Environmental Science & Engineering

What was once brown, discoloured drinking water is now running clear in one Alberta First Nation. Since installing a mobile water treatment system from Cambridge, Ontario-based Laminar Water earlier this year, iron and manganese concentrations have dropped to nearly zero, bringing an end to years of customer complaints from some of the 370 homes on the reserve.

Veolia Water Delaware is suing a group of companies it alleges contaminated the Red Clay and White Clay creeks with PFAS, seeking to recover at least $34.6 million spent installing treatment infrastructure at its Stanton Water Treatment Plant. The utility says the contamination has forced it to make costly upgrades to protect drinking water supplied to approximately 40,000 customers, representing about 100,000 people across New Castle County.

Pump technology company SEEPEX has appointed Ash Zaghloul as regional sales manager for Canada. Based in Aurora, Ontario, Zaghloul brings more than 20 years of experience in the industrial equipment, power, energy and rental sectors. His previous work has included developing dealer networks, managing key accounts and overseeing sales territories. Zaghloul holds a mechanical engineering degree from the American University in Cairo and is fluent in English and Arabic.

The federal government is providing more than $33.4 million for wastewater infrastructure upgrades in Guelph, Ontario, that will increase treatment capacity by 24% and help accommodate thousands of new homes. The funding, announced August 11 through the federal Build Communities Strong Fund, will go toward a new tertiary treatment facility at Guelph's Water Resource Recovery Centre and upgrades to a major trunk sewer.

A new guidebook is offering water utilities a practical roadmap for introducing artificial intelligence and machine learning into potable reuse operations, while warning that successful adoption will depend as much on data quality, cybersecurity and workforce readiness as on the technology itself.

The City of Hamilton has secured $572 million in federal and provincial funding for major road, water and wastewater infrastructure projects designed to unlock capacity for thousands of new homes. The funding, provided through the Development Charge Reduction Program, represents the largest investment in roads, water and wastewater infrastructure in the city's history, according to Hamilton officials.

Residents near Winnipeg's North End wastewater treatment plant may notice intermittent odours through September as the city brings a new $518-million headworks facility and its biological odour-control system online, city officials warned. The city says the temporary odours are expected while bacteria and other microorganisms used to treat foul-smelling air become established within the new Headworks Facilities at the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $10.8 million in grant funding to support workforce development and training for drinking water and wastewater professionals across the country. The funding comes as utilities face a shortage of qualified workers driven by anticipated retirements, aging infrastructure and the need for new technical skills to address evolving technologies and emerging threats such as cyberattacks.

A Newfoundland and Labrador student has won the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for developing an autonomous robot that uses artificial intelligence and magnets to remove plastic from water while avoiding harm to marine life. Moroti Adegboyega of St. John's received the international award on August 25 during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. The prize was presented by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

By Sarah Vella Since 2018, Peel Region has undertaken a progressive and internally driven journey to design, implement and maintain a Wastewater Integrated Management System (WWIMS) across its wastewater operations. Peel owns the wastewater collection and treatment system that serves its 1.6 million residents, as well as local businesses.