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Mercury is used in a variety of industries, including textile manufacturing and gold and silver mining. When released into the environment, this highly toxic element causes widespread contamination of soil. As mercury enters rivers, lakes and oceans, it is converted to methylmercury, a neurotoxin that moves into the food chain through fish and seafood, posing a serious risk to human health.

The Water Institute's executive director, Professor Roy Brouwer, was part of a joint submission from 38 leading water organizations, calling on the federal government to highlight the critical importance of water and promote the Canada Water Agency as a key priority in the Speech from the Throne.

Most Canadians living in flood risk areas do not know their homes are in danger, which could cost Canadian taxpayers billions in population resettlement.

In a survey of 2,500 people living in designated flood-risk areas across the country, only six per cent knew their homes were at risk, according to a new report from the University of Waterloo’s Partners for Action, with funding support from The Co-operators Group Ltd. Only a quarter of respondents said their insurance representative had discussed flood coverage options with them.

Water Institute member John Yeow, a Waterloo Engineering faculty member and the Canada Research Chair in Micro and Nanodevices, has been honoured with IEEE Canada’s Outstanding Engineer Award for 2020.

Dr. Monica Emelko, Water Institute member and director of the Water Science, Technology and Policy group at the University of Waterloo, told ICN,

Efficient and accurate estimations of soil moisture are key for proper crop irrigation management.

Written by Department of Geography and Environmental Management graduate student Yusof Ghiasi, Water Institute member and professor of Geography and Environmental Management Claude Duguay, professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Armaghan Salehian, and Depar

Three recent papers by Waterloo’s Ecohydrology Research Group (ERG) on the fate and transport of nutrient elements along the water cycle have been featured in American Geophysical Union’s EoS Research Spotlights.

The Great Lakes seem so abundant. The five lakes that surround our province account for 20 per cent of the world's fresh water and they also help keep our economy running --- from providing power to watering crops. So, what would happen if there was a disruption in that supply? Where would the limited resources go to keep out economy going? Chris dela Torre from CBC Radio spoke to Roy Brouwer, the Executive Director of the Water Institute at the University of Waterloo, to help answer these questions.

Written by Rob de Loë

Can art and science be brought together fruitfully in ways that lead to new, deeper and more enduring understanding of complex environmental problems? Can art open new pathways to understanding and caring about the environment?

Researchers have developed a new integrated model to evaluate the economic impacts of climate change on the Canadian Great Lakes Basin.

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system in the world. But factors like climate change, urbanization, and a growing population are increasing pressure on these valuable resources and may limit their availability for future generations. 

Scientists at the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute developed the new hydro-economic model to make the often unknown and invisible value of water more explicit.