Author: Shannon Smithwick

Follow the Drop – Household

Restart Go Back Household Welcome Water Quality Welcome The underground distribution network has taken you to a house in Calgary! The pipe system you traveled through is maintained by the municipal government, […]

Follow the Drop – Groundwater

Restart Go Back Groundwater Welcome Water Quality Welcome As a drop of water, you can seep into the soil and become groundwater almost anywhere along the path that you travel throughout the […]

Follow the Drop – Evaporation

Restart Go Back Evaporation Welcome Water Quality Welcome Hang onto your hat!  You’ve chosen to become water vapour, which means your are up in the air, travelling the world in the atmosphere. […]

Follow the Drop – Feed Lot

Restart Go Back Feed Lot Welcome Water Quality Welcome Feedlots are operations where many animals are kept in close quarters. They are focused on feeding animals such as cows, pigs […]

Follow the Drop – Hydro Power Plant

Restart Go Back Hydro Power Plant Welcome Water Quality Welcome Your choice to travel to the hydro power plant is extremely useful for the people living in the Bow River […]

Follow the Drop – Municipal Water Treatment

Restart Go Back Municipal Water Treatment Welcome Water Quality Welcome By choosing a municipal water treatment plant as your next destination, you will be sent to a municipality that withdraws […]

Follow the Drop – Glacier

Restart Go Back Glacier Welcome Water Quality Welcome Glaciers form when snow remains in the same area year-round, and over time new layers of snow bury and compress the previous layers, forming ice1. Your […]

Follow the Drop – Upper Bow River

Restart Go Back Upper Bow River Welcome Water Quality Welcome Congratulations on choosing to leap in and join  the cold and fast-moving upper reaches of the Bow River! This section […]

Follow the Drop – Snow

Restart Go Back Snow Welcome Water Quality Welcome Welcome to winter in the Rocky Mountains! You have fallen into the headwaters region of the Bow River, and here you will remain until […]

Follow the Drop – Rain

Restart Go Back Rain Welcome Water Quality Welcome Since you’ve chosen to begin your journey as a drop of rain landing in the headwaters region of the Bow River, it […]

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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.