Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
It happens every summer: blue-green algae bloom into vast blankets of colourful scum in lakes, disrupting ecosystems and potentially exposing people to toxins. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, act as single-celled microscopic plants fuelled by high temperatures and nutrients often found in chemical runoff.
Edmonton resident Jill Hunter was surprised to find visible blooms of blue-green algae along the shore when she arrived at Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park on Wednesday. "This seems really early," Hunter said, after canoeing at the popular swimming and recreation area 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Rolf Vinebrooke, a professor of fresh water ecology at the University of Alberta, agrees.
After a wildfire tore through the forest around Kakisa, N.W.T., in 2014, Lloyd Chicot began noticing changes in the lake: the pickerel grew fatter, and the pelicans moved in. Chicot, the chief of Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation, attributes the change partly to climate change and partly to runoff from the fire, which brought nutrients and debris into the lake. "Right after the fire, there was a lot of burnt driftwood and that kind of stuff," he recalled.
The rapid melting of Antarctic ice poses a threat to halt deep ocean currents, which would have a negative impact on the climate, the movement of fresh water and oxygen, as well as nutrients necessary for life, for centuries, as per claims from the scientific community, reported by DW. Deep ocean currents surrounding Antarctica may slow by more than 40% over the course of the next 30 years, according to a recent study that was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. According to the study, in a high-emission scenario, the "overturning circulation" of the ocean's deep waters will reduce by 40% by 2050, with consequences lasting "for generations to come."
Current Water Technologies Inc. (TSX-V: WATR) (“CWTI” or “the Company” or “the Corporation“), an emerging technology leader in the management of industrial and municipal wastewaters and drinking water resources, provides a corporate update. Since the start of January 2023, the Company has received purchase orders totalling $645,300 for custom designed and built, state-of-the-art automated storm water pumping stations to be installed in Western Canada.
Golf's origins date back hundreds of years to rural Scotland where the natural features of the land near Edinburgh created the hazards that golfers had to play around and sheep kept the grass well manicured. But the game has spread around the world in the ensuing centuries with different environments forcing the technology used to maintain golf courses to evolve well past sheep. Golf courses have become divisive with some environmentalists criticizing their use of pesticides and fresh water, but their defenders argue that they can be oases that give cities and suburbs important green space.
The Manitoba government, Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) and Fertilizer Canada have signed a fourth memorandum of understanding (MOU) to reaffirm their ongoing commitment to the 4R Nutrient Stewardship for the sustainable use of nutrients in crop production, Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson and Environment, Climate and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton announced here today.
On a feedlot in central Alberta, nearly 100 kilometres northeast of Calgary, researchers gathered to watch as floating islands were launched onto a pond created by runoff water. To people driving past on a nearby dirt road, it might not look like much. But the islands are the result of years of research and testing that could help the feedlot business recycle wastewater to the point where it could be used on crops or for cattle. And it could go beyond just that.
Canada's environment minister is denying the Saskatchewan government's allegations that federal scientists purposely trespassed on private farmland and were testing water samples for nitrates or nutrients related to farm runoff. On Sunday, Saskatchewan Minister Responsible for the Water Security Agency Jeremy Cockrill posted a public letter to federal Minister for Environment and Climate Change Canada Steven Guilbeault.
As glorious as Alberta summers can be, they come with their own set of problems, like blue-green algae. Unfortunately for eager campers and swimmers, the blooms — which happen every year — can effectively shut down lakes. So, what exactly is blue-green algae? Blue-green algae or cyanobacteria forms in slow-moving, shallow waters and is usually the result of an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are essential for plant growth, but big blooms of the bacteria are largely caused by human activity like agriculture or residential development.
A new public education campaign will help Nova Scotians become more aware of blue-green algae when enjoying the province’s outdoors with the arrival of warmer weather. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are naturally occurring in fresh water like lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. They can flourish in water high in nutrients, especially during hot, dry conditions. The bacteria can be harmful to people and fatal for animals, so it is important that Nova Scotians know what to look for and how to protect themselves, their families and pets.
With groundwater an important resource in P.E.I., a collaborative research project is looking at what effect agricultural practices have on it. Scientist Yefang Jiang and technician Ana Kostic from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC) were in Kinkora recently collecting samples to see how farming impacts water quality as part of the Living Lab – Atlantic project.
Farmers in Waterloo Region have reached a milestone in making farm improvements to protect water quality. As of December 2020, more than $20 million in total capital projects have been completed through support from the Region’s Rural Water Quality Program (RWQP). The RWQP provides financial and technical assistance to farmers implementing voluntary projects to improve and protect water quality. Funded by the Region of Waterloo, the program started in 1998 to address non-point sources of sediment and nutrients and to protect groundwater.
Two major City of Winnipeg waste projects have blown past their budgets as the pandemic affects bidding and a contractor struggles to meet deadlines, according to a briefing presented to the city's finance committee on Tuesday. The city is conducting a massive upgrade of its sewage treatment system to meet the requirements of its licence under the province's Environment Act and reduce the outflow of nutrients into Lake Winnipeg. Upgrades to Winnipeg's South End sewage treatment plant have fallen behind schedule, prompting the water and waste department to estimate additional costs of $16.5 million. The total cost for the expansion and upgrades to the plant is now pegged at $335.6 million.
Everyone has that one friend who never leaves home without their two-litre jug of water, and not surprisingly, this is usually the same friend who’s constantly looking for the nearest bathroom. But is this water-guzzling pal onto something? It’s no secret that drinking water is good (and necessary) for the health of runners and non-runners alike, but exactly how much water do we actually need? This answer will vary for everyone, but use these guidelines to determine if you’re staying hydrated.
Canada is famously home to 20 percent of the world’s freshwater — but how well are we stewarding this supply? WWF-Canada recently reassessed the health of our country’s 25 watersheds to better understand how they’re responding to threats from pollution, habitat loss and climate change. Our 2020 Watershed Reports found that 26 per cent of Canadas’s 167 sub-watersheds received a score of Good or Very Good, which is good or very good news! But what’s bad, or possibly very bad, is that nearly 60 per cent of these sub-watersheds received no score at all because they remain Data Deficient. In other words, we just don’t know. This lack of data is concerning as we need a complete picture to determine which areas need dedicated efforts to protect our freshwater ecosystems.
Maitland Conservation (MC), formerly Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MCVA), has been monitoring two agricultural sub-watersheds to address water quality concerns and the effects of farming practices on local water. Ben Van Dieten, Agricultural Stewardship Technician, and Chris Van Esbroeck, Stewardship Services Coordinator of MC, presented their findings to date on these projects, in terms of how and when sediment and nutrients leave the landscape, and the practices they promote to reduce these losses.
A new University of Saskatchewan smartphone app will help farmers and communities identify hotspots of nutrient contamination in freshwaters and possibly predict where algae blooms — slimy, plant-like green organisms that hinder water quality — are likely to grow. “Tracking how and where agricultural nutrients, which help crops grow, may be washed away with rainfalls and snowmelt is a major concern for both researchers and the public, and that’s where our app comes in,” said Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Diogo Costa.
