Coordinated response helped quickly restore Fort McMurray’s drinking water
The water system recovery plan was based on similar work following the wildfire in 2016. This latest river flooding caused contaminated water to enter...
Hamilton conducts dead-end watermain flushing program using post hydrants
There are a few ways to ensure water quality is maintained through the system, once it leaves the treatment plant. The primary one is that the water continues to flow through the system without the opportunity to sit stagnant. Dead-end watermains are the enemy in this scenario and unavoidable in old distribution systems.
Looking at key practices for control valve operation
Since it is installed after the pipe is in place, each control valve must be adapted to the specific application. With so many applications being unique to a utility, there are some best practices that every control valve operator should have in their toolbox before trying to tackle some of the more difficult concepts.
Hacker dangerously raises sodium hydroxide levels at Florida water plant
Digital forensics experts in Florida’s Pinellas County are investigating a software hack of the City of Oldsmar’s water treatment plant computer system.
On February 5,...
Alberta reinstates coal mining safeguards after critics warn of polluted rivers
The Alberta government has reversed a coal mining policy decision that critics say eased certain environmental safeguards and threatened contamination of Saskatchewan rivers, in...
Yukon releases quartz mining guidelines to protect water
Yukon’s quartz mining proponents must now submit an adaptive management plan, outlining how they will manage water at hard rock exploration sites.
Officials say the...
Saskatoon launches new water training program for First Nations
Kanātan nipīy, meaning the water is clean, is the name of a new water training program in Saskatoon that aims to foster First Nations...
Colorado professor wins water award for UV research legacy
The National Water Research Institute (NWRI) has awarded its annual Clarke Prize for Excellence in Water Research to University of Colorado Boulder Civil Engineering...
Thames Water UK launches massive hiring drive, triples apprenticeships
Britain’s largest water and wastewater utility said it hopes to hire 1,000 new workers this year, Thames Water UK announced late last month.
The water...
Charges laid against nine Michigan officials in Flint water crisis
The former Governor of Michigan, as well as city staff that includes the former director of public works, are now facing a series of...
Climbing GHGs may stop many lakes from freezing, say York researchers
New research by Ontario’s York University suggests that if the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions aren’t drastically reduced, 179 lakes could permanently lose ice cover...
Citizen science may educate public on pharmaceutical water pollution, report suggests
A new report examining pharmaceuticals found in the Great Lakes considers how citizen science initiatives could be developed to educate as well as fill...
Thunder Bay makes lead service pipe replacement loans a reality
The northern Ontario City of Thunder Bay has approved a $1.3-million community loan program to help residents replace lead service pipes on private property.
The...
AWWA ‘enthusiastic’ over historic revisions to U.S. Lead and Copper Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the first major update to its underachieving Lead and Copper Rule in nearly 30 years.
The EPA...
Canada Water Agency consultations begin as discussion paper released
Canada has opened online consultations towards establishing the new Canada Water Agency, a venture to improve and centralize the country’s freshwater management under the...
U.S. water sector highlights critical role as vaccine rollout planning begins
Calling the water sector a “lifeline sector” that “underpins all aspects of society,” officials with the U.S.-based Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) say they...
Montana alters selenium limits to protect lake from B.C. mining pollution
The U.S. state of Montana has passed stricter requirements on selenium levels in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River in an attempt to guard...
Water infrastructure upgrades slated for Quebec, Ontario communities
Significant water infrastructure projects in Quebec and Ontario received funding the week of December 7 from the federal government as investments in the protection...
Ottawa museum obtains billion-year-old water sample from U of T geochemist
In 2009, University of Toronto geochemist Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar and her team collected what was later proven to be the oldest-known flowing water...
Canada will miss 2021 deadline to end all First Nations water advisories
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller held a press conference on December 2 to confirm that Canada will miss its March 2021 deadline to lift...
Unidirectional distribution system flushing program improves White Rock’s water quality
Watermain flushing in White Rock, B.C. has been conducted regularly for corrosion control, sediment removal, taste and odour control, maintaining low turbidity, maintaining disinfectant residual, and the prevention of bacterial growth.
Helping the water sector chart a path through the rough waters of public relations
Three municipal experts in navigating the minefield of public opinion on difficult water issues such as lead and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances swapped success stories during a recent virtual summit organized by the American Water Works Association.
Evacuated Neskantaga First Nation still waiting for action on water crisis
The website of the Neskantaga First Nation is now filled with video testimonies from some of its nearly 300 residents, to shine light on...
The important role of high capacity water filters in eDNA sampling of surface water
Once the sampling site locations and protocols have been established, the next practical matter is sampling protocol. There is a compelling case to do filtration in the field as opposed to the logistical challenge of transporting samples to a laboratory setting.
Global Water Institute earns grant to detect, remove microplastics from wastewater
Ottawa’s Global Water Institute has received a $230,000, 18-month grant for research to develop solutions for the detection and removal of microplastics and microfibres...
York Region to build new facility to protect Lake Simcoe from phosphorus
Two new major investments through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund in Ontario’s York Region will focus on protection of the water supply, treatment,...
Filtration milestone for NWT water treatment plants coincides with call for new facility
After decades of simple truck-fill water stations with chlorine disinfection, communities in the Northwest Territories (NWT) have reached the milestone achievement of having filtration...
Alberta set for interbasin transfer as communities added to regional waterline
A new bill introduced in the Alberta Legislature proposes to construct one of the province’s longest regional waterline connections, to end drinking water quality...
Growing anger over pinhole leaks in Thunder Bay, pipes problem also seen in U.S.
For municipal officials in Thunder Bay who may have browsed water news over the summer, accounts of pinhole leaks in the copper pipes of...
B.C. district switches out lake drinking water source over rise in algal blooms
Flooding and unusual weather patterns likely played a role in the unusually high amount of algae within Kalamalka Lake this year, states B.C.’s Regional...
Fredericton weighs optics, impact around water shut-offs during pandemic
One thousand residents in the City of Fredericton are at risk of having their water shut off by city officials, after they fell behind...
Ontario’s Neskantaga community evacuates over water reservoir contamination
Under a 25-year boil-water advisory — Canada’s longest — northwestern Ontario’s Neskantaga First Nation says it has now evacuated the majority of its residents...
WWF report warns of data gaps in 60% of Canada’s sub-watersheds
A new report from World Wildlife Fund Canada warns that missing monitoring data from 100 of the country’s 176 sub-watersheds may be obscuring threats.
That...
US EPA launches initiative, grants to build future water workforce
The U.S. has released a new plan to recruit and retain the next generation of its water workforce through planning, training and collaboration across...
Newfoundland town fined $50K for chlorine leaks into local river
The Newfoundland and Labrador Town of Baie Verte has been ordered to pay a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to discharges of highly-chlorinated water...
Manitoba audit finds many water systems do not have properly certified operator
A Manitoba audit has found that 20% of known water systems in the province do not have an operating licence and nearly half do...
Halton becomes first Canadian municipality to win AWWA drinking water quality award
A commitment to improvement at water purification plants in Burlington, Burloak and Oakville has led to Halton Region, Ontario, being selected as the first...
Using ROVs to inspect water storage tanks offers many benefits
Benefits of using an ROV for water tank inspections go beyond their technical basics.
Managing invasive aquatic species starts with good data
Managing hydrilla through delineation with the right mix of traditional and leading-edge technology.
Hamilton reduces non-revenue water loss with a proactive leak detection program
Due to success of the pilot, the city will be putting out a request for technology to establish a long-term proactive leak detection program to ensure that all water distribution systems are assessed annually.
Harbour expansion project created numerous environmental challenges
The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project has been in the works for years. By deepening the 14-metre-wide river channel by 1.5 metres, ships will be...
Real-time monitoring can quantify the amount of overflow and water quality
Anticipated technical and financial challenges have encouraged municipalities to develop real-time monitoring systems that can evaluate the current infrastructure, optimize development in combined sewer systems and control water pollution.
Managing unused potable water systems during the pandemic
A water system that is in a low-flow condition presents a potential for the development of biofilm and the amplification of potentially harmful bacteria.
Charlottetown reducing water use by 13% through metering, conservation
Despite the population of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, continuing to grow, city officials say the introduction of water meters is significantly reducing local water...
B.C. and Alberta cleantech water projects funded by SDTC
Two major water technology projects are getting substantial funding injections from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) as the clean technology (cleantech) market remains on...
Water challenges continue in B.C.’s Prince Rupert as residents await new infrastructure
As residents of the British Columbia port city of Prince Rupert wait for the municipality’s aging water infrastructure to be replaced following last year’s...
Fashion and textile industries need greater focus on water pollution, report warns
A new report warns that the apparel and textiles sector has a vital role to play in reducing water pollution, but less than half...
EPCOR, Alberta First Nations sign water agreement in ‘spirit of reconciliation’
Alberta’s Enoch Cree First Nation has signed an agreement with water utility EPCOR to collaborate on the development and implementation of local water projects...
Lake Diefenbaker takes spotlight in new report that touts benefits of expanded irrigation
A new report is endorsing a series of irrigation projects that would see multiple users competing for resources available through Saskatchewan’s Lake Diefenbaker.
Saskatchewan's $4...
School districts discover Legionella as stagnant water systems recommissioned
Students may be returning to school this fall in some areas of North America armed with not only masks to protect against COVID-19, but...
Michigan settles Flint lead water crisis, assures nearly $600M going to affected children
A new $600-million preliminary civil settlement announced in Flint, Michigan, will see the state pay some 80% of the money to children who were...
Microplastic pollution in Atlantic Ocean exceeds earlier findings
A new study estimates that upward of 21 million metric tons of three common types of microplastic pollution exist in just the top 200...
Cities may find watering restrictions not as effective as assumed, study says
When researchers at the University of Waterloo analyzed more than a decade of data from 10 mid-sized Canadian cities that restrict outdoor water use...
Stantec leads digital study to help water utilities explore technology upgrades
A new global collaborative study helmed by consultant engineering firm Stantec aims to help water utilities identify aspects of their practices that may be...
Alberta town fined $10K, former operator given house arrest over falsifying water samples
After facing a series of water-related charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, the Town of Bow Island, Alberta, and a former employee...
New Brunswick secures wastewater upgrade funding as officials warn of algal bloom
Provincial, federal and municipal officials have announced $32.3 million in funding to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant operated by the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission...
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities say stimulus water restoration projects can kick-start economy
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative says that up to 40 jobs could be created per million dollars spent on erosion control and infrastructure.
Alberta gets another funding injection for array of water projects
A series of new projects will be underway in Alberta, ranging from a new carbon dioxide injector pump, to the expansion of wastewater treatment...
Saskatchewan city completes third phase of major drinking water upgrades project
Saskatchewan residents in the City of Estevan can expect “noticeably improved, less hard” drinking water, municipal officials explained, as they unveiled the third and...
California water bottler fined $5M for illegally storing arsenic wastewater
A California-based water bottler has been fined USD $5 million for illegally storing and transporting hazardous waste created from filtering arsenic out of spring...
Water resilience: The missing piece in dealing with climate change
What has been missing from the discussion is the idea of resilience, defined as how easily and quickly a system can recover from extreme weather events, whether these events involve too much water or too little.
Finding the right dosing pump for water and wastewater treatment processes
Both diaphragm or peristaltic chemical metering/dosing pumps are positive displacement pumps, but they work in very different ways. A question often asked is which of these pump types will be the most effective and reliable?
Cutting the risk of Legionnaires’ disease from shuttered water systems
The continued growth of Legionnaires’ disease is the result of the lack of a water management plan and other factors such as environmental and epidemiological.
Environmental DNA will enhance environmental surveys for 500 Canadian lakes
Using eDNA in environmental biomonitoring studies can improve accuracy of surveys, reduce costs and provide more time-effective workflows. The potential utility of this molecular approach can have great implications in many fields and industries.
SCADA communications network enables remote operations in Wood Buffalo
The project was developed in three stages. Stage one was to develop a SCADA master plan for the municipality, including developing a network plan for every water and wastewater facility.
U.S. close to finalizing replacement of up to 10 million lead water pipes
The U.S. House of Representatives has authorized USD$4.5 billion for the replacement of up to 10 million lead water distribution pipes nationwide.
From 2015 to...
Canada invests $8.3M in fishing gear removal to fight marine plastic pollution
Plastic debris that ends up in Canada’s waters from fishermen plying their trade has become a major marine litter problem known as ghost gear,...
Ramara outsources water, wastewater services to OCWA
Ramara Township, just northeast of Barrie, Ontario, has voted in support of outsourcing the community’s water and wastewater services to the Ontario Clean Water...
New funding means even better news for Ontario’s resurgent Lake Simcoe
Following the release of a new 10-year positive milestone report on the health of Lake Simcoe, Ontario’s government is investing $581,000 in four new...
Alberta loses access to Milk River irrigation water following U.S. canal failure
Following a U.S. infrastructure failure in northern Montana, water levels in Alberta’s Milk River will likely be too low this summer for activities like canoeing or kayaking.
Alberta grants $150M for 55 water, wastewater projects in small municipalities
$137 million is allocated for improvements to water supply, treatment facilities, upgrades to wastewater services such as lagoons, berms, sewage treatment.
Changes to Ontario water taking policy now open for public input
Ontario’s government has officially posted proposals in need of public input pertaining to changes around the ways water is taken and managed in the province.
New WEF report analyzes global investment gaps around risks to water security
Report identifies water as a global systemic risk that could have an annual investment gap of $670 billion in relation to water security and water investment opportunities
Nutrient kit engages community to take lead on algal blooms
The University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security has designed a new communitybased sampling app kit to engage citizens, farmers and water quality...
New water tanks help Saint John deliver abundant and clean water
Residents on the east side of Saint John, New Brunswick, were all too familiar with boil water orders. For decades, the city drew water from Latimer Lake and chlorinated and pumped it directly to the distribution system.
Unlocking data from water, wastewater and stormwater systems
Using data from hydrological systems, organizations can properly account for and appropriately allocate water resources while minimizing impacts on the environment.
Drinking water source protection in Ontario 20 years after Walkerton
Local committees were established to bring about actions to protect sources of municipal residential drinking water systems across Ontario. They developed source protection plan policies using scientific data, including soil type, watershed time of travel of contaminants, depth of aquifer, etc., to delineate drinking water vulnerable areas.
Atmospheric-hydrothermal modelling platforms offer new opportunities
Golder helps Bruce Power separate local heating effects of the plant’s operations from the variable lake-wide natural factors that affect water temperature, providing accurate data for discussions with regulators, local Indigenous communities and other stakeholder groups concerned about possible influences of the facility’s heat profile.
Reducing the environmental impacts of industrial cooling water discharges
With the demand for water accelerating globally, especially for power generation, significant emphasis has been placed on developing technologies to reduce water use and improve the recycling of water resources.
Billions spent on Great Lakes restoration making progress on Areas Of Concern
A new study of pollution prevention for the Great Lakes found that an estimated $22.7 billion has been spent between 1985 and 2019 on the cleanup and restoration of all U.S. and Canadian areas of concern.
Global Water Futures hosts panel to discuss creation of Canada Water Agency
Many leading water experts currently see Canada at a crossroads in the emerging water-climate crisis and believe that the creation of a Canada Water Agency could deliver water security if collaboration could exist alongside a common vision for the future.
U.S. water utilities to spend $3 billion on PFAS reduction by 2030, report finds
While there is currently no enforceable federal limit on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. drinking water, individual states are moving forward with...
New Raven hydrologic modelling software released
A decade in the making, version 3 of Raven, an open-source hydrologic modelling platform used by a number of flood and reservoir forecasting agencies...
U.S.-Canada advisory group joins IJC efforts on Lake Ontario outflow review
Following concerns about extreme wet conditions that caused record floods, a new public advisory group will be working with water committee managers at the...
Michigan dams fail in wake of violation history, lost license
After a massive rainstorm surged through Michigan last week causing two hydro dams to fail, residents engulfed in a flooding emergency are gradually learning...
Billions spent on Great Lakes restoration making progress on areas of concern
A new study of pollution prevention for the Great Lakes found that an estimated $22.7 billion has been spent between 1985 and 2019 on...
USask Nutrient App kit engages community to take lead on algal blooms
The University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security has designed a new community-based sampling app kit to engage citizens, farmers and water quality...
Global Water Futures hosts panel to discuss creation of Canada Water Agency
Many leading water experts currently see Canada at a crossroads in the emerging water-climate crisis and believe that the creation of a Canada Water...
CWWA releases water guidance documents for reopening of buildings
As governments plan for the gradual reopening of the economy, the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) has released guidance documents advising water utilities...
Alberta ice jam floods displace thousands as water plant begins decontamination
Evacuation orders that impacted thousands of residents are ending for some in northern Alberta as most river water levels that had surged from melting...
Four weeks of confinement flew by, says Brandon water crew who lived on site
The Manitoba City of Brandon’s mayor is praising water workers who have been sacrificing time with their families during the pandemic to live on-site...
EPA secures new Great Lakes funding, details nutrient runoff projects
The EPA released an action plan to fight nutrient runoff and announced $20 million in additional funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Study examines ‘extreme water stagnation’ in buildings shuttered by pandemic
Researchers at Indiana’s Purdue University have begun a field study to determine how water quality could change in shuttered buildings like schools, sports venues...
City adopts preventative water loss program with acoustic leak detection technology
As Cambridge, Ontario, grapples with increasing demands on its ageing water mains, the city’s physical water loss is higher than the national average.
Water well drilling takes careful preparation and experience
Drilling for clean, uncontaminated water can be challenging. From operating the rig to understanding how to address circulation loss or a caved-in borehole, there is a lot to consider. Having the answers to these common questions prior to the bit hitting the ground will help make for a smooth drilling operation and a positive experience.
Automatic self-cleaning filters allow Alberta county to stretch its potable water supply
Facing increasing demands for for potable water, Northern Sunrise County initiated a program to lower the demand on potable water for non-potable uses.
What treatment professionals need to know about the coronavirus and the water cycle
With the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilities are looking for resources to deal with relevant issues related to water and wastewater treatment.
WEF messaging toolkit offers ‘thank you’ to water workers on frontline
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is looking to highlight the importance of water services during the coronavirus pandemic by releasing a “toolkit” of graphics...
New First Nations water operator internships underway in Ontario
A new 18-month drinking water treatment and environmental water management internship program for young Indigenous adults near the Manitoba-Ontario border is now being funded...
COVID-19 leads San Diego County water plant workers to live on-site
As California, the most populous state in the U.S., ordered its nearly 40 million residents to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19,...
Latest Articles
New USask studies examine chemical impact on fish from stormwater runoff
Virtually no fish toxicity information exists in Canada on the effects of chemical compounds spread through stormwater runoff from rubber tires and antimicrobials used...
