The 1930s were an exciting time for water infrastructure in North America. A new type of water pipe had been introduced in Canada and the United States just a year earlier. Asbestos cement (AC) water pipe was billed as cheaper, lightweight, and seemingly impervious to deterioration. Over the next few decades, the use of the […]
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Flushing Our Environment Down the Drain
When one considers the source of water pollution, industrial operations quickly come to mind. However, municipal wastewater effluents are also a significant source of contamination. In fact, some pollutant levels in these effluents have been found to be many times higher than those in untreated industrial wastewaters. Although many municipalities utilize advanced processes to treat […]
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Are Those Cheap Hamburgers Killing Our Streams?
Intensive livestock operations, feedlots, concentrated animal feeding operations, or factory farms; whatever you chose to call them, they produce most of the meats we consume. In an effort to increase profits and decrease costs, producers are replacing many small livestock operations with fewer larger ones. These huge operations can have tens of thousands of animals […]
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C5H2O – A Formula for Water Management
In scientific terms, C5H20 is a molecular formula. In human terms, however, it’s a formula that combines the human elements of creativity, communication, consultation, consensus, and collaboration with traditional approaches to maximize water management efforts. Arguably, people throughout the ages have talked with one another about common water concerns, and have worked together to achieve […]
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The Dollars and Sense of Wetland Preservation
Wetlands are crucial for the maintenance of a healthy environment and the provision of clean, useable water for human and ecosystem use. They are incredibly productive areas containing an abundance of biodiversity. They are natural buffers that reduce the occurrences of floods and droughts. And, they are critical breeding and nursery grounds for aquatic and […]
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More People Are Hitting the Bottle
On the label there’s an image of a mountain glacier, snow capped mountains, or perhaps a pristine mountain lake. The label may also contain words like: clear, refreshing, healthy, pure, and natural. When you combine these images with aggressive marketing campaigns that promote the benefits of drinking their products, it’s little wonder the bottled water […]
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Water is a Basic Human Right!
Lack of access to safe drinking water is a situation that plagues approximately 783 million people, many of them being among the world’s poorest. Additionally, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. The use of contaminated water causes many serious diseases, which results in the death of millions of people every year. The lack […]
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“Ribbons of Life” Are Tied to Long-term Environmental Health
Every shoreline is a “living edge” or “ribbon of life” where land, water, and air meet. Healthy natural shorelines along lakes, creeks, rivers, ponds, canals, estuaries, and oceans contribute significantly to the overall health of our entire water system. Silver Donald Cameron said, “The beach is magic, an infinitely complex and beautiful ballet of the […]
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Lawn Perfection or Environmental Protection?
If you drive through many neighbourhoods, you are likely to see yards, parks, and golf courses sporting the so called ‘perfect lawn.’ It’s a large expanse of lush weed-free green grass that is the pride and even obsession of many homeowners. Although this form of landscaping may be aesthetically pleasing to many people, it’s often […]
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Water – the Molecular Masterpiece
Of course, most of us know water molecules consist of two hydrogen atoms bound to one oxygen atom – hence the chemical formula H2O. We also know some of the properties of water, such as its ability to act as a solvent for many compounds, absorb and release heat, penetrate into small spaces in soil […]
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