Without a doubt, our strength lies in our membership and in the work of our dedicated committee volunteers. CWWA exists to be the national advocates for Canada’s municipal utilities, but how do we do that advocacy? …through our committees.
|
Humans make biosolids and we’re never going to stop. When we flush our toilets, all that wastewater is collected at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. After most of the liquid is removed, “biosolids” are the nutrient and organic rich by-products which have been treated to meet specific Federal and Provincial standards and guidelines through engineering best practices that includes the reduction of pathogens, vector attraction and contaminants, and that are suitable for reuse as soil amendments. This information sheet developed by CWWA's biosolids committee discusses benefits of using biosolids and the options for recycling and use.
|
CWWA;s Drinking Water Quality Committee has updated the Facts and Speaking notes on asbestos-cement water pipes following the publication of the Draft Guidance on asbestos in drinking water.
Water utilities have transitioned through many different materials used for water conveyance pipes over many, many years. One material, used for a brief period in Canada during the 1940’s through to the 1960’s, was cement containing asbestos. This asbestos-cement (A-C) pipe is no longer installed and has not been installed in municipal water systems for over 50 years. While there is not an aggressive plan to seek out and remove A-C pipe, it is recommended, and is a generally accepted practice, that A-C pipe be removed and replaced during any construction that exposes such pipe.
|
CWWA is excited to be teaming up with Water Canada magazine and the 2026 Water Canada Awards to sponsor two new awards specifically for municipal utilities. These awards will recognize Canadian utilities as water leaders driving innovation and engaging their communities.
Nominations are open until April 24th and we encourage all our members with eligible projects to apply!
|
There’s less than a week left to submit your proposal
We invite you to share your expertise with Canada's municipal water sector leaders at our the premier national conference, November 1-4, 2026 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Submission deadline: March 31, 2026
We are looking to revitalize and reactivate our national CWWA Wastewater Committee. This committee was very active and very influential in the development of the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER), but had become rather dormant since that project. Wastewater is, and always will be, half of who we are at CWWA, so it is important that we have an active committee again.
This is a great opportunity to participate at a national level in policy development and information sharing. This is also a great networking event, connecting you to peers across the country.
Please let us know of your interest in joining this committee and we will send you information on the upcoming meeting.
|
Canada’s proposed update to its drinking water guidelines would keep the maximum acceptable concentrations for chlorite and chlorate at their current levels, maintaining limits that health officials say already protect against developmental and thyroid effects.
The draft guideline technical document from Health Canada proposes retaining the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 1 milligram per litre for both chlorite and chlorate in drinking water. While the chlorite limit remains based on neurodevelopmental and liver effects observed in a two-generation rat study, the chlorate limit would now be supported by newer long-term research rather than the shorter 90-day animal study used in the 2008 guideline. The approach for chlorine dioxide itself, which does not require a MAC, would also remain unchanged, the department stated.
|
 
|
|
The OWWA Construction Committee is pleased to share that its latest white paper, Product Procurement Methods, is now available.
This document provides an overview of commonly used product procurement approaches in construction projects and examines how different methods can impact project delivery, cost control, quality, risk management, and overall outcomes. The white paper is intended as an informative resource to help owners, consultants, and contractors better understand procurement options and select approaches that align with project-specific needs.
|
GLS Cities Initiative has shared the slides and recording from a recent webinar exploring the use of AI to aid in water main replacement decisions.
Water infrastructure across the Great Lakes Region is aging. Canadian municipalities may lose up to 20% of treated water through aging pipes, costing an estimated $700 million annually. Development pressures and climate impacts are expected to exacerbate conditions. Given this reality – and tight municipal budgets – decision-makers need defensible, data-driven strategies to prioritize capital investments.
To access, open the “Webinars 2026” dropdown, and you will see the March 5 webinar details, where links to both the slides and video recording are provided. Please feel free to view and share with your networks.
|
Rodger’s remarkable career spanned parts of seven decades, with the final 15 years spent with KGS Group following the 2009 acquisition of MR2 McDonald & Associates. Throughout his career, Rodger made a lasting impact on Saskatchewan’s municipal engineering landscape and on the many professionals who had the privilege of working alongside him.
|
Water Canada
The government of Alberta is launching a formal inspection into the management, administration and operation of the City of Calgary’s Bearspaw South Feeder Main.
A release from the Alberta government said provincial minister of municipal affairs Dan Williams requested materials related to Calgary’s watermain asset management that could potentially impact the Bearspaw South Feeder Main and that the City of Calgary complied with the request.
|
Water Canada
Alberta’s amendments to the province’s Water Act, passed in the legislature in fall 2025 came into effect on March 11.
The changes through the Water Amendment Act are meant to “cut red tape, improve transparency and better meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, businesses and communities, while still maintaining the strong environmental protections that Albertans expect,” an Alberta government release said.
|
ES&E Magazine
New Brunswick has updated its drinking water quality guidelines to align with Health Canada standards, a move provincial officials say will strengthen health protections and improve public confidence in municipal water systems.
|
|
Cyber Security Dive
Free cybersecurity training can help water and wastewater utilities protect themselves against hackers, but only when paired with hands-on assistance and incentives for employees to build cybersecurity skills, Microsoft said in a report published on Thursday.
|
The Conversation
Every day, food scraps disappear into trash bags, are hauled away and forgotten. But that waste could be turned into something productive.
Across the United States, about 97 million metric tons of food waste are discarded each year, of which about 37 million metric tons end up buried in landfills.
|
Water Canada
The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador are making a joint investment of over $139 million towards the first phase of the Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion in St. John’s, NL.
Upgrades to the Riverhead facility will increase primary water treatment capacity and will include design and site preparation for a future secondary treatment facility, a Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities release said.
|
Water Canada
The City of Calgary is implementing temporary measures to limit underground construction activity near the Bearspaw South Feeder Main and the new parallel pipe replacement in order to minimize disturbances until the project is complete.
|
ES&E Magazine
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities at 277 drinking water and wastewater systems in 2025, underscoring a growing wave of cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure that millions of Americans rely on daily.
|
ES&E Magazine
The Government of Yukon has completed major upgrades to aging underground infrastructure in the Village of Haines Junction, as leaders of the popular destination for both Yukoners and tourists plan to upgrade the local water system’s SCADA.
|
ES&E Magazine
Iran’s already strained water supply has become entangled in escalating regional tensions, with desalination plants emerging as a potential vulnerability amid recent military exchanges.
|
ES&E Magazine
The City of Hamilton has been fined $600,000 after storm sewer lines cross-connected with a sanitary sewer discharged hundreds of millions of litres of wastewater into Hamilton Harbour undetected for nearly three decades.
|
ES&E Magazine
McGill University researchers have enhanced a system converting human urine into electricity while treating wastewater using microbial fuel cells. The study examined how different urine concentrations affect electrochemical performance, pollutant removal, and microbial activity. Results showed higher urine concentrations between 50-75% produced stronger electrical output, with Sediminibacterium and Comamonas identified as dominant bacterial groups. The technology could provide clean energy for rural sanitation systems, disaster relief camps, and off-grid communities, while potentially serving as low-cost biosensors
for wastewater quality monitoring.
|
Water Canada
A University of British Columbia (UBC) led global review found that water-quality impacts can emerge months or years after wildfires.
Researchers analyzed 23 studies across 28 watersheds worldwide, a UBC release said, comparing pre- and post-fire levels of sediment, nutrients, metals, organic carbon, ions and wildfire-fighting chemicals.
|
|
|
Smart Water Magazine
A new bipartisan bill before the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to fund advanced wastewater treatment upgrades across the country, with a particular focus on PFAS contamination and infrastructure affordability.
|
Arup has had a presence in Canada for more than 25 years. With offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Ottawa, more than 550 staff, including engineers, planners, and consultants, lead influential projects across the transportation, healthcare, energy, water, education, recreation, and commercial property sectors. Our expanding portfolio of projects, including the Finch West Light Rail Transit in Toronto, the Samuel De Champlain Bridge in Montreal, the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary, and the Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa shapes a more sustainable, resilient, equitable built environment for Canada and beyond.
|
|
The National Water & Wastewater Conference
