.

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Toronto dumps 1,300 megalitres of partially treated sewage into Lake Ontario after storm

Water Canada

An overwhelmed sewage system during Toronto’s downpour earlier this week resulted in more than 1,300 megalitres of partially treated wastewater spilling into Lake Ontario. That’s enough sewage to fill 500 Olympic-sized (50-metre) swimming pools.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: ‘It is devastating’: unprecedented floods in US strain small businesses

The Guardian

As the climate crisis causes heavier and more frequent floods across the US, one in four small businesses are one disaster away from shutting down.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: How pollution may remain in water after oil spill cleanups

Science Daily

Oil drops from underwater oil spills can break into tinier droplets at the surface that remain suspended in the water, according to research from the University of Illinois Chicago. That means cleanups after disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill may be removing less oil from the environment than was thought.   Click here to read the story.

Ontario floods: How nature-based solutions can promote effective flood management

The Conversation – Canada

This week, large areas of Ontario experienced severe flooding that caused widespread power outages, water damages and disruption. Severe rainfall events are not new, but they are becoming more frequent and costly due to human-caused climate change.   Click here to read the story.

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Construction begins on Calgary’s new flood wall

CTV News

The city is breaking ground on a new flood barrier along Memorial Drive designed to help protect to Calgary communities that were severely impacted by flooding more than 10 years ago.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Microbes found to destroy certain ‘forever chemicals’

Science Daily

An environmental engineering team has discovered that specific bacterial species can cleave the strong fluorine-to-carbon bond certain kinds of ‘forever chemical’ water pollutants, offering promise for low-cost treatments of contaminated drinking water.   Click here to read the story.

Markham District Energy expanding world’s largest wastewater-to-energy project

Water Canada

To expand the world’s largest wastewater energy transfer facility so more residents and businesses can benefit from affordable, low-carbon energy, the federal government today announced an additional investment of $24.9 million in Markham District Energy.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Smart soil can water and feed itself

Science Daily

A newly engineered type of soil can capture water out of thin air to keep plants hydrated and manage controlled release of fertilizer for a constant supply of nutrients.   Click here to read the story.

Sask. government researching water quality with ag tech

The Western Producer

A new research project from Saskatchewan government is focusing on technology with ag tech company FarmSimple.   Click here to read the story.

Nahanni Butte residents take water advisory in stride

Cabin Radio

Leaders in Nahanni Butte say a manganese issue in the Dehcho community’s drinking water is a recent development and swift action is being taken.   Click here to read the story.

Teck Coal is headed to court on water pollution charges — again

The Narwhal

Teck Resources was warned over a year ago about a federal investigation into pollution from one of the Elk Valley coal mines it just sold to Glencore.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Paris mayor swims in Seine as river is cleaned up just in time for Olympics

The Guardian

Anne Hidalgo fulfils pledge after cleanup operation makes water quality safe enough to host events at Games.   Click here to read the story.

Water Security Agency Advancing Major Maintenance Projects in Eastern Saskatchewan

Water Canada

The Water Security Agency (WSA) is investing more than $18 million in six major water infrastructure projects in eastern Saskatchewan that will offer greater protection to communities and infrastructure in the region.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Loss of oxygen in lakes and oceans a major threat to ecosystems, society, and planet

Science Daily

Oxygen is a fundamental requirement of life, and the loss of oxygen in water, referred to as aquatic deoxygenation, is a threat to life at all levels. In fact, researchers describe how ongoing deoxygenation presents a major threat to the stability of the planet as a whole.   Click here to read the story

Repair bill for water feeder main to run into the ‘tens of millions,’ says city

Calgary Herald

The tab for repairing six sections of the water feeder main that burst in northwest Calgary last month will run into the “tens of millions of dollars,” a city official said Tuesday.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Additional taxes vs. water quotas: Study compares the most effective system to manage water consumption in agriculture

Science Daily

Based on a mathematical programming model, the study finds that the proportional allocation of water, and not additional taxes on the resource, is more effective from the point of view of those engaged in agriculture.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Residents of Illinois town evacuate as officials warn of ‘imminent’ dam failure

The Guardian

Nashville, a small city in Illinois with a population of nearly 3,000 people, and surrounding areas have been hit with severe storms which have caused flooding, overwhelming the city’s infrastructure. More than 5in of rain fell in the region within six hours on Tuesday.   Click here to read the story.

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How the public plays a role in keeping Alberta’s crops watered, livestock hydrated

CBC

University of Calgary researchers say part of the solution to preserving Alberta’s “water wealth” is improved public understanding of where our water comes from, and how the water system works.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: The Race to Save Glacial Ice Records Before They Melt Away

Yale Environment 360

As glaciers melt around the globe, scientists are racing to retrieve ice cores that contain key historical records of temperature and climate that are preserved in the ice. Researchers are also pushing to gather ancient relics locked in the ice before they are lost to warming.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Every water firm in England and Wales under investigation over sewage spills

The Guardian

The water regulator is taking action against four more water companies, including Severn Trent and United Utilities, meaning every wastewater company in England and Wales is under investigation over sewage spills.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: New solutions to keep drinking water safe as pesticide use skyrockets worldwide

Science Daily

Water scientists have proposed a more effective method of removing organic pesticides from drinking water, reducing the risk of contamination and potential health problems.   Click here to read the story.

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CNRL fined for not stopping birds from nesting on tailings pond island

Global News

A major oilsands producer has been fined after hundreds of birds, wolves and coyotes were exposed to toxins at one of its tailings ponds. The Alberta Energy Regulator has assessed a fine of $278,000 against Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.   Click here to read the story.

Calgary to increase water pressure in feeder main, could ease water restrictions Thursday

CTV News

City officials say an additional pump at the Bearspaw water treatment plant will be activated by mid-day Monday to increase water speed and pressure on the feeder main. If all goes well during monitoring over the next three days, an easing of outdoor water restrictions could come on Thursday.   Click here to read the story.

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Canada, U.S. reach important agreement-in-principle on Columbia River Treaty

Water Canada

The Government of Canada and the United States have taken an important step in the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty by reaching an agreement-in-principle (AIP). Today’s milestone in the negotiation process provides a clear road map for the negotiation teams to move forward on drafting the renewed treaty and for B.C. to begin engaging with the Columbia River Basin residents to seek feedback on the AIP and on next steps.   Click here to read the story.

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Leaky pipes: How much water is Calgary losing from its distribution network? Billions of litres a year

Calgary Herald

Leaky pipe connections caused Calgary to lose nearly one-quarter of its treated water in 2022, or more than 30 billion litres.   Click here to read the story.

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Plan for drought while rainfall plentiful

The Western Producer

The best way to weather a drought is to be ready when it comes. Preparation is needed before the rains stop, says Joe Harrington, irrigation specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation.   Click here to read the story.

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Blue-green algae detected in southern Alberta lake: AHS

CTV News

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is warning that cyanobacteria, known as blue-green algae, has been identified in Clear Lake, in the MD of Willow Creek.   Click here to read the story.

Drought recovery ‘remarkable’

The Western Producer

Last October, most of Western Canada was in some form of drought, and a large region of western Saskatchewan and southern Alberta was in an extreme or exceptional drought. As of June 30, the situation looks completely different.   Click here to read the story.

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Only one bidder for initial contract in $10B Iona sewage plant replacement

Water Canada

Metro Vancouver’s largest capital project ever, the replacement of the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant, is about to begin now that the initial contract is set to be awarded.   Click here to read the story.

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Bringing Salmon Home to Kus-kus-sum

The Tyee

Project Watershed is restoring a critical habitat and helping to return the land of a former sawmill back to the K’ómoks First Nation. To help the revitalized habitat remain a haven in the future Kus-kus-sum is also being outfitted with resiliency measures to protect against the adverse impacts of climate change.   Click here to read the story.

After second summer of fatal flooding, some say Nova Scotia is still not prepared

The Canadian Press

The second bout of deadly flooding in as many years has some Nova Scotia residents and municipal leaders saying it’s time for the provincial government to accept that extreme weather is the new normal and make sure people have the tools they need to stay safe.   Click here to read the story.

Climate change may cause lake phytoplankton to become predatory, putting more CO2 into the atmosphere

The Conversation – Canada

Plankton — tiny organisms that are present in salt and freshwater — account for about half of the photosynthesis on the planet. But what scientists have assumed for many years to be plant plankton (phytoplankton) may actually be voracious predators.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Scientists call for ‘major initiative’ to study whether geoengineering should be used on glaciers

Science Daily

A group of scientists has released a landmark report on glacial geoengineering — an emerging field studying whether technology could halt the melting of glaciers and ice sheets as climate change progresses.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Floods fuelled 19% drop in income from farming in England in 2023

The Guardian

Low yields combined with low prices for some crops also led to a 13% drop in farm output compared with 2022.   Click here to read the story.

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Compare and contrast: Targeted home systems to remove PFAS more cost-effective than system-wide solutions

Science Daily

PFAS, the potentially cancer-causing chemicals known as ‘forever chemicals’, have become an increasing concern in home drinking water. Solutions to reduce the risk of exposure range from mandated municipal-level water treatment to under-the-sink home treatment systems.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Why saline lakes are the canary in the coalmine for the world’s water resources

The Conversation – Australia

When it comes to inland surface water bodies, saline lakes are unique. They make up 44% of all lakes worldwide and are found on every continent including Antarctica. These lakes’ existence depends on a delicate balance between a river basin’s water input (precipitation and inflows) and output (evaporation and seepage).   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: As World’s Springs Vanish, Ripple Effects Alter Ecosystems

Yale Environment 360

Springs, which bring groundwater to the surface and support a host of unique species, are disappearing globally, victims of development and drought. Researchers are working to document and map these life-giving habitats in an effort to save them before they are gone.   Click here to read the story.

Important Notice to Irrigators: June Water Supply Update

St. Mary River Irrigation District

On June 28, 2024 the Irrigation Water Supply Forecast from Alberta Agriculture & Irrigation indicates minor gains from May. The St. Mary River Irrigation District water allocation is up to 9 inches for 2024 and the St. Mary Headworks are at 92% of Irrigation Storage Full Supply Limit.   Click here to read the story.

New study recommends ecosystem approach to managing Great Lakes

Water Canada

In contrast to traditional natural resource management that fosters autocratic decision-making, an ecosystem approach champions collaboration and empowering stakeholders, says a UWindsor researcher.   Click here to read the story.

Yukon gov’t orders Victoria Gold to provide plans aimed at treating, monitoring contaminated water

CBC

The Yukon government has given Victoria Gold marching orders to deal with toxic chemicals in and around its Eagle mine, following last month’s major failure of a heap leach pad at the site. A new report written by a government inspector states there’s “reasonable grounds” to believe the company has violated laws that govern water use.   Click here to read the story.

Calgarian organizes ‘awesome’ gift package for San Diego water officials

Global News

There’s a new effort to bring a bit of well-deserved recognition to some people who have made a big difference after the major water main break in Calgary.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Thames Water placed in special measures due to ‘significant issues

The Guardian

Ofwat says UK’s biggest water company will come under extra scrutiny as it faces prospect of restructuring or temporary renationalisation.   Click here to read the story.

Alberta’s water conservation and management system needs major fixing, auditor finds

CBC

The auditor’s team reviewed the system under the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas from Jan. 2019 to Nov. 2022. They found three main areas the province is lacking: in managing surface water, issuing licences and tracking their use, and making the data public.   Click here to read the story.

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New concerns over major water mains mean no easing of outdoor restrictions, city says

Calgary Herald

New failures of reinforcing wires found inside pipe along water network, the same type of wire that snapped during the initial water feeder main rupture in Montgomery on June 5.   Click here to read the story.

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Prep work underway for St. Mary Canal Siphon repair

CTV News

On June 17, the St. Mary Canal Siphon north of Babb, Mont., suffered a catastrophic failure. The more-than-100-year siphon failed due to age. Prep work is underway to repair the siphon but it won’t be a quick fix.   Click here to read the story.

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Living Lakes Canada report highlights need for expanded groundwater monitoring in Columbia basin

Water Canada

According to a recent survey conducted by Living Lakes Canada, 72% of respondents are highly concerned about groundwater in the Columbia Basin, with primary worries including drinking water, ecosystem health, agriculture and food security. Understanding groundwater systems and providing decision makers with current, localized information is essential to respond to these concerns and ensure a water secure future.   Click here to read the story.

Residents of Merritt, B.C., told to stop all non-essential water use

CTV News

Residents of Merritt, B.C., are being told they will need to limit non-essential water use for at least another 48 hours due to a failure at the city’s pump station Tuesday morning. Mayor Michael Goetz told CTV News the pump failure was a “freak” incident at the Voght Well, where a gasket broke and water “jetted” into the electrical system.   Click here to read the story.

Dartmouth invests $32.5M in stormwater system

Water Canada

The Province is investing nearly $14.1 million, with an additional $14.1 million from the municipality, and more than $4.3 million coming from the Halifax Water Regional Development Charge. This investment is part of the Municipal Capital Growth Program, a one-time $102-million investment in projects across Nova Scotia a historic provincial investment in municipal infrastructure.   Click here to read the story.

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Isle Lake users urged to take precautions after blue-green algae detected

CTV News

Alberta Health Services has issued an advisory for Isle Lake after Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, was identified. People living near or visiting the lake should avoid all contact with the blue-green algae blooms and are urged not to swim or wade in areas where they can be seen.   Click here to read the story.

City continues to monitor water supply and demand through heat wave

City of Calgary

On Monday, July 8, there were 540 million litres of water used, an increase from 507 million litres used the day before. This is expected to increase as the temperature rises, which is a normal pattern during extreme heat.  Click here to read the story.

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Cutting-edge technology detects nanoplastics in water–instantly

Water Canada

A McGill-led research team has developed the first real-time, on-site technology capable of detecting and deciphering nanoplastics from all other particles in water, a capacity akin to being able to find a needle in a haystack within milliseconds. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Peering Inside the Pandora’s Box of Oil and Gas Waste

Inside Climate News

A new book investigates what happens to the mountains of waste generated by the American oil and gas industry. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rise in sewage pollution from Thames Water’s ageing treatment works

The Guardian

Sewage pollution from ageing Thames Water treatment works that have not been upgraded increased last year, causing the company to again fail to meet its legal targets, according to its financial report. Click here to continue reading

As wildfires worsen, wild salmon take a hit

National Observer

Salmon have long adapted to wildfires by spawning in parts of rivers untouched by the fires. But the extreme wildfires engulfing B.C. and western North America are leaving fewer islands of habitat intact, making it impossible for the fish to lay their eggs. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Devastation as world’s biggest wetland burns: ‘those that cannot run don’t stand a chance’

The Guardian

The Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, is on fire. Huge stretches of land resemble the aftermath of a battle, with thick green shrubbery now a carpet of white ash, and chunks of debris falling from the sky. Click here to continue reading

‘Nobody has these stories’: Canada’s longest river at record low levels

CTV News

Canada’s longest river is at historically low levels, stranding communities that rely on it for essential goods and alarming First Nations along its banks who have never known the mighty Mackenzie to be so shallow. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The UK’s rivers are riddled with sewage pollution – new wetlands could help clean them up

BBC News

As effluent from sewage works and agricultural pollution flow freely into rivers, researchers and local citizens are urgently seeking to clean up the UK’s waterways. New wildlife-rich wetlands could be an answer. Click here to continue reading

Water Security Agency announces $9M to support communities prone to flooding

Water Canada

The Water Security Agency (WSA), in partnership with Natural Resources Canada, is committing $9 million to update and expand flood maps for high-risk communities in Saskatchewan. As part of this 50-50 cost-sharing agreement, the Government of Canada and Government of Saskatchewan will each contribute $4.5 million to the Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program (FHIMP) until 2027-28. Click here to continue reading

Calgary was ‘very proactive’ ahead of feeder main break: pipeline expert

Global News

The City of Calgary was “very proactive” in tackling the feeder main break that has forced residents and businesses to limit their water use for more than one month, according to an American pipeline expert. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: This 75-year-old took a dip in the Seine. But is it ready for Olympic athletes?

CBC

The Parisian river has been plagued with poor water. But officials insist it will be ready for the games. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The Minnesota Dam That Partially Failed Is One of Nearly 200 Across the Upper Midwest in Similarly ‘Poor’ Condition

Inside Climate News

Especially in the Midwest, climate change presents a growing threat to the nation’s nearly 92,000 dams, many more than 100 years old, as heavy rainfall, flooding and other forms of extreme weather become more common and severe. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Austria and Switzerland plan to invest €2.1bn in preventing flooding along the Rhine river

EuroNews Green

The goal is to try to protect 300,000 people in the Rhine Valley from catastrophic flooding. An agreement was signed by both countries in May and has now been unanimously approved by the Austrian parliament. It is still awaiting approval from the Swiss government and could be subject to a referendum. Click here to continue reading

Star Blanket Cree Nation opens long-awaited water treatment plant

Water Canada

Star Blanket Cree Nation opens a new state-of-the-art water treatment plant that will bring clean drinking water to the community for generations to come. Click here to continue reading

Calgarians saddle up for Stampede festivities as city recovers from water crisis

CBC

The show was always going to go on, hell or no water. Now, water crisis or not, the 112th edition of the Calgary Stampede is finally here. Click here to continue reading

Fracking companies in BC used record amounts of fresh water last year

National Observer

Companies used 16 per cent more water from rivers and lakes than in 2022 for a total of over six billion litres, despite the Peace and Fort Nelson districts currently experiencing a multi-year drought. Click here to continue reading

Vancouver’s long-buried “First Creek” restored as part of Tatlow Park renewal

Water Canada

A long-buried creek under Kitsilano’s Tatlow Park has been restored, thanks to a multi-year project led by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. Click here to continue reading

Food harvested near Teck coal mines higher in selenium than grocery store food, health risk study shows

The Narwhal

Selenium risks depend on amount of fish people eat from rivers downstream of Teck coal mines, according to a risk assessment released by the B.C. government. An average of one meal a day of fish harvested from waters polluted by the company’s coal mines could pose potential health risks due to selenium contamination. Click here to continue reading

Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Shares New Data and Insights for Plastic Free July

Water Canada

The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, an initiative of Pollution Probe, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) and the CGLR Foundation in the U.S., uses innovative plastic capture technology to prevent and remove plastic in the Great Lakes from the St. Lawrence to Lake Superior and everywhere in between. Click here to continue reading

Calgary remains in ‘recovery mode’; outdoor water restrictions still in place

CTV News

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says while indoor water use has returned to normal, city officials aren’t yet ready to lift outdoor restrictions. “The continued work on stabilizing our water system is going quite well,” Gondek said during Wednesday’s daily update. Click here to continue reading

B.C. government blasted for ‘ultimate hypocrisy’ over PFAS and sewage sludge

National Observer

The B.C. government’s lawsuit over the health impact of so-called “forever chemicals” is now shining a questionable light on the province’s effort to also overturn one of Canada’s only bans on toxic sewage sludge applied to fields and forests. Click here to continue reading

Drought conditions have improved in southern Alberta, but temperatures expected to be above normal this summer

Calgary Herald

The latest Alberta crop report, which details conditions as of June 25, says southern Alberta crops are above their five- and 10-year averages. Surface soil moisture is listed as 53 percent good to excellent, which is competitive with previous years, said Brooklyn Wong, a crop statistician with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. Click here to continue reading

Project searches for phosphorus

The Western Producer

An initiative in Manitoba that uses citizen science hopes to help pinpoint sources of excess nutrients in Lake Winnipeg. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Water is more valuable than oil’: the corporation cashing in on America’s drought

The Guardian

In an unprecedented deal, a private company purchased land in a tiny Arizona town – and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away. Local residents fear the agreement has ‘opened Pandora’s box’. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Sewage in the Seine: New tests show the river remains unswimmable with three weeks to the Olympics

EuroNews Green

A rehearsal for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was cancelled 2024-07-01 due to dangerous water in the Seine. There was 10 times more E. coli in the water than the maximum threshold set by the World Triathlon Federation and levels did not fall below the threshold at all during the test period. Enterococci levels were also unsafe. Click here to continue reading

Halifax Water lifts boil water advisory for all customers

Water Canada

Halifax Water is advising residential and commercial customers that the boil water advisory issued at 6:00 pm on Monday, July 1, has been lifted effective immediately. Click here to continue reading

Opinion: Alberta drought shows need to invest in water management

Edmonton Journal

Climate change is going to be felt most acutely through water: how much we get, where we get it and when. This year, in Alberta, those effects are being felt through another year of drought. Click here to continue reading

A fork in the road or two-lane highway?

The Western Producer

It may feel that we are standing at a fork in the climate change road: do we focus on trying to solve the problem or do we concentrate on figuring out how to live with the new environmental landscape?. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Ruling paves way for businesses and public to sue water firms over sewage

The Guardian

Water companies could face a spate of legal challenges by people and businesses affected by sewage pollution after a ruling that United Utilities could be sued by a private company for damage caused by the dumping of human waste. Click here to continue reading

Calgarians can now use water ‘as they regularly would’ indoors

CTV News

Calgary’s mayor has given citizens the go-ahead to begin using water inside their homes as they normally would. Click here to continue reading

Water Infrastructure Projects Driving Economic and Water Security for West Central Saskatchewan

Water Canada

The Water Security Agency (WSA) is taking proactive measures to ensure water structures continue to serve the diverse needs of west central Saskatchewan. Click here to continue reading

Some daycares, businesses closed as boil-water advisory continues in Halifax area

CBC

A number of daycares and businesses in the Halifax area are closed today and some grocery store shelves have been cleared of bottled water due to a boil-water advisory affecting a large swath of the municipality. Click here to continue reading

Crypto operations suck water, but Canadian governments aren’t monitoring how much

National Observer

The amount of water it takes to mine cryptocurrency in Canada is on the rise, with little regulatory oversight and no disclosure requirements to track the operations’ consumption levels. Click here to continue reading

Calgary mayor warns of risks as water valves turn back on after repairs

Global News

Weeks of water restrictions in Calgary could be eased in a matter of days, the city’s mayor and officials say, if the water system holds while crews turn valves back on after they were closed in early June to repair a burst feeder main. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: US Clean Water Act leaves about 55% of water flowing out of rivers vulnerable to pollution

Science Daily

The Supreme Court ruled last year that rivers that only flow in response to weather events, called ephemeral streams, do not fall under the protection of the Clean Water Act. New research suggests that this now leaves many U.S. waterways vulnerable to pollution. Click here to continue reading

4 days after Eagle mine slide, Yukon gov’t still ‘not clear’ on damage, or possible cyanide release

CBC

Yukon government officials say they’re still trying to determine the extent of the damage at the Eagle mine site more than four days after a “significant” slide damaged infrastructure, halted operations and potentially released cyanide into the environment. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Small, adsorbent ‘fins’ collect humidity rather than swim through water

Science Daily

Clean, safe water is a limited resource and access to it depends on local bodies of water. But even dry regions have some water vapor in the air. To harvest small amounts of humidity, researchers developed a compact device with absorbent-coated fins that first trap moisture and then generate potable water when heated. They say the prototype could help meet growing demands for water, especially in arid locations. Click here to continue reading

Winnipeg’s new North End sewage plant costs rise sharply

Water Canada

The most expensive project in the City of Winnipeg’s history is about to get considerably more expensive. A report set to go before city council later this week estimates the total cost of about $3 billion, an increase of more than $600 million over the most recent estimate. The original price tag in 2015 for the plant was $795 million. Click here to continue reading

Ontario investing $1 billion in hydropower refurbishment

National Observer

Ontario announced $1 billion on Thursday for Ontario Power Generation to refurbish eight hydroelectric generating stations in eastern Ontario. In a statement, the Ontario’s Ministry of Energy and Electrification said the refurbishment will allow the stations to generate an additional 100 gigawatt hours of clean electricity annually, enough to power over 11,000 homes. Click here to continue reading

Calgary’s 16 Avenue reopens as water main prepares for flushing

CTV News

As the City of Calgary inches closer to fixing the water main issues prompting water restrictions, 16 Avenue N.W. is starting to reopen. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Kids have a right to water in US schools, but does that water make the grade?

The Guardian

Almost 15 years after federal law put free water on school menus, states still struggle with how to guarantee access. Click here to continue reading

Quebec City cuts water consumption by 20% as system undergoes major repairs

CBC

Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand is thanking residents for making “substantial efforts” to reduce their water consumption as the city undertakes major repairs on a water main in the Les Rivieres borough. Click here to continue reading

The flow of money: what southern Ontario’s nature is worth

The Narwhal

Talk of a green economy might evoke images of solar panels and carbon capture. But work to conserve and restore ecosystems is already driving economic activity. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: What happened to Minnesota’s Rapidan Dam? Here’s what to know about its flooding and partial failure

The Canadian Press

What happened to Minnesota’s Rapidan Dam? Here’s what to know about its flooding and partial failure. Click here to continue reading

Calgary indoor water-use reductions could ease after July 1 if restoration process goes smoothly

CTV News

Water services in Calgary could be fully restored by July 1, with some water-use reductions easing shortly after if everything goes according to the city’s plan. Click here to continue reading

Beef producers have a variety of water options

The Western Producer

Water can often be in short supply on the Canadian Prairies, but there are tools to help producers effectively manage the water they have. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Whack-a-mole situation’: Algerian officials wrestle with water shortage anger

The Guardian

State not acting fast enough to build desalination stations to deal with dwindling rainfall and resulting drought, say critics. Click here to continue reading

‘Strong containment’ done at Eagle mine after heap leach slide, Yukon premier says

CBC

Yukon’s premier says there’s been “strong containment” at the Eagle mine site near Mayo, Yukon, after a rockslide this week involving stacked ore raised concerns about potential cyanide contamination of the environment. Click here to continue reading

Quebec City announces water restrictions for a third of residents during major repair work

CBC

Starting Wednesday morning, about 35 per cent of Quebec City’s population will need to reduce their water consumption for at least 10 days as the city carries out maintenance on a major water main. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Ancient River System Discovered Beneath Antarctic Ice

Scientific American

Geologists digging into the massive ice sheet of West Antarctica have discovered the remains of an ancient river system that once flowed for nearly a thousand miles. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Midwest flooding devastation comes into focus as flood warnings are extended in other areas

The Canadian Press

Midwest flooding devastation comes into focus as flood warnings are extended in other areas. Click here to continue reading

How forest fires also have an impact on lakes

The Conversation – Canada

The different impacts the fires had obviously raise concerns about air quality and climate change. Studies also point to a potential feedback effect. In other words, climate change exacerbates fires, which in turn exacerbate climate change. But there is another issue of growing concern to experts: what are the effects of forest fires on lakes?. Click here to continue reading

Sussex to mitigate flood risk with $25.6M investment

Water Canada

Sussex is building two flood diversion channels and overpasses after an investment of $25.6 million from the federal and municipal governments. This was announced by Member of Parliament Wayne Long and Mayor Marc Thorne. Click here to continue reading

Hydro to release water at Churchill Falls as forest fire threatens Labrador town

CBC

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is releasing water at its Churchill Falls power plant as a precautionary measure, should the Crown corporation need to remove even more staff from an evacuated community already under serious fire threat. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A Minnesota dam is on the brink of collapse due to flooding

CNN

The Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota built in the early 1900s is in imminent failure condition, according to local authorities, as communities across the Upper Midwest continue to deal with major flooding from heavy rains. Click here to continue reading

Edmonton golf courses, cemeteries and parking lots not paying some Epcor drainage fees will start next year

Edmonton Journal

Some private golf courses, cemeteries and parking lot owners in Edmonton for years haven t been paying to use the city’s drainage and sewer system for collecting rainwater, but not for much longer. Click here to continue reading

Calgary water use climbs; residents urged to continue saving

Global News

City officials are asking Calgarians to keep up their water-saving measures, as usage on the weekend rose as fire crews battled a two-alarm fire in the southeast. Click here to continue reading

Town mulling options as Milk River dries up

CTV News

Before the St. Mary siphon burst, the Milk River’s flow rate was approximately 17 and a half cubic metres per second. Monday, it was less than one cubic metre per second. The water level is also roughly 60 centimetres lower. Click here to continue reading

Breakenridge: Now would be the smart time to install smart meters for water use

Calgary Herald

Yes, the city has pledged an independent review of the feeder main break to better understand what went wrong and to make sure it doesn’t happen again. And, yes, this will also likely lead to reviews and inspections of other water infrastructure and possibly further upgrades and repairs. But the response needs to be broader. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Q&A: What’s in the Water of Alaska’s Rusting Rivers, and What’s Climate Change Got to Do With it?

Inside Climate News

Once clear waters in Alaska that recently turned orange show high levels of iron and other metals, as well as increased acidity. In at least one stream, the fish vanished. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Worried about PFAS in your drinking water? Here’s what the evidence says about home filters

The Conversation – Australia

Many people are asking how they can remove these contaminants from their home drinking water. In short, it is difficult and expensive to do this effectively in your home. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Revealed: the ‘catastrophic scale’ of sewage spills in England and Wales

The Guardian

Water companies in England and Wales have averaged five serious sewage spills into rivers or seas every day over the past decade, the Observer can reveal. Click here to continue reading

Wild in the city: Edmonton’s Big Lake hosts critters of all sorts — and an award-winning artist

Edmonton Journal

Tucked away in northwest Edmonton, hived off by the Henday, the shoreline of a shallow natural lake sprawls eight kilometres at the beating wetland heart of Lois Hole Centennial Park. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Millions in the U.S. prepare for more sweltering heat as floodwaters inundate parts of the Midwest

CTV News

Millions of Americans sweated through yet another scorching day as temperatures soared Sunday across the U.S., while deadly floodwaters inundated parts of the Midwest, including a town in Iowa whose own water-level gauge was submerged. Click here to continue reading

City of Calgary provides latest update on watermain situation

Water Canada

Repair work continues to progress on the water feeder main hotspots and installation of new pipe sections has begun. We are replacing four out of five of the hotspots. Click here to continue reading

City opens 4 new sites for non-potable water pickup

CBC

City of Calgary officials announced Sunday that four new sites have been opened to provide city residents with non-potable water for use on gardens and indoor and outdoor plants — one location in each quadrant. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: EU Policy. Member states’ water pollutant wish list sees green backlash

EuroNews Green

A list of chemical substances affecting water pollution agreed by ambassadors from the member states as an opening salvo in negotiations over an update to Water Framework Directive has been slammed by green campaigners who see it as evidence of backtracking on the Green Deal. Click here to continue reading

Don’t fear FITFIR, says Alberta water expert

The Western Producer

FITFIR has rarely been used in Alberta and that is unlikely to change, said David Percy, professor of energy law and policy with the University of Alberta. In fact, he said it has created a culture of negotiation. Click here to continue reading

‘Calgary’s water emergency is just the start.’

National Observer

As infrastructure ages, Canada is experiencing increasingly frequent water main breaks, costing local governments millions in emergency repairs. Municipalities and citizens are enduring sinkholes and water advisories. Click here to continue reading

Kelowna to enhance flood protection and improve fish habitats

Water Canada

The City of Kelowna is excited to announce the planned installation of four riffles – shallow landforms constructed from rocks – to Mission Creek this summer. This is the first of three projects during the next three years to adapt and upgrade the Mill Creek Diversion outlet to Mission Creek as part of the Mill Creek Flood Protection project. Click here to continue reading

‘Happy to do his part’: 98-year-old Calgary gardener makes every drop count

Calgary Herald

For many years a near 100-year-old Calgary man has been collecting rain water, which has become more crucial than ever for his garden in light of the city’s ongoing water crisis. Click here to continue reading

Milk River at risk of running dry as Montana crews continue work on burst water pipeline

CTV News

Officials in Montana are warning that the Milk River is at risk of running dry this summer following a catastrophic failure on a pipeline near the Carway, Alta. border crossing on Monday morning. Click here to continue reading

Calgary’s water crisis drags on — and its future looks dry. Can cities across the globe point to solutions?

The Narwhal

In a parched Bogotá, neighbourhoods take turns turning on taps. South of Calgary, Okotoks’ outdoor water schedule keeps residents consuming less. Calgarians could take note — if they want to avoid catastrophes in the future. Click here to continue reading

Wastewater-Based Surveillance for Public Health: Knowledge-to-Action Series

Canadian Water Network

Canadian Water Network and the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases have released the 2023/24 results of their Wastewater-based Surveillance (WBS) Program. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How DNA analysis of our rivers and lakes can reveal new secrets about their biodiversity

The Conversation – United Kingdom

Our research shows how analysing environmental DNA (eDNA) – the DNA left behind by organisms in life and death – could unlock the secrets hidden within freshwater streams, rivers and lakes. This offers hope for a more efficient monitoring of these vital ecosystems. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: When in drought: Researchers map which parts of the Amazon are most vulnerable to climate change

Science Daily

Some areas of the Amazon rainforest are more resilient to drought than others, new research shows. But if not managed carefully, we could ‘threaten the integrity of the whole system,’ researchers say. Click here to continue reading

‘Good stewards of the water’: Chestermere, Strathmore curtail water use after Calgary pipe burst

Calgary Herald

We’ve had really, really good response from our residents, said Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule, noting an average of 23 per cent reduction in water use since June 5 just shy of the 25 per cent target oft-repeated by Calgary officials. Click here to continue reading

This ‘dryland’ farmer says every spring is a gamble. But he has a plan to improve the odds

CBC

Scott Heeg, a municipal district councillor, is a dryland farmer in Acadia Valley, which means he has no access to irrigation and is among the first to see the impact of drought. Click here to continue reading

Ontario working with farmers to restore wetlands

Water Canada

The Ontario government is investing over $2.8 million in projects led by ALUS Canada to support farmer-led initiatives to restore and enhance wetlands on 70 farms across the province. Click here to continue reading

Lloydminster celebrates the opening of wastewater treatment plant

Water Canada

The City of Lloydminster hosted a grand opening ceremony and facility tours on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, to celebrate the completion of its new mechanical wastewater treatment facility. Click here to continue reading

Calgary water main repair could be done by July 5, city ‘confident’ in progress

CTV News

Repairs on the five ‘hot spots’ along a main water feeder line in Calgary could be done by July 5, just in time for the start of the Calgary Stampede, officials said Wednesday. Click here to continue reading

Scarce drinking fountains in Windsor, Ont., limit accessible options during heat wave

CBC

Of the more than 200 parks in Windsor, Ont., there are only 11 outdoor public drinking fountains, leaving residents in one of Canada’s hottest cities with few accessible options to hydrate during extreme heat. Click here to continue reading

Catastrophic flooding in Montana gifts water to Alberta

Lethbridge Herald

Following the major break at the St. Mary River Siphon near Babb, Montana, on Monday, water that would normally have been diverted to the American portion of the Milk River is now making its way into the St. Mary s Reservoir in Alberta. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Nigeria’s mountain streams are a haven for special creatures – they need protection

The Conversation – Africa

The biodiversity and conservation value of these places has not been well researched. The conservation value of a freshwater ecosystem lies in its ability to support rare and threatened species, as well as species that indicate high ecological integrity. This is the ability of an ecosystem to support and maintain ecological processes and a diverse community of organisms. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rupture disrupts water supply to CHEO

CBC

CHEO, eastern Ontario’s children’s hospital in Ottawa, said its water supply and air conditioning were disrupted after a water main was severed during construction near the hospital’s front entrance early Tuesday afternoon. Click here to continue reading

Calgary can now allow access to river water for businesses

CBC

The provincial government issued two temporary diversion licences to the City of Calgary on Tuesday. This allows 200,000 cubic metres (200 million litres) for non-potable industrial use, with diversion points out of the Bow River. Click here to continue reading

Calgarians finding creative ways to save water as restrictions continue

Global News

It will be another three to five weeks before the water supply in Calgary is back to normal, forcing residents to continue finding ways to save water. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How glacier algae are challenging the way we think about evolution

The Conversation – United Kingdom

People often underestimate tiny beings. But microscopic algal cells not only evolved to thrive in one of the most extreme habitats on Earth – glaciers – but are also shaping them. Click here to continue reading

‘The show will go on’: Calgary Stampede will proceed despite water restrictions

CTV News

The Calgary Stampede will go on as the city continues work to repair a major water main(opens in a new tab) over the next few weeks – overlapping with the annual event. Click here to continue reading

Alberta’s Milk River water level to drop due to pipeline break

CTV News

Officials say a “catastrophic failure” on a pipeline in Montana, near the Carway, Alta., border crossing, is expected to impact Alberta’s Milk River over the next several days. Click here to continue reading

Update June 17: Critical water main break affecting city-wide water usage

City of Calgary

Repairs have been completed on the original feeder main break near 16 Avenue N.W. and Home Road, and construction is now under way on the remaining five hotspots at two new construction area locations on 16 Ave. Click here to continue reading

‘Happy to help’: Replacement pipes start journey from San Diego to Calgary

CTV News

Twelve days after a massive water main broke in Calgary, a pair of replacement pipes from San Diego will start a multi-day journey heading north to help crews here repair five sections. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Urban flood mitigation strategies with coupled gray–green measures: A Case study in Guangzhou city, China

Prevention Web

The results indicate that combining green roofs, sunken green spaces, and permeable pavements, can reduce total runoff by 41.7% to 25.89% for rainfall recurrence periods ranging from 1 year to 100 years, and decrease the volume of nodal overflow by nearly half during rainfall events of less than 10-year return period. Click here to continue reading

Climate change: rising temperatures may impact groundwater quality

EurekAlert!

Earth’s climate system is heating up due to the atmosphere’s increased concentration of greenhouse gases, which limits the amount of heat that can be radiated away. The oceans absorb a substantial fraction of this heat, but soil and groundwater also act as heat sinks. However, little is known thus far about the effects Earth’s surface warming has on groundwater over space and time. Click here to continue reading

How much raw sewage is released into rivers and the sea, and what are the rules?

BBC News

Water companies can release untreated sewage into rivers and seas when it rains to prevent it flooding homes, but such spills are illegal when it’s dry. On dry days there is less dilution and sewage can cause more damage to the local environment and pose a health risk to swimmers. Click here to continue reading

How did Calgary’s water crisis unfold? A day-by-day look at what we know

Calgary Herald

What most people hoped was a simple water main break earlier this month turned into a complex and catastrophic problem impacting the water system of all Calgarians. When Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek declared the city in a state of local emergency on Saturday as a result of the ongoing problems, the situation became even more urgent. Click here to continue reading

1 down, 5 hotspots to go: Feeder main fixed as Calgary crews work to repair broken pipe

CTV News

The mayor reported the good news in an afternoon update Sunday, where she revealed that work will begin Monday on fixing five hotspots that require immediate attention. That wasn’t the only good news, either: the final 300 metres of the pipe that were assessed by a robot Saturday night were found to have no further cause for concern. Click here to continue reading

Calgary water emergency: Minister McIver

Government of Alberta

“Alberta’s government supports the City of Calgary in its decision to declare a state of local emergency as this step signifies the critical state of Calgary’s water infrastructure and the work that must happen expeditiously in order to return to normal. A local state of emergency allows the city to swiftly procure materials and coordinate action for the repair. Click here to continue reading

Alberta sees drought turnaround in much of the south, but little relief for Peace River region

CBC

Just outside Medicine Hat, in the heart of a region that struggled through extreme drought conditions last year, farmers and ranchers like Neubauer have been nervous about the possibility of another difficult season. Click here to continue reading

Alberta initiates campaign to keep invasive species out of waterways

Global News

The province is currently free of zebra and quagga mussels but they are found in Manitoba and Ontario and can easily spread through boats travelling across provincial borders. If established in our province, they can cause millions of dollars of damage and harm Alberta’s ecosystems. Click here to continue reading

Wainwright water supply re-established after pump issue

Global News

Water levels in the town of Wainwright, Alta., reached a “critical” state Friday morning due to ongoing supply issues, prompting officials to declare a local emergency. Click here to continue reading

Future in drought: how long can Calgarians go without a shower?

The Narwhal

Calgary is in the midst of an unprecedented water shortage caused by a water main break that has forced individuals and businesses to sacrifice for the public good. Calgarians have risen to the challenge. But it raises the question of how well the city will fare as climate change makes droughts a regular feature of Alberta’s future. Click here to continue reading

Consultants make recommendations to keep Banff’s drinking water free of contaminants

Rocky Mountain Outlook

The Town of Banff will review a third-party consultant’s recommendations to protect the municipality’s underground water source into the future, including from any potential contamination. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The US is losing wetlands at an accelerating rate – here’s how the private sector can help protect these valuable resources

The Conversation – United States

In a high-profile 2023 ruling, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Supreme Court greatly limited federal power to protect wetlands. According to one estimate, this ruling stripped federal protection from up to 90 million acres of wetlands across the U.S. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Swiss company invents a way to break down PFAS with bubbles – but is it just a ‘sticking plaster’?

EuroNews Green

PFAS are poisoning us, but destroying them is still difficult and expensive. One Swiss start-up may have the answer. Click here to continue reading

Drought Watch 2024: Recent Drought Management Responses in Alberta include the introduction of Bill 21: Emergency Statutes Amendment Act

Environmental Law Centre

Recent proactive steps have been taken to respond to the critical drought in Alberta. About a week ago, Bill 21 was tabled to amend various emergency statutes to enhance provincial authority in emergencies such as wildfires, floods and droughts. Click here to continue reading

As Calgarians settle into restrictions, gardeners and residents’ water concerns extend past current crisis

Calgary Herald

Garden centres sat quiet and cold, while gloomy weather cast a pall over Calgary on Father’s Day and the city’s residents began settling into what’s expected to be multi-week water-use restrictions. Click here to continue reading

Calgary water shortages: Key ways to reduce your water footprint

The Conversation – Canada

Recent reports have shown that Canadians use five times more water than they think — with a real water footprint of around 329 litres per day. Canada is one of the biggest water users among peer nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, ranking sixth out of 34 nations in total water usage, and second in per-capita water use. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How a ‘Citizen Map’ Is Helping Brazil Prepare for Next Big Flood

Yale Environment 360

“It’s so important for people to understand their surroundings, to know if they’re in an area of risk,” says Moraes. “And they want to understand. They want to be engaged”.“It’s so important for people to understand their surroundings, to know if they’re in an area of risk,” says Moraes. “And they want to understand. They want to be engaged”. Click here to continue reading

How a multimillion-dollar deal with the Girl Guides solved an Alberta town’s water issues

CBC

Consumptive licences refers to water use that reduces the overall water available for other uses, while non-consumptive licences refers to use that returns water to the source down the line — for instance, through treatment plants. Click here to continue reading

Water allocation to Alberta oil and gas producers up sharply in past 15 years

CBC

“Rather than focusing too much on allocation, I think we need more transparency around how water is used.” In an emailed statement, Ryan Fournier, press secretary for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, noted that the vast majority of water used by oil and gas is in northern regions “where water supply far exceeds allocated use for all purposes. Click here to continue reading

Water levels in southern Alberta reservoirs creep towards normal

CTV News

Water levels are still slightly less than normal. As of June 10, the Oldman Reservoir is 82 per cent full. That’s a little bit less than the normal range of 86 per cent and 94 per cent.The St. Mary Reservoir is 78 per cent full and the Waterton reservoir is 85 per cent, both of which are in the normal range. The spring melt and a wet May may have held off water restrictions for the time being.Water allocations for agriculture remain the same. Click here to continue reading

Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services finding new methods to conserve water

CTV News

The department is using tools like high-efficiency pumps and aerial equipment to cut back on water use.Heatherington says they’ve also limited the cleaning of some equipment, washing of bays and fire apparatuses are only being washed once every two weeks. LFES has moved all its training to station four, where the water can be redirected to the wastewater treatment plant rather than the storm drains that lead directly to the river. Click here to continue reading

Schools in Ottawa identified in study showing high levels of lead in drinking water

CTV News

A new study by the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto is shining a light on a persistent issue in schools and daycares across Ontario — lead in the drinking water. Click here to continue reading

Update June 13: Critical water main break affecting city-wide water usage

City of Calgary

City-wide water restrictions are expected to remain in place into next week. Calgary remains in mandatory Stage 4 outdoor watering restrictions and it is imperative that Calgarians continue conserving water so demand does not outstrip supply. Shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday night, a City employee and a contractor working on welding repair were injured. Both workers were transported to hospital, one in stable, non-life threatening condition and one in serious, non-life threatening condition. Work was shut down immediately to keep the site safe. Following Occupational Health and Safety Alberta’s inspection this morning deeming the site safe, work is expected to resume this afternoon. Click here to continue reading

Tension over water possible between Calgary and its neighbours as populations grow, says report

CBC

Access to highly coveted water in southern Alberta will determine growth patterns in the Calgary Metropolitan Region as more migrants arrive, says a report released Thursday by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Water is strictly controlled in Alberta’s south, the report notes. If someone wants to use water in significant quantities, they need a water licence. But new water allocations in the south have been closed since 2006, including in the Bow River sub-basin. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Brazil’s devastating floods hit its ‘Black population on the periphery’ the hardest

The Guardian

“People say: ‘The floods hit everyone,’” said geographer Paulo Soares, a researcher for the Observatório das Metrópoles, who participated in the study. “But when we refine the research, we see that – while it did hit everyone in one way or another – it hit some groups harder.” In Porto Alegre and its surrounding cities, the poorest neighbourhoods – often closest to the rivers and with the worst infrastructure – were the most affected. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Western agricultural communities need water conservation strategies to adapt to future shortages

Science Daily

The Western U.S. is heavily reliant on mountain snowpacks and their gradual melt for water storage and supply, and climate change is expected to upend the reliability of this natural process. Many agricultural communities in this part of the country are examining ways to adapt to a future with less water, and new research shows that a focus on supplementing water supply by expanding reservoir capacity won’t be enough to avert future water crises. Click here to continue reading

Calgary’s water woes due to feeder main rupture highlight national issue, experts say

CTV News

A week after a major feeder line ruptured in Montgomery, forcing Calgary into water restrictions, city crews are working to replace the damaged pipe. The incident has highlighted concerns about aging infrastructure across Canada. The break, which occurred June 5th, forced the city to reroute water flow. Repairs are expected to take at least another week. The damaged pipe, originally designed for a 100-year lifespan, was already 49 years old. Experts say this incident underscores a Canada-wide problem of neglected infrastructure. Click here to continue reading

Province scraps plans for Bow River dam near Mînî Thnî

CTV News

Bearspaw First Nation CEO Rob Shotclose suggested it was unfair to consider flooding Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation lands to begin with and that initial assessments for a dam in the area failed to justify potential impacts. “This dam would be right in the middle of the Stoney reserve at Mînî Thnî, geographically, and we’ve already been shortchanged land by treaty,” he said. Click here to continue reading

Calgary needs to conserve more water, even without a crisis: expert

Global News

Tricia Stadnyk, a professor at the university’s Schulich School of Engineering, says not to count on melting snow to help out in the current water supply crisis caused by a massive water main break in Calgary last week. “There is not that much more melt to come,” Stadnyk said. “So even though we are still seeing melt right now, the volume isn’t the same as what we would normally expect. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: South Africa’s crucial water supplies from Lesotho: what the six-month shutdown means for industry, farming and residents

The Conversation – Africa

The main water supply to South Africa’s economic hub, greater Johannesburg in the Gauteng province, and to the country’s breadbasket in the Free State, is scheduled to be cut off for six months. Maintenance work on the 37 kilometre Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel is due to begin in October 2024. Click here to continue reading

Low water levels at St. Andrews Lock and Dam

CTV News
The federal government is advising the public that water levels are low at the St. Andrews Lock and Dam. The dam will be put back once conditions permit, but until then, the water level may be too low for boaters travelling through the lock. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Upstream and downstream: River study highlights cross-country inequities

Science Daily
New research highlights inequities between downstream and upstream countries that share the same watershed. The study outlines how international agreements can better address shared resource problems and call for greater collaboration and coordination between these international neighbours. Click here to continue reading

Water main breaks are rarely due to a single factor, new Concordia research finds

Water Canada
Canadians are no strangers to water main breaks. Aging equipment, increased demand and seasonal weather changes, along with many other factors, have added stress to the infrastructure of utilities across Canada. An analysis of failures across Canada signals a new way for utilities to assess risks to infrastructure. Click here to continue reading

How the Girl Guides came to the rescue when Cochrane needed water

CBC
Calgary’s bedroom communities like Cochrane and Okotoks have been seeking solutions to their water challenges over the past several years. Those have been exacerbated by Alberta’s recent population surge. Click here to continue reading

Sask. auditor urges WSA to finalize water, wetland policies

The Western Producer
Saskatchewan s provincial auditor said the Water Security Agency is making progress toward implementing recommendations made in 2018 about how it regulates agricultural drainage. However, it still hasn t finalized its water quality and wetland retention requirements, which Tara Clemett said should be in place before drainage is approved. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Another Blowout Adds to Mystery of Permian Basin Water Pressure

Inside Climate News
Water is bursting from another West Texas oil well, continuing a troubling trend. It s the latest in a string of mysterious water features in the arid Permian Basin, the nation s top producing oil field, that regulators have been unable to explain. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Keeping Stormwater at Bay: a Brooklyn Green Roof Offers a Look at a Climate Resilient Future

Inside Climate News
Green infrastructure mitigates the impacts of stormwater on New York City s sewer systems, limiting the flow of sewage to local waterways. Click here to continue reading

Result in sight for long-delayed water law

National Observer

Last week, Bill C-61, the First Nations Clean Water Act, was passed by the House through a unanimous motion and is now destined for the Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee. Hajdu has repeatedly referred to the bill as “another tool” for First Nations to have sovereignty over their waters, empowering them to fight against environmental racism. It is a legacy bill for the Liberal government and sits alongside their promise to lift all boiled water advisories on First Nations. Click here to continue reading

Edmonton expands water bottle filling station program for summer 2024

CTV News

“The expansion of the water bottle filling stations program is crucial in our efforts to safeguard our city’s most vulnerable residents,” Hani Quan, the city’s director of affordable housing and homelessness said in a news release. “By enhancing the accessibility of safe, free potable drinking water, we are addressing a key need for those most at risk during extreme heat conditions”. Click here to continue reading

Update #8 Boil water advisory lifted for community of Bowness

City of Calgary

All residents and businesses in Bowness can consume their water from the tap, as boiling is no longer required. Click here to continue reading

Update #7 Critical water main break affecting city-wide water usage

City of Calgary

“People in Calgary and surrounding communities were such good water stewards over the weekend. Water consumption was down significantly, and I can tell you it’s because of all of your efforts. Saturday 440 m/l of water were used and yesterday that number was 457, typically at this time of year our consumption is around the 580 m/l mark, so we have reduced our use by a quarter,” says Gondek. Click here to continue reading

Calgary’s water supply still at risk as crews continue water main repairs

CBC

It will still take days to fix the 50-year-old piece of infrastructure that supplies approximately 60 per cent of the city — and the risk of running out of water remains a real threat. “As you draw water down on the reservoirs that are in your community, if we can’t get them filled up as quickly as you are using the water, you may run out of water”. Click here to continue reading

Here’s what you can and cannot do amid Calgary’s water crisis

CTV News

Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued a release at 7 p.m. on Monday, stating the boil water advisory for Bowness had been lifted. “As water quality has been restored, the boil water advisory issued June 5, 2024, has been lifted, effective immediately,” AHS said in its release. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: South Africa: Gold mine pollution is poisoning Soweto’s water and soil – study finds food gardens are at risk

The Conversation – Africa

For 140 years, gold mines in Johannesburg, South Africa have been leaking wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. The acid mine drainage from Johannesburg’s estimated 278 abandoned mines and 200 mine dumps includes uranium (a radioactive metal), toxic arsenic, copper, cobalt, nickel, lead and zinc. Acid mine drainage can pollute land and water sources up to 20 kilometres away from a mine unless it is remediated by mining companies. The contamination cascades through food webs and poisons river water, plants and animals. Click here to continue reading

Water conservation still necessary as Gondek says sorry for poor communication around water main break

Calgary Herald

In terms of the difference Calgarians have made, on Wednesday, June 5 about 650 million litres of water were consumed — a number that decreased to 520 million on Thursday, then 484 million on Friday. On Saturday, Calgary only used 440 million litres. Click here to continue reading

Calgarians continue to cut water consumption over weekend: Gondek

CTV News

Responding to some of the most frequently asked questions she has read on the city’s website, she said the average Calgarian uses 173 litres of water a day. To meet the 25 per cent reduction, each person would have to flush five fewer times a day or have two less kitchen sinks full of water. Click here to continue reading

‘We have to do our part’: Calgary businesses reduce water usage amid restrictions

CTV News

Some businesses that rely heavily on water such as laundromats are turning customers away unless their needs are deemed essential. Aaron Wyman, owner of The Laundry Room on Kensington Road, says he’s lost out on about 80 per cent of his customers because of measures taken by his team. Click here to continue reading

Calgary ‘using more water than it can produce’, officials say

CTV News

“Yesterday, Calgary saw a significant reduction in water use until the afternoon; however, water use greatly increased around the time people got home from work,” officials said in a news release. “Calgary is currently using more water than it can produce.” Click here to continue reading

Update #6 Critical water main break affecting city-wide water usage

City of Calgary

The ability to get water to all communities at this time has been severely compromised due to this pipe break. Calgarians are making a difference by saving water, allowing our reservoirs to replenish during this critical time. Since the beginning of the event, we’ve seen a 27 per cent drop in water consumption.Without this continued effort, we are at risk of running out of water. Click here to continue reading

Officials to provide update on Calgary water main break, supply concerns

Global News

“Work is progressing well, and crews are moving closer to replacing the damaged area of pipe,” city officials said in a news release. ” Today (Sunday), crews succeeded in cutting into the pipe so the damaged portion can be removed. The pipe will be prepped for repair, while completing many technical tests to understand what other work is needed. Click here to continue reading

Drought-driven outdoor watering restrictions for Calgary eyed to begin this summer

Calgary Herald

Calgarians should be limited to two days a week of outdoor watering starting this summer in an effort to conserve dwindling water supplies, say city administrators. That’s one of the recommendations being made to the city’s executive committee on Tuesday, and one that precedes the current water supply crisis stemming from a ruptured feeder main. Click here to continue reading

B.C. politicians debate reflooding Sumas Prairie

CBC

A new report by a team of UBC scientists has B.C. politicians and First Nations weighing in after it proposed relocating some residents and farms in Abbotsford, B.C.’s Sumas Prairie, to allow the area to be turned back into a lake. The report’s lead author says that a “managed retreat” is necessary because climate modelling shows the area will continue to experience further catastrophic flooding, akin to the devastation the Fraser Valley experienced in 2021. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water firm seizes stake in Devon sewage protester’s home over unpaid bills

The Guardian

South West Water has taken a legal stake in a customer’s home after she withheld her bill payments in a protest over sewage dumping in rivers and the sea. Thousands of water company customers are thought to be withholding payments but this is the first known case of a company enforcing a claim against a customer’s home. Click here to continue reading

High fluoride levels in Alberta hamlet’s drinking water

CTV News

The test results from the study indicate that an average of 2.00 mg/L of fluoride is in the reservoir. The maximum allowable concentration (MAC) is 1.5 mg/L of fluoride. Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) removed an exemption put in place for the naturally occurring fluoride in places exceeding the MAC in groundwater. The AEP communicated to the County to complete the study and determine the options and costs to treat the fluoride. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Bottled water is full of microplastics. Is it still ‘natural’?

Grist

Is bottled water really “natural” if it’s contaminated with microplastics? A series of lawsuits recently filed against six bottled water brands claim that it’s deceptive to use labels like “100 percent mountain spring water” and “natural spring water” because it is likely tainted with tiny plastic fragments. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Hydropower damages river systems in Africa: how more solar and wind power can solve this problem

The Conversation – Africa

Across the African continent, more than 300 new hydropower projects are planned to meet the growing demand for electricity. Some of these will require big dams, which can have major negative environmental impacts. Another looming problem with hydropower is that the water cycle is affected by climate change. Click here to continue reading

Mayor apologizes to Calgarians for ‘slow’ and ‘confusing’ communications about water main break

CBS News

Beginning Monday, the mayor said she will be providing an update to Calgarians every morning through a livestream at 8:30. In addition, the city’s emergency management team will hold media briefings at 2 p.m. each day to update residents on the progress that’s been made. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Scaling up wetland conservation and restoration to deliver the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Wetlands International

Report offering guidance on including wetlands in National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to boost biodiversity and halt wetland loss and degradation. Click here to continue reading

‘We are at risk of running out’: Calgarians asked to use 25% less water than yesterday

CBC

After a major feeder water main break plunged Calgary’s water supply into a critical state, city officials are now asking Calgarians to use 25 per cent less than they did yesterday, sounding the alarm that the city is at risk of running out. The Bearspaw south water main — which is 11 kilometres long and as wide as two metres in parts — suffered a break Wednesday night that left hundreds of homes and businesses in the city’s northwest without water. Click here to continue reading

Update #3 Critical water main break affecting City wide water usage

City of Calgary

Yesterday Calgary saw a significant reduction in water use until the afternoon; however, water use greatly increased around the time people got home from work. Calgary is currently using more water than it can produce. If Calgarians do not reduce our water use, we are at risk of running out. The City is asking Calgarians to save water for the next few days while the work gets completed. Click here to continue reading

Failure of ‘grandfather of all water mains’ to blame for Calgary water issues, councillor says

CTV News

Sharp says emergency water supplies are in place at four locations for residents to access: Bowness Community Association, Belvedere Parkway School, Bowcrest Seniors Home and Our Lady of the Assumption School. However, Sharp says there is an issue for seniors to get to those locations to access water, so the city is calling on residents to take potable water to the residents who need it. Click here to continue reading

Canada expands and improves warning system for coastal flooding

Water Canada

Coastal flooding is a regular occurrence along Canada’s coasts, the St. Lawrence, and the Great Lakes. It can be caused by storm surge, large waves, and high tides. Storm surge happens when the wind associated with a major storm pushes water onto the coast. This may damage coastal infrastructure and threaten human health and safety. Large waves associated with the storm may drive additional water onshore, worsening impacts. Click here to continue reading

‘Early Warning System’ for Great Lakes Water Quality Threats Advanced by Report from IJC Board

Water Canada

The International Joint Commission (IJC) is responsible under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to identify and report emerging Great Lakes water quality issues to the Canadian and United States federal governments. The Great Lakes Science Advisory Board’s development of a Great Lakes Early Warning System assists the Commission with these Agreement responsibilities. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Pressure mounts on Tanya Plibersek to assess water impacts of NT Beetaloo Basin fracking project

The Guardian

Pressure is mounting on the federal environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, to use her powers to call the project in for assessment under the Albanese government’s expanded “water trigger”, which requires unconventional gas projects to be assessed under national environment laws for their effects on water resources. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Warragamba Dam spills over as flood warnings issued across NSW due to heavy rainfall

The Guardian

Warragamba Dam spills over as flood warnings issued across NSW due to heavy rainfall. Some flash flooding causing road closures and inundating homes but rainy weather forecast to ease later on Friday, BoM says. Heavy rainfall overnight has resulted in Warragamba Dam spilling over, amid evacuation orders and road closures across New South Wales. Up to 200mm of rain has fallen in parts of the state overnight, while residents in low-lying areas around the Georges River in Sydney’s west are preparing to evacuate. Click here to continue reading

Clean water improves the efficacy of herbicides

The Western Producer

Water qualities such as hardness, the presence of bicarbonates, iron and manganese all play a role in how effective an application will be. The latter two are a particular note in irrigation, as oxidation can lead to the formation of precipitates that can plug screens and nozzles. Click here to continue reading

Drugs, microplastics and forever chemicals: new contaminants emerge in the Great Lakes

The Narwhal

The release of everyday wastewater from our homes and businesses into the environment is Canada’s largest source of water pollution. This dirty water is full of toxic substances that can harm our lakes and rivers. Some is removed or treated, like the phosphorus in sewage that creates harmful algae blooms in water. But many more unmonitored and invisible substances — or “contaminants of emerging concern” — in wastewater end up being dumped into the Great Lakes, which hold around 20 per cent of the world’s surface freshwater and about 85 per cent of North America’s. In Canada, no rule or law to prevent emerging contaminants from entering our water — something Hamza and her colleagues want to change. Click here to continue reading

Ontario to end wastewater surveillance program

Water Canada

Many researchers have expressed concern and disappointment over the move, citing that the program became one of the world’s leading and largest programs monitoring the spread of infectious diseases through wastewater. At a time when COVID-19 is once again gaining momentum, and other diseases like H5N1 avian influenza are also increasing, detailed health information the program provides is needed. Click here to continue reading

Calgary issues ‘critical water supply’ alert after water main break spurs boil water advisory

Global News

People living in the northwest Calgary community of Bowness had already been issued a boil water advisory as a result of a water main break that occurred on Wednesday night. “The break is on a critical transmission line that enables us to move water across the city”. Click here to continue reading

Watermain break in northwest Calgary triggers Alberta Emergency Alert that supply in critical state

CBC

A watermain break that left hundreds of homes without water Wednesday evening has triggered an Alberta Emergency Alert warning that Calgary’s water supply is in a critical state. The provincial alert, issued to Calgarians’ cellphones at 6:37 a.m., said the watermain break along 16th Avenue N.W. has affected the city’s ability to provide water to communities and ensure adequate water is available to support emergency fire suppression. Click here to continue reading

Prairie wetland loss estimates raise questions

The Western Producer

Scientists say the Water Security Agency’s claim that 86 per cent of Saskatchewan’s wetlands remain is based on recent rather than historical data. “And so I think the challenge there is that you risk missing things that have been drained many, many years ago, and land worked, and I think at best it can provide an underestimate of what the actual drainage number is.” Click here to continue reading

No Flood Mitigation Funding for Abbotsford, Merritt and Princeton

Water Canada

Three BC municipalities devasted by flooding in 2021, along with industry and business leaders are calling on the federal government to change the way it funds climate change disaster prevention after all being turned down for critical flood infrastructure funding through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF). The federal government launched the $2 billion DMAF in May 2018, adding an additional $1.375 billion in 2021, all of which is to be allocated over the next 9 years. DMAF is a national, competitive, and merit-based contribution program requiring communities to apply for funding through a competitive applications process. Click here to continue reading

Water Security Agency Investing $1M in Water Infrastructure Projects in Northern Saskatchewan

Water Canada

“A sustainable and reliable water supply is fundamental and is especially important in Northern Saskatchewan,” Water Security Agency Minister David Marit said. “As Northern Saskatchewan continues to grow, and we see increased water demands – maintaining our infrastructure is critical to continue to meet the social, environmental and economic needs for all users in these regions, including our Indigenous communities and rural municipalities.” Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Summer droughts in Northern hemisphere increasingly likely as seasonal streamflows change

Science Daily

Declining snowfall is changing the seasonal patterns of streamflow throughout the Northern hemisphere boosting chances of water shortages in the summer, scientists have found. Snowy areas in in the Rocky Mountains of North America, the European Alps and northern Europe are thawing prematurely as the Earth warms. Additionally, seasonal flows in less snowy areas are delayed as warm-season rain arrives later in the year becoming a more dominant source of river flow. Precipitation over winter is reduced. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: High groundwater depletion risk in South Korea in 2080s

Science Daily

Groundwater is literally the water found beneath the Earth’s surface. It forms when precipitation such as rain and snow seeps into the soil, replenishing rivers and lakes. This resource supplies our drinking water. However, a recent study has alarmed the scientific community by predicting that approximately three million people in currently untapped areas of Korea could face groundwater depletion by 2080. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Devastating Brazil floods made twice as likely by burning of fossil fuels and trees

The Guardian

During the peak of the rains on 1 May, the city of Santa Maria set a 24-hour rainfall record of 213.6mm. In just three days, the state capital, Porto Alegre, was inundated with two months’ worth of rain, transforming roads into rivers, football stadiums into lakes and damaging the city’s international airport so badly it remains closed. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: South Africa: new Drakensberg nature reserve will protect ancient rock art, wildlife, livelihoods, grasslands and water

The Conversation – Africa

Nearly 20% of water in the Vaal river system originates in the Northern Drakensberg – in other words, the Northern Drakensberg supplies water for about four million people. The way water is managed at the source matters for everyone who will eventually use the water. Click here to continue reading

Important Notice: Irrigation Season Water Supply Update May 2024

St. Mary River Irrigation District

On May 23, 2024 the Irrigation Water Supply Forecast from the Alberta Agriculture & Irrigation (AG&I) , indicates a below average water allocation for the 2024 Irrigation Season. The St. Mary Headworks Reservoirs are at 68% of Irrigation Storage Full Supply Limit. SMRID reservoirs have had storage gains since the March 2024 update. Click here to continue reading

International St. Mary and Milk Rivers Study Board Public Town Hall Meeting

International St. Mary and Milk Rivers Study Board

The International St. Mary and Milk Rivers Study Board will be holding a public town hall meeting June 5, 2024. All are welcome to attend. The purpose of this meeting is to update the public on the study’s progress, work plan and timeline of studies into 2024, as well as to solicit public feedback on future engagement. Some members of the study’s Technical Working Groups will be in attendance, with the Study Board presenting information on various technical topics these groups have been working on. The Study Board is very interested in hearing the perspectives of citizens around the basin and looks forward to conversing with a wide range of water users. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New Law to Provide Florida Homebuyers With More Transparency on Flood History

Inside Climate News

For the first time, Florida home sellers will have to disclose certain aspects of a property’s flood history, under legislation Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this week. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Using Less of the Colorado River Takes a Willing Farmer and $45 million in Federal Funds

Inside Climate News

The System Conservation Pilot Program is intended to help Upper Basin states reduce water usage, but some experts and participants say the costs and sacrifices outweigh the savings. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: DRC: Persistent water shortages continue to impact livelihoods in Goma

africanews

Dozens of women bring their empty jerry cans to the public fountain in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, to fetch drinking water for their families. But the wait at the fountain can last several hours. The city has been hit by a water shortage due to its adduction system reaching its limits as the city is growing and displaced people fleeing the war are considerably increasing the number of its inhabitants. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Every drop counts: New algorithm tracks Texas daily reservoir evaporation rates

EurekAlert!

Summer can be an extra challenging time for Texas’ 189 major water supply reservoirs. With temperatures consistently reaching 100 degrees or higher, reservoir evaporation rates see high increases. Accurate evaporation rate estimates are crucial for water resource managers, as reservoirs play an essential role in our social and economic systems by supplying water for agricultural, municipal, and industrial consumption. Reservoirs are also critical for mitigating impacts from droughts and floods. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water pipes burst in Atlanta, causing major outages and disruptions

The Guardian

Major water main breaks in Atlanta, Georgia, have caused significant outages and disruptions, as Mayor Andre Dickens has issued a state of emergency in the city and one local hospital had to evacuate some patients to other facilities. The breaks occurred on Friday when corroded water pipes burst near downtown Atlanta. According to utility and city officials, the site of the major water main break was repaired on Saturday, with the system gradually being brought back online and no contamination has been found as a result of the break. Click here to continue reading

Restoration of Trout Creek in the District of Summerland to improve water certainty, salmon habitat

Water Canada

Trout Creek is the primary water source for the District of Summerland and is the second largest community watershed in the Okanagan. At one time the creek used to meander across a 2.5 km wide fan between the canyon and the lake. Due to channelization in the 1940s and 1970s, and degradation since, it is now significantly narrower, the once abundant forests of cottonwood are minimal, and the salmon runs in this creek are almost extinct. Click here to continue reading

Fecal bacteria in Edmonton area lake prompts water quality advisory

Global News

A water quality advisory has been issued for Lake Summerside due to higher levels of fecal bacteria in the water, according to Alberta Health Services. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Bids for bathing water status in England paused in blow for river cleanups

The Guardian

River campaigners fear the block on new applications to create bathing water areas, which are regularly tested for water quality, has been introduced to stop water companies facing huge resource implications to tackle poor water quality in new bathing areas. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Is hard water bad for you? 2 water quality engineers explain the potential benefits and pitfalls that come with having hard water

The Conversation – Africa

When you turn on your faucet to get a glass of water or wash your face, you’re probably not thinking about what’s in your water – besides water. Depending on where you live and whether you have a water-softening system, your water might contain dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. And these minerals can play a role in whether certain pollutants such as lead stay out of your water. The more dissolved minerals, the “harder” your water. But is hard water actually good or bad for you? Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Could ‘Pee-Cycling’ Help Clean Cape Cod’s Water?

Scientific American

I would argue that wastewater is a resource. Here in the United States we’re not very good at reusing this resource, but in other parts of the world it’s something that they wouldn’t waste. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How water storage in weathered bedrock impacts evapotranspiration and stream runoff

Phys.org

Approximately 25–33% of the annual evapotranspiration in alpine shrub and forest regions comes from water stored in weathered bedrock layers that are replenished during winter and used by trees during summer and autumn. In wet years, the saturated weathered bedrock facilitates runoff generation through direct storage processes. Conversely, during dry years, the weathered bedrock is depleted of water, resulting in indirect storage processes that do not contribute to runoff generation. Click here to continue reading

Court certifies flooding lawsuit against Abbotsford, B.C., as class action

The Canadian Press

A judge has certified a class-action lawsuit alleging destruction in the November 2021 atmospheric river flooding in the Fraser Valley was magnified by improper operations of a pump station. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Tackling flash floods, urban heat, and other climate change threats in three sub-Saharan African Cities

Prevention Web

A new 3-year project will reduce climate-fuelled flood risks and enhance the resilience of approximately 2.2 million people in three sub-Saharan African cities while promoting gender equality and social inclusion and strengthening biodiversity protection. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Amid Water Crisis, Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Unevenly

Undark Magazine

Draining of aquifers is happening in Mexico City, which is gripped by a worsening water crisis. “The subsurface is like a sponge: We get the water out, and then it deforms, because it’s losing volume,” says Solano-Rojas. How much volume depends on the underlying sediment in a given part of the city — the ancient lake didn’t neatly layer equal proportions of clay and sand in every area. “That produces a lot of different behaviors on the surface”. Click here to continue reading

On the Pacific Coast, Dam Removal Renews the Shoreline

Undark Magazine

In the decade since two dams on the Elwha River were removed, scientists are seeing the effect on coastal ecosystems. Click here to continue reading

Water treatment plant renewal project remains behind schedule

Discover Moose Jaw

As for water supply, Johnson said Buffalo Pound gets about three per cent of the water taken from Lake Diefenbaker, with the other 97 per cent going north to the Saskatoon area. He said Buffalo Pound has about a three-year supply, while Lake Diefenbaker has an 18-year supply, so Johnson felt there was no concern about the supply of raw water. Click here to continue reading

Squamish environmental group challenges Woodfibre LNG, FortisBC wastewater permits

The Narwhal

Woodfibre LNG’s wastewater authorization allows the company to release effluent clouded by tiny particles and contaminated by copper, lead, vanadium and zinc into Howe Sound. The company began discharging wastewater from the site in mid-April and expects to continue doing so until the end of 2027. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Former California water official pleads guilty to conspiring to steal water from irrigation canal

The Canadian Press

A former California water official has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal water in a deal with federal prosecutors in the state’s crop-rich Central Valley. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Imagining a Radical New Relationship with the Mississippi River

Scientific American

Four thousand years ago the continent’s native inhabitants built enormous earthworks along the river, mysterious testaments from great civilizations. But too quickly, both on the continent and in Upholt’s telling, Indigenous peoples were forced offstage. Enter settlers and swindlers, pio­­­neers and politicians, all bent on unbending the river, ecosystems and human bodies deemed expendable along the way as engineers forced their will on the landscape. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Research to uncover the impact of water use in the Colorado River Basin

EurekAlert!

The study found that the agricultural demand for water is significantly higher than the water used by cities. The crops that need the most water are ones used for feeding cattle, such as alfalfa and hay, which are abundant in the area. The states that line the Colorado River raise roughly 14 million cattle per year. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Indonesian urban poor suffer the most in extreme weather caused by climate change

The Conversation Indonesia

We studied three flood-prone cities in Indonesia: Pontianak (West Kalimantan Province), Bima (West Nusa Tenggara Province) and Manado (West Sulawesi Province). We used fieldwork visits, observations, interviews and document analysis. We interviewed 57 informants during the data collection process, including government actors, community leaders, civil society organisation activists, and business people. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Horn of Africa droughts: how a network of groundwater bores could help – study

The Conversation – Africa

Fifty million people were directly affected and 100 million more were indirectly affected. About 20 million people risked acute food insecurity and potential famine, 4.4 million required humanitarian aid, and refugees fleeing drought and floods numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Tanzania’s dams: flood risk depends on how they’re planned and operated

The Conversation – Africa

There has been much debate in Tanzania on the causes of this disaster, particularly the presumed role of the new Julius Nyerere Dam, which is built on the river. Barnaby Dye has studied the development and funding of dams, including those in Tanzania. He provides some insights into the potential risks and solutions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘The impact is enormous’: Farmers in Sicily struggle to survive amid worst drought in 30 years

EuroNews Green

In the last six months of 2023, only 150 millimetres of rain fell on Sicily, the Italian island that is twice the size of some countries. A few months later, the region’s government declared a state of emergency due to the drought. Experts warned it could be the third worst water crisis the island has ever seen. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How an El Niño-Driven Drought Brought Hunger to Southern Africa

Yale Environment 360

A record-breaking drought, fueled by the El Niño weather pattern, has caused widespread crop failure and national emergency declarations in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Without harvests of maize, the staple food, millions in the region are facing a severe hunger crisis. Click here to continue reading

5 things to know about water pollution at Canada’s busiest port

The Narwhal

The B.C. government authorizes a range of facilities — from petroleum processors to chemical manufacturers — to release wastewater into Burrard Inlet. While some wastewater undergoes a degree of treatment, companies are not required to remove all contaminants. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Tackling water shortages with ‘Star Wars’ tech

BBC News

When a severe drought hit the Indian city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, in 2016, residents including student Swapnil Shrivastav had access to a limited amount of water each day. “We were rationed to two buckets of water a day, which we collected from water tanks,” he says. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Crippling’ drought in Zambia threatens hunger for millions, says minister

The Guardian

“What has happened this year is that we received well below the normal rainfall. This has been a crippling drought,” he said. “We’ve had a huge crop failure. A lot of people who depend on maize, who depend on agriculture for their very survival, face starvation and hunger.” The rains failed in February, when maize, the country’s staple crop, reaches the “tasselling” stage, when the grains start to fill. A lack of rainfall at that time means there is little prospect of saving most of the crop. Click here to continue reading

Investment made to protect homes and farms within Nicomekl River floodplains

Water Canada

This project will replace three aging sets of culverts, upgrade two spillways that control the release of flood water, and reinforce the dike height to help prevent waves from flowing back up the dike. Once completed, the project will help protect more than one kilometre of Highway 15 –a regional link to the Pacific Highway border crossing— more than 40 buildings, including homes and barns, over 400 hectares of agricultural lands, portions of 48th Avenue and 184th Street, and 500 metres of the provincial Roberts Bank Railway corridor. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The Other Border Dispute Is Over an 80-Year-Old Water Treaty

Inside Climate News

With another hot summer looming, Mexico is behind on its water deliveries to the United States, leading to water cutbacks in South Texas. A little-known US federal agency has hit a roadblock in its efforts to get Mexico to comply. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Importance of water for shared prosperity

India Water Portal

Access to clean water and sanitation is directly linked to health and educational outcomes. Safe water reduces the incidence of water-borne diseases, which significantly impacts public health, particularly in developing countries. Improved health, in turn, leads to better educational outcomes as children are more likely to attend school regularly and perform well academically. Click here to continue reading

Watch water quality this summer

The Western Producer

Snow was scarce on the Prairies earlier this winter, with temperatures rarely falling below -20 C, or even -10 C. With a drought stretching through multiple years, the dry winter is causing even more concern the Prairies won’t see as much runoff as usual, which could also affect water quality in dugouts. Click here to continue reading

Farmers remember the drought of 2001, one of the worst ever to hit southern Alberta crops

Calgary Herald

Before the droughts of 2023 and 2021, the drought of 2001 was the last big one to hit southern Alberta crops. Across the country, that drought cost Canada’s economy an estimated $5.8 billion. Click here to continue reading

Feds support water treatment infrastructure in Nunavut with $2M investment

Water Canada

“Investing in infrastructure is key to improving northerners’ quality of life and positioning Nunavut communities for growth,” said Vandal. “These crucial planning projects will lay the groundwork for improving the quality and accessibility of drinking water for Nunavummiut. We will continue to support projects that ensure the health and well-being of Nunavummiut for generations to come”. Click here to continue reading

‘We don’t give up,’ says farmer who spent $3M on irrigation technology to overcome drought

CBC

“We’re gonna have to change some of the things we do. Subsurface irrigation is one of those changes. But, you know, we don’t give up. We keep changing. We keep trying and experimenting”. Click here to continue reading

Southern Alberta reservoirs see water levels rise, dry summer still possible

CTV News

“The outlook right now is better than it was a few months ago when the reservoir levels were much lower. It is a blessing that we’ve seen this moisture”. “The province right now is trying to capture every drop that they can in the reservoir, which is why we’ve seen the increase”. Click here to continue reading

Tough water restrictions expected again on Sunshine Coast: ‘It’s just going to happen’

Global News

In 2022 the Sunshine Coast Regional District implemented extreme water restrictions due to extreme drought conditions. With snowpack on local mountains 30 per cent lower than average this spring, officials say they’re concerned about the potential for a repeat. Click here to continue reading

Study shifts water nutrient load responsibility

The Western Producer

A new study spearheaded by two University of Manitoba researchers is giving more insight into where nutrients running off into Prairie waterways are coming from, and pasture manure may not be the biggest culprit.The study, led by soil scientist David Lobb and Marcos Cordeiro of the department of animal science, sought to model nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the surface runoff of three watersheds: one each in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rising temperatures will significantly reduce streamflow in the upper Colorado river basin as groundwater levels fall, new research shows

EurekAlert!

The Colorado River makes life possible in many Western cities and supports agriculture that sustains people throughout the country. Most of the river’s water begins as snowmelt from the mountainous watersheds of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and a warming climate will drastically reduce these streamflows, new research finds. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Climate Change and Population Growth Intensify Water Scarcity Threat

AZoCleantech

According to the report, 55 % of people on the planet today reside in places with at least one month’s worth of uncontaminated water scarcity per year. Jones remarked, “By the end of the century, this may be as high as 66%”. Click here to continue reading

GNWT cancels Tulita and Norman Wells summer barges

Cabin Radio

The NWT government has scrapped summer resupply barges to Tulita and Norman Wells over record low water levels. Click here to continue reading

For half the year, residents in this Nunavik community say they bathe in yellow water

CBC

Rebecca Wynn describes what she sees coming out of her taps in Aupaluk, Que. as “yellow, pee-ish water.” She said she also has to take medication before every shower, because of the amount of chlorine injected into the town’s water supply to kill off any bacteria. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Tackling climate change in one of Colombia’s largest wetlands

Mongabay

La Mojana, a complex network of more than 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of different types of wetlands, has drastically deteriorated in recent decades. Thousands of farmers are working to restore their livelihoods, and the swamps, marshes and streams they inhabit. By doing so, they hope that floods and droughts, which are becoming more unpredictable and more severe than ever due to climate change, will affect them less. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Forever Chemicals Detected in Great Lakes Rain, Study Reveals

Environment+Energy Leader

A recent study published in Environmental Science & Technology has revealed that precipitation contributes similar amounts of PFAS to all five Great Lakes, although the rate at which these lakes eliminate PFAS varies significantly. Click here to continue reading

Mercury poisoning near Grassy Narrows First Nation worsened by ongoing industrial pollution, study suggests

CBC

A new study from the University of Western Ontario suggests mercury contamination in northwestern Ontario’s English-Wabigoon River has been made worse by ongoing industrial pollution. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Never-ending’ UK rain made 10 times more likely by climate crisis, study says

The Guardian

The seemingly “never-ending” rain last autumn and winter in the UK and Ireland was made 10 times more likely and 20% wetter by human-caused global heating, a study has found.More than a dozen storms battered the region in quick succession between October and March, which was the second-wettest such period in nearly two centuries of records. The downpour led to severe floods, at least 20 deaths, severe damage to homes and infrastructure, power blackouts, travel cancellations, and heavy losses of crops and livestock. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The global clean water crisis looms large

EurekAlert!

Water scarcity will intensify with climate and socioeconomic change, disproportionately impacting populations located in the Global South. So concludes a new Utrecht University article published in Nature Climate Change on 23 May 2024, which used a state-of-the-art global water quantity and quality model to estimate clean water scarcity until the end of the century. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Drinking Water Warning in New York as Mayor Issues Emergency Request

Newsweek

Mayor Waylyn Hobbs, Jr. hopes that the federal government will cover the cost of a new water treatment system, considering the village’s water system is more than 100 years old. However, it could take years to complete. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: When Will Vancouver Run Out of Water?

The Tyee

Environmental journalist Tim Smedley’s “The Last Drop” deserves extended attention, because our growing demands for water could outstrip even the resources of the B.C. coast. The 416-page volume is the product of years of research during which Smedley travelled the world and witnessed the consequences of climate change and ever-growing demand. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

EurekAlert!

For the first time, there is visible evidence showing that warm seawater is pumping underneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier—ominously nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier. An international team of scientists—including a researcher from the University of Waterloo—observed it using satellite imagery and warns that it could accelerate catastrophic sea level rise in 10 to 20 years. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Alaska’s rusting waters: Pristine rivers and streams turning orange

EurekAlert!

Dozens of Alaska’s most remote streams and rivers are turning from a crystal clear blue into a cloudy orange, and the staining could be the result of minerals exposed by thawing permafrost, new research in the Nature journal Communications: Earth and Environment finds.For the first time, a team of researchers from the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the University of California, Davis, and other institutions have documented and sampled some of the impaired waters, pinpointing 75 locations across a Texas-sized area of northern Alaska’s Brooks Range. These degraded rivers and streams could have significant implications for drinking water and fisheries in Arctic watersheds as the climate changes, the researchers said. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Smoke covered 70% of California during biggest wildfire years

Science Daily

The study measured lake responses to wildfire smoke in 2018, 2020 and 2021 — the three largest fire seasons on record in California. It found the lakes were exposed on average to 33 days of high-density smoke between July and October, with August and September having the highest number of smoky days. The extent of wildfire in California has quintupled since the 1970s, the study notes. Yet little is known about the impact of smoke on lake ecosystems. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Unraveling the drought dilemma: Can reservoirs be a carbon source?

Science Daily

Professor Jonghun Kam and Kwang-Hun Lee, a PhD student, from the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) analyzed water quantity and quality data from domestic agricultural reservoirs to shed light on the hydrological impacts of a severe drought on degrading the water quality. Their research findings were recently published in Water Research. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: More than third of Amazon rainforest struggling to recover from drought, study finds

The Guardian

Four supposedly “one-in-a-century” dry spells in less than 20 years, highlighting how a human-disrupted climate is putting unusually intense strains on trees and other plants, many of which are dying of dehydration. In the past, the canopy of the South American tropical forest, which covers an area equivalent to about half of Europe, would shrink and expand in tandem with the annual dry and rainy seasons. It also had the capacity to bounce back from a single drought. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Engineers Unveil Sustainable Water Purification Technology to Tackle World’s Overreliance On Bottled Water

AZoCleantech

Despite advances in modern infrastructure, many homes, businesses and tourism hotspots still rely on bottled water or costly and hard-to-maintain private water supplies, especially in rural areas. In Scotland alone, approximately 24,000 properties are dependent on these unsuitable solutions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water pollution in Jakarta: Some residents resort to buying clean water from neighbours

Channel News Asia

“Getting clean water is really difficult. When I first installed a pump, the water didn’t come out,” said the 63-year-old, who lives in the densely populated sub-district Kalibaru in North Jakarta’s coastal Cilincing area. “I wanted to re-install it, but I had to pay a subscription. I would have to pay a 2 million rupiah (US$125) subscription. In the end, it was better for me to just cut it off, at least I can still buy water.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Floods battering Brazil, Afghanistan are extreme climate events scientists warn we aren’t prepared for

CBC

Too much water is the reverse of last year’s historic drought in the Amazon, but whether it’s flooding or drought, scientists say extreme events are more frequent and battering many parts of the world. Click here to continue reading

‘Water-wise’: How Calgary yards can be built to resist drought

Calgary Herald

Ahead of what may be a summer of drought-induced water restrictions in Calgary, there are ways to keep yards looking pristine — all while using less water. “You want to pick plants where they aren’t rainwater or ‘water divas’,” Maier said. “They don’t benefit from this kind of environment”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Climate stress means South Asia needs new formulas to share water

Nikkei Asia

Amid scorching heatwaves and intensifying drought across South and Southeast Asia, water availability is reaching critical levels in many places. April temperatures shattered records globally. This added to the pressure of below-normal rainfall last year in many parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and along the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in India and Bangladesh. Click here to continue reading

B.C. Watershed Security Fund launched to support watershed projects

Water Canada

The B.C. Watershed Security Fund (the Fund) is launching its first phase of support for watershed projects and initiatives to help communities respond to urgent and long-term watershed needs. The Fund’s first grant program application intake opens June 3, 2024 until June 26, 2024. A larger intake and funding stream is planned to open in late 2024/early 2025. Click here to continue reading

City of Lethbridge taking proactive steps to conserve water

Water Canada

The City of Lethbridge is leading by example in water conservation efforts. The Water Conservation Plan and Strategy targets a decrease in overall water use in Lethbridge by 20 per cent by 2030. In response to potential drought conditions this year, the corporation is implementing internal water restrictions ahead of any mandated changes. Click here to continue reading

Lethbridge water rescue team provides safety tips for river users

Global News

Water levels are high on the Old Man River due to spring run-off and recent rain, creating potential hazards for river users. The Lethbridge water rescue team hit the river on Thursday to brush up on some rescue tactics and familiarize themselves with the rising water levels and new hazards that may be afloat. Click here to continue reading

‘Forever chemicals’ found to rain down on all five Great Lakes

Science Daily

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals,’ have become persistent pollutants in the air, water and soil. Because they are so stable, they can be transported throughout the water cycle, making their way into drinking water sources and precipitation. Precipitation introduces similar amounts of PFAS into each of the Great Lakes; however, the lakes eliminate the chemicals at different rates. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Trees on UT’s campus endure droughts with help from leaky pipes

EurekAlert!

Even in dry times, Waller Creek on The University of Texas at Austin campus is never without water. That’s because a significant portion of the water that flows through it — anywhere from 25% to 50% — can be traced to wastewater from leaky city pipes.
But there’s a silver lining to the less-than-perfect plumbing, according to new research. The water flowing through the creek sustains trees growing along it, allowing them to thrive during drought conditions that take a toll on trees growing along streams in more rural areas. Click here to continue reading

Rain helps stall wildfire near Canadian oil city

Reuters
Overnight rain helped firefighters stall a large wildfire near the Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray, Alberta and wet weather on Thursday was expected to further aid containment efforts, local officials said. Click here to continue reading

No showers, full sewage tanks: Nunavik residents say water system can’t meet growing demand

CBC
Purvirnituq is just one of several communities in the autonomous Nunavik region of Quebec’s far north that does not have pipe infrastructure and is struggling with water problems. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands

The Conversation – Global
Caribbean islands are in a water crisis, and their governments have warned that water scarcity may become the new norm. Within the past five years, every island in the region has experienced some sort of water scarcity. Click here to continue reading

Alberta’s Water Sharing “Agreements”

Ablawg.ca
Legal analysis and comment on the recently negotiated Alberta water-sharing MOUs which may be implemented in 2024. Click here to continue reading

Sask. wetland retention number questioned

The Western Producer
The opposition NDP claims the government is overstating the percentage of wetlands that remain intact in the province. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: With rivers across the West running low, utilities get creative

National Observer
Nathalie Voisin, chief scientist for water-energy dynamics at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, said much of the latest research suggests an increase in total annual hydroelectric power in the region but uncertainties remain. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Britons warned to boil water on concern over parasite contamination in Devon areas

Reuters
Residents in part of Devon in southwestern England were warned on Wednesday to boil water before consuming it after the region’s water utility found traces of an intestinal parasite that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Brazil flooding will take weeks to subside, experts warn

Reuters
razil’s southernmost state capital may suffer severe flooding for weeks to come, experts warn, compounding the struggles of half a million people forced to abandon their inundated homes. Click here to continue reading

Buying and selling water is a reality in Alberta — sometimes for big money

CBC
Benchmark prices have been set in the water market, but it remains broadly opaque. Click here to continue reading

Water in N.W.T.’s Great Slave Lake is now so low, some houseboats won’t float

CBC
According to the latest water monitoring report, issued by the territorial government last week, Great Slave Lake is the lowest it’s ever been recorded at this time of year. The low water means there are vast areas of exposed land in Yellowknife Bay that are typically underwater. Click here to continue reading

Use of alert system delayed during deadly flash flooding in Nova Scotia: report

The Canadian Press
A new report on flash flooding in Nova Scotia that killed three children and one adult last year says the municipality of West Hants faced several challenges in transmitting timely emergency alerts to the public. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: In a Dammed and Diked Mekong, a Push to Restore the Flow

Yale Environment 360
Facing increasing land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and flooding linked with development, Vietnam has committed to changing its approach to managing the Mekong Delta. New initiatives call for retrofitting dikes and dams to restore flood regimes, using nature as a guide. Click here to continue reading

Canada’s mountain lakes fed by glaciers are losing their dazzling blue, documentary shows

CTV News

The documentary, called Losing Blue, was shot at 10 different alpine lakes including Peyto Lake, Moraine Lake and Lake Louise from 2020 to 2023. “All lakes are born through glaciation and volcanic activity and things like that,” Allison said. “All lakes eventually fill with sediment and die”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New Mexico forges rule for treatment and reuse of oil-industry fracking water amid protests

Associated Press

Environmental officials in New Mexico took initial steps Monday toward regulating the treatment and reuse of oil industry fracking water as the state grapples with scarce water supplies and fossil fuel producers confront shrinking opportunities for wastewater disposal. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Too much water, and not enough: Brazil’s flooded south struggles to access basic goods

Associated Press

The mayor of a major city in southern Brazil on Tuesday pleaded with residents to comply with his water rationing decree, given that some four-fifths of the population is without running water, a week after major flooding. Click here to continue reading

Irrigation season starts in southern Alberta

Global News

“As irrigation season goes on, we’re going to make changes to it depending on how much rain we get”. David Westwood from Saint Mary River Irrigation District says it will be a demanding season ahead, but he is still optimistic. Click here to continue reading

Group looking to save Alberta wetland from becoming a racetrack launches a legal battle

CTV News

Residents looking to save a portion of land near an Alberta hamlet from becoming a racetrack have launched a legal battle against a provincially run appeals board and the Alberta government. Local landowners are against the idea, saying it would destroy two critical wetlands. Click here to continue reading

Short and Long Term Solutions for Alberta’s Water Crisis

Alberta Land Institute

Despite recent snowfall in parts of the province, Alberta remains at risk of facing drought this spring and summer. The province operates under a water licencing system that complicates water allocation in times of scarcity. Click here to continue reading

Opinion: Saskatchewan farmers take responsible approach to drainage

Saskatoon Star Phoenix

These salts are inherently found in our soil and come to the surface (in solution form) when ground water levels are high. When the ground water evaporates, the soluble salts are left behind, creating an imbalance in the soil, which is not favourable for most plants. Click here to continue reading

Alberta towns offer incentives to replace grass lawns with drought-resistant alternatives

Global News

Cochrane resident Rebecca Carroll’s front yard used to be covered in grass that needed watering. It now brims with rock material, mulch and drought resistant plants. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: NSW weather: Warragamba dam spills over as heavy rainfall warning issued for south coast

The Guardian

Sydney’s Warragamba dam began spilling over for the second time in a month on Sunday after heavy downpours across New South Wales. WaterNSW has confirmed the dam began spilling at 7.30am after widespread rain across the city’s catchments. Click here to continue reading

These Nova Scotians say they felt tricked into paying thousands for water systems

CBC

For Natalie Lent, every day in her home feels like a boil water advisory since she only uses bottled water, even for cooking. But there has been no official warning. In fact, the Nova Scotia woman has three new filtration systems for her well water, valued at nearly $12,000, collecting dust. Click here to continue reading

‘Water, water, water’: Ontario housing minister says $1B infrastructure fund will help cities and towns like Collingwood pay for water, wastewater projects

Simcoe News

‘We literally heard from 444 municipalities that they can’t build 1.5 million homes without water and wastewater’. During a recent stop in Collingwood, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra said the key to the province’s growth plan over the decade is simple: “Water, water, water.”. Click here to continue reading

Indigenous community members walk around Pigeon Lake to raise awareness for water issues

CBC

Every Mother’s Day weekend, members of Indigenous communities make a long journey around Pigeon Lake as part of a Water Awareness Walk. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Supercharged thunderstorms: have we underestimated how climate change drives extreme rain and floods?

The Conversation – United States

A hotter atmosphere has the capacity to hold more moisture. But the condensation of water vapour to make rain droplets releases heat. This, in turn, can fuel stronger convection in thunderstorms, which can then dump substantially more rain. Click here to continue reading

CELA and OMWA call for action to reduce lead amounts in Ontario drinking water

Water Canada

Ontario’s lead in drinking water standard remains too high to protect public health. Lead is a serious public health concern, especially for children and older adults. Despite Health Canada’s expert recommendation that the lead in drinking water standard be lowered to 5 ug/L five years ago, Ontario’s standard remains twice that level, at 10 ug/L. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Farmers’ union lobbied to increase pesticide limit in UK drinking water

The Guardian

“The suggestion that pesticide residues in water should be allowed to increase is very concerning, particularly at a time when much of our freshwater is already in very poor condition, not least from agricultural runoff”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Will Mexico City Run Out of Water?

Scientific American

The global press recently warned that as early as June 2024, Mexico City, home to 22 million people, could face “Day Zero—the complete loss of fresh water at the taps. The situation on the ground, although dire, is more nuanced. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Costa Rica to ration electricity as drought bites

Phys.org

Costa Rica has become the latest Latin American country to introduce rationing due to drought, announcing Thursday it will limit access to electricity for which it relies heavily on hydro-generation. Dams that feed the country’s hydro-electric plants were low due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, officials said. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Kenya floods: as the costs add up pressure mounts on a country in economic crisis

The Conversation – Africa

There were early warnings that Kenya’s long rain season – between March and May – was going to bring above-normal rainfall. The extreme intensity of the rain has resulted in devastating floods in many parts of the country. Forty of the country’s 47 counties have been affected. Click here to continue reading

Drought signs raise fears of another fish die-off in B.C. rivers

CBC

Scientists and others like Shepherd worry that climate change and the threat of another year of drought could have further dire consequences for populations of salmon, trout and other fish in B.C. “Water is life, water is our kin and the water is the home and habitat for more than fish. We are all connected, everything is connected,” Shepherd said. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Disease and hunger soar in Latin America after floods and drought, study finds

The Guardian

In a summary of last year’s toll in this region, the WMO said disasters and climate change, along with socioeconomic shocks, are the main drivers of acute food insecurity, which affects 13.8 million people. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: In Millions of Homes, High Fluoride in Tap Water May Be a Concern

Undark Magazine

Many cities add low levels of fluoride to drinking water in a bid to prevent tooth decay, but the policy has long been controversial. Lost in that debate are the roughly 3 million Americans whose water naturally contains higher concentrations of fluoride — often at levels that even some fluoridation advocates now acknowledge could have neurodevelopmental effects. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Barcelona is banking on a floating desalination plant to fight drought in northeastern Spain

EuroNews Green

Local authorities say it is a more economical and environmentally sustainable solution than shipping in water. Spain’s drought-stricken region of Catalonia will install a floating desalination plant to help the city of Barcelona guarantee its drinking water supply, regional authorities said Thursday. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Payment plans key for solar water pumping in Sub-Saharan Africa

PV Magazine

If solar-powered irrigation pumps can be rolled out in a responsible manner at scale, the impact on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa could be transformational. The urgency of the climate crisis is felt across sub-Saharan Africa. As droughts and floods become more common and severe, crops fail and traditional rain-fed agriculture is becoming increasingly unreliable. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: As climate change amplifies urban flooding, here’s how communities can become ‘sponge cities’

The Conversation – United States

“When it rains, it pours” once was a metaphor for bad things happening in clusters. Now it’s becoming a statement of fact about rainfall in a changing climate. Across the continental U.S., intense single-day precipitation events are growing more frequent, fueled by warming air that can hold increasing levels of moisture. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: As climate change amplifies urban flooding, here’s how communities can become ‘sponge cities’

Phys.org

“When it rains, it pours” once was a metaphor for bad things happening in clusters. Now it’s becoming a statement of fact about rainfall in a changing climate. Across the continental U.S., intense single-day precipitation events are growing more frequent, fueled by warming air that can hold increasing levels of moisture. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: From treatment to tap: discovering the secrets of pathogen survival in drinking water systems

EurekAlert!

Before it even touches our lips, drinking water is purified through a series of processes referred to as the “treatment train” at a centralized treatment plant. Utilities then add a disinfectant like chlorine or chloramine to the water to control the regrowth of microorganisms in both the distribution system and building plumbing. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Turning Water into Land: Major Landfill Projects Around the World

ArchDaily

The idea of transforming water into land has captivated humanity for centuries. The Netherlands, for example, is a pioneering nation in this field, where approximately 20% of the territory has been reclaimed from the sea or lakes using dikes to control water flow and dry the surfaces. As technology has advanced, this practice has become more widespread. Today, China leads the way, joined by urban centers in the global south, such as cities in West Africa, East Asia, and the Middle East. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Worried about flood damage to your home? Here’s what you can do

Global News

Despite a dry winter for much of Canada, attention is turning to flood risk as the country thaws out and spring storms blow in.
Environment Canada warned of heavy rainfall sweeping most of southern Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan through Wednesday. Already this year, heavy rain prompted evacuations in New Brunswick as well as flooding in Quebec. Click here to continue reading

Algonquin leaders seek answers on toxic sewage discharge at nuclear lab

CBC
Algonquin leaders are demanding accountability after learning Canadian Nuclear Laboratories discharged toxic sewage at the Chalk River research hub along the Ottawa River this spring. Click here to continue reading

Drought and Flood Protection Program now open

Government of Alberta
Alberta’s new Drought and Flood Protection Program is now accepting applications for projects to help protect homes, businesses and lives. Click here to continue reading

Fear of sinking real estate values hinders flood mapping

National Observer
Along Canadian coastlines and waterfronts, increased erosion, storm surges and rising seas are putting more homes at risk of flooding. However, an East Coast researcher has found many people oppose flood-risk mapping because they fear their real estate will be devalued. Click here to continue reading

York Region annual drinking water inspection receives top marks for fifth straight year

Water Canada
The Regional Municipality of York scored 100% in Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks drinking water system inspections, confirming York Region’s high-quality water and excellent compliance with regulatory requirements. Click here to continue reading

Some Alberta farmers might get a perfect storm, but the downpour’s not good news for all

CBC
Environment and Climate Change Canada is expecting a “ton” of rain for eastern, central and southern Alberta. Some communities in the southern part of the province are forecast to receive a third of their annual rain accumulation between Tuesday and Wednesday. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Texas Companies Eye Pecos River Watershed for Oilfield Wastewater

Inside Climate News
Texas regulators are issuing permits to discharge treated produced water. But questions remain about toxic pollutants in the wastewater. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: NASA-Led Study Provides New Global Accounting of Earth’s Rivers

NASA JPL
A study led by NASA researchers provides new estimates of how much water courses through Earth’s rivers, the rates at which it’s flowing into the ocean, and how much both of those figures have fluctuated over time — crucial information for understanding the planet’s water cycle and managing its freshwater supplies. Underlying research paper: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01421-5. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Parched Texas growing season looms as US, Mexico spar over water treaty

Reuters

Texas farm groups warn of a disastrous season ahead for citrus and sugar as Mexican and U.S. officials try to resolve a dispute over a decades-old water treaty that supplies U.S. farmers with critical irrigation.
The neighboring countries have tussled over the 1944 treaty before, but the current drought-driven water shortages are the most severe in nearly 30 years and add to existing political tensions over genetically modified corn. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Northumbrian Water told to publish raw sewage discharge data it tried to hide

The Guardian

A water company that tried to keep secret details of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of raw sewage discharges into the sea has been ordered by an appeal tribunal to release the data in the public interest. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘We know the state is not going to help us’: Why residents of Jackson, Mississippi are still fighting for clean water

Fast Company

The roots of Jackson’s water crisis lie in decades of disinvestment and neglect. Like many other midsize cities around the country, such as Pittsburgh and St. Louis, Jackson declined after white, middle-class residents relocated to the suburbs, taking tax dollars away from infrastructure in increasing need of repair. Click here to continue reading

Long waitlists for rain barrels as drought, water restriction concerns loom over Calgary

Calgary Herald

“Awareness is there that we need to collect our rainwater so that we are able to water our plants and not use (tap water), understanding how valuable our tap water is.” Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Brazil floods: Dam collapses and death toll rises in Rio Grande do Sul

BBC News

A hydroelectric dam has collapsed in southern Brazil after days of heavy rains that triggered massive flooding, killing more than 30 people. Click here to continue reading

Ontario Ministry of Health promises to continue public testing of private well water

Cottage Life

After weeks of questions from opposition critics and public health units surrounding an Auditor General’s report that noted a possible discontinuation of public testing of well water, the Ministry of Health says it intends to keep free well water testing in the province. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Oil palm plantations are driving massive downstream impact to watershed

Phys.org

While many studies have shown the loss of biodiversity when rainforests are converted to oil palm plantations, researchers at the University of Massachusetts of Amherst are the first to show far-reaching and wide-ranging disturbances to the watersheds in which such plantations occur. Because many Indigenous peoples rely on water downstream from the plantations for their daily needs, the marked decrease in water quality has the potential to exacerbate public health issues in Indigenous communities. Click here to continue reading

Lawn watering restrictions begin today in Metro Vancouver

Vancouver Sun

Lawn watering restrictions are now in effect throughout Metro Vancouver. The regional district is reminding residents and businesses that they may only water their lawns one morning a week to conserve drinking water ahead of what is expected to be a hot and dry summer. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Morocco’s farming revolution: Defying drought with science

Phys.org

By 2040, Morocco is poised to face “extremely high” water stress, a dire prediction from the World Resources Institute, a non-profit research organization. Looking to maximize production, farmers are experimenting with planting times and judicious irrigation. Even a scant 10 millimeters of water, carefully applied, transformed barren soil into thriving fields. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Kenya’s devastating floods expose decades of poor urban planning and bad land management

Phys.org

Death and destruction have also occurred in the capital, Nairobi, a stark reminder of the persistent failure to keep abreast of the city’s rapid urbanization needs. Sean Avery, who has undertaken numerous flood and drainage studies throughout Africa, unpacks the problems and potential solutions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Precipitation may brighten Colorado River’s future, says modeling study

Phys.org

The Colorado River’s future may be a little brighter than expected, according to a new modeling study from CIRES researchers. Warming temperatures, which deplete water in the river, have raised doubts the Colorado River could recover from a multi-decade drought. The new study fully accounts for both rising temperatures and precipitation in the Colorado’s headwaters, and finds precipitation, not temperature, will likely continue to dictate the flow of the river for the next 25 years. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Big River Watch: public to monitor UK and Irish rivers for pollution

The Guardian

People in Britain and Ireland are being asked to monitor their local rivers for pollution so a leading water charity can measure the scale of the sewage crisis. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Severe Drought in Southern Africa

NASA Earth Observatory

A prolonged dry spell in southern Africa in early 2024 scorched crops and threatened food security for millions of people. The drought has been fueled in large part by the ongoing El Niño, which shifted rainfall patterns during the growing season.From late January through mid-March, parts of Southern Africa received half or less of their typical rainfall, according to researchers at the Climate Hazards Center. Precipitation would normally be highest from December through February. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: El Niño weather is leading to droughts and power cuts in South America

NPR

A drought, brought about by the El Niño weather pattern, has upended life in several South American cities this year, with consequences that include water rationing and power cuts as well as forest fires.But a long spell of dry weather that began in November has depleted the reservoirs that the city depends on for its tap water, leading officials to ration water in the city of 8 million people for the first time in decades. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Texas Flood Map Shows Where Residents Told to Evacuate

Newsweek

A flood map showed where in Harris County, Texas, residents should evacuate as heavy rain caused major flooding along the Trinity River on Tuesday night. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Children of Flint water crisis make change as young environmental and health activists

Associated Press

Flint reconnected to its old water line shortly afterward, but pipes continued to release lead. The state provided residents filters and bottled water.“I felt responsible for forcing my child to drink something that was hurting her so bad, and I didn’t believe her”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Improved AI process could better predict water supplies

EurekAlert!

A new computer model uses a better artificial intelligence process to measure snow and water availability more accurately across vast distances in the West, information that could someday be used to better predict water availability for farmers and others. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A virus could help save billions of gallons of wastewater produced by fracking E

EurekAlert!

Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have identified a novel means of treating the wastewater generated by oil and gas production: bacteriophages. If the work is successful, it would give the oil and gas industry a means of treating, reusing and recycling produced water, rather than the current industry practice of disposing the majority of produced water by injecting it into the ground post oil exploration. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Study says California’s 2023 snowy rescue from megadrought was a freak event. Don’t get used to it

Phys.org

Looking at different scenarios of emissions of heat-trapping gases in the future, she said it would be “increasingly rare” for most people alive now to see snow like this in California in the future. Her team’s calculations show that these 1-in-20 year deluges will be 58% smaller by the end of this century compared to recent decades, with even just moderate climate change. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘A serious risk’: Mexican villagers take on cartel-backed avocado farms as water dries up

EuroNews Green

After enduring years of drought and ‘invading’ fruit farmers in Mexico, desperate Mexican villagers are taking direct action on commercial avocado farms that are drying up streams while a severe drought drags on. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Is Russia ready for climate change? Mass floods expose lack of adaptation, campaigners say

EuroNews Green

Mass floods in Russia have thrown a spotlight on the country’s approach to managing the increasing risks it faces from climate change. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Dozens dead after dam bursts amid torrential rain in Kenya

The Guardian

At least 45 people died when a makeshift dam burst its banks near a town in Kenya’s Rift valley in the early hours of Monday, police said, as torrential rains and floods hit the country. Click here to continue reading

Atlantic First Nations Water Authority partners with Dalhousie to deliver world-class water treatment

Water Canada

The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority (AFNWA) made history in 2018 by incorporating as the first Indigenous-owned and -led water utility in Canada. It was a significant step for First Nations in the region toward self-determination and control of the resource that is central to the health of their communities and protection of the environment. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rain gardens and bathwater reuse becoming trends, RHS says

The Guardian

Rain gardens and bathwater are becoming gardening trends, the Royal Horticultural Society has said, as gardeners battle predicted water shortages caused by climate breakdown. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Managing meandering waterways in a changing world

Science Daily

Just as water moves through a river, rivers themselves move across the landscape. They carve valleys and canyons, create floodplains and deltas, and transport sediment from the uplands to the ocean. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Water everywhere’: Shropshire farmers race to salvage harvest after record rain

The Guardian

In north Shropshire, Ed Tate is used to flooding on his land – but this year, the sheer level of rainfall is the worst he has ever seen. He points to a field where about 20% of wheat crops have failed as they have been covered with rainwater that has pooled in muddy puddles, in areas that would usually be a sea of green by now. Click here to continue reading

B.C. farmers determined to get out in front of drought

National Observer

A staggering 95 per cent of B.C.’s agricultural land is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions. “I live just off the South Thompson [River] here and I’ve never seen it so low. I don’t think there’s much of the river that you can’t walk across right now”. Click here to continue reading

Fear over fate of Glenbow, Haskayne Parks as province seeks input on Bow River flood mitigation

Calgary Herald

A public input process to help determine flood mitigation measures on the Bow River that could devastate two parks is being rushed, says an advocate for Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Global heating and urbanisation to blame for severity of UAE floods, study finds

The Guardian

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution team said downpours in El Niño years such as this one had become 10-40% heavier in the region as a result of human-cased climate disruption, while a lack of natural drainage quickly turned roads into rivers. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: California sets long-awaited drinking water limit for ‘Erin Brockovich’ contaminant

Associated Press

The rule is the first in the nation to specifically target the heavy metal, known as chromium-6, and is expected to reduce the number of cancer and kidney disease cases from long-term ingestion, state officials say. More than 200 million Americans are estimated to have the chemical compound in their drinking water, according to an analysis of federal water testing data by the Environmental Working Group. Click here to continue reading

Manitoba First Nation sues governments over chronic flooding, wants protection

CTV News

The lawsuit also alleges two nearby municipalities diverted water from their areas to improve drainage, but in a way that added to flooding on the reserve’s land. Click here to continue reading

The longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces

EurekAlert!

Oil is an important natural resource for many industries, but it can lead to serious environmental damage when accidentally spilled. While large oil spills are highly publicized, every year there are many smaller-scale spills into lakes, rivers and oceans. Approximately 600,000 gallons of oil were accidentally spilled into the environment in 2023, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, a group that monitors oil spills. This figure represents ocean spills as well as freshwater spills in rivers and lakes. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Is filtered water healthier than tap water?

BBC News

Table-top filters can remove contaminants from tap water – but are they really necessary, and could they cause unintentional harm? Proponents argue that filtering water can bring about numerous benefits, from removing toxins and pathogens to reducing hardness and improving odour and taste. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Mexican communities fighting for water

Associated Press

As a drought in Mexico drags on, angry subsistence farmers have begun taking direct action on the water-intensive avocado orchards and berry fields of commercial farms that are drying up streams in the mountains west of Mexico City. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Flint residents grapple with water crisis a decade later: ‘If we had the energy left, we’d cry’

The Guardian

Studies later showed that after officials changed Flint’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, the percentage of children with elevated levels of lead levels in their blood doubled – and in some parts of the city, tripled. “Flint was a poor community and majority people of color,” Harris said. “If it had been in another community – a majority white or more affluent community – I think actions would have been taken much sooner”. Click here to continue reading

Province asks all southern Alberta municipalities to reduce water usage

Calgary Herald

The province is “strongly encouraging” southern Alberta municipalities not participating in recently signed water-sharing agreements to decrease usage and implement reduction measures.
The request comes after the Alberta government signed four voluntary deals with 38 major southern Alberta water users last week.“We’ve made it clear to everybody as we go to these water restrictions, everybody needs to abide by them,” said Snodgrass. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water theft laws and penalties in the Murray-Darling Basin are a dog’s breakfast. Here’s how we can fix them

The Conversation – Australia

Water is one of Australia’s most valuable commodities. Rights to take water from our nation’s largest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, are worth almost A$100 billion. These rights can be bought and sold or leased, with trade exceeding A$2 billion a year. But water is also being stolen (no-one knows how much) and the thieves usually get away with it. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Climate change makes life harder: in South Africa it’s likely to bring heatwaves, water stress and gender-based violence

The Conversation – Africa

South Africa is feeling the impacts of global warming. Heat is frequent and more intense. Human-induced climate change made the severe 2015–2017 drought three to six times more likely. But climate change also doubled the likelihood of the heavy rain that hit parts of South Africa in April 2022, which led to 400 people being killed and many thousands forced to flee their homes. Click here to continue reading

High and dry: Federal budget 2024 misses the mark on water-related investments

The Conversation – Canada

Across the country, Canadians are worried as they look ahead to summer. Forest fires in British Columbia are expected to begin earlier and last longer this year and severe multi-year droughts are forecast for the Prairies. Other Canadians are also bracing themselves for — or are already experiencing — extreme flood conditions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Removing PFAS from public water systems will cost billions and take time – here are ways you can filter out harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at home

The Conversation – Africa

Chemists invented PFAS in the 1930s to make life easier: Nonstick pans, waterproof clothing, grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant carpet were all made possible by PFAS. But in recent years, the growing number of health risks found to be connected to these chemicals has become increasingly alarming. PFAS – perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are now either suspected or known to contribute to thyroid disease, elevated cholesterol, liver damage and cancer, among other health issues. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Workers attempt to repair a water main break in Jackson, Miss.

The Conversation

Climate change is threatening America’s water infrastructure as intensifying storms deluge communities and droughts dry up freshwater supplies in regions that aren’t prepared. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Zimbabwe: El Niño drought causes major drop in Lake Kariba levels – a disaster for people and wildlife

The Conversation – Africa

Water levels at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe have dropped dramatically because of the latest El Niño drought. The country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has declared a national disaster. Historian and social scientist Joshua Matanzima grew up at Lake Kariba and has spent the past 10 years researching socioeconomic life there. He discusses the impact of the latest drought on the people of the area. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Angry farmers in a once-lush Mexican state target avocado orchards that suck up too much water

Toronto Star

As a drought in Mexico drags on, angry subsistence farmers have begun taking direct action on thirsty avocado orchards and berry fields of commercial farms that are drying up streams in the mountains west of Mexico City. Click here to continue reading

For First Nations in Alberta, drought only compounds existing water issues

CBC

It’s a reality faced by many First Nations in Alberta, even without the drought — limited access to safe drinking water due to a variety of factors, including lack of funding, infrastructure or source water protection, while caught in jurisdictional tension between the federal and provincial government. The situation is one of the legacies of colonialism. Click here to continue reading

Drought concern prompts water cap on Kelowna farmers

Global News

Concerns about water supply are coming to a head in Kelowna, as the city is putting a cap on water usage this summer for local farmers. As Jayden Wasney reports, some local cherry farmers fear this could decimate their already endangered crops. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: After Zerodha founder’s bold suggestion on Bengaluru water crisis, 300 phone calls in a day and a big debate

Economic Times

“I believe decentralized solutions that upgrade residential STP (sewage treatment plants) discharge could be the next frontier. It’s an opportunity to close the loop on our water cycle. The water crisis is a wake-up call to reimagine how we manage every drop. Initiatives that transform wastewater from a liability into a resource hold immense promise for sustainable urban water security.”. Click here to continue reading

Taps turned off for those who defy watering rules: Merritt mayor

CBC

The whole point is to make sure there’s water later in the season, when things could be more dire. “It’s really simple. If you don’t have water, you don’t have a town. It’s that simple. It’s over.”. Click here to continue reading

Water restrictions mean no top-ups for Calgary’s manmade lakes starting June 1

CityNews Calgary

“We are a closed system at Lake Sundance, so we are not directly connected to any of the local rivers or tributaries,” she said. “Yes, drought would affect our lake levels, because we’re just the same as the province with precipitation and not seeing the snowfall and rainfall we were hoping to.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New radar analysis method can improve winter river safety

Science Daily

“Arctic warming has changed the ways rivers freeze and has impacted rural winter river travel due to later freeze-ups, mid-winter open water zones and earlier breakups,” the authors write. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Untreated sewage: Some 20m tonnes spilled every year

BBC News

“Northern Ireland is the only jurisdiction in the whole of the UK and Ireland without real-time water quality reports, so that’s something that we’re trying to get more of over here. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Scientists discover that the natural purification of groundwater is enhanced by nitrate

Phys.org

In recent years, the world has been experiencing floods and droughts as extreme rainfall events have become more frequent due to climate change. For this reason, securing stable water resources throughout the year has become a national responsibility called “water security,” and “Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR)”, which stores water in the form of groundwater in the ground when water resources are available and withdraws it when needed, is attracting attention as an effective water resource management technique. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Montreal-area teen visits Kenya to see wells he helped build from home

CTV News

Joshua Morin-Surette learned about the importance of clean water when he was seven years old. Since then, he’s dedicated his free time to raising money to build wells in Kenya. In March, he got to see the fruits of his labour for the first time ever. Click here to continue reading

USask celebrates launch of Canada’s freshwater monitoring network

Water Canada

Led by USask in partnership with eight other Canadian universities, The Global Water Futures Observatories (GWFO) is a network of freshwater monitoring and observation stations placed strategically across Canada. GWFO consists of 64 instrumented basins, lakes, rivers and wetlands, 15 deployable measurement systems and 18 state-of-the-art water laboratories which collectively serve as a national scientific freshwater observation network for Canada’s critical freshwater systems. Click here to continue reading

Ontario Investing $289,000 in Youth Stewardship of Lake Simcoe

Water Canada

The Ontario government is investing over $289,000 in three projects that are engaging local youth and community members in environmental stewardship activities like workshops, field trips and other educational opportunities focused on restoring the Lake Simcoe watershed. Click here to continue reading

University of Windsor signs on to national water observatory network

Water Canada

Participating in a new nationwide scientific freshwater observatory will help to secure the University of Windsor as a leader in freshwater research, says Aaron Fisk. Click here to continue reading

AHS issues boil water advisory for Rocky View County

CTV News

A boil water advisory was issued Friday night for residences supplied by Salt Box Coulee Waterworks System in Rocky View County. The advisory was issued just before 11 p.m. Friday evening. The advisory is in effect until further notice. Click here to continue reading

Alberta irrigation districts to favour ‘high value’ crops

The Western Producer

Southern Alberta’s 11 irrigation districts will reallocate water towards high value, high water crops such as potatoes, sugar beets and corn in order to fulfil an agreement to do more with less water, said the chair of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Drone video shows Western Australia’s forests dying in heat and drought

The Guardian

Video shows trees and shrubs along Western Australia’s south-west coastline turning brown after Perth recorded it hottest and driest six months since records began. Click here to continue reading

‘Every drop counts’: City of Calgary encouraging residents to reduce water usage

CTV News

The City of Calgary has announced its implementation of a water reductions advisory, which will go into effect immediately as a way of encouraging Calgarians to voluntarily reduce their water usage.
“At the City of Calgary, we’ve continued to reduce our water use and look for more ways to conserve water in our day-to-day operations”. Click here to continue reading

Alberta announces what it says are the largest water-sharing agreements in its history

CBC

Alberta has concluded its negotiations with major water licence holders and is now outlining what it calls the largest water-sharing agreements in Alberta’s 118-year history.
On Friday, the province released the first details of four agreements. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Researcher studies worst western US megadrought in 1,200 years

Phys.org

Drylands in the western United States are currently in the grips of a 23-year “megadrought,” and one West Virginia University researcher is working to gain a better understanding of this extreme climate event. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New study shows how quickly surface water moves to groundwater reservoirs across Australia

Phys.org

A new study from Charles Darwin University (CDU), Monash University and The University of Newcastle has presented almost 100,000 estimates of groundwater recharge rates across Australia, by far the largest known database of its kind. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: US lawmakers Elizabeth Warren and Ro Khanna seek to ban trade in water rights

The Guardian

Water-futures trading allows investors – including hedge funds, farmers and municipalities – to trade water and water rights as a commodity, similar to oil or gold. The practice is currently limited to California, where the world’s first water futures market was launched. So far, the market hasn’t taken off, dampened by the reality that the physical trade of water in the state has been limited. After a couple of wet years in California, the price of water futures has also plummeted. Click here to continue reading

Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?

CTV News

“Definitely U.S. EPA has taken a leap forward in this direction,” she said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca, noting no international standards exist. “So I would say that if we have set up higher limits here for the Canadian citizens, definitely we are exposing them more, or making them more vulnerable to these chemicals.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: What are the main challenges to water quality in Asia?

Envirotech

The quality of water varies significantly across Asia, complicating efforts to analyse and address pollution. While India and China have made strides in establishing comprehensive monitoring systems, other countries lag behind due to insufficient data. This disparity hampers the ability of nations to implement effective remedial measures, especially in transboundary water bodies. Click here to continue reading

Agriculture has historically ravaged wetlands. These farmers are trying to change that

The Narwhal

“A lot of the wetlands are dried up, and we’ve got cracks in the ground,” Guilford says. “That’s never a good sign.” Despite the day’s downpour, it’s been a dry couple of years for the Guilfords. Their 1,200-acre ranch, nestled in the rolling hills and winding streams of Manitoba’s Pembina Valley, has faced an extreme drought, per the Canadian drought monitor, since March. The abnormally dry conditions, though, have been around since late 2022. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: California cracks down on water pumping: ‘The ground is collapsing’

The Guardian

California cracks down on water pumping: ‘The ground is collapsing’
Farm region near Tulare Lake has been put on ‘probation’ as overpumping of water has caused faster sinking of ground.
Even after two back-to-back wet years, California’s water wars are far from over. On Tuesday, state water officials took an unprecedented step to intervene in the destructive pumping of depleted groundwater in the state’s sprawling agricultural heartland. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Reeling under water crisis, women of village near Bisalpur dam to boycott polls

The Times of India

The Bisalpur dam on the Banas River in Tonk district, over 140km from Jaipur, serves as the lifeline for the residents of the state capital by providing drinking water. Barely 20km from the dam lies a small village named Jaikmabad, falling under the Chanbassuriya gram panchayat of Todaraisingh panchayat samiti. Despite being so close to the dam, the village is reeling under an acute water crisis. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Live eco-feedback in showers could help the tourism industry cut water use, according to study

EurekAlert!

Analysis showed that shower water runtime was 77 seconds quicker (25.79 per cent) in the group that received continuous, real-time eco-feedback than in the group that received no feedback. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water levels in Russia’s Kurgan cross ‘dangerous’ levels

Channel News Asia

The water level in the Tobol River around the city of Kurgan in Russia’s southern Urals has exceeded the “dangerous level” mark, RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday (Apr 17), citing local authorities. The river in the city, which is the administrative centre of the broader Kurgan region straddling the Tobol River near the border with Kazakhstan, rose by 12cm in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning, reaching 865cm, RIA reported. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Sink to source: Does what we put into our plumbing end up back in the water supply?

EurekAlert!

In areas with large numbers of on-site domestic wastewater treatment systems within 200 meters of at least one direct pathway into the underlying aquifer, the team detected high concentrations of fluorescent whitening compounds and microplastics. When fluorescent whitening compounds, which definitely come from humans, and microplastics rise and fall together in water samples, that covariation indicates that microplastic contamination is probably coming from wastewater. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Apple ramps up investment in clean energy and water around the world

Apple Newsroom

As part of its broader environmental efforts, Apple also advanced progress toward another ambitious 2030 goal: to replenish 100 percent of the fresh water used in corporate operations in high-stress locations. This includes launching new partnerships to deliver nearly 7 billion gallons in water benefits — from restoring aquifers and rivers, to funding access to drinking water — over the next 20 years. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: U.A.E. hit with heaviest rain ever recorded in the country

CBC

Storm dumps 142 mm of rainfall, easily surpassing the country’s annual average of 94.7 mm. The desert nation of the United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Wednesday from the heaviest rain ever recorded there after a deluge flooded out Dubai International Airport, disrupting flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. Click here to continue reading

Kirkland Lake declares state of emergency due to flooding

Water Canada

Mayor of the Town of Kirkland Lake, declared an emergency in accordance with the Emergency Management Act 2003, s.4(1) due to the following emergency: Flooding event resulting in the Town’s sanitary system surcharging due to the overflowing of Murdoch Creek. Click here to continue reading

Frozen water and dry conditions a concern for central Alberta firefighting department

CBC

Alberta firefighters are bracing for another destructive wildfire season as still-frozen bodies of water present their own obstacle to firefighting. Regional fire chief and manager of emergency management for Lac La Biche County, said Tuesday that aircraft in the area would face difficulty sourcing water if a large fire were to erupt now. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Colombia’s capital announces new measures to cut water consumption as dry weather persists

Associated Press

In a statement aired by local media, Bogotá’s Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said homes that use more than 22 cubic meters of water per month will have to pay additional fees. He also threatened to impose fines of up to $300 on people who wash their cars on the streets or conduct other activities that are deemed to be a waste of water. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Golden-hour water use efficiency: Pioneering crop productivity and sustainability in the face of water scarcity

EurekAlert!

A research team has shed light on the early morning ‘golden hours’ as a pivotal time for achieving optimal water use efficiency (WUE) in crops, revealing that plants can maintain lower transpiration rates and higher photosynthetic activity under favorable light conditions and minimal vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Switch to green wastewater infrastructure could reduce emissions and provide huge savings according to new research

Science Daily

Researchers have shown that a transition to green wastewater-treatment approaches in the U.S. that leverages the potential of carbon-financing could save a staggering $15.6 billion and just under 30 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions over 40 years. Click here to continue reading

Drought puts Alberta farmers at risk of another scourge of grasshoppers

CBC

Dealing with drought conditions at his farm near the town of Bow Island in southern Alberta last year, he could see the insects hopping all over the fields where he grows lentils, durum wheat, canola and beans. Click here to continue reading

Drought-resistant mosquito brings earlier possibility of West Nile virus to Alberta

Global News

“We are in a drought so you would expect the mosquito population overall would be lower this year. A local expert on mosquitoes says a drought this summer may not bring the relief it used to from the hungry insects. Click here to continue reading

Pictou Country to receive wastewater upgrades

Water Canada

“Pictou is a vibrant community with tremendous opportunity for continued growth and today’s investment will ensure the residents and businesses of Salem have access to an upgraded wastewater system so they can continue to grow and thrive”. The Salem wastewater extension project includes the construction of a wastewater collection and pumping system to serve part of the community. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Record number of river barriers removed across Europe in 2023

The Guardian

Europe removed a record number of dams and other barriers from its rivers in 2023, a report has found, helping to restore its disturbed waterways to their natural states. Nearly 500 barriers were taken out of European rivers last year, according to figures compiled by Dam Removal Europe, an increase of 50% from the year before. Click here to continue reading

Higher water rates, rebates part of Lethbridge water conservation plan

CBC

With drought conditions still persistent across southern Alberta, the City of Lethbridge is putting its options on the table with a new water conservation plan. One of those options is charging some residents more for their water use. The plan aims to reduce water use by 20 per cent by 2030. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Africa’s iconic flamingos threatened by rising lake levels

Science Daily

It is one of the world’s most spectacular sights — huge flocks or ‘flamboyances’ of flamingos around East Africa’s lakes — as seen in the film Out of Africa or David Attenborough’s A Perfect Planet. But new research has revealed how the lesser flamingo is at danger of being flushed out of its historic feeding grounds, with serious consequences for the future of the species. Click here to continue reading

Community near proposed quarry wants project crushed

National Observer

A coalition of Milton residents is calling on the Ford government to stop the construction of a quarry northwest of Toronto. The group argues that the project, spearheaded by James Dick Construction Ltd. (JDCL), poses environmental risks, threatens local water sources, endangers wildlife habitats and raises serious safety and health concerns for the community. Click here to continue reading

School uncovers buried stream, transforms its schoolyard

CBC

Buried under cities across Canada, in culverts and tunnels, are networks of rivers and streams that once nourished the surrounding landscapes. Now, there are efforts to uncover or “daylight” some of them, restoring habitat for plants and animals, while helping prevent urban flooding. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: As Thailand revels in Songkran water fights, tourist hub Samui suffers through drought

The Guardian

Residents say taps can stop running for days, causing disruption to businesses and daily life. “The water hasn’t run for two and a half days now,” says Wachirawut Kulaphetkamthorn, who has been unable to use his shower. “Last year, the water came every other day, but this week, it hasn’t run for 2-3 days in a row”. Click here to continue reading

Date of fluoride reintroduction in Calgary’s water supply pushed back a second time

CBC

Calgary’s water supply will be without fluoridation for almost another year after a second delay to a construction project needed to reintroduce the mineral. Calgary began fluoridating the city’s water supply in 1991. This continued until 2011, when city council voted to discontinue the addition of fluoride. Click here to continue reading

Ingenium calls for clean water solutions with the 2024 innovation Challenge

Water Canada

Ingenium is tapping into the creativity of young Canadians to inspire solutions to mitigate the disparities many face around clean water and sanitation – in Canada, and globally. With the support of the Ingenium Foundation, the second edition of the Innovation Challenge brings together 150 young adults from across the country – in-person and online – to compete in the development of a digital prototype that raises awareness in youth aged 9-12 to better understand how their actions affect wastewater and sanitation systems. Click here to continue reading

Cranbrook implements new water usage rules in conservation effort

Water Canada

The most significant changes to outdoor water use going forward limits watering hours to a maximum of two hours between 5am and 10am OR 8pm and 11pm on your permitted watering days, during Stage 1 and Stage 2 watering restrictions. Under Stage 3 watering restrictions, you are allowed a maximum of one hour between 6am and 8am OR 8pm and 10pm. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Hawaii is ‘on the verge of catastrophe,’ locals say, as water crisis continues

CBS News

In Hawaii, one of the most important sayings is ola i ka wai, “water is life” — a phrase that not only sums up what it means to exist on an island, but what it means to live, period. But now, one of the largest of the island chain’s land masses is facing a triple threat to its sole freshwater source, and if it isn’t addressed soon, one community member says, “we’re in deep trouble”. Click here to continue reading

Calgary golf courses prepare for potential water restrictions ahead of 2024 season

CTV News

“As the water restrictions go through the different phases, we’ll start to see irrigation of rough grass come offline, then we’ll move into reducing the amount of irrigation on fairways, then to the tees,” Faber said. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: One of the world’s highest cities starts rationing water for 9 million people

CNN

“Most cities around the world depend on aquifers for their water supplies. Bogota is different in that almost all our supply comes from surface waters like reservoirs, which are more susceptible to rain patterns,” said Armando Sarmiento, an ecology professor at Bogotá’s Javeriana University. Click here to continue reading

Adaptation Roadmap for the SSRB: Assessment of Strategic Water Management Projects to Support Economic Development in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSROM Phase 3) Final Report

WaterSMART Solutions

The South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM), is a comprehensive daily mass balance model which enables the comparison of adaptation strategies and evaluation of impacts across the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB). Click here to continue reading

Public candidates invited to serve on Great Lakes Water Quality advisory board

Water Canada

Are you an expert in water quality science and research, policy and governance, or environmental health? Do you want to help guide the future of Canada-United States cooperation on protecting and restoring the Great Lakes basin and transboundary ecosystems?. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Scientist helps link climate change to Madagascar’s megadrought

Science Daily

A University of California, Irvine-led team reveals a clear link between human-driven climate change and the years-long drought currently gripping southern Madagascar. Their study appears in the Nature journal Climate and Atmospheric Science. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A smarter city skyline for flood safety

Science Daily

With climate change and rising urbanization, the likelihood and severity of urban flooding are increasing. But not all city blocks are created equal. Researchers investigated how urban layout and building structures contribute to pedestrian safety during flooding. Based on their simulated results, the team recommends modifying building corners and protective block layouts to reduce pedestrian risk. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Russia and Kazakhstan evacuate tens of thousands amid worst floods in decades

The Guardian

Russia and Kazakhstan have ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years. The Ural, Europe’s third-largest river, which flows through Russia and Kazakhstan into the Caspian, burst through an embankment dam on Friday, flooding the city of Orsk, south of the Ural mountains. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Morocco drought: Satellite images show vital Al Massira reservoir is shrinking

BBC News

Morocco’s second-largest reservoir that serves some of its major cities and has been central to farm irrigation is drying up, according to satellite images analysed by the BBC. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Common loons threatened by declining water clarity

EurekAlert!

The paper is the first clear evidence demonstrating an effect of climate change on this charismatic species. Specifically, the paper shows that July rainfall results in reduced July water clarity in loon territories. Reduced water clarity, in turn, makes it difficult for adult loons to find and capture their prey (mainly small fishes) under water, so they are not able to meet their chicks’ metabolic needs. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How Kids In 40 Schools Saved 9 Million Gallons of Water During India’s Water Crisis

Good News Network

Environmentalist Dr. Hariharan Chandrashekhar began the Rain Reach program in Bengaluru schools after a spate of mass well digging rapidly depleted the water supplies to 8.5 million inhabitants, and around 40 schools inside the city. The program is introduced to kids aged 9 to 15 to ensure that they understand how to avoid wasting water from an early age and go on to build up a life-long habit. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Massive 6-month shutdown of critical water supply for South Africa – what you need to know

BusinessTech

The main water supply to South Africa’s economic hub, greater Johannesburg in the Gauteng province, and to the country’s breadbasket in the Free State, is scheduled to be cut off for six months. Maintenance work on the 37 kilometre Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel is due to begin in October 2024. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: To generate clean energy from evaporating water, researchers played with a classic toy

Anthropocene Magazine

Their device produces enough electricity to power small electronics and can operate for several days using only 100 milliliters of water as fuel. Click here to continue reading

Gull Lake water levels continue to concern advocacy group

CBC

Facing the lowest water levels in decades and an impending drought season that threatens water supply across the province, a volunteer advocacy group fears for the worst for the future of one central Alberta lake. Click here to continue reading

Kelowna to employ new technology to repair sanitary sewer

Water Canada

This week, the City of Kelowna will begin a $7-million project to repair 2.7 km of sanitary sewer pipe using an innovative “trenchless” repair technology called Cured in Place Pipe (CIPP). The process will involve inserting a resin-soaked liner into a pipe and then exposing it to steam, which hardens the liner allowing it to become the new internal pipe. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Nearly half of US prisons draw water likely contaminated with toxic PFAS – report

The Guardian

Around 1m people, including 13,000 youths, especially vulnerable because they can do little to protect themselves, co-author says.Nearly half of US prisons draw water from sources likely contaminated with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, new research finds. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Flood risk in Lower Mainland will intensify by 2100: report

CBC

U.S. organization’s data predicts at least 325,000 Canadians will be at risk of annual flooding by 2100. A new sea level data map shows flood risk zones will extend higher and further inland on Canada’s coast, particularly impacting populated areas in parts of Metro Vancouver south of the Fraser River. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Researchers envision sci-fi worlds involving changes to atmospheric water cycle

Science Daily

Human activity is changing the way water flows between the Earth and atmosphere in complex ways and with likely long-lasting consequences that are hard to picture. Researchers enlisted water scientists from around the globe to write story-based scenarios about the possible futures humanity is facing but perhaps can’t quite comprehend yet. Click here to continue reading

2024 Water Allocation

St. Mary River Irrigation District

At the April 3, 2024 Annual General Meeting, the St. Mary River Irrigation District Board of Directors has set the water allocation for the 2024 year at 8 inches of water per acre at the farm gate. We will continue to review the Irrigation Water Supply Forecast supplied by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation and provide updates throughout the irrigation season. Click here to continue reading

Southern Alberta farmers allocated 50% less water than normal for 2024: SMRID

CTV News

hile farmers in southern Alberta will soon be gearing up to plant this year’s crops, those in the St. Mary’s River Irrigation District (SMRID) now know how much water they’ll be receiving.
On Wednesday, the SMRID revealed eight inches of water per acre will be allocated this summer – a drop of about 50 per cent compared to normal. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: For mining in arid regions to be responsible, we must change how we think about water

Science Daily

In an unprecedented study of the South American ‘Lithium Triangle,’ hydrologists discover that not all water responds the same way to environmental change and human use. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: These Entrancing Maps Capture Where the World’s Rivers Go

Smithsonian Magazine

Cartographer Robert Szucs uses satellite data to make art showing which oceans waterways empty into or stall on land and never make it to sea. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Las Vegas Is Going All In on Its Water Conservation Plan

Smithsonian Magazine

As the Southwest dries, can a city notorious for excess find a way to survive with less? Anything goes in Las Vegas, except excessive water use. Two decades ago, the city began to grapple with a reality that many other cities in the Southwest were trying to put off: Eventually, it could run out of water. Click here to continue reading

How can Canada deliver safe drinking water to First Nation communities? A Q&A with Wilfrid Laurier’s Sheri Longboat

Water Canada

“As a Haudenosaunee, Six Nations woman, I feel that I have a responsibility, now that I’m in the academy, to make place and space for others and dedicate my time to elevating Indigenous voices and supporting communities.There should be no reason to not have safe drinking water in every First Nation community”. Click here to continue reading

Wild fish spring to life in Lake Ontario, despite dams, pollution and hatchery competitors

The Narwhal

It’s springtime, which means migration and spawning for many Lake Ontario fish — and a good time to share the fascinating story of how many salmon and trout came to live in this Great Lake in the first place. Dams impeded spawning migrations, pollution from lumber mills and tanneries degraded water quality and clearing forests for urbanization and agriculture warmed waters. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: SUNY ESF leads groundbreaking research in groundwater’s role in ecosystem sustainability

EurekAlert!

Until now, groundwater – a critical water resource around the globe, especially in dry regions – has been largely unstudied in its importance and role in sustaining ecosystems. A new groundbreaking research effort led by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in partnership with University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), Cardiff University, and Desert Research Institute (DRI) examines the relationship between groundwater and ecosystems across California. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A River in Flux

Inside Climate News

Extreme flooding and droughts may be the new norm for the Amazon, challenging its people and ecosystems. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Microplastics in Nigeria’s Osun River: new study flags alarmingly high levels

The Conversation – Africa

Our study found as many as 22,079 pieces of microplastic in just one litre of water from Nigeria’s Osun River. We compared this data with 267 global studies on microplastics in river water conducted since 1994 and discovered that the levels of microplastics in the Osun river exceeded those reported in any of those studies. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Spain on track for hottest first quarter on record: Have heavy rains helped with severe drought?

EuroNews Green

Despite recent rains topping up reservoirs, an unusually warm winter has made water shortages worse and drought is a consequence of a bigger problem. Click here to continue reading

Discover where ancient rivers flow under Canadian cities

CBC

Ancient rivers once nourished and protected the lands where we built our biggest cities. Now, they’re buried underground. Is it finally time to let them see daylight again?. Click here to continue reading

No water, no oil: How the parched western provinces could hamper the oilpatch

CBC

Persistent and severe drought conditions across Western Canada could have a devastating effect on the oil and natural gas sector, which has drilling operations in some of the driest areas, according to a new report by Deloitte. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Zimbabwe declares drought disaster, the latest in a region where El Nino has left millions hungry

The Canadian Press

imbabwe declared a state of disaster Wednesday over a devastating drought that’s sweeping across much of southern Africa, with the country’s president saying it needs $2 billion for humanitarian assistance. The declaration was widely expected following similar actions by neighboring Zambia and Malawi. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Wetlands are superheroes: expert sets out how they protect people and places

The Conversation – Africa

The view on wetlands has shifted as we have learnt how important these ecosystems are for essential “services”. They purify water, provide habitats for plants and animals, and are also critical for supporting some people’s livelihoods. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Are wetlands our secret weapon for fighting climate change?

BBC News

Podcast: The world’s wetlands store carbon and can help us tackle some of the impacts of climate change. Are we overlooking their importance? And what can we do to protect them more? An episode of BBC’s The Climate Question. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The connection between water, data and peace

Food and Agriculture Organization

Water access can be affected by conflict but can also cause it. With increasing water scarcity and the impacts of climate change, the risk of conflict is exacerbated. Managing water resources effectively and sustainably is paramount to decreasing competition and contributing to local peace. Click here to continue reading

Water levels starting to fall after weekend flooding in St. George, N.B.

CTV News

Areas in and around Saint George, N.B., are starting to see the water regress after residents woke up Easter morning to massive flooding. There are still some houses surrounded by water. A special weather statement is in effect for much of New Brunswick (including St. George) with a storm that could bring upwards of 20 centimetres of heavy wet snow. Click here to continue reading

Sask. First Nation says it won’t lift long-term boil water advisory until every house has direct water line

CBC

Leaders on a Saskatchewan First Nation say they won’t lift a decade-old boil water advisory until every home in the community has direct access to clean water from the local treatment plant. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) can recommend that a boil water advisory be lifted, but it is ultimately up to the local chief and council. Click here to continue reading

What can the Dirty ‘30s teach us about drought management today?

CBC

Shannon Stunden Bower, an environmental historian at the University of Alberta, talks with Nancy Carlson about what has happened in the last 100 years that could help people on the Canadian Prairies better mitigate drought. Click here to continue reading

The world’s largest deep lake water cooling project just got bigger

The Globe and Mail

Toronto is digging deep to expand what experts already consider to be one of the coolest and most environmentally friendly energy projects on Earth – the city’s deep lake water cooling system. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Land under water – what causes extreme flooding

EurekAlert!

There are several factors that play an important role in the development of floods: air temperature, soil moisture, snow depth, and the daily precipitation in the days before a flood. In order to better understand how individual factors contribute to flooding, UFZ researchers examined more than 3,500 river basins worldwide and analysed flood events between 1981 and 2020 for each of them. The result: precipitation was the sole determining factor in only around 25% of the almost 125,000 flood events. Soil moisture was the decisive factor in just over 10% of cases, and snow melt and air temperature were the sole factors in only around 3% of cases. In contrast, 51.6% of cases were caused by at least two factors. At around 23%, the combination of precipitation and soil moisture occurs most frequently. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: UK’s summer 2022 drought provides warning for future years

EurekAlert!

The UK will be increasingly tested by more droughts like 2022, emphasising the importance of being prepared for similar extreme weather in future, say scientists who have analysed that summer’s events. The newly published study by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) outlines how the drought evolved and its impacts on water resources, wildlife and people, comparing the situation with previous droughts and looks at whether it is an indication of future events. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Environment: More than half of Colorado River’s water used to irrigate crops

EurekAlert!

Irrigation for agriculture uses more than half of the Colorado River’s total annual water flow, reports a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment. This finding is part of a new comprehensive assessment of how the Colorado River’s water is consumed — including both human usage and natural losses — and provides a more complete understanding of how the river’s water is used along its over 2,300 km (almost 1,500-mile) length. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

EurekAlert!

The source of pollutants in rivers and freshwater lakes can now be identified using a comprehensive new water quality analysis, according to scientists at the University of Cambridge and Trent University, Canada. Microparticles from car tyres, pesticides from farmers’ fields, and toxins from harmful algal blooms are just some of the organic chemicals that can be detected using the new approach, which also indicates the impact these chemicals are likely to have in a particular river or lake. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Extreme Rainfall Set To Break Los Angeles Record

Newsweek

As of Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) station in the Californian city said that since October 2022, downtown Los Angeles had received a total 52.46 inches of rainfall, making it the second wettest two-year period on record. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A Moroccan town protests water management plans

Associated Press

Regional and local leaders in eastern Morocco met this week with residents and civil society groups after months of protests over a water management plan set to take effect later this year. Thousands in the town of Figuig stopped paying water bills and have taken to the streets since November to protest a municipal decision transitioning drinking water management from the town to a regional multi-service agency. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Japan confirms experts met in China to ease concerns over discharge of treated radioactive water

Associated Press

Japan said Sunday its experts have held talks with their Chinese counterparts to try to assuage Beijing’s concerns over the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Why the ‘wettest place on Earth’ is facing a water crisis

BBC News

The Northeast Indian town of Sohra regularly receives a downpour of continuous rainfall, sometimes for eight days at a stretch. But today, locals in the area are facing a severe water shortage. They now walk long distances daily and resort to unconventional methods to fetch water for basic, everyday use. What’s behind the water crisis in the ‘wettest place on Earth’?. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Global water crisis fuelling more conflicts, UN report warns

Al Jazeera

Water resources under stress as economies and populations grow with 2.2 billion people lacking clean drinking water. Increasing global water scarcity is fueling more conflicts and contributing to instability, the United Nations warns in a new report, which says access to clean water is critical to promoting peace. Click here to continue reading

PSA: The City encourages residents to be water-wise and use a rain barrel this spring

City of Calgary

Calgary is currently experiencing drought conditions. Together we can make every drop count in our yards by using water wisely. Harnessing rainwater for watering your yard and garden is a simple, yet effective way to reduce your water use by acting as a backup source of water during this drought. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Regulators urged to act over water companies’ record sewage discharge

The Guardian

Government asked to put ‘people and planet before profits’ as analysis shows potential illegal discharging of raw sewage. Analysis of the latest data shows that more than 2,000 overflows owned by a number of companies are discharging raw sewage into rivers and seas at a scale that should spark an immediate investigation into illegal breaches of permit conditions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Land under water: What causes extreme flooding?

Science Daily

If rivers overflow their banks, the consequences can be devastating — just like the catastrophic floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate of 2021 showed. In order to limit flood damage and optimize flood risk assessment, we need to better understand what factors can lead to extreme forms of flooding and to what extent. Using methods of explainable machine learning, researchers have shown that floods are more extreme when several factors are involved in their development. Click here to continue reading

High and dry: The rising tide of flood risks and the insurance dilemma

Canadian Climate Institute

A national low-cost insurance program tied to a broader strategy could help long-term flood resilience in many communities across Canada. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: India’s Bengaluru fast running out of water – and it’s not summer yet

Al Jazeera

Bengaluru, the city of lavish headquarters of multiple global software companies in southern India, is drying up. Residents say they are facing the worst water crisis in decades as they witness an unusually hot February and March. Water experts fear the worst is still to come in April and May. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Where Water Stress Will Be Highest by 2050

Statista

As this infographic based on projections by the World Resources Institute (WRI) shows, 51 of the 164 countries and territories analyzed are expected to suffer from high to extremely high water stress by 2050, which corresponds to 31 percent of the population. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Climate change puts global semiconductor manufacturing at risk. Can the industry cope?

The Conversation – Canada

Despite the industry’s dependence on water, little attention has been paid to how changing environmental conditions may impact it. Globally and regionally there are signs of trouble. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: South Texas lawmaker asks governor declare emergency due to ‘water crisis’

CW39

A South Texas lawmaker is asking for additional state assistance to save agriculture in the region, which is suffering due to a lack of water to grow crops. He also asked for greater pressure on Mexico to comply with the boundary waters treaty. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How Dire Is the Water Shortage in Mexico City?

The Inter-American Dialogue

Mexico City could run out of water by late June, an official from the national water commission, Conagua, said last month. The Cutzamala System—which is responsible for providing the capital with nearly a quarter of its water supply—is at 40 percent capacity, a historic low. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Taps have run dry across South Africa’s largest city in an unprecedented water crisis

Associated Press

Water management authorities with Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, told officials from both cities that the failure to reduce water consumption could result in a total collapse of the water system. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Twist of groundwater contaminants

EurekAlert!

In recent years, the world has been experiencing floods and droughts as extreme rainfall events have become more frequent due to climate change. For this reason, securing stable water resources throughout the year has become a national responsibility called ‘water security’, and ‘Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR)’, which stores water in the form of groundwater in the ground when water resources are available and withdraws it when needed, is attracting attention as an effective water resource management technique. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Decline in the stability of water yield in the watersheds

EurekAlert!

treme climatic events such as droughts, heatwaves, and cold spells not only modify hydro-meteorological conditions but also alter the underlying characteristics (e.g., wildfires due to droughts changing the vegetation cover). Intense human activities, such as river channel modifications, afforestation, deforestation, industrialization, and urbanization, further amplify the variability of watershed system components. These changes directly or indirectly impact the hydrological processes of the watershed system. Eur. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: What if the heavy rain would have fallen 50 kilometers away?

EurekAlert!

Floods affect more people worldwide than any other natural hazard, causing enormous damage that is expected to increase in a warming world. However, people and decision-makers in vulnerable regions are often unwilling to prepare for exceptionally severe events because they are difficult to imagine and beyond their experience. Click here to continue reading

Costs to clean up Teck’s B.C. coal mines are billions higher than previously thought: report

The Narwhal

The cost to clean up British Columbia’s largest mining complex is billions of dollars higher than government and industry estimates, according to a new report. It estimates it will cost $6.4 billion to remove just selenium from water affected by Teck’s Elk Valley coal mines. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Euroviews. Are water cycles the missing piece of the climate crisis puzzle?

EuroNews Green

Climate models are based largely on extrapolating fossil fuel emissions. But is a missing critical factor linked to plants and water making things worse? Eurof Uppington opinion piece. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Coffee grounds might be the answer to agricultural contamination: Here’s how

EuroNews Green

Scientists from Brazil’s Federal Technological University of Paraná found that leftover coffee can absorb bentazone, a herbicide frequently used in agriculture. The European Environment Agency has highlighted dangerous levels of bentazone in surface water, exceeding levels set in the Water Framework Directive and putting European Green Deal targets for pesticide use in jeopardy. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Bengaluru: Water crisis shakes India’s Silicon Valley

BBC News

In India’s Bengaluru city (formerly Bangalore), thousands of people have been chasing tankers, taking fewer showers and sometimes missing work to store enough water to get through the day. “It is often said that traffic is the biggest problem in Bengaluru but actually water is the larger issue,” says civic activist Srinivas Alavilli. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: California zombie lake turned farmland to water. A year later, is it gone for good?

The Guardian

For a time last year, it was difficult to drive through a large swath of central California without running into the new shoreline of a long dormant lake. The scene was astounding. Tulare Lake was once the largest freshwater body west of the Mississippi before it was drained for agriculture in the 19th century. While it has re-emerged during other periods of wet weather, the lake hadn’t been seen anywhere near this scale in 40 years. Click here to continue reading

Halifax senior stuck with $45K bill for new sewer, water lines before she can sell her duplex

CBC

She said she planned to rely on money from the sale to pay her rent and bills, but Halifax Water requires new sewer and water lines to be installed before the duplex can be subdivided. Click here to continue reading

Alberta’s North Saskatchewan earns heritage river status

CBC

The governments of Canada and Alberta have declared that the entire portion of the North Saskatchewan River flowing through Alberta is now recognized as a Canadian Heritage River. A 49-kilometre stretch of the river, coursing through Banff National Park, already holds designation under the Canadian Heritage Rivers system. Click here to continue reading

Reuse of the deuce: Calgary company recycling clean water from cattle, hog manure

CBC

A Calgary company is helping farmers recycle livestock manure into clean water that can be used to irrigate crops. Livestock Water Recycling says its technology separates cattle and hog manure into liquids and solids — so farmers can do their duty with their animals’ doody. Click here to continue reading

Students launch Shoal Lake 40 First Nation merch line on World Water Day

Global News

Where does your water come from? For Winnipeggers, the answer is Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, a community that long struggled for their right to clean water.Andrea Redsky, a teacher at Harvey Redsky Memorial School, said not all of her students will remember first-hand the decades-long boil water advisory in the community. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: World Water Day 2024: bridging divides through water cooperation

World Health Organization

Access to drinking-water is a human right, but when water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal or no access, tensions can rise (1). This underscores the need to harness the cooperative power of water. Successful examples of water cooperation highlight its value in conflict resolution and community improvement. Click here to continue reading

Calgary-based organization works to improve access to clean drinking water

CTV News

The theme for the 2024 World Water Day is “Water for Peace,” something that staff at the Calgary-based Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) take to heart. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: World Water Day: Considering barriers to clean, safe water

Water Canada

For the Creemore, Ontario-based nonprofit, safe water means continuing to collaborate with Indigenous communities that have identified education and training as critical solutions to many water challenges. It means removing barriers to opportunities that may exist in other classroom models. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Isn’t every day World Water Day?

Water Canada

Having a World Water Day on March 22nd each year is an interesting paradox as there is no day within the calendar that is not influenced by water. Seventy-one percent of the planet’s surface is covered in water, with 2.5% of that being freshwater. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: World Water Day: Mitigating Canada’s Water Scarcity

Water Canada

The effects of climate change are making a water scarcity an issue in jurisdictions we never thought possible, including municipalities and regions in Canada once thought to be home to plentiful resources. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: World Water Day: One Drop survey reveals Canadians’ thoughts on access to safe water

Water Canada

Just in time for World Water Day, the One Drop Foundation is releasing the results of a new public opinion poll and reaffirming its unwavering commitment to safe water access for all. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: World Water Day: Using data-driven transparency as a tool for building consensus on water

Water Canada

The 2024 theme for World Water Day ‘Water for Peace’ couldn’t be more relevant. Peace is not a theme limited to sovereign states. Around the world, there is tension and competition for water, both within and between countries and even among “friends” such as in the EU. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Global water shortages are looming. Here is what can be done about them.

UN Environment Programme

World Water Day, shines a spotlight on the global water crisis, which is being driven by a combination of factors, from climate change to leaky pipes. Here is a look at seven things countries and individuals can do to stem water shortfalls. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Learn about freshwater on World Water Day

Google Blog

To celebrate World Water Day, we’re launching a new “Freshwater” hub to explore some of the ways we can take action to preserve the most important resource for life on our blue planet. The new hub aims to help people learn more about freshwater ecosystems and how this precious resource is linked to climate change, while also discovering solutions to preserve it. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: World Water Day 2024

Stockholm Environment Institute

A collection of articles focused on water projects around the world. Click here to continue reading

Guelph advocacy group calls on province to curb road salt pollution for World Water Day

CBC

Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition is sounding the alarm on the damage done by road salt for World Water Day, and is calling on the province to do more to mitigate the risk of contamination to groundwater, rivers and lakes, as well as to drinking water. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: UN World Water Development Report 2024

UN Water

“Water for prosperity and peace”, UN Water’s annual Water Day publication has been released. The report highlights the wider significance of water for our lives and livelihoods. It explores water’s capacity to unite people and serve as a tool for peace, sustainable development, climate action and regional integration. Click here to continue reading

Statement by the Prime Minister on World Water Day

Prime Minister of Canada

A brief statement by Prime Minister Trudeau on World Water Day. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: AI’s excessive water consumption threatens to drown out its environmental contributions

Compare and contrast: World Water Day: Shocking stories from the frontlines of the worldwide water crisis

EuroNews Green

From dried-up rivers to poisoned water, people around the world are struggling to meet a basic need. This World Water Day, journalists from around the world interviewed some of the people struggling to get fresh water. Click here to continue reading

Water woes in southern Alberta could spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, and the people who rely on them

The Conversation – Canada

Freshwater will be an increasingly scarce resource as we head into spring and summer in Western Canada with implications for the livelihoods and economic prosperity of humans, and non-humans alike, in southern Alberta and the downstream Prairie provinces. Click here to continue reading

‘Growing concern’: Alarm sounded over water situation

Lethbridge Herald

A director with the Livingstone Landowners Group is sounding the alarm on how dire the situation is in his community with water restrictions in hopes people across southern Alberta will take steps to conserve water. Click here to continue reading

All water bodies closed in 2 B.C. national parks due to parasite

CBC

Parks Canada is closing all bodies of water in British Columbia’s Kootenay and Yoho national parks, and restricting watercraft in Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park, in an effort to slow the spread of invasive species. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Fairy circles: Plant water stress causes Namibia’s gaps in grass

Science Daily

Namibia’s legendary fairy circles are mysterious, circular, bald patches in the dry grasslands on the edge of the Namib Desert.Their results show that the grass withers due to a lack of water inside the fairy circle. The topsoil, comprised of the top 10 to 12 centimeters of the soil, acts as a kind of ‘death zone’ in which fresh grass cannot survive for long. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: There are large accumulations of plastics in the ocean, even outside so-called garbage patch

Science Daily

When plastic ends up in the ocean, it gradually weathers and disintegrates into small particles. If marine animals ingest these particles, their health can be severely affected. Large accumulations of plastic can therefore disrupt the biological balance of marine ecosystems. But which areas are particularly affected?. Click here to continue reading

CLIMATE CHALLENGES: DROUGHTS, FLOODS, AND WATER MANAGEMENT IN FOCUS

Chestermere Anchor

With Alberta facing a significant risk of drought due to low river flows, diminishing snowpacks, and insufficient reservoir capacities, the urgency for comprehensive water management and conservation strategies has never been more acute. Click here to continue reading

Fraser River communities receive $10M for flood mitigation projects

Water Canada

The aftermath of the 2021 events exposed vulnerabilities to extreme weather events, annual freshets, and climate change, endangering agricultural assets along the Fraser River. Click here to continue reading

SMRID Notice of Annual General Meeting

St. Mary River Irrigation District

Notice of Annual General Meeting:
SMRID would like to announce Notice of their Annual General Meeting (AGM) being held on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024 at 1:30pm at the AGRI-FOOD Hub in Lethbridge, AB. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Corn Cobs vs. Woodchips: A Surprising Showdown to Transform Water Quality

Seed World

Corn cobs might outperform woodchips in reducing nitrates in water-quality bioreactors, offering a more cost-effective solution, according to researchers at Iowa State University. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Water is worth more than gold’: eco-activist Esteban Polanco on why violence won’t stop him

The Guardian

“We cannot allow any vulnerable mountain in this country that produces water to be exploited for mining because, for us, a drop of water is worth more than an ounce of gold.”. Click here to continue reading

Drought concerns in southern Alberta the focus of a new documentary

Global News

A new documentary is bringing awareness to the water crisis in the Oldman River watershed, starting with its title: Dried Up, What Now? The documentary will be shown publicly for the first time on March 23rd at 11 a.m. at Old Man River Brewing in Lundbreck. Click here to continue reading

Calgary water restrictions could start in May as drought looms

CTV News

Amid growing drought concerns, the City of Calgary is telling residents to prepare for possible water restrictions as early as May. In an update on the city’s drought preparedness plan Tuesday morning, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said every Calgarian needs to conserve water. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rat fur, arsenic and copper: the dangerous ingredients lacing US prison water

The Guardian

Incarcerated people often must drink unhealthy water, a particularly cruel – but not unusual – form of punishment. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Nearly 130,000 children exposed to lead-tainted drinking water in Chicago

The Guardian

About 129,000 Chicago children under the age of six are exposed to poisonous lead in their household drinking water because of lead pipes, according to a study published on Monday. Click here to continue reading

‘Heavy snow on the way’ for Alberta to start spring

Global News

After a week of spring-like temperatures, the southern half of Alberta is expected to be hit with 15 to 25 cm of snow. Click here to continue reading

North Bay, Ont., and DND move to remediate ‘forever chemicals’ site that contaminated drinking water

CBC

PFAS are a family of some 14,000 different substances that are characterized by a stable carbon-fluorine bond. That strong bond means it takes a long time for them to break down in the environment. Click here to continue reading

New platform brings together water data from across BC and the Yukon

Water Canada

The launch of Pacific DataStream means water monitoring groups across British Columbia and the Yukon can grow the audience for their data – and there’s free help to get it online. Pacific DataStream is a free, open access platform for sharing water data and it officially launched March 13 at the Okanagan Basin Water Board-Canadian Water Resources Association, B.C. Branch’s Environmental Flows conference at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna. Click here to continue reading

Waterloo scientists discover method to remove 94 percent of microplastics from our water

Water Canada

University of Waterloo researchers have created a new technology that can remove harmful microplastics from contaminated water with 94 per cent efficiency. Click here to continue reading

As severe Alberta drought looms, fracking consumes huge volumes of water — forever

The Narwhal

As Alberta faces the prospect of a severe drought this summer, the oil and gas sector has already been warned it could be forced to curtail water use. Billions of litres of water used by the industry are permanently removed from the water cycle. Click here to continue reading

Important Notice: 2024 Irrigation Season Water Supply Update March 2024

St. Mary River Irrigation District

Our latest water supply update, as of March 11, 2024, sourced from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation indicates that we are on course for a below average water allocation for the 2024 Irrigation Season. The Headworks reservoirs comprised of the Waterton, St. Mary and Milk River Ridge reservoirs, has increased slightly since our last update, and now contains a storage level of 147,000 acre-feet. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Aboriginal People Are Locked Out of Australia’s Water Market

BNN Bloomberg

One of the driest places in the world also has one of the most sophisticated water-trading markets. Australia manages to combine extreme water scarcity with billions of dollars in trading turnover. Click here to continue reading

‘Water allocation and priority’: Worst drought in years could lead to Alberta state of emergency

Edmonton Journal

“There will be policy or regulatory changes that we can make sooner rather than later just to help give us the flexibility we need to manage the drought that we are anticipating this year”. Click here to continue reading

Lake Diefenbaker water levels up to begin spring

Swift Current

Lake Diefenbaker users will be treated to higher water levels this spring as the Water Security Agency charted a different path over the winter months. The Crown corporation elected to cut back its release from southwest Sask.’s largest body of water knowing there might be less water replenishing it than in normal years. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Many Bengaluru residents consider leaving city as water crisis hits daily life

Economic Times

Bhavani Mani Muthuvel and her family of nine have around five 20-liter (5-gallon) buckets worth of water for the week for cooking, cleaning and household chores. “From taking showers to using toilets and washing clothes, we are taking turns to do everything,” she said. It’s the only water they can afford. Click here to continue reading

In B.C.’s forests, a debate over watershed science with lives and billions at stake

CBC

Sunshine Coast logging plan highlights divide over best way to assess flooding risk. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Oregon State researchers take deep dive into how much water is stored in snow

Science Daily

There’s a new metric that provides a more holistic look at how much water is stored in snowpack, and for how long. Click here to continue reading

Ontario weakens watershed protections (again) as natural resources minister gets new powers

The Narwhal

New rules for conservation authorities reduce buffer zones between development and wetlands and empower Doug Ford’s cabinet to issue permits without their say. Click here to continue reading

Canada, U.S. launch international inquiry into southeast B.C. mine pollution

The Narwhal

Nearly 12 years after Ktunaxa Nation first urged the Canadian and U.S. governments to task an international body with investigating the mine pollution coursing through its territory, the two countries have agreed to a step the nation says is key to addressing contamination from B.C.’s Elk Valley coal mines. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Mapping water wonders: a groundbreaking leap in hydrology with NDWFI

EurekAlert!

In a significant advancement for hydrological monitoring and water resource management, researchers have developed the Normalized Difference Water Fraction Index (NDWFI), leveraging Landsat imagery and Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA) within the Google Earth Engine platform. This innovation is pivotal for accurately tracking dynamic and subtle water bodies, crucial for enhancing water security and resilience against extreme hydrological events. Click here to continue reading

Potential drought could affect Albertans at the grocery store

Global News

With the high likelihood of Alberta drought on the horizon, its impacts will be felt by Albertans in many ways. One of those ways is what we choose to buy at the grocery store and what will be available to us. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A Future of Arctic Rain

The Tyee

In August 2021, rain fell atop the 10,551-foot summit of the Greenland ice cap, triggering an epic meltdown and a more-than-2,000-foot retreat of the snow line. The unprecedented event reminded Joel Harper, a University of Montana glaciologist who works on the Greenland ice sheet, of a strange anomaly in his data, one that suggested that in 2008 it might have rained much later in the season — in the fall, when the region is typically in deep freeze and dark for almost 24 hours a day. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Artificial intelligence helps reduce water leaks

BBC News

Sutton and East Surrey (SES) Water has installed 1000 sensors underground that monitor flow and pressure, then send data back to base. The technology also provides a prediction of what levels should be, so if a leak happens, an alarm is raised within minutes and engineers are deployed. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Study Pinpoints Links Between Melting Arctic Ice and Summertime Extreme Weather in Europe

Inside Climate News

A new study in the journal Weather and Climate Dynamics shows how pulses of fresh, cold water from Greenland ice can set off a chain reaction from the ocean to the atmosphere that ends up causing summer heatwaves and droughts in Europe. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The Take: Why is Mexico City running out of water?

Al Jazeera

Mexico City’s residents are approaching a “day zero” where the government will no longer be able to provide them with water. A city that was once built on water is now nearly dried up. How did this happen and what is being done to fix it?. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘IT WAS AN OASIS’: MEXICO CITY FRETS ABOUT WATER

enca

MEXICO CITY – Agustin Garcia looks with dismay at the dry bed of the lake where he once fished for a living — a symptom of the water problems facing Mexico and its capital, one of the world’s biggest cities. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: At least 26 dead and 11 missing after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island

Associated Press

Floods also damaged 26 bridges, 45 mosques and 25 schools; and destroyed 13 roads, two irrigation system units, which in turn submerged 113 hectares (279 acres) of rice fields and 300 square meters (3,220 square feet) of plantation, the agency said. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Unique way to track carbon emissions in bodies of water

Science Daily

Carbon dioxide emissions are not typically associated with water ways, like streams and rivers, but emerging research shows that water bodies play an important role in storing and releasing carbon dioxide. As many states look for cost-effective ways to mitigate climate change, scientists looked at a way to optimize CO2 sensors to better measure carbon dioxide emissions in lotic, or moving, bodies of water offering a new tool that can help provide valuable information for everything from land use to climate action plans. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Drought, soil desiccation cracking, and carbon dioxide emissions: an overlooked feedback loop exacerbating climate change

Science Daily

Soil stores 80 percent of carbon on earth, yet with increasing cycles of drought, that crucial reservoir is cracking and breaking down, releasing even more greenhouse gases creating an amplified feedback loop that could accelerate climate change. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Is my water safe to drink? Expert advice for residents of South African cities

The Conversation – Africa

In early March 2024 the residents of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city and the economic capital of the country, were hit by extended cuts in water supplies. This was a new low after months of continuous deterioration. Professor in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand Craig Sheridan sets out the risks this poses to drinking water in the city. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Treated wastewater from Fukushima nuclear plant is safe: UN atomic agency

National Observer

The head of the U.N. atomic agency told local Japanese representatives at a meeting in Fukushima on Wednesday that the ongoing discharge of treated radioactive wastewater at the ruined nuclear power plant has met safety standards and that any restrictions on products from the region are “not scientific”. Click here to continue reading

Salmon farms impacting wildlife: conservation group report

CBC

Conservation group Watershed Watch Salmon Society (WWSS) says a new report, compiling numbers of wildlife — from whales to herring — that have been killed by open net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia over the years, points to longstanding problems within an industry it believes should be shut down. But the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association disagrees, saying WWSS is dredging up old information that doesn’t fairly characterize how the sector has changed. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: India’s water problems set to get worse as the world warms

Science Daily

Winter storms known as western disturbances that provide crucial snow and rainfall to northern India are arriving significantly later in the year. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: In Florida, Skyrocketing Insurance Rates Test Resolve of Homeowners in Risky Areas

Inside Climate News

Research shows the soaring costs hint at widespread, unpriced risk as the global climate warms, with states like California, Florida and Louisiana hit hardest. Click here to continue reading

After 5 years, Oneida still has no clean water. Why a class action settlement could be a ‘relief’

CBC

“We originally had put forward a proposal that we would be able to have water fire flow throughout our community. Right now, we do not have fire flow that services all of our community,” she said. “We have had devastating fires in our community in the past where families have actually perished because we do not have that fire flow”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Global Water Crisis: Why the World Urgently Needs Water-Wise Solutions

Earth.org

Water is life. Yet, as the world population mushrooms and climate change intensifies droughts, over 2 billion people still lack access to clean, safe drinking water. By 2030, water scarcity could displace over 700 million people. From deadly diseases to famines, economic collapse to terrorism, the global water crisis threatens to sever the strands holding communities together. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Half of twenty-first century global irrigation expansion has been in water-stressed regions

Nature

The expansion of irrigated agriculture has increased global crop production but resulted in widespread stress on freshwater resources. Ensuring that increases in irrigated production occur only in places where water is relatively abundant is a key objective of sustainable agriculture and knowledge of how irrigated land has evolved is important for measuring progress towards water sustainability. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Arctic warming, permafrost thawing, and an accelerating water cycle will have global consequences

Fast Company

As the Arctic warms, its mighty rivers are changing in ways that could have vast consequences – not only for the Arctic region but for the world. Rivers represent the land branch of the Earth’s hydrological cycle. As rain and snow fall, rivers transport freshwater runoff along with dissolved organic and particulate materials, including carbon, to coastal areas. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A dwindling water supply caused by reservoir sedimentation troubles engineers

American Society of Civil Engineers

Dams have been with humankind since antiquity. As a relatively simple means of turning flood- and drought-prone rivers into reliable water supplies, dams are one of our earliest ways of harnessing and controlling water, making them essential elements of society. However, sediment buildup within reservoirs is a growing concern that civil engineers are working to resolve. Click here to continue reading

Flood risk mapping is a public good, so why the public resistance in Canada? Lessons from Nova Scotia

The Conversation – Canada

The unacknowledged reason why there is a lack of flood risk mapping in Canada is because such maps generally face public resistance. Indeed, it is not uncommon in Canada to see flood or wetland mapping withdrawn or modified because of public pressure. Click here to continue reading

A Quebec lender opted out of mortgages in flood zones. Experts warn it could happen elsewhere

CBC

Desjardins Group, a major financial institution based in Quebec, recently announced it will no longer offer new mortgages in high-risk flood zones — areas in the zero to 20-year flood plain — across the province. It also doesn’t provide flood insurance in those areas. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: With dry summer looming, Lethbridge committee reports unsettling data about monthly water conservation

CTV News

“We are expecting that when we come back next month with the updated strategy and the water conservation plan, we might need to be enacting, I will say, ‘voluntary measures’ to start with in order to encourage residents and the public to start using less water from the get-go,” said Lethbridge infrastructure director Joel Sanchez. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Understanding wind and water at the equator key to more accurate future climate projections

Science Daily

Getting climate models to mimic real-time observations when it comes to warming is critical — small discrepancies can lead to misunderstandings about the rate of global warming as the climate changes. A new study that when modeling warming trends in the Pacific Ocean, there is still a missing piece to the modeling puzzle: the effect of wind on ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: High shower pressure can help people save water, study suggests

The Guardian

Swapping a feeble dribble for a powerful blast might seem like an environmental indulgence when it comes to taking a shower, but researchers say it might actually save water. Water consumption has become a key area of environmental concern given shortages of the resource, as well as the carbon footprint associated with its collection, treatment, supply and – in the case of most showers – heating. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Fruit packing plant near Kelowna seeks application to discharge wastewater into ditch

Global News

A fruit-packing plant in the Central Okanagan that’s been fined in the past for violating waste discharge regulations is apparently applying for a permit to legally dump wastewater into a nearby ditch. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Arctic could become ‘ice-free’ within a decade

Science Daily
The Arctic could see summer days with practically no sea ice as early as the next couple of years, according to a new study out of the University of Colorado Boulder. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Would you drink recycled water?

The Conversation – Global

The wastewater from your home – much like paper and plastic – can be recycled. This is done by sending it, including sewage, either to centralised municipal recycling plants, to local neighbourhood facilities, or even to facilities incorporated in large apartment buildings.
There, with the right technology, it is purified, and the resulting water can be used as normal for cleaning streets or watering plants. If the treatment process is thorough, it can even be used for drinking. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Emissions from households’ water use are on a par with aviation. The big cuts and savings they can make are being neglected

The Conversation – Africa

Our research has identified the benefits of tackling these emissions in Australia’s urban water sector. If we consider the energy we use to heat water, water costs us far more than we think. It’s an issue of cost of living as well as water supply and energy infrastructure. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Climate change: alarming Africa-wide report predicts 30% drop in crop revenue, 50 million without water

The Conversation – Africa

50 million Africans are likely to be pushed into into water distress. What does this mean?
It means severe water shortages in homes and industries. For example, if you used to have access to water all day, you are going to have a much lower supply – a quantity so low that it does not meet your needs. This is a demand and supply issue. There will be higher demand for water resources but because of the short supply, water prices will shoot up. Going into the future, if nothing is done, water across Africa will be very expensive. Click here to continue reading

Toronto wants buildings to tap into its sewage for heating

CBC

Many buildings buy and burn gas or other fossil fuels to keep warm. But there’s actually a free, carbon-free source of heat underfoot that they could be tapping into instead — sewage pipes. Along with wastewater, those pipes carry a lot of “waste” heat from buildings, including warm water from showers and dishwashers. For example, as I was writing this, it was around 0 C outside the CBC building Toronto, but the water in the nearby sewage pipes was roughly 17 C, according to the city. In most places, that heat is literally going down the drain. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Glacier shrinkage is causing a ‘green transition’

Science Daily

Glacier-fed streams are undergoing a process of profound change, according to scientists. This conclusion is based on the expeditions to the world’s major mountain ranges by members of the Vanishing Glaciers project. Click here to continue reading

Great Lakes Ice Cover Hits New Lows

Yale Environment 360

On the North American Great Lakes, ice cover usually peaks in late February or early March. But currently, the lakes are nearly ice-free.
Typically in late winter, ice sprawls across more than 40 percent of the lakes, but at present, ice cover stands at just around 4 percent. For the past half-century, ice cover has trended down as winters have grown warmer, declining by a quarter on average since 1973. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: As Flooding Increases on the Mississippi, Forests Are Drowning

Yale Environment 360

Ever-worsening floods are killing trees at an increasing rate along the upper Mississippi River, and invasive grasses are taking over. The Army Corps of Engineers has launched a project to boost both tree density and diversity, and to improve habitat for fish and waterfowl, too. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: To save water, drought-hit Morocco is closing its famous public baths three days a week

Associated Press
The public baths — hammams in Arabic — for centuries have been fixtures of Moroccan life. Inside their domed chambers, men and women, regardless of social class, commune together and unwind. Bathers sit on stone slabs under mosaic tiles, lather with traditional black soap and wash with scalding water from plastic buckets. Click here to continue reading

Major tunnel projects secure Metro Vancouver’s water supply

BIV News
Engineering water tunnels is as vital for region as ones for transportation. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Call for input: UN Special Rapporteur’s report on “Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems”

UN Water

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, is inviting inputs from States and other stakeholders to inform his thematic report on “Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Sad and debilitating’: rural midwesterners contend with well water tainted by livestock waste

The Guardian

On a whim, when Broberg first moved in in 1986, the now 69-year-old retired geologist started testing his water for nitrate – an invisible, odorless and tasteless compound found in animal manure and commercial fertilizer. Consuming it in high quantities has been linked to a variety of health risks. Click here to continue reading

M.D. of Pincher Creek deals with water shortfalls in Oldman River Reservoir

Global News

The Municipal District of Pincher Creek has been faced with a water crisis since last summer, and has been under Stage 3 water restrictions for the past eight months. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Ten per cent water reduction may ease drought

East Central Alberta Review

Hanna town council heard the provincial government is not only warning strongly about the possibility of drought this coming summer, but that communities are being asked to plan for a 10 per cent reduction in their normal water usage. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water restrictions, increased prices and imprisonment: How is Tunisia battling 5 years of drought?

EuroNews Green

Tourist facilities and excessive consumers will be hit hardest by price increases. The cost of drinking water in Tunisia has increased by up to 16 per cent as the country battles with five years of severe drought. Click here to continue reading

Alberta outlines $125M drought and flood grant program as water-sharing talks continue

CBC

The Alberta government says it will accept applications from municipalities and Indigenous communities across the province who want to design and construct projects that protect from flooding and drought. It is expected to launch later this year. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Mining company can’t tap water needed for Okefenokee wildlife refuge, US says

The Associated Press

A federal agency is asserting legal rights to waters that feed the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge, setting up a new battle with a mining company seeking permits to withdraw more than 1.4 million gallons daily for a project that critics say could irreparably harm one of America’s natural treasures. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Constructed wetlands as nature based solutions – hands-on activities to highlight their potential to minimize ocean pollution

Journal of Coastal Conservation

This work presents an engaging hands-on activity designed to teach school students about nature based solutions (NBS) and their role in achieving high-quality water systems within a sustainable circular economy. (Open access article). Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Humans have driven the Earth’s freshwater cycle out of its stable state

EurekAlert!

A new analysis of freshwater resources across the globe shows that human activity has pushed variation in the planet’s freshwater cycle well outside of its pre-industrial range. The study shows that the updated planetary boundary for freshwater change was surpassed by the mid-twentieth century. In other words, for the past century, humans have been pushing the Earth’s freshwater system far beyond the stable conditions that prevailed before industrialization. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New ‘digital twin’ Earth technology could help predict water-based natural disasters before they strike

EurekAlert!

The water cycle looks simple in theory — but human impacts, climate change, and complicated geography mean that in practice, floods and droughts remain hard to predict. To model water on Earth, you need incredibly high-resolution data across an immense expanse, and you need modeling sophisticated enough to account for everything from snowcaps on mountains to soil moisture in valleys. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: First Person: Water and electricity ‘will save us from famine’

UN News

Droughts, partly caused by climate change and the resulting lack of water, have driven many communities to the brink as they have been unable to grow the crops they rely on for survival. Many are forced to rely on humanitarian aid. But now, the availability of electricity and water is reviving many villages, including Fenoaivo in the Anosy region, according to the WFP’s Avimaro Mikendremana. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: India’s Thirst for Improved Water Security

The News Lens International

Yale University’s 2022 unsafe drinking water index ranked India 141 out of 180 countries. Nearly 70% of India’s water is contaminated. By 2030, India’s water demand is projected to be double the amount available as reiterated by the Interconnected Disaster Risks Report in October 2023. The potential scarcity would affect millions and adversely impact the country’s GDP. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The changing nature of groundwater in the global water cycle

Science

The availability of fresh groundwater is vital for agriculture, industry, people, and ecosystems, but its quality and quantity have been significantly affected by climate change and anthropogenic activities. Kuang et al. review the changes that groundwater is experiencing now and will experience in the near future and discuss future challenges to groundwater supplies. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: We need to talk about water – and the fact that the world is running out of it

The Guardian

A paper published in 2017 estimated that to match crop production to expected demand, water use for irrigation would have to increase by 146% by the middle of this century. One minor problem. Water is already maxed out. Click here to continue reading

Trillions of gallons leak from aging drinking water systems, further stressing shrinking US cities

Toronto Star

Water bubbles up in streets, pooling in neighborhoods for weeks or months. Homes burn to the ground if firefighters can’t draw enough water from hydrants. Utility crews struggle to fix broken pipes while water flows through shut-off valves that don’t work. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘We are the guinea pigs’: Arizona mining project sparks concerns for air and water

The Guardian

Pumping out groundwater to clear the way for extraction, known as “dewatering”, is of concern given Arizona’s overall susceptibility to the impacts of the climate crisis. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Tenerife to declare drought emergency as Spain battles with water shortages

EuroNews Green

The island is facing months or possibly years of critical water scarcity, experts say. Tenerife is planning to declare a water emergency on Friday (March 1st) as reservoirs run low due to ongoing drought. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Half of Denmark’s water supplies contaminated with toxins, new report reveals

EuroNews Green

An investigation commissioned by several Danish regional councils says the situation is critical and threatens the country’s transition to a green economy. Click here to continue reading

First Nations who’ve gone years without clean drinking water hope compensation signals a ‘new dawn’

CBC

With the deadline just a week away, the law firm representing victims of unsafe drinking water in First Nation communities is urging those who qualify to file their claims for long-awaited compensation. Click here to continue reading

Indonesia steps up wheat imports amid drought

The Western Producer

Indonesian grain buyers are boosting imports of lower quality wheat as a decline in corn output last year following a severe drought linked to an El Nino weather pattern tightened the country’s animal feed supplies. Click here to continue reading

Alberta Budget 2024: $2 billion set aside for potential disasters amid flood, drought and wildfire threats

Calgary Herald

The province is spending $19 million to create a “modern, 21st-century water strategy” to increase water availability through water storage projects, conservation, data systems and stronger water policies. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: International summit addresses urgent water challenges

University of Hawai’I News

“Hawai?i is facing a myriad of water problems from flooding to drought,” said Thomas Giambelluca, director of WRRC. “There are water quality issues, and we have unknown effects of climate change on our water supply”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Speech of UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Katarzyna Wawiernia at the first International Forum on water technologies and resources “GLOBAL WATER”

UNDP Kazakhstan

In our time, 80 percent of the terrible impacts of climate change bear the water mark. From catastrophic floods to relentless droughts, from the ongoing melting of glaciers to the creeping rise in sea levels, these phenomena threaten the very fabric of our global ecosystems. Water, the lifeblood of our planet, is the inextricable link between any discourse on humanity’s balance with nature and the relentless onslaught of climate change. Click here to continue reading

Water First and Interlake Reserves Tribal Council launch new internship program

Water Canada

Water First Education & Training Inc., in partnership with Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC) and participating communities, is proud to announce a new water treatment plant operator training program for local community members. The expansion to Manitoba marks the first Drinking Water Internship Program to operate outside of Ontario and supports Water First’s commitment to help develop these critical projects with communities across the country. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Want fewer microplastics in your tap water? Try boiling it first

Science Daily

While many creative strategies have been attempted to get rid of these plastic bits, one unexpectedly effective solution for cleaning up drinking water, specifically, might be as simple as brewing a cup of tea or coffee. Boiling and filtering calcium-containing tap water could help remove nearly 90% of the nano- and microplastics present. Click here to continue reading

Kawartha clean water champions collaborate with farmers

The Peterborough Examiner

An innovative program has empowered farmers within the Upper Talbot River sub-watershed to champion water quality improvement efforts. An innovative program has empowered farmers within the Upper Talbot River sub-watershed to champion water quality improvement efforts. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Northern French town flooded for fifth time in four months

EuroNews Green

Residents are fed up as the small Pas-de-Calais town of Bourthes floods once again for the fifth time in four months. The Pas-de-Calais region has been hit by further flooding, with the village of Bourthes under water for the fifth time in four months. The region has been placed under orange alert, meaning significant risk to life, property, and transport. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Climate change is throwing the water cycle into chaos across the U.S.

NBC News

The water cycle that shuttles Earth’s most vital resource around in an unending, life-giving loop is in trouble. Climate change has disrupted that cycle’s delicate balance, upsetting how water circulates between the ground, oceans and atmosphere. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Uzbekistan completes major digital twin water management project

Smart Water Magazine

This venture aimed to revolutionize water management practices in Uzbekistan by harnessing advanced technologies to create a real-time, virtual representation of the nation’s water infrastructure. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Southern Water fined £330,000 for stream pollution that killed 2,000 fish

The Guardian

A water company has been fined £330,000 after raw sewage escaped into a stream in Hampshire for up to 20 hours, killing about 2,000 fish including brown trout. Waste flowed into Shawford Lake Stream on the edge of the South Downs because of faulty equipment at a pumping station. Click here to continue reading

Residents urged to be conscious of rising water

The Sudbury Star

Conservation Sudbury has issued a water safety warning for Greater Sudbury as mild weather and rain over the next few days are likely to boost the levels of local rivers and streams. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Traditional weather forecasts: expert shares 5 ways Africa’s coastal residents predict floods

The Conversation – Africa

Traditional knowledge helps communities prepare for flooding. Transferring this knowledge doesn’t always happen, however, as scientists and policymakers don’t all recognize its value. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Johannesburg’s water crisis is getting worse – expert explains why the taps keep running dry in South Africa’s biggest city

The Conversation – Africa

Since the latter part of 2023 hardly a week has gone by without some residents of Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital, losing their water supply. Notices of planned outages from the local water authority are a common occurrence. Unplanned water shutdowns also happen regularly. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Firefighters needed so much water that a Minnesota town had to go without

Associated Press

Firefighters needed so much water to battle a huge grain elevator blaze that they had to ask the whole town to go without — even canceling school to conserve the water supply, officials said. Click here to continue reading

Charlottetown hopes a rate hike will entice the last few holdouts to switch to water meters

CBC

The City of Charlottetown wants to increase water rates for residents this year in an effort to encourage the last remaining customers to switch to water meters. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Cleaning or desalinating water quickly: Looking deep into smallest pores

Science Daily

Membranes of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VaCNT) can be used to clean or desalinate water at a high flow rate and low pressure. Recently, researchers carried out steroid hormone adsorption experiments to study the interplay of forces in the small pores. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How a Solar Revolution in Farming Is Depleting World’s Groundwater

Yale Environment 360

Farmers in hot, arid regions are turning to low-cost solar pumps to irrigate their fields, eliminating the need for expensive fossil fuels and boosting crop production. But by allowing them to pump throughout the day, the new technology is drying up aquifers around the globe. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: India completely stops Ravi river water flow to Pakistan. Historical context and significance

Economic Times

The completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage has effectively ceased the flow of water from the Ravi river into Pakistan, according to a report. Located on the Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir boarder, this development signifies a significant shift in water allocation, with the Jammu and Kashmir region now set to benefit from 1150 cusecs of water previously destined for Pakistan. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: In water-stressed Singapore, a search for new solutions to keep the taps flowing

Associated Press

A crack of thunder booms as dozens of screens in a locked office flash between live video of cars splashing through wet roads, drains sapping the streets dry, and reservoirs collecting the precious rainwater across the tropical island of Singapore. A team of government employees intently monitors the water, which will be collected and purified for use by the country’s six million residents. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: One of the world’s biggest cities may be just months away from running out of water

CNN

When they wash themselves, they capture the runoff to flush the toilet. It’s hard, he told CNN. “We need water, it’s essential for everything.” Water shortages are not uncommon in this neighborhood, but this time feels different, Gomez said. “Right now, we are getting this hot weather. It’s even worse, things are more complicated”. Click here to continue reading

Why drought on the prairies is making your steak more expensive

Calgary Herald

The business of beef is changing, in large part due to consecutive years of severe drought across North America’s main cattle-producing regions. From parched southern Alberta to water-scarce east Texas, ranchers have been downsizing their herds due to a lack of grass for grazing. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘It looked like we were at sea’: UK River and Rowing Museum faces up to climate threat

The Guardian

In January the museum, which Chipperfield designed on stilts due to its proximity to the Thames, came the closest it had come to flooding after water rose within 5cm (2in) of the building’s raised floor. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Poisoned by chemicals’: citizen scientists prove River Avon is polluted

The Guardian

A citizen science programme has revealed the decline of one of the country’s most significant chalk streams after claims by Environment Agency officials that it had not deteriorated. The SmartRivers programme run by the charity WildFish, which surveys freshwater invertebrates, reported “strong declines in relation to chemical pressure” on the River Avon in Wiltshire. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: US companies DuPont and Chemours generated extensive contamination with toxic “forever chemicals” in North Carolina: UN experts

UN Human Rights

American chemical companies DuPont and Chemours have discharged toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the local environment, completely disregarding the rights and wellbeing of residents along the lower Cape Fear River in North Carolina, UN experts said today. Click here to continue reading

Navigating Icy Roads and Road Salt for Drinking Water Health

Uppert Thames River Conservation Authority

Salt is commonly used to melt ice and reduce the risk created by icy conditions, but it also poses a significant threat to water quality. It’s important to ensure our use of salt doesn’t jeopardize the health of our groundwater and, with it, our drinking water. Click here to continue reading

Why this Ontario town created a bylaw for using bubblers in lakes

Cottage Life

While de-icers may protect structures, they can also endanger snowmobilers, wildlife, and other cottage-goers. In September 2023, the Township of Armour, enacted a bylaw regulating the use of de-icers. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: White House is distributing $5.8 billion from the infrastructure law for water projects

Daily Commercial News

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is distributing another $5.8 billion for water infrastructure projects around the country. The new allocations will go to projects in all 50 states, bringing the total awarded to states for water infrastructure projects to $22 billion. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Administration announces $5.8 billion in funding to clean up nation’s drinking water, upgrade infrastructure

CNN

Projects underway in Pittsburgh – such as an effort to get rid of lead pipes – are among several across the country that are being funded through bipartisan 2021 legislation that designated $50 billion toward improving water infrastructure. Click here to continue reading

Most Alberta river flows within normal range

The Western Producer

Water levels on the Bow River from Calgary to the mouth of the South Saskatchewan River are running within normal seasonal ranges as of mid-February and the Red Deer River is also flowing at average levels. Click here to continue reading

Water expert warns of changes in runoff, demand

The Western Producer

University of Saskatchewan professor John Pomeroy says traditional weather patterns are shifting in Alberta due to climate change, which will make it necessary to build infrastructure better able to capture earlier spring runoff. Click here to continue reading

‘Every litre counts’: City pleads for Winnipeggers to limit water use as massive sewage spill continues

CBC

The City of Winnipeg wants some 90,000 residences and businesses in the southwest area of the city to know that every little bit of water they can keep from flowing into the sewer system helps, after a pipe crossing under the Red River near Fort Garry Bridge broke two weeks ago. Click here to continue reading

Deadline for clean drinking water class action lawsuit draws near

Ha-Shilth-Sa

Time is running out to apply for a share of the First Nations Drinking Water class action settlement fund. Application forms can be found online and must be submitted before March 7, 2024. Click here to continue reading

Why a dry winter may not mean trouble for Alberta farmers

CTV News

As drought conditions in Alberta worsen, one local farmer is holding out hope. Scott Jesperson, an Edmonton area producer and vice chair of Alberta Grains, said the dry winter won’t hurt grain growers as long as spring brings rain. Click here to continue reading

Quebec institutions join to develop sustainable water management solution

Water Canada

The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM) have joined forces to develop sustainable water management solutions as part of the fight against climate change. Click here to continue reading

Opinion: Natural infrastructure is a solution in the face of drought

Calgary Herald

Another piece of the drought-busting puzzle needs more attention natural infrastructure. Natural infrastructure allows us to work with nature to help meet infrastructure needs. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Even very low levels of pesticide exposure can affect fish for generations

Science Daily

Fish exposed to some pesticides at extremely low concentrations for a brief period of time can demonstrate lasting behavioral changes, with the impact extending to offspring that were never exposed firsthand, a recent study found. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Surging bills, fewer showers: India’s Bengaluru reels under water shortage

Reuters

Bengaluru is facing an acute water shortage this year, months before peak summer, forcing many residents in “India’s Silicon Valley” to ration their water use and pay almost double the usual price to meet their daily needs. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Smelly Serbian wastewater adds to environmental woes

Reuters

The problem, caused by a lack of treatment plants, further complicates Serbia’s bid to the join the European Union, which demands far stricter standards than those enforced in Belgrade and across the Balkans, experts say. Click here to continue reading

Kirkland Lake’s water usage per day more than double the national average

Kirkland Lake Northern News

In the report, Eric Neilson, Regional Manager for Northeastern Ontario, OCWA stated Canada averages 300 litres to 500 litres of water per person per day. Using a population of 7750 people, in 2023 Kirkland Lakers used Produced 8,948 cubic meters per day on average, which works out to be 1154 litres per day, per person. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Southwest Winnipeg residents asked to limit water use as sewage continues to spill into Red River

CBC

The City of Winnipeg is asking residents in southwest Winnipeg to reduce their water flow, as sewage continues to spill into the Red River near Fort Garry Bridge after a pipe broke earlier this month. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Researchers shed light on river resiliency to flooding

Science Daily

Increased understanding of rivers’ resiliency is important to maintaining healthy rivers, as human actions can affect flood regimes and change the conditions in rivers for other aquatic life that may rely on algae and plants as a food source. Click here to continue reading

Impact of new flood maps the focus of Calgary town hall meeting

CTV News

Severe flooding in 2013(opens in a new tab), the worst in the province’s history, sparked the Alberta Government to update its flood hazard mapping. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: At least 60% of US population may face ‘forever chemicals’ in tap water, tests suggest

The Guardian

About 70 million people are exposed to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in US drinking water, new testing from the Environmental Protection Agency has found. But the testing completed to date has only checked about one-third of the nation’s public water systems, meaning the agency is on pace to find over 200 million people are exposed, or at least 60% of the US population. Click here to continue reading

Sask. offers help to water-short town

The Western Producer

The MLA for a community that declared a state of local emergency due to low water levels in December says the province will help it find solutions. “It’s a moving target but definitely, we aren’t going to leave our communities stranded from extreme conditions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rain Comes to the Arctic, With a Cascade of Troubling Changes

Yale Environment 360

Rain used to be rare in the Arctic, but as the region warms, so-called “rain-on-snow events” are becoming more common. The rains accelerate ice loss, trigger flooding, landslides, and avalanches, and create problems for wildlife and the Indigenous people who depend on them. Click here to continue reading

Alberta’s Brutal Water Reckoning

The Tyee

Alberta’s water reckoning has begun in earnest. Snowpack accumulations in the Oldman River basin, the Bow River basin and the North Saskatchewan River basin range from 33 to 62 per cent below normal. Click here to continue reading

Low water levels affect southern Alta. power generation

The Western Producer

Recent low levels on southern Alberta rivers have affected the amount of electricity generated by Irrican Power, owned by the St. Mary River and Raymond irrigation districts, and by TransAlta. Click here to continue reading/

Beavers can mitigate drought threat: analyst

The Western Producer

Alberta conservation group is promoting beaver habitat as a way to keep water on the land amid rising drought concerns in the province. “Beavers can provide benefits and always have provided benefits from an environmental perspective but also from an ecosystem goods and services perspective with drought and flood mitigation”. Click here to continue reading

Sask. watches water levels closely

The Western Producer

The head of Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency says the province is watching Alberta’s preparation for potential water shortages with concern but also with the security of Lake Diefenbaker behind it. Click here to continue reading

Important Notice: 2024 Irrigation Season Water Supply Update FEBRUARY 2024

St. Mary River Irrigation District

The winter water storage level in the St. Mary River Irrigation District reservoirs remain stable. The Waterton, St. Mary and Milk River Ridge reservoirs experience minor gains, and are still below the lower quartiles for February. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘I feel abandoned’: These Spanish towns haven’t had clean tap water for 10 months

EuroNews Green

Andalucía residents are afraid to wash their children with the tap water, and say even dogs refuse to drink it. Click here to continue reading

Over 50 water shortage advisories issued for Province

centralalbertaonline

Alberta Environment and Parks has issued 51 water shortage advisories for the Province of Alberta. With low amounts of snowfall this season so far many areas are reporting a lack of water and snow pack to melt into the rivers. Click here to continue reading

Priority? Licence transfers? Here’s how Alberta’s water system works

CBC

Alberta’s water usage is front and centre this year. Here’s how the system operates. The Water Act of 2000 states that all water in the province, as well as the right to its diversion and use, is vested in the Crown. This means that water can only be used with the permission of the provincial government. For municipalities and businesses, including most agriculture, this permission is tied to a license. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: What will Spain look like when it runs out of water? Barcelona is giving us a glimpse

The Guardian

The European Drought Observatory’s map of current droughts in Europe shows the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast in bad shape, with red areas indicating an alert similar to those in north Africa and Sicily. Europe is warming at twice the rate of other continents. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: LA County captured enough rainfall this week to provide water to 65,600 residents for a year

CNN

While this week’s atmospheric river drenched Southern California with record-breaking rainfall, some water managers were busy capturing some of that runoff to save for dry days ahead. Others were busy fending off an environmental disaster. Click here to continue reading

First Nations say Ring of Fire development could have negative effects on water systems

CTV News

At a three-day annual lands and resources forum in North Bay, members of the Anishinabek Nation expressed fears that further development could harm the environment, water and fish that swim in area lakes, rivers and streams. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Sewage Across Borders: The Tijuana River Is Spewing Wastewater Into San Diego Amid Historic Storms, Which Could Threaten Public Health

Inside Climate News

Winding around 120 miles northward from Mexico to California before reaching the ocean on the U.S. side of the border, the Tijuana River carries millions—at times, billions—of gallons of sewage across the border each day. Click here to continue reading

Minister ‘confident’ B.C. is adequately preparing for drought, energy needs

Global News

British Columbia’s energy minister is “confident” the province is “taking all the steps that need to be taken” to prepare for what could be another drought-stricken summer followed by more dry summers for years to come. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The City of Tomorrow Will Run on Your Toilet Water

WIRED

Researchers are finding better ways to extract drinking water, compost, and even energy from wastewater. It’s not gross. It’s science. Click here to continue reading

Water levels, capacity among top priorities at Lethbridge treatment plant

CTV News

The City of Lethbridge is actively monitoring low water levels in the Oldman River but production at its water treatment plant hasn’t slowed down. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New study sheds new light on forests’ role in climate and water cycle

Science Daily

Forests, which cover a third of Earth’s land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study, researchers provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Warmer water may help rivers keep antimicrobial resistance at bay

Science Daily

Antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) from wastewater can end up in natural biofilms in rivers, but they may not stick around very long. This week in mSphere, researchers report that after ARGs are introduced to a river they invade and initially join natural biofilms. Click here to continue reading

Water levels, capacity among top priorities at Lethbridge treatment plant

CTV News

The City of Lethbridge is actively monitoring low water levels in the Oldman River but production at its water treatment plant hasn’t slowed down. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: New study sheds new light on forests’ role in climate and water cycle

Science Daily

Forests, which cover a third of Earth’s land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study, researchers provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Warmer water may help rivers keep antimicrobial resistance at bay

Science Daily

Antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) from wastewater can end up in natural biofilms in rivers, but they may not stick around very long. This week in mSphere, researchers report that after ARGs are introduced to a river they invade and initially join natural biofilms. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: We Wai Kai Guardians are ‘testing the water’ to prepare for climate change

ChekNews

We Wai Kai Land Gaurdian Shane Pollard is concerned about climate change and the impact it will have on his community. To be proactive as the planet warms, the We Wai Kai First Nation’s land guardians are partnering with other local groups to map and monitor wetlands, watersheds, and streams on Quadra Island as the summer gets drier. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Rio Tinto wrangles investors over water contamination claims

Reuters

Global mining giant Rio Tinto (RIO.AX), opens new tab, which sparked outrage after destroying an ancient Indigenous site in Australia in 2020, faces new pressure from socially conscious investors and lenders, this time on water practices at two of its mines. Click here to continue reading

N.B. conservation group urges faster action to protect water and shorelines

CBC

The goals of the plan are to protect drinking water and ecosystems, improve understanding about water and work co-operatively on management. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water bosses in England and Wales face bonus bans for illegal sewage discharges

The Guardian

The environment secretary, Steve Barclay, is proposing to block payouts to executives of firms that commit criminal acts of water pollution, starting with bonuses in the 2024-25 financial year from April. Click here to continue reading

‘Is it equitable?’ Okotoks mayor questions Calgary’s water conservation

Calgary Herald

Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn said it’s time for Calgary and other communities to get as serious about reducing water use as her community. Click here to continue reading

Our federation helped make Alberta rich in water. Now, that dam is breaking

The Globe and Mail

The movement of Alberta separatism seeks, in part, to erode Ottawa’s jurisdiction over natural-resource management in the province. But what that movement forgets is that Alberta was only able to achieve its prosperity – which really began with water – because of its position as a province within a nation. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How One of the Nation’s Fastest Growing Counties Plans to Find Water in the Desert

Inside Climate News

The booming population in the southwest corner of Utah has tapped out the Virgin River and its dreams of piping water from Lake Powell are running dry with the reservoir, leaving wastewater recycling and conservation as the best options to keep watering the growth. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: EPA Reports ‘Widespread Noncompliance’ With the Nation’s First Regulations on Toxic Coal Ash

Inside Climate News

“Groundwater contamination at coal ash disposal facilities is a significant concern,” an EPA enforcement alert states. “Approximately 150 facilities have detected groundwater contamination from metals and other inorganic compounds released through coal ash disposal and EPA believes that number will continue to increase.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Protecting New York’s freshwater wetlands is now more important than ever

Riverkeeper

Though wetlands provide critical habitat, reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and purify drinking water, they continuously fall victim to unchecked development, pollution, degradation, and climate change impacts. Wetlands are also at risk due to shifting federal protections. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Utah’s Great Salt Lake To Receive Influx of Water

Newsweek

Utah Lake is a freshwater lake in the Utah Valley. The Jordan River is the lake’s only outlet, and a tributary of the Great Salt Lake.Utah Lake has now reached near-maximum capacity, standing at 99.5 percent, data from the Utah Division of Water Resources reported. Click here to continue reading

A shallow, salty lake in B.C. could point to origins of life on Earth

CBC

Researchers found Last Chance Lake has right ingredients for formation of early life. Scientists have mused for centuries over questions about the origins of life on Earth. As it turns out, the answer may lie in a small, unassuming lake in British Columbia’s Interior. Click here to continue reading

B.C. hosting 30 workshops to help farmers prepare for summer droughts

Global News

Drought conditions have significant impacts on communities around the province, specifically for farmers who are extremely dependent on water and water management. To help B.C. farmers, the province is hosting more than 30 in-person workshops. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Nevada jury awards $130M to 5 people who had liver damage after drinking bottled water

Financial Post

A Nevada jury has awarded about $130 million in damages in a lawsuit filed by five people who suffered liver damage after drinking bottled water marketed by a Las Vegas-based company. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The largest body of water west of the Mississippi disappeared 130 years ago. Now it’s back

Phys.org

The San Joaquin Valley of California, despite supplying a significant percentage of the country’s food, is nevertheless a dry, arid place. Until the late 19th century, the San Joaquin Valley held a lake more than 100 miles long and over 30 miles wide. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘An exceptional solution’: Catalonia is bringing in water by boat to top up dwindling supplies

EuroNews Green

Environmental groups have said this unusual solution doesn’t solve long-term water management problems. To make up for extreme shortages, the Spanish government is planning to ship desalinated water to Catalonia. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How our drinking water could come from thin air

BBC News

In the dry, desert air of Las Vegas, it seems strange to be talking about a plentiful source of water all around us. Southern Nevada is in the grip of one of the worst droughts it has experienced in recorded history, leading to water shortages and restrictions on use. So, in water-stressed areas such as this, the prospect of wringing water from thin air is an appealing prospect. Click here to continue reading

B.C.’s lack of snow foretells summer drought woes

National Observer

The persistent lack of snow across much of B.C. is setting the stage for a possible repeat of the record-breaking provincewide drought experienced last summer, watershed experts worry. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: First Nations Drinking Water Settlement Claims Closing in March

Water Canada

Eligible First Nations communities and individuals have until March 7, 2024, to submit a claim under the First Nations Drinking Water Settlement. “We encourage those eligible to submit their claim right away so they can be compensated for their harms from living under a long-term drinking water advisory. For those who need help filling out their Claim Form, there are free resources available, including a Claims Assessment Tool and interactive guides, which can be found on the First Nations Drinking Water website. Click here to continue reading

Why We Can’t Take Clean, Safe Water for Granted

The Tyee

We still like to think of B.C. as a “rainforest,” with more water than we know what to do with. But we’ve seen recurring droughts, and last summer’s affected the whole province. Click here to continue reading

Why does Winterlude use drinking water to build the Snowflake Kingdom?

CBC

Some environmentalists are asking why millions of litres of municipal drinking water are used to build the Snowflake Kingdom in Gatineau’s Jacques-Cartier Park during the annual Winterlude festival, instead of drawing it from the nearby Ottawa River. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Ghana: Kumasi city’s unplanned boom is destroying two rivers – sewage, heavy metals and chemical pollution detected

The Conversation – Africa

Ghana’s urban population has more than tripled in the past three decades, from 4 million to nearly 14 million people. Competition for land in cities has increased among various land uses. These trends have led to encroachment in ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Nevada Court Rules Groundwater and Surface Water are the Same

Compare and contrast: Yes, the Los Angeles River is dramatically full. But it’s just ‘doing its job’

The Guardian

Media images of rising waters may seem alarming – but that’s pretty much what the channel is supposed to look like in heavy rain. “As long as the river doesn’t go over its banks and flood the surrounding neighborhoods, this is the modern LA River doing its job,” Christensen said. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The good news, bad news on California’s water supplies, drought after record rainfall

Daily Bulletin

The latest storm is likely to reduce water demand for weeks and state records show that both rainfall and snowpack levels are now much improved. But in not-so-great news, water experts say conditions in this “Pineapple Express” storm haven’t been ideal for bolstering the state’s water supply. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: What is an atmospheric river? With flooding and mudslides in California, a hydrologist explains the good and bad of these storms and how they’re changing

The Conversation – United States

An atmospheric river is a narrow corridor or filament of concentrated water vapor transported in the atmosphere. It’s like a river in the sky that can be 1,000 miles long. On average, atmospheric rivers have about twice the regular flow of the Amazon River. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How demand for lithium batteries could drain America’s water resources

PBS News Hour

The push towards a green, battery-powered future comes with a major tradeoff. Student reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University discovered that increased mining for lithium inside the United States will stress freshwater aquifers. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: California Flooding Video Shows ‘Damaging Mudflow’ Strike Los Angeles

Newsweek

As heavy rain lashed California during a fierce winter storm, forecasters’ worst fears began to materialize with mudflows and landslides hitting Los Angeles. Shocked bystanders and storm-chasers documented the damage as mud, rocks and vegetation were swept down hillsides and mountains to deluge the land below. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How socially and culturally diverse Minnesotans value water

Phys.org

Understanding how different communities value water and prioritize its protection is critical to effective policy and governance. While some values are universal—safe drinking water, for example—other values and priorities vary by sociocultural identities. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: As Use of AI Soars, So Does the Energy and Water It Requires

Yale Environment 360

Generative artificial intelligence uses massive amounts of energy for computation and data storage and billions of gallons of water to cool the equipment at data centers. Now, legislators and regulators — in the U.S. and the EU — are starting to demand accountability. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘A new climate reality’: Spain’s drought-stricken villages have been in crisis mode for months

EuroNews Green

Thousands living in small communities that depend on wells which are now running dry are experiencing difficulties getting water fit for consumption. “I don’t think we are aware of what is in store for all of us. … People don’t want to hear about there being a lack of water.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: DRC’s worst floods in decades leave tens of thousands in temporary shelter

The Guardian

Tens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are living in temporary accommodation and waiting for government help after the country experienced its worst flooding in six decades. Click here to continue reading

B.C. oil and gas producers warned of potential water shortages in drought-stricken areas

CBC

The agency overseeing oil and gas producers in British Columbia is warning of potential water shortages in 2024. The B.C. Energy Regulator (BCER), formerly the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, says persistent drought last summer and fall in the northern part of the province continue to negatively affect streamflows and groundwater, with snowpack levels at last reading only 72 per cent of the historical average. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘Life-threatening’ storm system batters California, with flooding and high winds

The Guardian

First-ever hurricane-force wind warning along coast, with millions of people under flood watches and power out for close to a million. An enormous atmospheric river-fueled storm unleashed rain and furious winds across California on Sunday, leaving destruction and hazards in its wake. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Sask. irrigators keep their eyes on water supply

The Western Producer

River flow, low mountain snowpack and reservoirs struggling to fill in southern Alberta haven’t escaped the attention of irrigators in Saskatchewan as the traditional wet spring becomes critical. Mountain snowpack levels across Alberta’s Eastern Slopes as well as those in Montana that feed into the St. Mary and Milk rivers are well below normal. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Our water is under threat. A new global initiative wants to find solutions

National Observer

As climate change threatens global water systems, a new research initiative aims to leverage Indigenous expertise to manage cross-border water resources. Climate change puts people’s access to water in jeopardy. Extreme weather events like floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and extreme, damaging infrastructure and affecting water quality. Often, rivers, lakes and bodies of water affected by these crises cross international borders. Click here to continue reading

Watersheds Canada Recognizes World Wetlands Day

Water Canada

As wetlands cross people’s mind on World Wetlands Day (February 2, 2024), perhaps it is because, at some point in life, they have personally experienced one of the greatest ecological wonders of the world. Canada is home to twenty-five percent of the world’s wetlands. Unfortunately, however, wetlands continue to be degraded or simply lost forever. Click here to continue reading

Okanagan Falls Wetland is Leading the Way in Environmental Sustainability

Water Canada

An Okanagan Falls wetland is leading the way in environmental sustainability and community well-being. Located next to the Okanagan Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), the wetland showcases how thoughtful planning and environmentally friendly initiatives can lead to significant positive impacts. Click here to continue reading

Billions of litres of water are used yearly by Quebec’s mining and metal industry, data reveals

CBC

Quebec has lifted the veil of secrecy around the province’s biggest water users, revealing that billions of litres of water are withdrawn yearly by the mining and metal industry, along with pulp and paper manufacturing. The data dump, which includes records going back a decade, also lists golf clubs, ski hills, water bottling plants and food processors among the companies that are withdrawing tens of millions — sometimes hundreds of millions — of litres in a year. Click here to continue reading

Don Lands Sees First Flow of Water

Water Canada

One of North America’s largest water infrastructure projects reached a major milestone on Wednesday, January 31, when pumps were activated for the first time to begin pushing water into the new Don River valley. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: EU Policy. Pharma and cosmetics industries to pay for wastewater treatment

EuroNews Green

The pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries will have to bear at least 80% of the costs linked to cleaning harmful substances they discharge into urban wastewater, following an inter-institutional agreement reached in Brussels on January 29. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Barcelona declares drought emergency, with big fines for breaking water rules

EuroNews Green

After months of warnings, authorities in Catalonia have declared a drought emergency. The region is in the midst of the worst drought since records began. From Friday, February 2, 89% of the Catalan population, including Barcelona, will be under strict water restrictions. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Opinion: Canada’s wetlands need to be conserved and restored

Calgary Herald

Friday is World Wetlands Day. While many of these beautiful places are frozen over this time of year, this occasion gives us a chance to reflect on their importance and the never-ending services they offer of a hopeful future for our communities. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Groundwater decline is global but not universal

Nature

Measurements of groundwater levels in 170,000 wells reveal the global extent of groundwater decline. But the data also show that such depletion is not inevitable in a changing climate, providing hope for a resilient water future. Click here to continue reading

Drought conditions spark government action, raise questions over wildfire response

CTV News

With parts of Alberta gripped by severe drought, fire chiefs across the province are asking the government to share its strategy for fighting wildfires this year. Click here to continue reading

Water-sharing negotiations start on Feb. 1

Government of Alberta

Alberta’s Drought Command Team has been authorized to start negotiations with water licence holders to strike water-sharing agreements to mitigate the risk of drought. Alberta relies on melting snow and rain for all of its water. This winter, snowpack is below average, rivers are at record low levels and multiple reservoirs remain well below capacity. Click here to continue reading

18 C in Abbotsford as atmospheric river smashes B.C. heat records, brings heavy rain

The Canadian Press

Unseasonable warmth brought by an atmospheric river has shattered records — some almost a century old — at more than 30 B.C. locations, with the mercury passing 18 C in the Lower Mainland. Environment Canada says the daily high temperature at Vancouver’s airport hit 14.3 C on Monday, breaking the previous record of 13.3 C set in 1940. Click here to continue reading

Contamination from old Alberta Rockies coal mines raises cleanup questions

The Canadian Press

A former coal mine in the Alberta Rockies is releasing selenium at rates more than dozens of times higher than federal and provincial guidelines, while another periodically disgorges water so iron-heavy it stains local creeks orange, research says. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Senegal’s pink lake is on the verge of disappearing – how to protect it

The Conversation – Africa

Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located around 35km from the city of Dakar, Senegal. It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level.
The lake is isolated from the sea by about 1km of sand dunes. Its fresh water comes from the seasonal water table in the dunes, which are higher than the lake. Thus the sea provides most of the lake’s water and all of its salt. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Spain drought: Ebro Delta workers are searching for ‘equilibrium’ as water runs out

EuroNews Green

In the wetlands of Catalonia, farmers and environmentalists are working together to adapt to the region’s longest drought. One of Western Europe’s largest wetlands: the Ebro River Delta. It’s not only a habitat for many thousands of species but also serves as a source of hydroelectricity, eco-tourism and – most economically important – rice cultivation. Click here to continue reading

Epcor issues mandatory ban on non-essential water use

CTV News

Epcor issued a mandatory ban on non-essential water use as a result of an issue at a treatment plant. The ban impacts Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Leduc, Beaumont and Fort Saskatchewan. Businesses that use a large volume of water, such as laundromats and car washes, are being asked to halt water use entirely. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Toxic landslide threatens Danish village as argument over clean up costs escalates

EuroNews Green

Authorities in Denmark are working against the clock to stop a slow-moving landslide of contaminated soil from reaching a nearby water source. Public officials and the company that operated the site are arguing over who should pay for the massive cleanup. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Dodging Day Zero: Drought, Adaptation And Inequality In Cape Town

University of California Television (UCTV)

Filmed presentation: In the coming decades, individuals around the world must adapt to changing environmental conditions, often driven by climate change. Adaptation requires significant resources, prompting the question of whether existing economic and social inequities may be exacerbated when adaptation become accessible to some, but not others. Click here to continue reading

Flood, avalanche risk still high across southwestern B.C. after heavy rain

CBC

Flood and avalanche risks remain elevated across British Columbia’s South Coast, where atmospheric rivers continue to bring heavy rains along with unseasonably warm temperatures. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: 83% of English rivers have evidence of high pollution from sewage and agriculture

The Guardian

Eighty-three per cent of English rivers contain evidence of high pollution caused by sewage and agricultural waste, according to the largest citizen science water testing project ever to take place in the UK. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Global Groundwater Declining Rapidly

Water Canada

Groundwater is rapidly declining across the globe, often at accelerating rates. Writing in the journal Nature, UC Santa Barbara researchers present the largest assessment of groundwater levels around the world, spanning nearly 1,700 aquifers. In addition to raising the alarm over declining water resources, the work offers instructive examples of where things are going well, and how groundwater depletion can be solved. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water, water everywhere and now we may have drops to drink

Science Daily

Researchers have achieved a major breakthrough in Redox Flow Desalination (RFD), an emerging electrochemical technique that can turn seawater into potable drinking water and also store affordable renewable energy. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘We can’t engineer our way out of this’: how to protect flood-hit Severn Valley

The Guardian

Tens of millions have been spent on human-made defences over the years, but the impact of the climate crisis means flooding is inevitable. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: 2020 US rule dramatically deregulated wetlands, streams and drinking water

Science Daily

New research used machine learning to more accurately predict which waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. The analysis found that a 2020 Trump administration rule removed Clean Water Act protection for one-fourth of US wetlands and one-fifth of US streams, and also deregulated 30% of watersheds that supply drinking water to household taps. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Menindee fish kills: inconsistent pesticide levels sparks calls for review of water testing methods

The Guardian

Experts are calling for more sensitive water-quality testing in the Darling-Baaka River amid concerns that pesticides could be contributing to poor conditions, blue-green algae blooms and fish deaths. It follows two of the state’s top scientific bodies publishing test results from water samples taken near Menindee in far western New South Wales which contained inconsistent results. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Researchers advocate for sustainable logging to safeguard against global flood risks

Science Daily

Dr. Alila says the probabilistic framework is designed to understand and predict, for instance, how much of the 2021 Fraser Valley floods could be attributed to climate change, land use change or logging. But the risk of flooding is influenced by many things, such as how much snow is on the ground, whether it’s melting or not, how much rain is falling, and the characteristics of the landscape itself. The approach also can be extended to investigate the causes of flood risk in other cities and regions. Click here to continue reading

Atmospheric rivers swamp B.C. coast, melting snow and triggering flood advisories

The Canadian Press

Rainfall and flood advisories remain in effect for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky region as balmy weather melts any sign of heavy snowfall earlier this month. Environment Canada forecasts temperatures five to 10 degrees above normal. Click here to continue reading

Drought in Western Canada impacting hydropower production as reservoirs run low

The Canadian Press

Two hydro-rich provinces are being forced to import power from other jurisdictions due to severe drought in Western Canada. Both B.C. and Manitoba, where the vast majority of power is hydroelectric, are experiencing low reservoir levels that have negatively affected electricity production this fall and winter. Click here to continue reading

Nunavut needs more housing, but in the capital, that can’t happen without more water

The Canadian Press

The mayor of Nunavut’s capital says the city’s housing crisis cannot be solved unless another crisis is dealt with first. Iqaluit doesn’t have access to the water it needs to support a growing population, says the mayor. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Humans are depleting groundwater worldwide, but there are ways to replenish it

The Conversation – United States

In a newly published study, our team of data scientists, water specialists and policy experts compiled the first global-scale dataset of well water levels. We analyzed millions of groundwater level measurements in 170,000 wells located in over 40 countries and mapped how groundwater levels have changed over time. Click here to continue reading

Attawapiskat member files UN human rights complaint over decades-long struggle for clean drinking water

IndigiNews

An Attawapiskat member has submitted a 500-page human rights complaint to the United Nations over his First Nation’s lack of access to clean drinking water. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: BHP and Vale ordered to pay $15bn in damages for 2015 Brazil dam collapse

The Guardian

The dam collapse in the south-eastern city of Mariana caused a giant mudslide that killed 19 people and severely polluted the Rio Doce River, compromising the waterway to its outlet in the Atlantic Ocean. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Paper provides a clearer picture of severe hydro hazards

Science Daily

A new study now provides a global examination of drought-pluvial volatility — or the tendency to shift from one weather extreme to another. Click here to continue reading

City of Lethbridge opens water conservation survey

CTV News

Lethbridge residents can now fill out a water conservation survey conducted by the City of Lethbridge. The city is hoping to hear how residents conserve water and ideas for how it can reduce water usage. Click here to continue reading

Prairie water users watch mountain snowpack

The Western Producer

Officials say southern Alberta will be in good shape even if precipitation and runoff capture on the Oldman and St. Mary rivers are at median levels, but low levels could lead to a worst-case scenario. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Project to help water users improve watershed planning

The Western Producer

The organization that represents Alberta’s irrigation districts is spearheading a project that will better allow stakeholders in the South Saskatchewan River Basin to improve watershed planning. The project will use the South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM) to determine how to best develop infrastructure to benefit Albertans, said Margo Jarvis Redelback, executive director of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association. Click here to continue reading

Dry January: why a dash of snow and rain can’t solve B.C.’s water woes

The Narwhal

B.C. has released its “Snow survey and water supply bulletin,” which shows the province entering 2024 with barely half its usual snowpack. That’s a provincial average; in many places the situation was far worse, with 15 snow stations recording all-time lows as of January 1, most of them in the interior. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Global warming – not El Niño – was primary cause of unprecedented Amazon drought, study finds

EuroNews Green

Human-induced global warming, and not El Niño, was the primary driver of last year’s severe drought in the Amazon, researchers said on Wednesday. Both climate change and El Niño contributed about equally to a reduction in rainfall. But higher global temperatures were the biggest reason for the drought, according to World Weather Attribution. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: ‘We cannot be cowards’: the Brazilian village fighting for the right to have water

The Guardian

Latin America’s water wars: In a struggle that has already cost one life, a community founded by those who fled slavery is fighting to save its access to water and way of life against encroaching farmers. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Solving the Mysteries of the Water Cycle with Cutting-edge Technology in Northern Finland

Water Canada

In the remote research area in Oulanka, Finland, tubes and sensors crisscross out of a telephone booth-like measuring room. Every minute, they collect samples and measurement data from inside the snow cover, which are immediately analysed using state-of-the-art technology in the booth. The measurements aim to provide information on snow depth, temperature, density and evaporation using new technology. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Minister vows to end water firms’ pollution self-monitoring in England

The Guardian

The environment secretary has told water companies in England that they will no longer be able to monitor and report on pollution from their own treatment works.
Steve Barclay told the privatised industry he would put an end to operator self-monitoring in a toughening of the regulatory approach. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Devastating drought in Amazon result of climate crisis, study shows

The Guardian

The climate crisis turned the drought that struck the Amazon rainforest in 2023 into a devastating event, a study has found.
The drought was the worst recorded in many places and hit the maximum “exceptional” level on the scientific scale. Without planet-warming emissions from the burning of oil, gas and coal, the drought would have been far less extreme, the analysis found. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Britain is at bursting point and its flood barriers need to be updated

The Conversation – United Kingdom

Flooding is the top environmental hazard identified in the UK’s National Risk Register, after a pandemic. Around one in six homes are currently at risk of flooding – a value likely to increase. In the record-breaking stormy winter of 2013/2014 the Thames Barrier closed 50 times, equal to the maintenance limit. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Injectable water filtration system could improve access to clean drinking water around the world

Science Daily

More than 2 billion people, approximately a quarter of the world’s population, lack access to clean drinking water. A new, portable and affordable water filtration solution created by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin aims to change that. A new portable filtration system collects dirty water with a syringe and injects it into a hydrogel filter that weeds out nearly all tiny particles. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History Begins

Water Canada

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) initiated the U.S.’s largest drawdown process in its history by opening the low-level outlet tunnel in the Iron Gate Dam earlier this week. Drawdown refers to the slow draining of the water in the reservoirs, which will be lowered in a controlled manner through tunnels located at the base of the dams. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Reservoir water levels low despite widespread flooding

BBC News

Residents are questioning why a reservoir’s water levels appear low despite the region experiencing heavy rain and severe flooding. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: An ancient system that could bring water to dry areas

The Conversation – Africa

Some of Africa’s dry areas face serious water shortages due to minimal rainfall. An ancient system of drawing water from aquifers, the “qanat system”, could help. Gaathier Mahed, an environmental scientist and expert on the management of groundwater, has studied the feasibility of these systems. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Congo’s blackwater Ruki River is a major transporter of forest carbon – new study

The Conversation – Africa

The results of this study show that the Ruki is a major contributor of dissolved carbon to the Congo River, and that the majority of this carbon is sourced from the leaching of forest vegetation and soils. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Heavy rains tarnish San Diego’s reputation for ideal weather

Reuters

San Diego, renowned for its mild, sunny weather, was mopping up on Tuesday after the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the city in the month of January, a deluge that washed away parked cars, flooded homes and closed a stretch of highway. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Slovenia was devastated by flooding in 2023 – how is it preparing for extreme rain in the future?

EuroNews Green

Slovenia is raising levees and levies in a nationwide effort to become resilient to heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Climate Now reports from the riverside on the works underway and offers insight on the latest Copernicus climate data. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Iconic fishing shacks in Portland, Maine, destroyed as coast sees historic water levels

abcNEWS

Iconic fishing shacks in Portland, Maine, were washed away on Saturday when the coast saw record water levels, as storms sweep across the country. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Risks and opportunities of solar-powered groundwater irrigation

EurekAlert!

The declining cost of solar technologies and growing government commitments to clean energy are driving a boom in the use of solar-powered groundwater irrigation in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This has led to more than 500,000 solar pumps across South Asia and an estimated similar number installed across Sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How California Reservoir Water Levels Changed After Atmospheric Rivers

Newsweek

One reservoir in northern California rose by 5 feet after two atmospheric rivers supplemented the water levels. An atmospheric river is a “long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Satellite Images Show China’s Dam Threatening Neighbors’ Fresh Water Supply

Newsweek

China appears to have completed the construction of a new dam in the country’s southwestern border regions, a project that could have far-reaching strategic implications for its southern neighbors India and Nepal, according to new satellite imagery. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals – we studied how body size affected survival

The Conversation – Africa

When it comes to natural hazards, scientists think that traits such as body size, dispersal ability and habitat preference may be important in determining how vulnerable animals are. But it’s seldom possible to test these ideas. The research that was taking place in Gorongosa National Park at the time of Cyclone Idai provided the perfect opportunity to investigate this. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Why are floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal so devastating? Urban planning expert explains

The Conversation – Africa

The devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa demonstrates again that the country is not moving fast enough to adopt appropriate urban planning. It should be integrating risk assessment and management in the design and development of cities. This is becoming more urgent as the frequency of floods increases. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Colorado Town Appoints Legal Guardians to Implement the Rights of a Creek and a Watershed

Inside Climate News

Systemic roadblocks in the U.S. legal system have thwarted efforts to advance the rights of nature movement. The Colorado advocates are testing a new approach. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Another Hot, Dry Summer May Push Parts of Texas to the Brink

Inside Climate News

Two consecutive summers of brutal heat and drought have left some parts of Texas with notably low water supplies going into 2024. A wet year or a well-placed hurricane could quickly pull these regions back from the brink. But winter rains have disappointed so far. Click here to continue reading

Athabasca Chief Allan Adam consulting with Ottawa on First Nations Clean Water Act

Edmonton Journal

Water — and last year’s tailings fluid leaks from Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine — were top of mind when Indigenous leaders and technicians from around Alberta met with the federal minister of Indigenous services this week in Edmonton. Click here to continue reading

Farmers in Alberta face growing risk of soil erosion events as drought persists

Global News

Nearly a century after the mass agricultural disaster known as the Dirty ’30s, drought conditions on the Prairies are once again raising the risk that farmers’ valuable topsoil will go blowing in the wind. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Aridity Could Dry Up Southwestern Mine Proposals

Inside Climate News

Critical minerals for the clean energy transition are abundant in the Southwest, but the dozens of mines proposed to access them will require vast sums of water, something in short supply in the desert. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Alberta Invests in Natural Drought and Flood Protection

Water Canada

Watersheds are areas of land that drain rainfall and melted snow into streams, rivers, and lakes. Healthy and resilient watersheds play an important role in preventing drought, reducing the risk of floods and supporting healthy communities and ecosystems. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: No recharge: Long-term Prairie drought raises concerns over groundwater levels

Calgary Herald

“The lowest water levels are all in the last seven years and the levels are much lower now than they were in the ’70s and ’80s,” Pomeroy said. “It’ll be a climate signal that we’re seeing.”. Click here to continue reading

Athabasca Chief Allan Adam consulting with Ottawa on First Nations Clean Water Act

Edmonton Journal

Water — and last year’s tailings fluid leaks from Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine — were top of mind when Indigenous leaders and technicians from around Alberta met with the federal minister of Indigenous services this week in Edmonton. Click here to continue reading

St. Mary’s River Irrigation District’s January Water Supply Update

As of January 16, 2024, St. Mary’s River Irrigation District’s reservoirs are at 43% of the Full Supply Limit, headworks reservoirs at 27% and total St. Mary Project reservoirs at 34%, targeting lower winter storage levels of the Full Supply Limit

Read the 2024 Irrigation Season Water Supply Update here

Water grants now available

The Western Producer

The Land Stewardship Centre has opened applications for its 2024 Watershed Stewardship Grant. The grant is available to organizations in Alberta that are planning a water project, including stewardship and synergy groups, naturalist organizations, First Nations and Métis communities, recreational and community associations and other non-profits. Click here to continue reading

150 Calgary households still get drinking water through lead pipes. Half have refused replacement

CBC

More than three years after the City of Calgary launched its $14 million accelerated lead pipe removal program, roughly 150 households in Calgary still get their drinking water through lead pipes. Half of those households have declined replacement, often due to costs. Click here to continue reading

Feasibility study will determine the status of protecting Manitoba’s Seal River Watershed

Global News

A new agreement between First Nations leaders, the province of Manitoba, and the federal government will look at studying the feasibility of designated the Seal River Watershed as an Indigenous protected area. Click here to continue reading

New Sask. university program to offer irrigation training

The Western Producer

As plans for irrigation expansion continue in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan is offering a new program to help agricultural professionals enhance their training in the burgeoning field. It can also be done remotely. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Efficiently moving urea out of polluted water is coming to reality

Science Daily

Researchers have developed a material to remove urea from water and potentially convert it into hydrogen gas. Click here to continue reading

Sask. wetland plan to have local focus

The Western Producer

Saskatchewan continues to wrestle with how best to allow agricultural water drainage while retaining wetlands. It would use a floor concept within the network, or a conservation and development area, to determine the wetlands that exist and how much would have to be kept to meet a certain retention goal. Click here to continue reading

Steps taken to prep for severe drought

East Central Alberta Review

Clive Councillors read a letter at their Jan. 8 meeting regarding a severe drought warning from Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz, that severe drought is expected in Alberta in the spring and summer of 2024 and asking municipalities to prepare. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The drop in Panama Canal traffic due to a severe drought could cost up to $700 million

Western Investor

A severe drought that began last year has forced authorities to slash ship crossings by 36% in the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most important trade routes. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Econse helps Round Table Brewery launch with on-site, sustainable, wastewater treatment

Water Canada

“Operating sustainably certainly isn’t the simplest choice, but in our mind it was the only choice,” says Ricardo Petroni, of Round Table Brewery. “We’re part of this community, so protecting its resources is a responsibility we take seriously. When it came to our wastewater, Econse was the perfect choice. Their system fits in the brewery, is simple to operate, and allows us to produce great beer without negatively impacting water in the region.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: A new, rigorous assessment of OpenET accuracy for supporting satellite-based water management

Science Daily

Sustainable water management is an increasing concern in arid regions around the world, and scientists and regulators are turning to remote sensing tools like OpenET to help track and manage water resources. his tool has the potential to revolutionize water management, allowing for field-scale operational monitoring of water use, and a new study provides a thorough analysis of the accuracy of OpenET data for various crops and natural land cover types. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: UH trains future agri-scientists to outsmart climate change threats to food crops

EurekAlert!

Researchers at the University of Houston are training future agricultural scientists in new methods of protecting the world’s food crops – which too often are left vulnerable to extreme weather events in these days of climate change. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Hybrid Water Systems Offer Sustainable Solution for Future Cities

AZoCleantech

Houston’s water and wastewater system could be more resilient with the development of hybrid urban water supply systems that combine conventional, centralized water sources with reclaimed wastewater, according to a study by Rice University engineers published in Nature Water. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: HCL Group and UpLink Announce Winners of Zero Water Waste Challenge, Part of the Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative

Financial Post

The Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative is a five-year $15 million investment to drive freshwater sector innovation from HCL, a leading global conglomerate. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Water in Public Spaces: 15 Urban Projects That Incorporate Water Resources in Their Designs

ArchDaily

Water holds cultural significance in many societies, being associated with rituals and ceremonies and carrying diverse symbolic meanings. When present in urban public spaces, water-related elements also offer various benefits. Click here to continue reading

Explainer: Western Canada’s dry winter heralds worsening drought for 2024

Reuters

Canada’s abnormally dry winter is worsening drought conditions across the western provinces, where most of the country’s oil, gas, forest products and grain are produced. The dry winter follows Canada’s hottest summer on record, partly due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, and is raising concerns that 2024 could be another record-breaking wildfire year. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Brumadinho dam collapse: The danger emerged after the decommissioning, study reveals

Phys.org

A study has now shed light on the Brumadinho disaster. The scientists used numerical and analytical models to investigate the causes of the dam failure, and they have identified a physical mechanism that explains the mining accident. Click here to continue reading

Alberta’s drought could hinder Canadian beef industry’s ability to further reduce emissions

Calgary Herald

Canada’s beef industry has made headway on its 2030 emissions-reduction target, lowering its total emissions by 15 per cent from 2014 levels. Click here to continue reading

Alberta seeks public input on updated flood maps, even during a drought

Calgary Herald

Officials continue to work on updating flood mapping studies covering 1,600 kilometres of riverways in the province. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Study quantifies how aquifer depletion threatens crop yields

Science Daily

the depletion of groundwater — the same that many farmers rely on for irrigation — can threaten food production amid drought and drier climes. The study found that, due in part to the challenges of extracting groundwater, an aquifer’s depletion can curb crop yields even when it appears saturated enough to continue meeting the demands of irrigation. Click here to continue reading

Province plans ahead to mitigate severe drought this year — using a familiar modelling tool

CBC

WaterSMART Solutions, a water management consulting company will conduct drought modelling and determine how to optimize Alberta’s water supply. Using a tool called the South Saskatchewan River Operation Model (SSROM) which was utilized in the province’s 2013 flood response. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: This pristine lake has endured for 2m years. Why are its fish in crisis?

The Guardian

In one of the world’s oldest lakes, Hovsgol grayling, a species found only in these azure waters in Mongolia, are struggling to survive. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The Cost of Freeing Drinking Water from ‘Forever Chemicals’

Undark Magazine

The EPA is set to limit PFAS in drinking water to barely detectable levels. Can water utilities meet the standard?. Click here to continue reading

Dry Ponds: A simple, yet innovative approach to flood mitigation

Water Canada

Whether it comes up out of the ground or falls out of the sky, it will still want to go where it’s been going for millennia. Which can be a problem when your neighbourhood used to be a lake and you have an old basement. So, what can be done?. Click here to continue reading

Metro Vancouver celebrates 100 years of providing drinking water to the region

Water Canada

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Greater Vancouver Water District, which has, through the collaboration of its members, consistently provided high-quality drinking water to the region’s residents. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: South West Water ‘not honest’ about drought preparations, watchdog claims

The Guardian

The Environment Agency (EA) told the water industry regulator Ofwat that SWW was “not honest” with regulators about the risk a drought posed to the company’s water supplies and was inadequately prepared for the heatwave. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Winters warmer than -8C are making snow disappear – and threatening Europe’s water supplies

EuroNews Green

“Many of the world’s most populous basins are hovering on the precipice of rapid snow declines,” concluded the study of snow amounts since 1981, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The study found a key threshold for the future of snowpacks in the Northern Hemisphere: -8 degrees Celsius. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Record heat in 2023 worsened global droughts, floods and wildfires

Science Daily

Record heat across the world profoundly impacted the global water cycle in 2023, contributing to severe storms, floods, megadroughts and bushfires, new research shows. Click here to continue reading

Agricultural drought assistance: Minister Sigurdson

Government of Alberta

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson issued the following statement on how the government is preparing to assist agricultural producers:. Click here to continue reading

Section of Banff Avenue closed due to water main break

CTV News

Emergency crews were called to a major water main break in the town of Banff Thursday morning. Banff is one of the many Alberta communities currently under an extreme cold warning on Thursday. Click here to continue reading

BC Hydro must pay for overcharging remote First Nations

National Observer

BC Hydro has been ordered to refund a small coastal First Nation more than $700,000 after unfairly charging it an extra annual fee for electricity for nearly a decade. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Thames Water bypassing local opposition in attempt to launch water recycling project

The Guardian

Thames Water is bypassing local democracy to attempt to push through a controversial water recycling project that campaigners say threatens to increase pollution on the river. Click here to continue reading

City of Lethbridge addressing water shortage concerns

CTV News

“Because we are already in such a moisture deficit in the soils, this little bit of precipitation is really not enough. We need feet and feet and feet of snow and/or lots of rain to resupply our soil water stores”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Drought reveals sunken 11th century church as Spain battles prolonged water shortages

EuroNews Green

Flooded 60 years ago to form the Sau reservoir, which provides essential water supplies to the city of Barcelona, just the top of the church’s three-storey tower usually pokes up above the surface. Now, the 11th-century building stands firmly on dry land and has started to attract ‘drought tourists’. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Laid to Waste

Science

Ukrainian scientists are tallying the grave environmental consequences of the Kakhovka Dam disaster. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Conservation Takes Flight With Wetland Upgrades and Water Management

3BL CSRwire

Wetlands aren’t just for bullfrogs and cattails—they’re important for wildlife and humans alike. Two key projects emerged this year to improve the landscape for waterfowl, wildlife and surrounding communities, each with critical benefits to its respective ecosystem. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Conservative ‘failures’ have led to more sewage pollution, say water experts

The Guardian

Increased flooding blamed on years of government delays over ‘sponge cities’ rules. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Scientists find about a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a liter of bottled water

The Canadian Press
The average liter of bottled water has nearly a quarter million invisible pieces of ever so tiny nanoplastics, detected and categorized for the first time by a microscope using dual lasers. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: EU Policy. Belgium urged to advance extension of water pollutant watch list

EuroNews Green

Belgium plans to move forward a proposal to increase the number of water pollutants subject to strict concentration limits, to include PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ and dozens of others, the EU Council presidency holder has said amid calls from civil society and industry. Click here to continue reading

Miawpukek First Nation improving water system to provide clean water to entire community

Water Canada

Miawpukek First Nation is embarking on a significant water system upgrade to ensure sustained access to safe and clean drinking water in the community. The installation of booster pumps and upgrades to the water treatment plant will ensure ample water pressure across the entire community. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits

Science Daily

A new microscopic technique zeroes in on the poorly explored world of nanoplastics, which can pass into blood, cells and your brain. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: How ‘wildcat’ subdivisions are making Arizona’s drought worse

Fast Company

When a small Arizona community called Rio Verde Foothills lost its water supply one year ago, forcing locals to skip showers and eat off paper plates, it became a poster child for unwise desert development. Click here to continue reading

Alberta government seeking feedback on new Edmonton-area flood maps

CBC

Alberta government seeking feedback on new Edmonton-area flood maps. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Heavy rain swamps much of Europe in floodwaters

CBC

Major rivers in England and Wales overflowed after being hit by a series of rainstorms, causing widespread flooding in the region. Britain is the latest victim of flooding, with places in France, Germany and Belgium still recovering from earlier deluges. Click here to continue reading

Gravel company fined for water discharge into McLeod River

Edmonton Journal

An Alberta natural resources company has been fined for pumping water from a gravel pit into a creek feeding the McLeod River 2 1/2 years ago. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Thailand tries nature-based water management to adapt to climate change

Mongabay 

A new report assesses the efficacy of two nature-based approaches to water management in Thailand, which represent a step away from the country’s typically top-down, hard-engineering approach and present several benefits to the environment and communities. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: English towns and villages flooded after heavy rainfall – in pictures

The Guardian

Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place and commuters face travel disruption on Friday after heavy rain fell across parts of the UK. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: English towns and villages flooded after heavy rainfall – in pictures

The Guardian

Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place and commuters face travel disruption on Friday after heavy rain fell across parts of the UK. Click here to continue reading

Alberta is already preparing for a possible drought this spring

CTV News

Calgary set a record for temperatures in December. Your snow shovel and booster cables may be collecting dust, but while many people are glad to avoid the hassles of winter, the warm and dry conditions are also potentially concerning. Click here to continue reading

Alberta government warning municipalities about water use this year due to drought

CBC

Alberta’s environment minister is reaching out to municipalities asking them to find ways to use less water this year in light of the province’s drought. Click here to continue reading

Calgary sees warmest December on record, with water shortages possible this summer

Calgary Herald

Calgary and other parts of Alberta are in the midst of one of the warmest and driest winters on record, prompting concerns about water supply and fire risk heading into spring and summer this year. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Cold-Water Fish Are Being Threatened in Temperate US Lakes

Newsweek

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that fish species are experiencing two climate-related changes at a time in their habitat: an increase in water temperature, and a lack of water clarity. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: First-Ever December Flood Warning Issued for Red River of the North

Newsweek

The US National Weather Service has issued the rare flood warning following high amounts of ice and rain in North Dakota throughout the month of December. This is the first time a flood warning has ever been issued for the river at this time of year, according to one of the agency’s meteorologists. Click here to continue reading

Is 2024 the year Okanagan Lake floating bridge becomes a suspension bridge?

iNFOnews

This is shaping up to be the driest year on record in terms and if this continues, by the end of winter, could set a modern-day low water level record for Okanagan Lake. That very unlikely event would force a lot of considerations, not least of which is to the only floating bridge in Canada. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: The race to destroy the toxic ‘forever chemicals’ polluting our world

The Guardian

“Forever chemicals” are in our drinking water sources, sea foam and spray, rain and groundwater, sea ice, and even human blood – so now efforts are increasing to detect, remove and destroy them. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: California snowpack lowest in decade despite hope with December storms

The Guardian

In the first snow survey of the season, California came up short – just 25% of the historical average – despite a spate of strong storms that caused flooding and landslides along the coast in late December. Click here to continue reading

Edmonton crews see big jump in water and ice rescues this holiday season

Global News
Over the holidays, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services were called to more than a dozen water or ice rescues. Between Dec. 24 and Jan. 1, there were 13 calls related to water rescues or people on the ice. Click here to continue reading

Water conservation top priority for 2024, says Lethbridge Mayor

CBC

Mandatory water restrictions are on the table, according to Mayor Blaine Hyggen. The mayor sat down with the CBC’s Lethbridge Bureau reporter Ose Irete for a year-end interview to discuss some of council’s priorities this new year. Click here to continue reading

More than 70% of Canada is ‘abnormally dry.’ Here’s why

CTV News

Rising temperatures and intense drought conditions impacted Canadians in 2023, from water rationing to the country’s worst wildfire season on record. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s latest assessment of drought conditions across the country continues to paint a dire picture(opens in a new tab): Canada is “abnormally dry.”. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Fleeing drought, vulnerable populations face flood risk in most African countries

EurekAlert!

In 80% of African countries, people moved toward rivers and into cities during or following drought, increasing the number of people living in flood-risk areas in recent decades. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Scientists discover new way to identify liquid water on exoplanets

EurekAlert!

Scientists have devised a new way to identify habitable planets and potentially inhabited planets, by comparing the amount of carbon dioxide in their atmosphere, to neighbouring planets. Click here to continue reading

Let the lawns go brown: Water conservation key for future Metro Vancouver droughts

Vancouver Sun

A significant amount of the water in Metro Vancouver’s complex reservoir system is consumed not by people, but by lawns, says Linda Parkinson, water services director for Metro Vancouver. Click here to continue reading

‘Life-changing’: Oneida laying groundwork for new water supply pipe

CBC

An Indigenous community near London, Ont., is close to approving the design of a pipeline that will bring fresh drinking water to residents who’ve been on a boil-water advisory for the past four years. Click here to continue reading

Nanton looks to larger neighbour to secure future water supply

CBC

The Town of Nanton is working with the Town High River on a plan to build a treated water pipeline between the two southern Alberta communities. Nanton, about 65 kilometres south of Calgary, needs to secure its future potable water supply. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Growing proportion of England’s flood defences in disrepair, analysis finds

The Guardian

Ministers have been told they will be “punished” by voters after analysis revealed the decline of vital flood defences across England. The proportion of critical assets in disrepair has almost trebled in the West Midlands and the east of England since 2018, leaving thousands of homes and businesses more vulnerable to storms. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Why Are Alaska’s Rivers Turning Orange?

Scientific American

Streams in Alaska are turning orange with iron and sulfuric acid. Scientists are trying to figure out why. Click here to continue reading

Compare and contrast: Thousands of trees planted in Devon to improve water quality

BBC News

More than 40,000 saplings are being planted on land near eight river catchments in Devon. It is part of a long-running project, called Upstream Thinking, to improve water quality. Click here to continue reading