News
Opioids and antidepressants found accumulating in freshwater fish
A new study led by Water Institute researcher Mark Servos and colleagues in the Servos Group has detected antidepressants, opioids and other drugs of abuse accumulating in freshwater fish living downstream of urban wastewater treatment plants. Using a newly developed analytical method, the team found compounds such as fentanyl, methadone and venlafaxine in multiple wild fish species, marking the first documentation of these substances in wild fish in Canada.
Canadian Peatland Data Portal launches as a new tool for water research and collaboration
Peatlands cover upwards of 12 per cent of Canada’s landscape and store more carbon than all other ecosystems in the country combined, making them one of Canada’s most powerful natural climate allies. Yet until now, information on these critical ecosystems has been difficult to find. To address this gap, the Can-Peat Network at the University of Waterloo launched the Canadian Peatland Data Portal in early January, the country’s first national platform dedicated to centralizing peatland carbon metadata.
Listening to farmers, learning from nature
New research by Fridah Silas, a PhD student in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability and Collaborative Water Program student working with Dr. Dustin Garrick is exploring how farmers and actors across food, water, and energy sectors can work with nature, and with each other, to support more sustainable agriculture in Ontario.
