Environmental and water resources

Icicles forming above water


The environmental and water resources (E&WR) field of study is supported by 15.5 (FTE) tenure and tenure-track professors, two research associate professors, and one research assistant professor.  This research field is extremely strong within civil and environmental engineering and has been identified as one of the areas of strength of the University of Waterloo. E&WR is at the core of the university-wide Water Institute.

Environmental and water resources (E&WR) Faculty Members

Major areas of study
  • hydrology
  • hydrogeology
  • river restoration and rehabilitation
  • drinking water treatment
  • waste water treatment
  • water resources planning and management

Current research activities
  • river restoration/rehabilitation and aquatic habitat improvement
  • remediation of soil and groundwater
  • identification, quantification and treatment options for  pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting substances
  • regional flood frequency analysis
  • land surfaces schemes for numerical weather prediction and atmospheric general circulation models
  • numerical modelling of contaminants in subsurface systems
  • pathogen removal during water and wastewater treatment
  • field and numerical modelling studies of urban river mechanics
  • odour formation and control in waste management
  • numerical and field studies of groundwater surface water interaction
  • physico-chemical water and wastewater treatment processes
  • analysis of drought characteristics
  • mass transport processes in porous media
  • modelling the impact of urbanization and agricultural practices on wetland ecosystems
  • advanced sludge digestion processes
  • identification of known and emerging pathogens in watersheds
  • characterization of aquatic natural organic matter
  • impact of climate change on hydrologic variables and water resource systems
  • fate of substances in wastewater collection and treatment
  • integrated atmospheric/hydrological models
  • treatment process design and optimization
  • nutrient recovery from wastewater
  • anaerobic wastewater treatment
  • fate of silver nanoparticles in waste water systems
  • air quality impacts of sustainable energy and climate policy

Research centres, groups and labs

Industry and government partnerships