This nation-wide project expands our knowledge on the removal of Emerging Contaminants in common Canadian wastewater treatment processes over a range of climatic and seasonal conditions. A significant contribution of this work is the concurrent analysis of a suite of aquatic toxicological endpoints, ranging from gene expression to whole organism responses.
A great deal of Canada’s water infrastructure was built in the 20th century, when urban areas were emerging, economic development was the main objective and abundant water was a requirement for growth. A shortage of water was an impediment to progress, rather than an obvious indicator of natural limits. Given this context, it is not [...]
In communities across the country, Canadians are searching for innovative ways to deal with shared water challenges and opportunities. These are numerous and include protecting sources of drinking water, supporting existing and new economic activities that use water, providing safe water for human consumption, sharing water during times of scarcity, and ensuring that water is [...]
Agriculture accounts for over 70% of freshwater withdrawals globally. As world demand for food increases, freshwater demands will also continue to increase. Agriculture is a major industry in many countries, including Canada, and economic competitiveness involves the appropriate use of agrochemicals. However, long-term use of fertilizers has resulted in the degradation of both surface water [...]
Municipalities must take actions to detect problematic sites for lead in tap water and implement corrective measures to prevent exposure. This research investigated key aspects of managing lead in tap water: identifying high risk sites, evaluating water lead levels and exposure in children, and investigating the best corrective actions.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) in its development of the “Canada-wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent” identified the need for coordinated scientific research as one of four components of the Strategy.
In response to developing the Canada-wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent and the Canada-wide Approach for the Management of Wastewater Biosolids, both the Municipal Wastewater Effluent Coordinating Committee (MWWE CC) and the Biosolids Task Group (BTG) of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) identified a need for better national [...]
This report documents the evolution to date of the “National Research Agenda for Municipal Wastewater and Biosolids (the Agenda)”, which was developed jointly by the Canadian Water Network (CWN), Environment Canada, and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association in 2012. The desired outcome of the Agenda was to: generate and prioritize, through research and consultation, [...]
Canadian communities are facing challenges – due to growth, increasing urbanization, financial constraints, climate change and more. What information do water managers and decision-makers need to keep their cities healthy and safe?
Canadian Water Network’s Municipal Consortium Leadership Group – a proactive group of municipal water leaders from across Canada – have joined [...]
Historically in Canada, cumulative effects assessment (CEA) was conducted through federal and provincial Environmental Impact Assessment processes by industry proponents applying for approval for a project development. However, the methodology for CEA failed to produce the intended outcomes – i.e., monitoring, tracking and predicting accumulating environmental change relative to limits.