Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Canada, the USA, China and United Kingdom are the largest foreign owners of Australian water. A new report, released by the Australian Tax Office (ATO), will show that foreign ownership of water increased by 0.3 per cent in the year to June 2022. It shows that Canada holds 2.1 per cent of all Australian water entitlements, the USA 1.8 per cent, with China and the United Kingdom each holding 0.8 per cent.
A troubled water utility company in the United Kingdom that counts two of Canada’s biggest public pensions as large shareholders is facing regulatory scrutiny and fines for sewage leaks and could require a financial bailout. The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) own 31.8 per cent and and 8.7 per cent of Thames Water, respectively. Analysts at DBRS Morningstar said in a July 5 report that OMERS and BCI are expected to weather the storm with minimal financial damage given their size, diversification and long-term performance — even if Thames Water were to collapse — but there is reputational risk for the Canadian pensions, which could affect future investment opportunities.
Water cremation is set to be made available for the first time in the UK. The process, known as resomation, uses a mix of potassium hydroxide and water to break down human remains in what is billed as a more sustainable option. It takes four hours - the bones remain, and are powdered then returned to loved ones in a similar way to ashes, in an urn. Resomation is used in Canada, South Africa and many US states.
Thames Water may have to be taken over by the government if it runs out of money. But why is the UK's largest water company facing a crisis - and are other firms facing similar problems? When the company was privatised in 1989, it had no debt. But over the years it borrowed heavily and is currently £14bn in debt.
Southeast England faces a hosepipe ban later this month, after dry weather and record demand strained a utility’s capacity to provide enough drinking water. The ban from June 26 will impact households in Kent and Sussex, South East Water Ltd. said in a statement on Friday. People using hosepipes after that date to water gardens, wash cars and fill swimming pools will risk fines of as much as £1,000 ($1,280).
Forward Water Technologies Corp. (FWTC) has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Membracon (UK) regarding a joint venture. The proposed joint venture will be resourced by both Membracon and Forward Water and will be responsible for delivering Forward Water's forward osmosis processes and solutions within the United Kingdom and Ireland. Forward Water CEO, Dr. Howie Honeyman sat down with Dave Jackson to discuss the partnership with Membracon.
Twenty-three-year-old PhD student Emalie Hayes is currently studying Civil Engineering at Dalhousie University. Last year, she created a COVID-19 testing device that can detect the virus through sewers. The COVID-19 sewer cage, called the Cosca, is made by a 3D printer out of plastic, which takes several hours to print, and is then assembled by hand, which takes less than a minute.
Snaking beneath Regina's streets are 600 kilometres of water mains built with asbestos-cement. That's about 60 per cent of some 1,000 kilometres of the mains that deliver water to homes around the city. Increasingly, some scientists and communities are questioning the wisdom in having drinking water flowing through pipes constructed from asbestos fibres.
