It’s dawned on me over the last several years that water always has to take a supporting role to a new lead act every few years.   Perhaps that’s ok.  Ten years ago, we were barely in the cast when it came to talking about infrastructure funding.  The last federal infrastructure plan committed over $30 million to water, but we had to keep in mind the bigger federal goals.  No matter what your critical infrastructure need was, we advised members to place your project in a larger climate change context or in a Canadian innovation context.  Throughout the pandemic, governments recognized the dedication and heroism of frontline workers – rightly so.  They noted healthcare workers, grocery workers and electrical workers, but we had to argue for water and wastewater workers – the services that make hospitals and groceries possible.

Save the date for the NWWC 2024 in Winnipeg November 3 - 6.  Now is also the time to consider presenting at the event, with our Call for Presentation proposals launched on our website. 

Would you like to present at THE national conference for Canada’s municipal water utility sector? Share your experience, research or case studies with national leaders on water and wastewater. We're seeking presentations on all aspects of water and wastewater management from drinking water, to wastewater to general utility management challenges.

On November 9, 2023, the federal government along with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, announced an investment of more than $6.2 million through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings in the Town of Beckwith and the Region of Peel in Ontario.

Published in Canada Gazette on October 28, 2023, this document outlines health risks from exposure to pathogenic microorganisms and other biological hazards associated with natural recreational waters.

Help shape the reporting and measurement of drinking water systems!

Statistics Canada and Infrastructure Canada would like your help to define, enhance and harmonize data on drinking water systems across Canada. Together, we can improve data quality and availability of water systems in order to better understand its state, as well as its potential risks and vulnerabilities.

A new article has been published in Science of the Total Environment featuring data on PFAS in municipal wastewater and biosolids. Highlights include:

• PFAS were generally higher at WWTPs that receive landfill leachate.
• Short-chain PFAS generally increased over time in wastewater and biosolids.
• Except for PFOS, long-chain PFAS generally decreased over time.
• PFOS did not change with time indicating slow response to phase-outs/
  regulations.

Participate in the largest National Operator-led Survey Initiative! Led by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous water professionals, this survey aims to understand and address challenges faced by water & wastewater professionals working in Indigenous communities. Your survey responses empower you to anonymously voice your needs and drive change within the profession, all while strengthening our water community. It's a quick process, taking just 10-15 minutes, and you get a chance to win one of five $1,000 CAD cash prizes. Your responses remain confidential, and Water Movement will share aggregated results with Indigenous communities, regardless of participation. Together, we can make a significant impact. Join the movement, complete the survey today.

On November 9, 2023, the government announced that it is investing $200 million over three years to help municipalities repair, rehabilitate and expand critical drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Eligible municipalities will be able to nominate housing-enabling water and wastewater projects through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund in early 2024. 

The current regulation will be ammended to state “Every person whose activity results in the use of a daily volume of water equal to or greater than 50,000 litres, at least one day in a calendar year, is subject to charges for the use of water for that year and remains so for any subsequent year in which the same activity results in the use of water, regardless of the volume”. The regulation goes on to set a rate of $35 per 1,000,000 litres of water used, except in certain circumstances.

Among other things, the legislation adheres to the United Nations’ best practices for disaster risk reduction and incorporates all four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

ES&E Magazine

When the City of Hamilton learned that some of its storm sewer lines were cross-connected with a sanitary sewer and had been discharging into Hamilton Harbour for decades, local officials took action in accordance with industry best practices, according to the city’s auditor general.

ES&E Magazine

Two former executives are facing bid-rigging charges in connection with an alleged conspiracy surrounding Quebec City infrastructure contracts, Competition Bureau Canada has announced. 

ES&E Magazine

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has announced its support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new proposal to accelerate the removal of some 9.2 million lead service lines across the U.S., but also recognized the realities attached to such an ambitious goal. 

Western students team up with the City of London for awareness campaign about the hazards of 'flushable' wipes. Marek Sutherland reports.

Fast Company

Whether it’s for showering, drinking, washing the dishes, or making ice cubes for your nightly gin and tonic, water is humanity’s most precious resource. However, much of the aging infrastructure that delivers water through our communities and into our houses is in dire need of modernization.

The Hill

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed to require drinking water pipes made with lead to be replaced in 10 years. 

Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly proposed “Lead and Copper Rule Improvements,” water systems would have to replace lead service lines in 10 years, with limited exceptions. 

CNBC

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding some “forever chemicals” to the list of toxins in drinking water that must be reported. That is going to require a lot of infrastructure investment.

Water Online

Many people encounter chlorine in their daily lives, whether it’s as an ingredient in household bleach or an additive that sanitizes water in swimming pools. Chlorine is also used as an antiseptic, a bleaching agent in the production of paper and cloth, and to kill microorganisms in drinking water.