News

Around 60% of the world’s population – 4.5 billion people – either have no toilet at home, or one that does not safely manage excreta. In a bid to help break taboos around toilets and make sanitation for all a global development priority, the United Nations General Assembly designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. This day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in Glacier Hydrology and Ice Dynamics, Christine Dow attended the inaugural Science Meets Parliament event in Ottawa.

Professor Mark Servos has been appointed a new Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), in recognition of his leadership within professional and scientific spheres, and within the organization itself. With this award he will now have the opportunity to contribute his expertise on the impacts of contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors, on watersheds as an advisor to the SETAC World Council.

The State of São Paulo, Brazil has faced severe water shortages in the recent past and may be heading towards another water crisis. During this time, the Water Institute has partnered with local stakeholders to help investigate some of the most important aspects of water security in São Paulo, and new and fortified partnerships are driving these initiatives forward.

Professor and Water Institute member Blair Feltmate says simple changes like adding curbs and water sensors can potentially save lives

When extreme weather hits Canada you can count on several things appearing in the media. Images of swollen rivers, flooded homes, brave first-responders, and University of Waterloo researcher Blair Feltmate clearly and passionately articulating the very real threat our communities face from climate change.

Last year Waterloo's Department of Economics launched a new graduate and undergraduate elective course on Water Resources Economics (ECON 484/673). The course was developed and taught by Economics professor and executive director of the Water Institute, Roy Brouwer. Although water is often an applied topic in environmental or resource economics courses, offering water resources economics as a full academic course is relatively new.

This article was written by Michael Hugall for CBC News 

The University of Waterloo, Environment Canada and the Dehcho First Nations are leading this work, dubbing Sanguez Lake, near Jean Marie River, N.W.T. as the test site for the project.  

Heidi Swanson, the lead researcher and assistant professor at the University of Waterloo, said older fish usually have a higher concentration of mercury and isolating them could help lower the overall mercury levels in the ecosystem.

Studying how human activities and naturally occurring phenomena impact the environment is critical for effective management. Environmental monitoring and modelling are two fundamental practices used to help in understanding, predicting and effectively managing these activities and impacts.

The Waterloo Snowmelt Workshop 2018 was held on October 1-2 in the GreenHouse social impact incubator at St. Paul's University College, funded by a Water Institute Seed Grant to principal investigators Chris Fletcher, John Johnston, and Edward Sudicky.