Welcome to the World Water Week edition of News Splash. This year, the United Nations (UN) is launching a ‘Water for Peace’ campaign as part of the World Water Day celebrations. The UN recognizes that access to safe water can bring peace and prosperity, whereas a lack of access can be the source of conflict, loss of livelihood and disease.
‘This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow…Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.’
In this edition: This edition of News Splash is chock full of inspiring news and views. Read a special message from Terry Duguid, the Prime Minister’s special advisor for water, and learn about the progress in establishing the Canada Water Agency. We are thrilled to feature Peter Gleick, author of The Three Ages of Water, as our thought leader for this edition of News Splash. His realistic assessment of the local and global water challenges confronting us is sobering. This is balanced with his can-do optimism on a sustainable path forward. Similarly, our industry perspective column features an article from one of CWN’s three Innovation Partners, Stantec, on the benefits of process intensification in wastewater treatment that is more space and energy efficient than traditional treatment approaches, and our plans to host a Wastewater Intensification Working Group.
CWN updates: As we wrap up the first year of our Wastewater-based Surveillance program, in collaboration with our strategic partner, the National Collaborative Centre on Infectious Diseases (NCCID), we have included a feature article on our first year that reflects on the strides we have made. You can also find updates on our project on the anticipated impact of climate change on water availability and crop yields in the Prairies with the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative and Climate West.
Our Canadian Municipal Water Consortium, which includes 26 leading utilities from across Canada, welcomes new members: the Cities of Winnipeg and Waterloo. Our members continue to exchange information and insights through a strategic sharing group focused on increasing climate resilience through stormwater management. Utility leaders are also participating in CWN’s strategic sharing group, which is focused on harnessing the power of data. Xylem, our second Innovation Partner, hosted a session on digital transformation that featured George Hawkins from Moonshot Missions (former CEO of DC Water and Sewer Authority). In terms of new projects, we are excited to launch our Adaptive Pathways Community of Practice that will be hosted with our third Innovation Partner, GHD, with financial support from Natural Resources Canada.
On World Water Day, I encourage you to raise a glass of fresh, clean drinking water and reflect on how our actions related to providing sustainable and equitable water management can contribute to peace and prosperity.
Yours in peace,
Nicola Crawhall