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Compare and contrast: Lake bacteria evolve like clockwork with the seasons, study reveals

Phys.org


According to a study in Nature Microbiology, researchers found that over the course of a year, most individual species of bacteria in Lake Mendota rapidly evolve, apparently in response to dramatically changing seasons.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: ‘Unprecedented territory’: Edwards Aquifer to start 2025 near record low

San Antonio Express-News
The aquifer, the largest groundwater system in Central Texas, is starting 2025 more than 40 feet lower than normal as the region’s drought continues.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Drought.

Flood outlook statement

Quinte News
Lower Trent Conservation advises municipalities and the public that a Flood Outlook Statement has been issued for the local creeks within Lower Trent Watershed region (area stretching for Grafton to Quinte West and from Lake Ontario to Rice Lake and east to Centre Hastings).   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Flood.

Q&A: Agriculture minister says tariffs and water main focus for upcoming year

CBC
In December, CBC News spoke with Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson about how some of these issues played out, and what his office is focused on for the future.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: No flood gauges, no warning: 99% of US streams are off the radar amid rising flash flood risks – we saw the harm in 2024

The Conversation – United States
Flooding is one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in the U.S., causing billions of dollars in damage each year. In 2024 alone, floods destroyed homes in over a dozen states and claimed more than 165 lives.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Flood.

Compare and contrast: Elevated Levels of Radium Found in Western Pennsylvania’s Freshwater Mussels

Inside Climate News
Researchers detected increased radioactivity in mussels downstream of oil and gas wastewater discharge points, raising concerns about effects up the food chain.   Click here to read the story.

Recent rainfall forces dam closure in Chatham, Ont., creek to divert water around city

CBC
Recent heavy rainfall caused a southwestern Ontario conversation authority to put one of its flood control plans into action.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Flood.

Would you drink this B.C. water tainted by mining waste? The company says it’s just fine

National Observer


The mine, owned by Hudbay Minerals and Mitsubishi Materials, has been repeatedly fined by the province for polluting nearby waterways; in 2021, its operator at one point exceeded the legal limit of copper waste discharged from its tailings pond into Wolfe Creek by more than 4,500 per cent.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Governance.

$1.7 billion flood projects still stalled in Abbotsford, Princeton and Merritt without funding

Vancouver Sun


More than three years after deadly flooding devastated parts of B.C., the three most hard-hit communities still don’t have the funding needed to properly upgrade their flood protections.   Click here to read the story.

Drought hangover at B.C. Hydro has eased as utility enters 2025

Vancouver Sun


B.C. Hydro has experienced more normal precipitation in reservoirs, though it won’t know how that has helped reservoir levels until spring.   Click here to read the story.

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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.