Harmful algal blooms, fed by excess nutrients in the water, are a pressing environmental, economic and public health concern in water bodies across Canada. Government organizations on both sides of the Canada-US border are responsible for setting goals, overseeing implementation and monitoring, and evaluating outcomes of nutrient management. Decisions need to be made, and a [...]
Estimates of nutrient loadings to water bodies from municipal sources are typically calculated using point measurements of nutrient concentrations and known discharge rates. However, some uncertainty in load estimates is inevitable, and it is unclear how well nutrient monitoring methods typically used in Canada support decision making by watershed managers. With financial support from Environment [...]
Steadily increasing regulations and changing practices are gradually improving the quality of urban wastewater. By contrast, fewer controls or regulations deal with non-point-source discharges or effluent exceedances such as those that occur during extreme weather. With financial support from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Water Network led a project to examine the state-of-the-knowledge on [...]
This study applied a state-of-the-art coupled hydrologic-flood insurance model to estimate property damage under climate change scenarios — both change in average annual losses and extreme event simulations.
The research team undertook a comprehensive assessment of the City of Windsor's infrastructure using a functionality-survivability-sustainability framework to inform decisions on where to direct resources to increase resiliency to climate change.
This overall objective of this project was to moderate the impacts of urban run-off and extreme storm events through green infrastructure on private lands through “user pay” models and other incentives. Approaches like these will reduce the demand for grey stormwater infrastructure and generate a dedicated source of funds for maintenance, renewal and expansion.
There is a need in almost every Canadian municipality to adapt to and address changing climatic conditions. Through consultations with the cities of Halifax, London, Hamilton and Coquitlam, a number of gaps from past research were identified, forming the basis of this project.
The purpose of this project was to propose a common framework and management approach that can be used by drinking water providers and regulators to address risk and uncertainty for the guarantee of safe drinking water.
Effective urban water management is vital for life and livelihood. Urban water supply and removal systems serve many critical functions, from that of health-support system to economic engine. Yet, when operating smoothly, their presence often goes unnoticed. Major disruptions, while dramatic and costly, are rare. Rather, it is the day-to-day system operations that produce the [...]
The purpose of this project was to review current research activities to assess the role of risk assessment in research formulation, the collection of scientific data, and the uptake of this information into action.