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Canada's current wetland protection efforts have overlooked how the environment naturally protects fresh-water resources from agricultural fertilizer contaminants, researchers from the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ's Water Institute have found.

In a recent study, engineering researchers at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ found that small wetlands have a more significant role to play than larger ones in preventing excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer from reaching waterbodies such as the Great Lakes.

Sewage-contaminated water is even more harmful for aquatic life than previously thought, according to researchers in the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s Department of Biology. Paul Craig, Water Institute member and assistant professor in the Department of Biology, and his research team are the first to examine the effects of the bacterial necrobiome on fish exposed to wastewater.

Leaving wetlands in their natural state could reduce the financial costs of flooding by nearly 40 per cent, according to a report from the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ.

Researchers at found that avoiding wetland loss could lead to substantial savings for Canadian communities that experience flooding.

Researchers leading the Agricultural Water Futures in Canada: Stressors and Solutions, a newly funded Global Water Futures (GWF) project, are seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher (PDR) to provide social science research support.

The laboratories of Barb Katzenback and Paul Craig at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, are seeking a PhD student for a Global Water Futures-funded environmental genomics research project: "Next generation solutions to ensure healthy water resources for future generations."

The AquaHacking 2017 semi-final competition unfolded last week at CIGI. By the end of the evening, five teams were chosen to move on to the final competition at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ on September 13. It was a difficult decision for the five judges, as all 17 teams that competed offered innovative ideas that tackled the challenges and opportunities facing Lake Erie.  

Climate change is significantly impacting Canada’s water resources. From melting permafrost, to more pervasive algal blooms, to increased flooding, these impacts are only expected to increase in the future. Three professors from the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s Water Institute have been awarded significant grants to develop new, innovative technologies and to deliver new management approaches to enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of Canada’s water resources in the face of climate change.

Today, University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Earth scientists received a $1.9M grant from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to examine greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems, and the impacts of alternative land-use practices and beneficial management practices (BMPs) on greenhouse gases.

Congratulations to Water Institute members Laura Hug and Janusz Pawliszyn, who will receive a combined total of $2M through the  and Canada Foundation for Innovation’s .

During World Water Day celebrations on March 22, the Water Institute and the announced an exciting three-year partnership that will combine water expertise and technology to help mitigate the threats facing our Great Lakes.

Roy Brouwer, Executive Director, Water Institute; Claude Perras, Executive Director, de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation