I’ve been at this job for 13 years now and whenever I meet friends and family outside of the water industry, they naturally ask me what I do. After I deliver my elevator pitch about the CWWA, I can see them trying to think of a question to ask me. It is almost always one of two questions – what do you think about fluoride? or – what’s going on with the monitoring for covid?
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To cool you off in the July heat, we wanted to share a photo of our Board member Brian Brost, from the City of St. Albert sporting our CWWA toque camping on a frozen lake in the shadows of the Rockies.
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Health Canada has published final Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Operational Parameters. These Guidelines set aesthetic parameters for:
- chloride ≤ 250 mg/L
- sulphate ≤ 500 mg/L
- total dissolved solids (TDS) ≤ 500 mg/L
- sulphide (as hydrogen sulphide) ≤ 0.05 mg/L in drinking water
It consolidates and updates all relevant information for the seven parameters: calcium, magnesium, hardness, chloride, sulphate, total dissolved solids (TDS) and hydrogen sulphide.
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The International Institute for Sustainable Funding the Future Enabling natural infrastructure through federal infrastructure programs earlier this year. This report assesses six federal infrastructure programs against 14 enabling criteria for natural infrastructure and outlines how the Canadian government can better support natural infrastructure. Local governments need the support of federal funding programs to invest in and deploy natural infrastructure on a larger scale. Doing so will enable the building of more resilient, cost-effective communities and reduce the risks from growing weather extremes.
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This summer, climate scientists are using the Rapid Extreme Weather Event Attribution system to analyze heat waves across Canada to determine how CO2 and other emissions from human activities impacted extreme heat. During the summer of 2024, climate scientists analyzed the 37 most extreme heat events across Canada. In all cases, they found that the heat waves were likely because of climate change.
This summer, human-caused climate change already made two heat waves in Canada much more likely to occur.
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Earlier this month, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Minister responsible for the Canada Water Agency, announced an investment of $9.3 million in 26 freshwater projects in the Great Lakes.
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The Treasury Board has launched a Red Tape review of regulations across federal departments and agencies with regulatory responsibilities.
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The International Institute for Sustainable Funding the Future Enabling natural infrastructure through federal infrastructure programs earlier this year. This report assesses six federal infrastructure programs against 14 enabling criteria for natural infrastructure and outlines how the Canadian government can better support natural infrastructure. Local governments need the support of federal funding programs to invest in and deploy natural infrastructure on a larger scale. Doing so will enable the building of more resilient, cost-effective communities and reduce the risks from growing weather extremes.
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The Working well series by the Government of Alberta are part of a series for the Working
Well Program that aims to advise private well owners of their responsibility to manage and maintain their wells to ensure safe drinking water supplies; provide well owners with a basic understanding of groundwater science, how to operate and maintain water wells and how to recognize the potential impacts their land-use activities have on provincial groundwater resource; and provide the knowledge and skills needed to adopt recommended best management practices. These amendments introduces a new issue, highlighting the importance of year-round monitoring and water conservation to build resilience during droughts.
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Water Canada
On June 30th, the City of Calgary reintroduced fluoride to its drinking water as a safe and effective public health measure to prevent dental cavities and improve oral health.
Fluoride was first introduced into Calgary’s drinking water in 1991. The drinking water remained fluoridated for 20 years until City Council directed Administration to discontinue the practice in 2011. The Council decision to reintroduce fluoride in the drinking water system was made one month after a plebiscite in the 2021 Civic General Election found 62 per cent support for fluoridation amongst voters.
Note: CWWA's Drinking Water Quality has developed a new infosheet on fluoride in drinking water, which is in it's final stages of review and should be ready to share in August.
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Water Canada
As wildfire seasons grow longer and more destructive, rural communities in British Columbia are turning to a proactive, made-in-B.C. solution: mapping water sources in advance of fire emergencies. Led by Living Lakes Canada, a water science and stewardship non-profit, this initiative is helping communities across the Columbia Basin strengthen their emergency readiness by identifying and documenting critical water sources before wildfires strike.
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ES&E Magazine
The City of Calgary reintroduced fluoride into the drinking water system on June 30, nearly 15 years after local officials ceased fluoridation, and almost four years after local residents voted to resume the dental health process.
Safe Water Calgary’s attempt to seek an injunction will be back on the court’s docket August 1, as the anti-fluoridation organization regroups to follow procedural processes.
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ES&E Magazine
The Great Lakes Executive Committee (GLEC) has determined that sulphates do not meet the criteria to be designated as a Chemical of Mutual Concern (CMC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
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Associated Press
Jeffrey Bell watched as crews dug up and replaced neighbors’ lead water pipes, hoping his mother’s house would be next. Workers told him it wasn’t on their list but probably assigned to another contractor.
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ES&E Magazine
Governments around the world are using regulation to reduce the risk of human exposure to the harmful effects of PFAS. By setting limits on the permissible levels of these compounds in drinking water, regulators are forcing water suppliers to undertake advanced treatment to ensure compliance.
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ES&E Magazine
The City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Ontario Water Employees Association (HOWEA) have reached a deal after a recent two-month strike and six months of previously failed negotiations to address pay issues and delays in training that impact workers reaching higher pay grades.
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ES&E Magazine
As municipalities take stock of aging infrastructure and prepare for increasingly extreme weather, there’s growing urgency to prioritize and optimize investments. To meet these challenges, cities are shifting from outdated asset management systems to advanced software that consolidates data across departments and leverages analytics for smarter decision-making.
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ES&E Magazine
Thirty-one workers in Los Angeles narrowly escaped tragedy on July 9 after an outfall effluent tunnel still under construction partially collapsed, threatening to trap them 370-feet below street level in the dark.
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5
Oct 2025
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St. John’s Newfoundland, NL
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20
Oct 2025
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Winnipeg, MB
Call For Presentations now open
Take advantage of this opportunity to: Spotlight your research & experience, Obtain feedback from leading experts, Build & maintain connections and Share your enthusiasm & generate opportunities.
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2
Nov 2025
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CWWA's national conference featuring presentations from water and wastewater experts from across the country!
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2025 Canadian Residuals & Biosolids Conference
