Water News

Water News is a free, subscription-based service that provides the latest information on water news across Canada and upcoming events.
The news is distributed weekly on Mondays via a collated email and Monday to Friday via WaterPortal social media (X was Twitter). Please note that news will not be distributed on Holiday Mondays and will be released the following Tuesday.  
Subscribe below for the free service, or follow the WaterPortal on your preferred social media platform.

Compare and contrast: Holding Out Hope On the Drying Rio Grande

Compare and contrast: Holding Out Hope On the Drying Rio Grande

Inside Climate News


The once-mighty river is barely a trickle through much of West Texas. Scientists and advocates say local initiatives could be scaled up to restore flows to the river.   Click here to read the story.

Compare and contrast: China’s ‘Hawaii’ under water as tropical storm dumps record rainfall

Compare and contrast: China’s ‘Hawaii’ under water as tropical storm dumps record rainfall

Reuters


For a third day, extreme rainfall pounded the southern Chinese province of Hainan, known as China’s “Hawaii”, amid the transit of yet another tropical cyclone, leaving the island half-submerged in a year of record-breaking wet weather.   Click here to read the story.  Click the following link for more information on Flood.

Compare and contrast: Spain’s deadliest floods in decades kill at least 64 people

Compare and contrast: Spain’s deadliest floods in decades kill at least 64 people

Reuters


At least 64 people have been killed in the deadliest flooding to hit Spain for three decades after torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia on Tuesday, leaving roads and towns under water, local authorities said on Wednesday.   Click here to read the story.  Click the following link for more information on Flood.

First of six units begin generating power at B.C.’s Site C dam

First of six units begin generating power at B.C.’s Site C dam

The Canadian Press


BC Hydro says in a statement that the first of six generating units on the Site C dam has begun operations after completing testing and commissioning procedures.   Click here to read the story.

More contamination found around the site of the Eagle Gold mine in Yukon

More contamination found around the site of the Eagle Gold mine in Yukon

The Canadian Press


The Yukon government says testing around the gold mine where a containment facility gave way, spilling millions of tonnes of cyanide-laced rock, has found increased levels of mercury, cobalt and cyanide.   Click here to read the story.

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.