A photograph of an library with many old books in many shelves and alcoves

News Archive
News tags
News tags

Compare and contrast: Farmers Are Using Wool To Save Water in the Drought-Ridden West

TIME


Wilde was less interested in compost and more intrigued by waste wool’s potential to be a water-saving, plant-feeding, synthetic-fertilizer-replacing gamechanger for a drought-ravaged West.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Drought.

Compare and contrast: This Nunavik village has boiled its ‘fishy’ water for 9 months straight. A new reservoir could fix that

CBC


Residents believe their water woes stem from a fishy water source. “When you boil the water or when you use the washer or shower, we smell the fish,” Mayor Maggie Akpahatak said.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

City workers quick to respond to water main breaks

Medicine Hat News


City field operation crews quickly responded to two separate water main breaks Thursday morning in the Flats that temporarily affected residents and businesses in the area. “Depending on the severity of the repair, we always have to maintain positive pressure for safety. So we would minimize the valving, depending on what happened,” explains King. “If we actually cut a section out of it, clearly it has to be shut down as much as possible.”.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Compare and contrast: America’s Next Water Crisis? A Lack of Experienced Workers

BNN Bloomberg


“He was 90 years old and still performing the duties because of the challenge of finding someone else to step up,” said Walton. “What’s keeping the leaders of these systems up at night is, ‘Who’s going to operate and maintain all this stuff right for the next five, 10, 20, 30 years?'” said Joseph Kane, a Brookings Institution fellow who authored the report.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Dams across Ontario get $75M revamp, extending lifespans for up to 100 years including in Baysville and Huntsville

Muskoka Region


The provincial government is investing more than $75 million to rehabilitate 10 dams across Ontario a project aimed at extending the lifespan of each structure by up to 100 years. The construction, scheduled over the next four years, will address critical maintenance issues and improve safety.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: ‘No way, not possible’: California has a plan for new water rules. Will it save salmon from extinction?

The Press Democrat


Growers and cities support the Newsom administration proposal, saying it strikes a balance for uses of Delta water. But environmentalists say the “healthy rivers” rules would actually harm California’s iconic salmon.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: Water bills in England and Wales set to rise a third to fix broken sector

Reuters


Water bills in England and Wales are set to rise by just over a third in the next five years to help tackle sewage spills.   Click here to read the story.

First Nation under a boil-water advisory for 19 years declares state of emergency

CBC


The community’s wastewater lift system is broken and raw sewage is spewing into a creek that goes directly into the Albany River, said Chief Bruce Achneepineskum. “It’s outdated, it’s too small for the community and we’ve had [an] engineering report done on our wastewater system, highlighting that this has to be changed,” Achneepineskum said of the lift system, which was built nearly 30 years ago.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Compare and contrast: Plumbing poverty: More people living without running water in US cities since global financial crisis

Phys.org


More American cities even those seen as affluent are home to people living without running water as people are being “squeezed” by unaffordable housing and the cost-of-living crisis, new research finds. The research also found that people of color were disproportionally affected by a lack of household water, a situation defined by the authors as “plumbing poverty,” in 12 of the 15 largest cities.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Claims of improved water use efficiency by Alberta oil sands companies under scrutiny

CityNews Calgary


The AER says oil sands companies used 222 billion litres of freshwater to produce 669 million barrels of oil in 2023 the equivalent of 332 litres of freshwater per barrel. But the 2022 report, according to the AWA, suggests 208 billion litres of freshwater were used to produce 657 million barrels of oil 317 litres of freshwater per barrel. That would be a five per cent increase in freshwater use per barrel of oil, and a two per cent increase in oil sands production.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Climate and Severe Weather.

We provide Canadian educational resources on water practices to promote conservation and sustainability. Our team crafts current and relevant content, while encouraging feedback and engagement.

The Canada WaterPortal is a registered charity, #807121876RR0001

Facebook Youtube Linkedin X-twitter Instagram
Land Acknowledgement

We recognize and respect the sovereignty of the Indigenous Peoples and communities on whose land our work takes place.

Keep In Touch
1500, 850 2nd St SW
Calgary, Alberta, T2P 0R8
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Donate
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

© 2025 All Rights Reserved.

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.