Although it is officially fall, we at the WaterPortal are still dwelling on summer. Beyond the heat and sunshine there were some ongoing water stories that took an interesting turn this summer. This week we’ll be posting five stories we felt were worth revisiting.

 

invasive mussels
Photo: “Aquatic Invasive Species: Mussel fouled propeller from Lake Mead, Arizona” from Government of Alberta is licenced under CC BY 2.0.

 

Quagga and zebra mussels made headlines this summer as the Provincial government and water managers stepped up efforts to prevent invasive species from making their way into Alberta. The Province is developed a 5-pronged approach to preventing infestation and indicated inspecting boats at the border would be a priority. On August 6th the Province announced Alberta–Montana Canine Mussel Detection Pilot, a program that used dogs specially trained to sniff out mussels. To date, the program was successful and two boats containing invasive mussels were stopped over the August long weekend.

 

Date Article 
August 28, 2014  Calgary Herald Staff. Province finds invasive mussels on two boats during inspections. Calgary Herald.
August 11, 2014 CBC News Staff. Fisherman mad, disappointed zebra mussels found in Lake Winnipeg. CBC News Manitoba. 
August 6, 2014 CBC News Staff. Sniffer dogs to keep invasive mussels out of Alberta waterways. CBC News Calgary. 
May 2, 2014 Derworiz, Collette. Invasive mussels could carry high costs. Edmonton Journal. 

 

 

Read more from our “Summer Stories Worth Revisiting” series

Part 1: Invasive Mussels

Part 2: Ghost Lake Reservoir

Part 3: Proposed Maligne Lake Development

Part 4: Cochrane Lake 

 

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.

Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market.   With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry. 

Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector. 

He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency. 

Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field. 

Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation.   As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.