Flush your disgust. We can’t let emotions dampen our water policies
All of us should begin to recognize how the presence, intensity and even absence of disgust can critically influence our water decisions.
Reimagining Water Education
The demand for qualified water practitioners will only be met when universities move beyond a single-discipline approach.
Reawakening Awe
Ancient societies tended to view water with sacred respect. The Industrial Revolution flattened this view, seeing water as merely a component of manufacturing. The result was ecological chaos. (Post 1/2)
Mr. Floatie and Mortality: World Water Day
Today is World Water Day, an international event to celebrate and highlight freshwater issues. This year's theme is wastewater – the sullied water that flows down our drains and is flushed from our toilets. In Victoria, the recent decision to provide tertiary treatment of Mr. Floatie before he's dumped in the ocean is a wastewater [...]
World Water Day Article in the Globe and Mail
Today is World Water Day, and experts everywhere are sounding the alarm about water problems. We’ll learn about children in distant lands who die from drinking contaminated water and women who suffer sexual assault because they don’t have access to private toilets. We’ll see photographs of urban flooding and the damage it has caused to [...]
15 years since Walkerton’s water was contaminated
Difficult to imagine that fifteen years have passed since I worked as a 'rapporteur' for the Part 2 Inquiry in to Walkerton's water contamination. Tying that experience to my current research, I sat down to reflect on what can be learned from that event. A longer 'research version' -- co authored with Stephanie Cote and [...]
Observations on Ireland’s water fees
Water is a gift from god. We have lots of water. I am poor. Water supply is the government’s responsibility. The prospect of paying for water never fails to irritate people. But metering and paying for water services are essential if urban water supply is to be clean and adequate. As part of my studies [...]
Urban flooding in the news
Global News covers flooding events You can be pretty sure that urban water managers did not plan for this type of 'extreme' event when the infrastructure was constructed way back when. But these types of flash flood events are become ever more common. So we need to learn, assess, and plan in different ways.