The Bog
The Bog is where thoughts, opinions, discussion pieces, and action converge. Influential thinkers from the water community are invited to share their insights on current or controversial water topics. Please note that the views expressed herein are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Alberta WaterPortal.
If you are interested in writing as a guest blogger, please visit our Guest Writer Guidelines page.
As I settle down to read the latest UN Water Report, Water for prosperity and peace, it occurs to me that water issues in western Canada are receiving a level of attention they deserve but seldom receive. A great deal of water shortage (aka drought) planning is underway in Alberta and BC. Meanwhile in Ontario, the snow pack is also…
Access to water, water use, and water conservation are of increasing concern to all Albertans as our population grows and our water resources remain finite. Individual Albertans can help by managing water use in their own homes. This case study provides insight on average household water use for two Alberta municipalities, the Town of Cochrane and City of Edmonton. Cochrane…
Welcome back to the WaterPortal! We hope you had a wonderful break with family and friends and are looking forward to 2024. Looking back To start 2024 off, it might be worth having a quick look back at 2023. The global re-insurer, Munich Re, has released their 2023 retrospective summary Record thunderstorm losses and deadly earthquakes: the natural disasters of…
The information below is drawn from a research report published in June 2023 by WaterSMART Solutions. This report, commissioned by Alberta Innovates, highlights the importance of water in the development of Alberta’s hydrogen economy (WaterSMART Solutions Ltd., 2023). Hydrogen production can have a similar level of water consumption to gasoline and diesel fuels, but the locations where new hydrogen facilities…
June is the anniversary month of Alberta’s most expensive flood. Back in 2013, there were two major floods in Canada: Southern Alberta and Toronto [i]. The bigger was the Southern Alberta flood which ended up displacing some 125,000 people, claimed 5 lives, cost approximately $6 billion (estimates vary) and affected some 55,000 square kilometres [ii]. At the time, it was…