Future students

New research shows fluctuating water tables can accelerate contaminant breakdown

Old petroleum spills can continue to contaminate soil and groundwater for decades, making remediation slow, costly and difficult to predict. New research from the Ecohydrology Research Group shows that a natural process, the rise and fall of the water table, can significantly influence how quickly petroleum contaminants breakdown.

Professor Monica Emelko, a member of The Water Institute’s Board of Directors, has been recognized with the prestigious Norman J. Howard Award from the Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA) for her outstanding contributions to municipal water supply, research, and the advancement of the water profession.

The University of Waterloo’s Collaborative Water Program (CWP) has been named a finalist in the Education category of the 2026 Water Canada Awards, recognizing more than a decade of innovation and leadership in interdisciplinary water education.

Twice a day, the ocean lifts a glacier. The movement is small, sometimes only a few centimeters. It happens quietly, far from cities and coastlines. But along the edges of glaciers, these subtle tidal pulses help control how quickly ice flows into the sea.

Working with Dr. Wesley Van Wychen, Dr. Jae Hun Kim studies how glaciers in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic respond to the rhythm of the tides. Using radar, he tracks the grounding line, the place where a glacier lifts off bedrock and begins to float. This narrow boundary plays a crucial role in glacier mass loss.

This article brings together the work of two graduate students studying water scarcity in Bauru, Brazil, from complementary perspectives. One examines the fragile groundwater systems beneath the city and the risks created by aging infrastructure. The other investigates how households cope when the formal water supply becomes unreliable. Together, their research reveals how hidden water systems, both underground and within homes, are sustaining the city, while also creating new risks and inequities.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development's newly released report, Sustaining Canada's Freshwater for Today and Tomorrow, outlines recommendations to strengthen Canada's freshwater future, informed by testimony from leading researchers and experts across the country.

A virus that infects harmful freshwater cyanobacteria is challenging one of biology’s most fundamental assumptions about the difference between viruses and living cells.

Published in The ISME Journal, new research reveals that the jumbo cyanophage PhiMa05 carries the largest set of ribosomal protein genes ever found in a virus. The discovery is prompting scientists to rethink how viruses evolve and where the line between viral and cellular life truly lies.

We’re excited to announce the newly elected executive committee of the Society of the Water Institute Graduate Students (SWIGS) for 2025-26! After a successful election this summer, the SWIGS team is ready to bring fresh energy, creativity, and leadership to the year ahead.

New research from University of Waterloo and Penn State researchers suggests that fertilizer shortages linked to global conflict may be having an unexpected effect on water quality.

The researchers found that in nutrient-rich agricultural systems, farmers may be able to tap into legacy nutrient reserves already stored in the soil, reducing the need for additional fertilizer and decreasing nutrient runoff into rivers, lakes and streams.