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Compare and contrast: Droughts, floods, wildfires: 2024 natural disasters in pictures

Al Jazeera


An array of climate emergencies has killed, injured and displaced thousands across the globe this year.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Climate and Severe Weather.

Compare and contrast: My invention brought clean water to millions. Don’t rewrite the law that made it possible

Salon


Roughly the size of a microwave, the device sanitizes water using UV light to kill harmful bacteria, viruses and molds. It can purify approximately four gallons of water per minute and provide a year’s worth of potable drinking water for just seven cents per person. That’s less than 5% of the 2024 average cost of a single 16.9-fluid-ounce bottle of water in the United States. My goal was to save lives, not make money, so I wanted my invention to be as widely available as possible.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Drought.

Compare and contrast: Panama Canal has big plans to deal with drought

The Western Producer


The Panama Canal is a major international shipping route, but low water levels in recent years disrupted movement through the waterway. It’s hoped a new reservoir will increase the canal’s reliability, but construction would displace hundreds of families who farm, fish and raise cattle in the region.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Drought.

Compare and contrast: A Closer Look: Temperature and Drought in the Southwest

U.S. EPA


Large portions of the Southwest have experienced drought conditions since weekly Drought Monitor records began in 2000. For extended periods from 2002 to 2005 and from 2012 to 2023, nearly the entire region was abnormally dry or even drier.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Drought.

Compare and contrast: Leaves’ resilience to raindrops offer insights into energy harvesting potential

Phys.org


To a leaf, a falling raindrop is equivalent in mass to a bowling ball dropping on a person so how does the leaf survive? New research elucidates the raindrop’s impact and the physical dynamics that help the leaf respond, with potential applications for agriculture and renewable-energy harvesting.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Baltimore’s wastewater plants have made improvements: Will they bring lasting change?

Phys.org


Water-filled chambers that were once clogged with mucky brown sediment or choked by vegetation now run clear. It’s been over two years since Maryland’s largest wastewater treatment plant reached a low point.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Stopgap Columbia River Treaty leaves U.S. with more electricity, trickier flood management

The Spokesman-Review


The U.S. Department of State announced the temporary agreement late last month. It shifts flood risk management mostly to the U.S., which could make it trickier to manage floods on the Lower Columbia. But it also lets the U.S. keep an estimated $100 million in hydropower previously sent north.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Governance.

Compare and contrast: Valencians struggling to recover from devastating floods

BBC News


The floodwater left a six-feet-high (1.8m) mark on the wall, and although the water has now gone, mud still clings to the machines. But as well as claiming lives, the disaster also devastated livelihoods. Valencia’s chamber of commerce estimated that 48,000 companies have been affected.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Flood.

Halalt First Nation Sues Forest Firm, Governments for Flooding

The Tyee


Halalt First Nation in the Cowichan Valley has launched a class-action lawsuit against private forest giant Mosaic Forest Management and three levels of government for damages related to flooding on the band’s reserve on the lower Chemainus River.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Flood.

Compare and contrast: Study finds US hydropower generation may increase despite climate variability

Water Power Magazine


A national study has found that overall hydropower production in the United States could increase over the next 15 years despite climate change causing regional and seasonal variations. The research, conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is the largest assessment of its kind to date and analyzed 1544 facilities across the contiguous United States.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

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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.