Water Canada | Category Archives

Manitobans Can Save Money, While Using Less Water: Melnick

Posted on January 13, 2009

An instant rebate as part of the WaterSmart Manitoba initiative will be offered at participating retailers on the purchase of high-efficiency, dual-flush toilets for one day, February 21, Water Stewardship Minister has Christine Melnick announced. "We have worked with retailers to join in this new effort and are pleased with their widespread support to help preserve more clean water for future generations," Melnick said. "Our program allows Manitobans to save at least 80 million litres of water every year and collectively cut their water bills by $2 million." On Saturday, February 21, the public can go to one of many participating [...]

Funds for Saanich Peninsula Wastewater Treatment Plant

Posted on January 6, 2009

An innovative energy recovery system will be constructed at the Saanich Peninsula Wastewater Treatment Plant thanks to $2.98 million in funding from the federal Gas Tax Fund. This new energy recovery system will capture thermal energy from effluent to provide hot water and space heating in the treatment plant and adjacent facilities, including the Panorama Recreation Centre, the Centre for Plant Health, and an elementary school. The new project will test an innovative heat recovery system design. Existing guidelines state that the maximum distance from the heat recovery source to the heat users is 500 metres. This project will push [...]

Sask. Water Supply Project EA Continues as Study

Posted on December 17, 2008

Canada's Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced today that a comprehensive study is the most appropriate type of environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed Saskatchewan Landing Regional Water Supply Project in west central Saskatchewan. The Minister based his decision on the report and recommendation submitted by the responsible authority, Infrastructure Canada. The report contains information on the scope of the project, the factors to be considered in the EA and the scope of those factors, public comments in relation to the project, the potential of the project to cause adverse environmental effects and the ability of the [...]

Alberta’s Major Water Users Make Commitment

Posted on December 17, 2008

Some of Alberta's largest users of waters are taking action to develop and implement water conservation, efficiency and productivity plans as part of the province's renewed Water for Life strategy. The Alberta Water Council released a report on December 16, 2008 outlining 21 recommendations for water conservation, efficiency and productivity sector planning to guide seven Alberta sectors in setting and meeting water conservation, efficiency and productivity goals. The sectors include: - Chemical and petrochemical - Forestry - Irrigation - Mining - Municipalities - Oil and gas - Power generation All [...]

Source Water Protection Funds for Sask.

Posted on December 16, 2008

The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority and the North Saskatchewan River Basin Council have signed a funding agreement to begin the implementation of the North Saskatchewan River Watershed Source Water Protection Plan. Watershed Authority Vice President of Operations for Saskatchewan Wayne Dybvig and North Saskatchewan River Basin Council Vice Chair John Kindrachuk signed the agreement during a ceremony held this week at the Chapel Gallery in North Battleford. "We're very pleased to support the Council's efforts to protect source water in this watershed, which is home to more than 115,000 people," Minister responsible for the [...]

City of Trail Completes Tadanac Water Supply Project

Posted on December 15, 2008

The City of Trail, B.C. has completed its water supply main line from West Trail to Tadanac. The 400mm water line has been installed from Rossland Avenue (at the Rossland Avenue Booster Pump Station) along Highway 22 to Stoney Creek Road to the existing Teck Reservoir. Based on the current schedule, as of December 16, the subdivision of Tadanac will receive all potable water directly from the City of Trail and no longer from Teck, with no change in water quality. As part of the water supply system for Tadanac, the City of Trail has obtained ownership and responsibility for the Teck Reservoir (550,000 litres) and the water supply [...]

Vancouver Island Tech Park Welcomes ARC

Posted on December 12, 2008

The Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP) has welcomed the Alberta Research Council (ARC) as its newest tenant. ARC has opened its first British Columbia-based office at VITP to access Victoria's intellectual resources and expertise in water management, and to stimulate new opportunities for technology development and transfer across western Canada. ARC has a water management research and development team in Calgary, which has been focusing on ground and surface water monitoring, characterization and advanced management planning. Now, ARC will build on regional expertise and introduce a new capacity for emerging technologies [...]

Leaking Legacy: Report

Posted on December 9, 2008

Though Alberta's government has proclaimed it false, a new report from issued by Environmental Defence claims that over four billion litres of contaminated tailings water enters the groundwater each year as a result of oil sands operations. New projects, it adds, could expand this number to over 25 billion litres within a decade. The report, 11 Million Litres a Day: The Tar Sands' Leaking Legacy, uses industry data to arrive at an estimate of tar sands tailings ponds leakage into the environment. Four billion litres would fill the Toronto Rogers Centre (formerly the SkyDome) two and a half times. 25 billion litres would fill it [...]

MB Further Supports Watersheds

Posted on December 8, 2008

The work by local water conservation groups to better protect water resources in Manitoba is being boosted with more than $134,000 in additional provincial funding, Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick announced last week. The development and implementation of watershed plans is being carried out by local conservation districts with the province assisting four groups with grants of $25,000 each for a total of $100,000. This is in addition to nearly $1 million provided this year in base funding to these four conservation districts. "This watershed planning is part of a province-wide initiative based on partnerships with [...]

Insituform to Rehabilitate Water Lines in Victoria

Posted on December 5, 2008

Insituform Technologies, Inc., through its Canadian subsidiary Insituform Technologies Limited, has been awarded a $4.4-million contract from the City of Victoria, B.C. Insituform will use its PuraGuardTM technology, a close-fit polyethylene solution for water pipe renewal, to rehabilitate 14,750 feet of high-pressure steel pipes, ranging in diameter from 8" to 24". PuraGuardTM is part of the company's products for the trenchless rehabilitation of potable water lines. Unlike traditional open cut methods of renewing water pipes, trenchless techniques repair pipelines with less digging, disruption or environmental impact. Insituform [...]