Is there ever really a slow time in the water and wastewater sector? If there is, it’s certainly not in the summer. Despite everyone trying to squeeze in vacation, this is the busiest construction time – trying to get as much as we can on that new plant, pumping station, or the pipe replacement program.

 This is the name of the panel session moderated by CWWA Executive Director, at the Canadian Water Summit. The panel included Coca Cola’s Jon Radtke, Nestle Water’s Andreanne Simard, ALUS Canada’s Lara Ellis, and WWF’s Alexis Morgan.

We're excited to announce that online registration and our exhibitor and sponsorship prospectus are now available online!

Delegates can now register for the event, and sponsors/exhibitors can reserve their place!

We've also added information on two specialty workshops being held on Sunday, November 4th in conjunction with the Conference/

Following a second request for proposals, FCM has selected 17 partner organizations to receive grant funding to provide local asset management training to municipalities from coast to coast. This second group of partners will build on the success of our first group, who delivered 89 training events in 2017-18 to nearly 3,300 participants from Canadian cities and communities of all sizes.

For 2018-19, our partners will focus on enhancing and growing asset management skills and knowledge through online and in-person group learning activities such as workshops and webinars. Participants will gain knowledge to enhance their municipality’s asset management practices, and collaborate with other communities in their region during training sessions tailored to local needs.

Since 2016, the Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC) has supported Ontario’s drinking water system owners, operators, operating authorities, and the public through the operation of a drinking water helpline. The helpline allows WCWC staff to respond to technical calls and provide information to address questions related to drinking water treatment processes, equipment, operational requirements and environmental factors.

Billing for water and other services can be a contentious subject and is often the source of many customer complaints.

In order to provide guidance on this subject, ISO established a Technical Committee to develop an ISO Standard. Three Canadians from CWWA participated in the development of the Standard. ISO 14452:2012 Network services billing – Requirements was published in 2012.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is currently conducting a survey of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs or WWTPs) to establish the baseline for what is currently achieved in terms of water, biosolids, nutrients and energy recovery. Results will be presented at WEFTEC 2018 in New Orleans.

Several organizations involved in supporting Canadian companies manufacturing and distributing plumbing and heating products have cosigned a letter submitted to Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs; Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Commerce; Kelly Craft, United States Ambassador to Canada; and David MacNaughton, Ambassador of Canada to the United States on the effects of recent tariffs placed on American and Canadian steel and aluminum products.

On June 29, 2018, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced government plans to reform the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999).

According to the announcement, the Government of Canada is proposing to implement many of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development's recommendations which were released last year.

On July 3, 2018, Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, confirmed that, as the first order of business, his cabinet revoked the regulation that supports cap-and-trade in the province. To ensure an orderly wind-down of programs funded through the cap-and-trade, Ford committed his government to honouring arrangements where contracts have already been signed and orders have already been made, such as energy efficient insulation and window retrofits. Decisions to continue any specific initiatives currently supported by the fund will need to be paid for out of the tax base and will be made on a case-by-case basis in alignment with the Ford government's Plan For the People and an upcoming value-for-money audit.

On June 29, 2018, Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, presented his new cabinet. Rod Phillips was named Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. In a not-so-subtle indication of changing priorities, the Ministry was formerly called the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC).

The Sustainable Watersheds Act has received royal assent. The Act will rename conservation districts to watershed districts. The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation's role in conserving and enhancing wetlands is recognized. Nutrient targets at specified locations may be set by regulation. A licence must not be issued if significant or sensitive wetlands will be lost or altered unless specified restoration measures are undertaken.

On June 12, 2018, Manitoba named the panel of experts who will advise government on implementing the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan.

On June 27, 2018, The Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Isabelle Melançon, unveiled the Quebec Water Strategy for 2018-2030 and its accompanying 2018-2023 action plan. The plan includes major investments of more than $550 million and the establishment of the Quebec Water Council - aimed at democratizing the management of the resource.

Water Canada

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna visited Port Colborne, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Erie, today to announce an $8.95 million investment over four years for 36 projects aimed at improving the health of the Great Lakes.

Water Canada

The Government of Nova Scotia has appointed a prosecutor to focus on environmental law, after announcing its intention to do so in February of this year.

Water Online

An audit by Baltimore officials has found that water meter readers wasted $120,000 through unproductive activities and slacking on the job.

Water Online

The Great Lakes Basin Water Utility Energy Challenge has announced five winners in its inaugural competition among water utilities to reduce emissions associated with energy generation to support their plant operations. 

Water Online

The city of Newark is being sued over what an environmental group calls “dangerously high” lead levels in tap water.

Much like investing in water infrastructure, the country often overlooks the pressing need to invest in a skilled workforce to manage these systems. Nearly 1.7 million “water workers”construct, operate, and maintain water systems found in every region, whether employed in utilities, engineering firms, or other industries. 

Water Canada

Stormwater retention ponds aren’t a significant source of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide emissions. This according to a new study, Sediment chemistry of urban stormwater ponds and controls on denitrification, published in the journal Ecosphere.

Water Canada

The K’ómoks First Nation (KFN) and Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) are working towards an agreement that will provide greater cooperation in the management of regional water resources, the extension of water services to K’ómoks lands south of Royston, and collaboration on water licence applications.

Water Online

A new study found that groundwater overpumping can result in potentially dangerous water quality problems.

Canadian Manufacturing

The Canadian government needs to be more clear about how the country can deal with a shortage of people with the necessary skills for defending against cybersecurity threats, experts in cybersecurity said Monday.

Increasingly, utilities face harmful algal bloom or HAB challenges as they try to ensure the delivery of safe drinking water to their customers. HABs can create toxins that are difficult to treat, which can lead to prolonged drinking water outages that can impact both human health and a community's economy.

Check out this video and these tools to learn how to protect your utility and customers from harmful algal blooms.

AWWA Water Utility Insider

The EPA’s finance office has announced a pair of webinars aimed at improving asset management and building customer support for a water utility. 

A webinar titled “Understanding Asset Criticality: Reduce Risk and Optimize Operations” will be held from 1-2 p.m. EDT on July 24. According to the agency, “Understanding asset criticality can help a utility reduce risks by optimizing operations, planning maintenance tasks and timing, and capital improvements. We will look at multiple types of redundancies, how assets can fail in multiple manners, and how maintenance operations can be improved to take better care of your system’s most critical assets.”

The webinar “How to Build Marketing Skills to Gain Support from Water Customers” will be held from 2-3 p.m. EDT on Aug. 8. Agency officials say the webinar is timely because “It is time for drinking water utilities to take the stage and show customers the value of public water. Attendees will learn the steps to creating meaningful public engagement, as well as the single most important aspect of gaining customer support.”

As professionals who work in the multidisciplinary water sector, we need to be aware of what new technologies are available, and how they can help us achieve our vision of a water wise world. The High Level Panel on Water have now put forward their Agenda for Water Action, and have highlighted the need for innovative technologies that can resolve the gaps in water data quality, quantity and access. The HLPW propose that “an ambitious global framework is needed to enable public and private sector actors to cost effectively access and use water and hydro-meteorological data.”