RBC Blue Water Project: $2.3 Million in Funding Announced

via PR Newswire:  2013 RBC Blue Water Project Leadership and Community Action Grants announced

June 14, 2013

RBC awards $2.3 million in funding to protect water in cities and towns around the globe

TORONTO-RBC today announced the recipients of the 2013 RBC Blue Water Project Leadership and Community Action Grants, totalling more than $2.3 million in funding for water protection and preservation programs. Awarded on the fourth annual RBC Blue Water Day, the grants support 123 organizations spanning seven countries, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Water is the lifeblood of our planet and vital for our social and economic wellbeing,” said Gord Nixon, president and CEO, RBC. “Since the RBC Blue Water Project was established in 2007, we have committed more than $38 million in grants to some 650 organizations around the world working to protect our most precious natural resource, including the grants we’re announcing today. We are honoured to support the important efforts of this year’s grant recipients, whose projects reflect our new focus on urban water issues.”

In December 2012, the RBC Blue Water Project announced a shift in focus to address a significant, emerging issue that is relevant to the majority of RBC employees and clients – protecting and preserving water in towns, cities and urbanized areas. The 2013-2014 Leadership and Community Action Grants are funding programs that improve urban water quality and efficient use, enhance storm water management and protect and restore urban waterways.

“By 2050, three quarters of the world’s population will live in cities,” explained Alexandra Cousteau, RBC Blue Water Project Ambassador and National Geographic Emerging Explorer. “With more people, our urban water resources will become even more strained than they are today. The 2013 RBC Blue Water Project Leadership and Community Action Grant recipients are working to solve some of the most critical water issues facing our growing communities and helping to ensure we have the clean water we need for the future.”

AJ: Centralized systems vulnerable to climate change conditions

via: Alternatives Journal, Jan. 2013 / Lifecycles 39.1

Best in Flow

by Stu Campana

YOU JUST TOOK A WATER BALLOON TO THE FACE. The good news is that, as a Canadian, you are rarely so pressed to think about the quality and abundance of your water. Globally, there is enough clean and fresh water for everyone. Nevertheless, huge shortages remain in many parts of the world due to the naturally uneven distribution of the water cycle (among other factors). Even more problematic, the cycle is easily disrupted: small climatic shifts can quickly bring too much or too little, wreaking havoc on conventional water management systems.

These systems are proving inadequate to the challenges created by climate change. Because Canada has been spared the harshest impacts (so far), we are largely unprepared for major water cycle shifts. Fortunately for us, there are lessons to be learned from many communities (including a few homegrown examples) that have already adopted decentralized water management strategies. What we need to absorb are not the designs themselves, but the principles of resilience and low-impact development, which are essential to building a water system that can withstand shocks.

To clarify, the concept of decentralized systems is intended as a geographical distinction rather than a political one. In this context, both centralized and decentralized systems can refer to public or private and municipal or federal initiatives.

Most Canadian cities use water from a single source and dispose of it in a single location. The system works well enough under normal circumstances; there’s no real need to recycle when freshwater remains in ready supply. This centralized structure, however, is like an 18-wheeler on a treacherous highway, struggling to cope with changes in speed and direction. Enough of both, and it might crash.

Increases in the intensity of flooding, droughts and storms are all expected impacts of climate change on water cycles. “New patterns of wind, humidity, and ambient temperature are already dramatically altering the weather map,” wrote Chris Wood, author of Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America, in a 2005 article. “Some parts of the country are receiving more rain than ever before; other regions are drying up.” Moreover, Wood argues that “Canada’s multibillion-dollar investment in water infrastructure” is already outdated: “It will not be able to either contain the massive floods or ameliorate the droughts of the future.”

No, perhaps not. An anecdote from our nation’s capital may help explain why.

For most of one day in early September 2012, it rained heavily in Ottawa – not an uncommon event for the time of year, or one likely to raise alarms. Yet the capital region’s residents were unpleasantly surprised to find that the rainfall had caused 63.5 million litres of diluted sewage to overflow into the Ottawa River. Ottawa’s stormwater system is typical of a mid-sized Canadian city: made up of no less than 1500 kilometres of pipes, including some overlap with the sewage system. The labyrinth of pipes is not designed to handle large influxes of water, and the results are more or less catastrophic when it happens.

Like most of the world, Canada’s cities are ill equipped to handle sweeping problems such as contaminated water supplies and widespread flooding. Ottawa’s sewer system can’t cope with an enormous rain deluge any more than India’s water reserves can withstand weeks of drought. Centralized systems are vulnerable to climate change conditions because the size and nature of the infrastructure makes adaptation difficult. Breaking water management structures down into discrete, independent and decentralized systems builds resilience against fluctuation.

Winnipeg Free Press: Canada-U.S. group turns off tap

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/canada-us-group-turns-off-tap-182938171.html

By: Bartley Kives and Jen Skerritt

Posted: 12/11/2012

A Canada-U.S. commission has put a plug in Winnipeg’s plan to sell water to neighbouring municipalities, emboldening First Nations already opposed to the idea.

The City of Winnipeg announced Monday it has put off a plan to extend water pipes into the rural municipalities of Rosser and West St. Paul. Council approved the idea in 2011 as part of proposed service-sharing deals that would also see the city treat its neighbours’ sewage.

The city turned off the tap after receiving a letter from the International Joint Commission (IJC), a Canada-U.S. body that prevents and resolves cross-border water disputes. A report to council said the IJC has undisclosed “issues” with the city’s plan.

Winnipeg chief operating officer Deepak Joshi said the IJC wants to know whether the city’s service-sharing plans comply with a 98-year-old agreement governing the watershed.

“They wanted to get a better understanding that we are still within the order from 1914,” said Joshi, who declined to share a copy of the letter.

IJC officials could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this year, two Ontario First Nations situated along Shoal Lake, the source of Winnipeg’s drinking water, launched a court challenge against the city’s move. Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 First Nation and Shoal Lake No. 40 argue Winnipeg must but did not obtain their consent.

Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky said the international body’s letter supports the First Nations’ position that Winnipeg does not have the legal authority to move ahead with plans to extend water pipes beyond its borders.

Redsky said his community’s land is directly affected by the water sale and the First Nation may file a separate application to the IJC.

“Like I’ve said many times, I would rather negotiate than go through the courts,” he said.

Most of Shoal Lake is in Ontario, except for the western half of Indian Bay, which is in Manitoba. Winnipeg gets its water from Indian Bay through a 155-kilometre aqueduct completed in 1918.

Ontario and Ottawa gave Winnipeg permission to draw water from Shoal Lake in 1913, while the IJC followed suit in 1914. Shoal Lake 40 has land near the aqueduct intake; Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 is farther east.

In spring, Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl said he wasn’t concerned with the lawsuit from the two communities.

“We’ve done our due diligence and we feel comfortable with our position,” the CAO said then.

The city’s decision to hold off on extending water pipes into Rosser has complicated efforts to finalize a deal to extend water and sewer services to 405 hectares of industrial land set aside for CentrePort Canada, an international trade hub under development near Richardson International Airport. While some businesses that have purchased CentrePort land have dug wells to ensure they can fight fires, other companies have held off until the RM secures a deal with Winnipeg.

CentrePort officials were not aware of the city’s move to delay water services, but they are familiar with the issues involving Shoal Lake and will wait and see what council decides, said marketing and communications director Riva Harrison.

“Not having water servicing at CentrePort would be a problem for us, and I imagine our board would need to discuss the implication of that, should council go that way,” Harrison said.

The city is proceeding with plans to extend sewage-treatment pipes to both Rosser and West St. Paul. The city has the capacity to treat more sewage and more water, Joshi said.

The city is also considering a plan to provide municipal garbage and sewage-disposal services to Shoal Lake 40, whose landfill closed earlier this year. The move will alleviate environmental concerns along Indian Bay, Joshi said.

The city may provide Shoal Lake 40 with Dumpsters, which could then be taken to Winnipeg for disposal along the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railroad. Since the First Nation does not have year-round road access, it would require a barge or a revamp of the band’s existing ferry.

Redsky said the city has helped find a temporary solution for his community’s waste issues.

“We are very pleased, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the federal government,” he said.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 11, 2012 B1

“Understanding cities and their shifting demographics is critical to reaching urban consumers and to preparing for the challenges that will arise from increasing demand for natural resources (such as water and energy) and for capital to invest in new housing, office buildings, and port capacity.”

CBC: Water shortages hitting record-dry B.C.

Water shortages hitting record-dry B.C.

CBC News

Posted: Oct 6, 2012 10:24 AM PT

Abbotsford firefighters had to truck in water from the city’s airport to fight a wood-chip fire Thursday night. (CBC)

Southwestern B.C.’s long spell of dry weather is having serious effects on water supplies from the Sunshine Coast, to the Gulf Islands and beyond.

On the Sunshine Coast, northwest of Vancouver, a lake that supplies much of the summer water supply is 80 per cent empty.

Restrictions have been ramped up to “stage four,” meaning residents are not allowed to water their gardens, lawns or even wash their vehicles, said manager Dave Crosby.

“I’ve been in this organization for 33 years and we have never gone to stage three or four,” Crosby said.

On the Gulf Islands, some wells have already run dry, while other are being monitored closely for contaminants.

Low water levels could allow seawater or even arsenic to enter wells, according to Mary Cooper, of the Mayne Island Integrated Water Systems Society.

Cooper said it will take years before the aquifer, where wells draw their water, has recovered.

“It’s going to take two year to get that water down to the aquifer,” Cooper said. “In about two years from now, you’re going to see a lot of dead trees. That’s the first thing that gets hit is the flora, so now we’re looking at a fire hazard.”

Vancouver Island restrictions soon

The next two weeks will be crucial for water supplies in almost all Vancouver Island communities and if the dry spell continues, they too could impose watering restrictions.

Things aren’t much better on the mainland.

In Abbotsford Thursday night, crews battled a wood chip fire with flames almost 20 metres high and firefighters had to truck in water from the airport to keep the fire under control.

“This is about the driest I’ve seen at this time of the year and the fire risk is extremely high, even though we’re getting colder nights,” said assistant Abbotsford fire chief Dave Rivett.

Despite the record lack of rain, Metro Vancouver isn’t anticipating any problems yet.

Reservoir levels are at about 60 per cent capacity, which is average for this time of year, thanks to last winter’s snow and a wet spring and early summer.

ENS: U.S., Canada Update Great Lakes Water Quality Protections

U.S., Canada Update Great Lakes Water Quality Protections (via Environment News Service)

WASHINGTON, DC, September 7, 2012 (ENS) – Provisions to deal with aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation and the effects of climate change are featured in the newly amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement signed by U.S. and Canadian officials today in Washington. The amended agreement…

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G&M: Sewage as energy

Sewage as energy: an essentially unlimited resource

Francis Bula for the Globe and Mail, Tuesday July 10, 2012.  via: LinkedIn

B.C. is leading the way in using one of mankind’s most renewable resources to heat its buildings – sewage.

The trend started when both Vancouver and Whistler decided to create neighbourhood energy-generating plants (district-energy systems) for their Olympic villages. They became the first cities in North America to use sewer systems to provide heating and hot water.

The heat is extracted from liquid waste only – it is too difficult and expensive to use solid waste for this purpose.

Several developers and municipalities in the region, including Vancouver, North Vancouver and Richmond, are looking at jointly developing new sewage-powered, district-energy systems.

“There are different sources for district-energy systems, but sewage heat is sometimes the most attractive one,” said Jeff Carmichael, Metro Vancouver’s manager for utility research. “Especially if it’s nearby, it’s cheaper.”

He has developed a draft policy, to be voted on Wednesday, that sets out the rules for allowing other entities to access its systems.

There’s one enormous advantage to sewage as an energy source: it never stops. “The sewage just keeps on coming. It’s essentially an unlimited resource,” said Mike Homenuke, an engineer with Kerr Wood Leidal. That’s the firm that designed the Whistler system, which runs on treated effluent, and is working on potential projects for Metro Vancouver and the Capital Regional District on Vancouver Island.

EMC News: Brighter future for Tay River, Perth initiative is all about green

EMC News – The future of the Tay River looks brighter thanks to a three-pronged initiative by the Town of Perth that will lead to significant improvements in water quality over the next decade.

The town’s strategic plan, “Community Plan 2022,” includes specific initiatives over the next 10 years that will help remove contaminants entering the river from Perth’s water treatment plant and sewage lagoon, as well as run-off from storm sewers.

Some of the innovative solutions Perth will use to accomplish these goals should serve as a model for other small communities to follow, said Trish Johnson, senior environmental consultant with the town’s engineering consulting firm, R.V. Anderson Associates. “This integrated concept is really the kind of thing that makes a green community. They’re not only leading by example, they are actually challenging existing practices and creating new best practices.”

Ordered by the provincial Ministry of the Environment to begin treating waste water discharged from its water treatment plant, Perth was faced with the prospect of having to construct a multi-million dollar treatment plant. Instead, the town has chosen what Johnson described as a low cost, low-tech solution to the problem. This summer the town will call for bids to install a geotube to filter the water being discharged from the water treatment plant. The geotube, a textile membrane, will filter solids from the water before it is returned to the river. These solids include alum, a chemical used in the purification of drinking water.

Geotubes are already being used to treat sewage in other communities, including Eganville, but Perth will be the first municipality to use the technology to purify run-off from its water treatment plant, said Johnson.

The environmental consultant credits the town with having the vision to pursue this lower cost option rather than building an expensive treatment plant. With government grants for such projects no longer available, Johnson said, “I’m beginning to see the end of an era of big, shiny plants.”

Circle of Blue: 2012 Water Prices in 30 Major U.S. Cities

released Monday, 14 May 2012

The price that Americans pay for water is rising faster than the cost of any other utility service in the United States — be it gas, electricity, or telephone charges.

According to the newest report in an ongoing national survey conducted by Circle of Blue, water prices in 30 major U.S. cities rose 18 percent over the last two years and 7 percent in the past year.

http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2012/world/map-2012-water-prices-in-30-major-u-s-cities/

For additional US maps, see:

http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2012/world/map-2012-water-prices-in-30-major-u-s-cities/

Draft of Mississippi-Rideau Drinking Water Source Protection Plan released

From the website:

The Mississippi Valley Conservation and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority have developed draft policies to help keep contaminants out of rivers and groundwater where they are a source of municipal drinking water. Such preventative measures will help make municipal drinking water even safer. Review the draft policies and submit comments by May 4, 2012.

Policies can be found in the draft Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan. This Plan contains a series of voluntary and mandatory policies that encourage good stewardship, require additional oversight or risk reduction measures where necessary and prohibit certain activities from being established in the future. Funding is also available until December 1, 2012 to help property owners proactively address activities on their property that may be subject to these policies in the future.

View the Draft Plan:

Online at http://www.mrsourcewater.ca

At our Conservation Authority Offices:
Mississippi Valley Conservation – 4175 Highway 511, Lanark
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority – 3889 Rideau Valley Dr, Manotick

At our open houses (details below)
Request a DVD copy (contact information below)

Attend an Open House (all open houses are 4 pm to 8 pm)

April 19 – Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (3889 Rideau Valley Drive, Manotick)
April 24 – Carleton Place Arena (75 Neelin Street, Carleton Place)
April 26 – Smiths Falls Memorial Centre (75 Cornelia Street, Smiths Falls)

 Where Policies Would Apply

There are 11 locations in the Mississippi-Rideau region where rivers or groundwater are a source of municipal drinking water – these are the areas where policies will apply and funding is available:

•         Almonte
•         Carleton Place
•         Carp
•         Kemptville
•         Merrickville
•         Munster
•         Perth
•         Richmond
•         Smiths Falls
•         Urban Ottawa
•         Westport

 What Activities Policies Would Address

The following types of activities could be subject to policies in the areas listed above. These are activities that must be carefully managed near sources of drinking water to prevent contamination.

•         Waste disposal sites
•         Municipal sewage works
•         Septic systems
•         Pesticides
•         Commercial fertilizer
•         Nutrients (manure, biosolids, livestock)
•         Heating oil (furnace tanks)
•         Liquid fuel (gas stations, yard tanks)
•         Road salt and snow storage
•         Chemicals (DNAPLs and organic solvents)

More information:     Sommer Casgrain-Robertson,
Co-Project Manager, Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region

613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext 1147
sommer.robertson@mrsourcewater.ca
www.mrsourcewater.ca