WATER NEWS 2/19

Canada Water news roundup

Trump's musings on 'very large faucet' in Canada part of looming water crisis, say researchers

Aging infrastructure and changing climate could put pressure on long-standing treaties

Water sharing between Canada and the United States has long been a contentious issue. 

 (CBC)

BC

Hudson’s Hope signs Memorandum of Understanding with BC Hydro for permanent water treatment solution

The ongoing fight for clean drinking water in Hudson’s Hope appears to be moving towards a resolution.

The district announcing they’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BC Hydro in December of 2024, marking the latest development in the community’s efforts to secure a permanent water treatment solution.

The agreement, a revised proposal submitted to the district in September 2023, will see BC Hydro commit to ‘complete’ a permanent water treatment system, and fund the rental of a water clarifier until the permanent one becomes operational, according to a notice from the district. (CJDC TV)

AB

Water-sharing agreements unlikely to be needed this year, say southern Alberta irrigation districts

Just over a year ago, the Alberta government launched water-sharing negotiations as the province eyed another significant drought.

The government says those historic agreements, which southern Alberta municipalities, irrigation districts and companies signed last spring to voluntarily reduce water use, were a “tremendous success.”

The large water licence holders that signed the memorandums of understanding in April were in four sub-basins of the South Saskatchewan River Basin: the Red Deer River, Bow River and Oldman South Saskatchewan River basins, and southern tributaries. On May 9, the Oldman South Saskatchewan and southern tributaries agreements were “activated” and remained so until Oct. 10. (Calgary Herald)

Lethbridge Startup Coagtech Using A.I. to Improve Water Treatment Process Across Canada

In landlocked Alberta, every drop of water is increasingly precious as the regional population grows steadily.

Knowing this, one local company is applying machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to help water treatment operators and plants make better, more informed decisions.

Based in Southern Alberta, Coagtech has created an artificial intelligence modelling system that allows plants to reduce the amount of chemicals used in water treatment by up to 20%. A pilot test at the Lethbridge water treatment plant has yielded the region’s “best tasting water” for two years in a row. (Calgaray Tech)

Alberta First Nation Chief warns of “broken system” as Imperial Oil faces charges

As sickness and deaths continue to stalk Fort Chipewyan, Chief Allan Adam says new charges are a belated step towards accountability — and reveal deeper problem

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has laid nine charges against Imperial Oil for environmental violations after 5.3 million liters of contaminated wastewater leaked from its Kearl oil sands site in northern Alberta two years ago. 

The charges, announced in January, stem from a catastrophic spill that began on January 30, 2023, but wasn’t reported to regulators until February 4 — a delay that sparked outrage among affected Indigenous communities. (Ricochet Media)

Leak of containment pond at site of Yukon mine disaster impacting creek: officials

Officials in Yukon say they believe about 19 million litres of cyanide-contaminated water leaked from a containment pond at the site of a mining disaster last year before the problem was spotted and the water diluted.

Erin Dowd, director of technical services for the Mines Ministry, told a technical briefing Tuesday that there is no timeline for when the pond at the Eagle Gold mine site north of Whitehorse could be repaired.(City News)

Spring runoff forecast improved from last year—but still some areas of concern.

The Water Security Agency says the entire northern half of the province—including Meadow Lake, La Ronge and Hudson Bay in the south and all the way to the Saskatchewan/Northwest Territories border—can anticipate a below normal spring runoff.

(CJWW Radio)

NU

Water supply a consideration if Iqaluit is to host military base, mayor says

Hosting a military base could put demands on Iqaluit’s water system, says Mayor Solomon Awa. But, the idea also presents an economic opportunity.

“There’s a question of do we have enough water?” Awa said in an interview, a day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his party would build CFB Iqaluit if his party wins the next federal election.

But having an adequate water supply is one of the considerations the city would have to face, Iqaluit’s mayor said.

“If not, we’re going to have to ask [for] more funding to create more water for the city.”

(Nanutsiaq News)

SK

Water Security Agency releases preliminary runoff report – conditions improve across the province

On Thursday, the Water Security Agency (WSA) released the preliminary spring runoff report for 2025.

While much of Saskatchewan experienced below-normal precipitation, leading to dry conditions at freeze-up last fall, overall conditions improved compared to last year. Most major reservoirs in southern Saskatchewan are at or above normal levels and are expected to be near normal levels following spring runoff. (Prince Albert Daily Herald)

Over 3% of Moose Jaw fire hydrants not functioning, report shows

he City of Moose Jaw operates and maintains 1,048 hydrants throughout the community, with 33 of those infrastructure pieces — or roughly 3.15 per cent — currently not operating, new data show.

The municipality inspects hydrants in different ways, including through visual internal inspections, unidirectional flushing (UDF) programs and operational inspections, explained a report presented during the recent regular city council meeting. (Sask Today)

Mussel spasm

Despite all-out effort to keep them out, highly invasive mollusks infiltrate Clear Lake on westward march

For months, a battle was waged at Clear Lake, the jewel of Riding Mountain National Park.

The mission? To halt the spread of an invasive species that’s wreaked havoc on lakes and rivers from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

Parks Canada tried rigorous testing and monitoring, then banned almost all boats and installed an 1,800-metre mesh curtain in an attempt to contain the threat.

But in January, as an undetermined number of fingernail-sized zebra mussels clung almost (but not quite) dormant to the rocks deep beneath Clear Lake’s frozen surface, Parks Canada was forced to admit defeat. (Winnipeg Free Press)

ON

Zhiibaahaasing First Nation breaks ground on water treatment plant

An Ontario First Nation is pressing ahead with construction of much-needed water infrastructure, thanks in part to an investment from the federal government.

Last month, Zhiibaahaasing First Nation and Indigenous Services Canada kicked off construction of the community's new water treatment plant and major upgrades to its water distribution system. The nation, which is located on Manitoulin Island, has lived under water advisories for more than 30 years. (Link2Build)

PEI

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in PEI community’s drinking water

Residents of a PEI community situated on a former military base are being urged to buy drinking water after provincial testing found elevated levels of toxic “forever chemicals” in local tap water, the latest area to grapple with a ubiquitous class of human-made compounds whose health implications are yet to be fully understood.

Located about six kilometres northwest of downtown Summerside, Slemon Park is home to about 700 people, many living in homes built in the 1940s and 50s, when the property was part of a bustling air force base that closed in 1989. ((Globe and Mail)

"A problem that could significantly change the face of the Atlantic provinces is increased sea level," stated the Department of Environment’s Water Planning and Management Branch.(Western Standard)