We are excited to announce a virtual version of CWWA’s National Water & Wastewater Conference NWWC2020… although most of it will be in 2021.  

Join Water Canada and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) on October 21st for the final installment of the Window on Water webinar series. During this webinar, we’ll be focusing on wastewater management and regulations.

Collaborative mitigation, adaptation and resilience planning is required to “future-proof” the water sector against the many significant challenges and risks over the coming decades. This Webinar Workshop Series will examine vulnerabilities that must be addressed by collaborative planning on a local, regional, national and global scale pertaining to black swan events and overall water sector security. Applying a scenario planning approach, we will ‘red team’ the plausibility and solution space.

CWWA has posted on our website an updated review of baby wipe compliance with the INDA ((Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry) /EDANA  (European Disposables and Nonwovens Association )labeling code of practice. The code of practice was developed by the industry in response to growing pressure to regulate products and enforce labeling standards, that would avoid these products being flushed and provide transparency on the plastic/synthetic nature of these products.

As mentioned in the previous bulletin CWWA has joined a coalition of ngo’s, environmental groups and academics to support the development of the Canada Water Agency and to recommend what this agency might do.

Check out these fun and informative videos!  Our friends at CentrEAU, the Quebec Water Management Research Centre, have been producing these terrific animated videos to popularize water-related topics during this pandemic.  They are perfect for promoting the value of water for all of us.

University of Calgary’s Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA) partnered with Village Brewery in Calgary and Xylem Inc. to produce Alberta’s first beer made with treated wastewater. The group gathered virtually to launch the beer on Aug. 22, 2020.  CWWA’s own Robert Haller was part of that launch. 

On September 23, 2020, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, delivered the Speech from the Throne to open the second session of the 43rd Parliament and outline the government’s agenda.

Natural Resources Canada and the US Department of Homeland Security recently announced they will work together to promote harmonization of Precursor Chemical Regulations where achievable, and collectively limit impact on commerce. 

The objective of this collaboration is to ensure that the Canadian and US requirements for hazard classification and communication remain aligned to the greatest extent possible and with the Global Harmonized System (GHS) as it is updated.

Where possible, the objective is to have one label and one safety data sheet (SDS) that would be acceptable in both countries, without reducing the level of safety or protection to workers.

The proposed guideline values are the following maximum acceptable concentrations; these values can be used alone or in combination: Total microcystins: 10 μg/L; Total cyanobacteria: 50 000 cells/mL; Total cyanobacterial biovolume: 4.5 mm3/L; Total chlorophyll a: 33 μg/L. 

While CWWA normally doesn’t review the recreational guidelines our Committee is considering this one, due to the overlap in recreational water with drinking water quality.

On August 25, 2020, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR), aided by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, announced the launch of the first phase of the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup initiative. Through the initiative CGLR will support the largest single deployment of two innovative technologies – the Seabin (https://seabinproject.com/) and the LittaTrap (www.enviropod.com/) – to capture and recover plastic debris along Ontario’s Great Lakes shorelines.

A recently-published draft Regulation amending sections 146 and 147 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety is designed to harmonize the OH&S regulation with requirements outlined in the Environment Quality Act and Quebec’s Regulation respecting the quality of drinking water. The draft Regulation also replaces Schedule VIII by more flexible provisions regarding the quantities of drinking water and the quality of the water used for flushing systems while ensuring that the health of workers is protected. A

Water Canada

The Governments of Northwest Territories and Canada have resumed long-term water quality monitoring at two key sites in northern Alberta and two sites in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

A municipality in southern Alberta and a former worker have pleaded guilty to charges linked to monitoring the safety of the community's water distribution system. The Town of Bow Island was charged under provincial environment laws for failing to take samples of drinking water that are used to determine if it is free of bacteria. It was also charged with providing false or misleading information and failing to report structural or equipment malfunctions.

Business Insider

On August 25, 2020, the government announced that approximately $2 million is to be allocated from the Low Carbon Economy Fund to support a City of Calgary’s initiative to reduce emissions by planting 300 new hectares of trees over three years at the City’s willow plantation.

Michigan Live

The state is putting $10 million dollars into a new COVID-19 testing plan. Only this testing method doesn’t involve spit or a Q-tip up the nose. Instead of waiting in long lines, all people have to do is...poop.

Global News

A Calgary brewery is hoping to convince beer lovers that an ale made from municipal wastewater is tasty and safe.

Alberta Farm Express

The loss of glaciers due to climate change is likely to mean late-summer water shortages for more than one million Albertans, according to a new study.

Engineering News Record

Chicago, the American city with the most lead pipes, has begun the process of pipe removal under a voluntary, multiyear program from the city's department of water management and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Water Canada

Researchers have developed a new integrated model to evaluate the economic impacts of climate change on the Canadian Great Lakes Basin.

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system in the world. But factors like climate change, urbanization, and a growing population are increasing pressure on these valuable resources and may limit their availability for future generations.

Associated Press

Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler on Thursday defended the Trump administration’s record on protecting the nation’s air and water and said a second term would bring a greater focus on pollution cleanups in disadvantaged communities and less emphasis on climate change.