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CWWA News
I have said many, many times that the true work of the CWWA is performed by our technical committees. While I may edit the final product, or sign the letters, every project and every government submission begins in a committee meeting and is developed by that committee. If you want to know what the federal government is planning for the coming years, you should get on a committee. If you want to have a direct input as to the messages that CWWA makes on behalf of our industry, you should get on a committee.    
The Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) is proud to release the report of a national survey on Natural Infrastructure (NI). “Adoption of Natural Infrastructure in the Water Sector” is a CWWA report based on a survey of its members in 2023. The survey of 60 questions was carried out between January 27, 2023 and February 28, 2023. The results were collected and analyzed by CWWA’s Utility Leadership Committee and Climate Change Committee.
 North America Hosts the World! The 2024 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition (WWCE) will take place in Toronto, Canada, from 11-15 August 2024 in the first-class facilities of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This is one of the greatest global water events, and it is being hosted here in North America by your water associations – CWWA and CAWQ, with the support of WEF and AWWA. As hosts, we need to have a great presence as we welcome the world. The IWA WWCE 2024 therefore presents an opportunity like no other to profile your organization and showcase your technologies, solutions and expertise!
Turning Tides
The Canadian water world has lost another great friend. We at the CWWA are sad to share news of the loss of our long-time colleague and good friend Dr. Ronald Droste. A most respected researcher and academic, Ron was a leader in our water and wastewater sector, serving as President of the Canadian Association for Water Quality (CAWQ) and working with CWWA on the Canadian National Committee of the IWA. Ron played a key leadership role when Canada hosted the World Water Congress & Exhibition in Montreal in 2010 – and he was still assisting on committees as we prepare to host this event again this summer. Ron had a true passion for his work, mixed with a great sense of humour, that made him a most-enjoyable person to work with. He will be missed by so many of us that admired him and appreciated his conversations. Federal Initiatives
This guideline technical document outlines the evaluation of the available information on calcium, magnesium, hardness, chloride, sulphate, total dissolved solids (TDS) and hydrogen sulphide with the intent of updating the guideline value for these operational parameters in drinking water. The purpose of this consultation is to solicit comments on the proposed guidelines for operational parameters, on the approach used for their development, and on the potential impacts of implementing them. It proposes aesthetic objectives of:
Provincial News
Effective immediately, industry holders of Water Sustainability Act (WSA) Section 9 and 10 Authorizations are alerted to possible water shortages in 2024 due to ongoing drought conditions in northern British Columbia. As of January 1, 2024, the Peace Basin snowpack is at 72 per cent of the historical average, with all four basins in the northeast at Drought Level 5. Current suspensions of surface water withdrawals may be prolonged, and further restrictions could be imposed. Industries are advised to implement water conservation strategies and prepare for potential extended limitations. While this applies to one jurisdiction in British Columbia many CWWA members have reported concerns about a lack of precipitation over the winter and concerns about water availability over the summer. ES&E Magazine Ontario is shifting to a project list approach for environmental assessments (EAs) with the proposed Get It Done Act, similar to Quebec and British Columbia. This prioritizes infrastructure projects based on type and environmental risks. Highways, rail, and electricity transmission lines may undergo a faster EA process, potentially cutting timelines by up to four years. The government is also considering streamlined EAs for municipal water, shoreline, and sewage system projects. ES&E Magazine Starting January 1, Quebec has publicly disclosed water consumption data on the Ministry of the Environment's website. Initial 2022 data indicates municipalities are the primary water consumers, with Montreal leading in consumption. The disclosure follows the adoption of Bill 20, establishing the Blue Fund and enhancing transparency, driven by environmental advocacy. The revealed data shows aluminum plants and paper mills as major industrial water users, but concerns persist about the law covering only 1.5% of 21,000 regulated companies. The legislation also imposes higher fees on water bottling and certain industrial water uses. Water Canada After several dry years, Alberta’s winter snowpack is well below average, many rivers are at record low levels and multiple reservoirs remain well below capacity. El Niño is producing a warm and dry winter across Western Canada and more than 70 per cent of the country is experiencing drought conditions. Alberta is at risk of a severe drought in parts of the province this year. 
Snippings & Clippings
Health Day Childhood lead exposure is widespread in Chicago and there are racial inequities evident in testing rates and exposure levels, according to a study published online March 18 in JAMA Pediatrics. Bloomberg The Biden administration is warning states to be on guard for cyberattacks against water systems, citing ongoing threats from hackers linked to the governments of Iran and China. TorontoMet Today Civil engineering professor Elsayed Elbeshbishy is leading a three-year, $1.4 million Alliance Missions research program through support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The program will address a critical climate change issue: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in wastewater treatment plants and sewer systems. Universal Hub A federal judge ruled today that a Beverly man can go to trial in his lawsuit against Stop & Shop for selling flushable wipes that may not actually be flushable. US District Court Judge Indira Talwani said Mark Schotte had advanced enough evidence that the supermarket chain needs to be held to account to warrant making his case to a jury. Water Canada The Prairies are entering another year of a multi-year drought, with soil moisture, snowpacks and streamflows at levels far below normal in many areas. An exceptional early-March snowstorm lessened the drought but was not nearly enough to overcome it. Water Canada The City of North Bay is planning to initiate on-site remediation of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) at the Jack Garland Airport lands as early as this spring. The work will be subject to North Bay Council’s approval next week of an increase in contract price and scope for the environmental consultant overseeing the engineering and design of the remediation plan. Water Canada The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM) have joined forces to develop sustainable water management solutions as part of the fight against climate change. Wired YOUR CITY IS a scab on the landscape: sidewalks, roads, parking lots, rooftops—the built environment repels water into sewers and then into the environment. Urban planners have been doing it for centuries, treating stormwater as a nuisance to be diverted away as quickly as possible to avoid flooding. Not only is that a waste of free water, it’s an increasingly precarious strategy, as climate change worsens droughts but also supercharges storms, dumping ever more rainfall on impervious cities. Chemicla & Engineering News Five farmers in Johnson County, Texas, are suing Synagro Technologies, a Baltimore-based biosolid management company, and its Texas affiliate over high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fertilizers produced by Synagro. The firm makes fertilizers from sewage sludge, also known as biosolids. CTV News The Town of Collingwood displayed pictures of various items, including multiple toys like Spider-Man, dinosaurs, and rubber duckies, found at the wastewater treatment plant, reminding residents that not everything is flushable. ES&E Magazine Winnipeg spilled more than 228 million litres of raw sewage into the Red River since February 7, as maintenance crews worked to create a functioning bypass for a burst pipe near the Fort Garry Bridge. ES&E Magazine By using a new microscopy detection method, a recent study found that one litre of bottled water contained an average of 240,000 fragments of nanoplastics, exceeding previous estimates by up to 100 times. |
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