Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

wastewater treatment plants

Cyber Security Today, Dec. 4, 2023

Cyber Security Today, Dec. 4, 2023

American water treatment utilities are increasingly being targeted by threat actors. You may recall that on Friday afternoon’s Week in Review podcast, I reported that a hacking group believed to be from Iran called CyberAv3ngers claimed credit for taking control of the internet-connected system of a municipal water authority in Pennsylvania. It is believed this group targeted the utility because of a vulnerability in a programmable logic controller it uses from an Israeli company called Unitronics.

Hundreds of Metro Vancouver workers on strike at wastewater plants

Hundreds of Metro Vancouver workers on strike at wastewater plants

Around 670 workers who operate Metro Vancouver's five wastewater treatment plants, monitor air quality and build infrastructure stopped work Monday and are picketing as they seek a new collective agreement from their employer. "Our members are dedicated to their jobs, and deserve a collective agreement that reflects the service they provide to Metro Vancouver," said the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees' Union (GVRDEU) in a release.

New spike in wastewater COVID-19 viral loads concerns researchers at U of S

New spike in wastewater COVID-19 viral loads concerns researchers at U of S

After almost a month of declining numbers, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan say they have seen a jump in COVID-19 viral load in samples taken from wastewater treatment plants in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford. On Monday, researchers at Global Water Futures at the U of S said that evidence of COVID-19 had increased in Saskatoon by 51 per cent compared to the week before. Meanwhile, Prince Albert saw an increase of 86 per cent and North Battleford saw an increase of 58.7 per cent.

Mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari pledges more money to replace Winnipeg's combined sewers

Mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari pledges more money to replace Winnipeg's combined sewers

Mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari promises to spend more money replacing combined sewers in Winnipeg. Bokhari pledged Monday to increase annual spending on replacing combined sewers with dedicated pipes for sewage and stormwater from $45 million every year to $60 million. Combined sewers, which lie below older parts of Winnipeg, carry both runoff from the surface and sewage from homes and businesses. This mixture is pumped to one of the city's three wastewater treatment plants. When heavy rains exceed the capacity of city pumps, rainwater-diluted sewage overflows into the city's rivers. That, in turn, results in more nutrients — primarily phosphorus and nitrogen — flowing through Red River into Lake Winnipeg, where they promote the growth of algae and alter the ecology of the lake.

Whitehorse one of the only cities in the world to measure airborne microplastics

Whitehorse one of the only cities in the world to measure airborne microplastics

Microplastic pollution is usually associated with the ocean where it's been widely studied, but new research shows those tiny particles can be found in the air as well, even in the Yukon. A team of researchers at Yukon University have been monitoring the amount of microplastics being deposited from the atmosphere into the air around Whitehorse over the past two years.

SciCorp Wins Water Dragon Competition for Solving Wastewater Odor and Improving Treatment Performance

SciCorp Wins Water Dragon Competition for Solving Wastewater Odor and Improving Treatment Performance

SciCorp is an emerging company that solves odor and treatment issues in wastewater treatment plants, digesters, lagoons, and pulp and paper plants. The company has worked with hundreds of facilities using their plant-based micronutrient technology BIOLOGIC™ SR2 to stop odor, improve treatment performance, and reduce facility carbon footprint.

COVID-19 in the wastewater: The sewer may hold key to rising cases and outbreaks, University of Guelph tests reveal

COVID-19 in the wastewater: The sewer may hold key to rising cases and outbreaks, University of Guelph tests reveal

When it comes to understanding where the COVID-19 virus might be turning up in high numbers, the answer could be in the water. Wastewater, to be exact. Testing wastewater, as well as monitoring social media, can give an idea of how prevalent the virus is in specific areas. While many parts of Canada are imposing restrictions on testing for the virus, Lawrence Goodridge, a professor of food microbiology at the University of Guelph, is learning how testing water from sewers and water treatment plants can be a valuable tool in tracing the virus.

COVID-19 viral load continues to surge in latest wastewater analysis for Saskatoon, North Battleford

COVID-19 viral load continues to surge in latest wastewater analysis for Saskatoon, North Battleford

Evidence of COVID-19 continues to show up in the wastewater of Saskatchewan cities being studied by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan. On Tuesday, the Global Institute for Water Security said it had found a spike in viral RNA in samples taken from Saskatoon and North Battleford's wastewater treatment plants. The study showed a 127 per cent increase in viral load in Saskatoon week over week and a 560 per cent increase in North Battleford. Meanwhile, Prince Albert's showed a 50 per cent week-over-week decrease in viral load in its samples.

Coronavirus Update: Waste water used to show virus’ spread in Vancouver via online tool

Coronavirus Update: Waste water used to show virus’ spread in Vancouver via online tool

A new online tool allows Metro Vancouver residents to track the viral load of COVID-19 found in untreated waste water at each of the region’s five waste water treatment plants. Metro Vancouver, the regional district that delivers water, waste treatment and other services to the area’s local governments, says the tool is now active on its website. A statement from Metro Vancouver says it worked with the public health laboratory of the BC Centre for Disease Control and the University of British Columbia to sample and test waste water to track the presence and trends of the COVID-19 virus.

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