The Water Institute

The latest issue of #WaterNews is out 💧
Explore leading-edge research, recent publications and collaborative activities from across The Water Institute.

mailchi.mp/uwaterloo/wa...

Ontario is taking next steps to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into nine new watershed-based regional conservation authorities, targeting early 2027 for consolidation.

Read more: news.ontario.ca/en/release/1...

Long-term monitoring links wastewater treatment upgrades to river recovery | Water Institute | University of Waterloo Long-term monitoring links wastewater treatment upgrades to river recovery

Long-term monitoring links wastewater treatment upgrades to river recovery

A new collaborative study reveals that the Region of Waterloo $450M investment reduced pollution and supported ecological recovery in the Grand River.

🔗 Read more: uwaterloo.ca/water-instit...

Kincardine Signs MOU For Smart Beach Wave Forecasts The Municipality of Kincardine has signed a memorandum of understanding for the Smart Beach project, which wil...

Real-time wave forecasts are coming to Station Beach 🌊

Kincardine is partnering with UWaterloo and the Smart Beach project to deliver near-shore wave modelling and up-to-date safety info, helping visitors check conditions before they head to the beach.

www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/2026/02/27/2...

Celebrate #WorldWaterDay with us!

Join keynote speaker Dr. Katie Meehan (King’s College London), a leading voice on water equity and plumbing poverty, plus a panel on Water Equity and Shared Responsibility.

📅 March 20
⏰ 10–3:30
📍 SLC Black & Gold Room


🔗 Full program: uwaterloo.ca/world-water-...

In The Media: Dr. David Rudolph shares his #groundwater expertise on low water levels and regional water capacity challenges with The Mike Farwell Show.

🎙️ Listen to the February 23, 2026 episode at (26:15): www.seekyoursounds.com/podcasts/the...

Help Create Canada Water Week 💧

Toronto Metropolitan University students and Bruce Fellows in Canadian Freshwater Policy have launched a House of Commons e-petition to establish Canada Water Week.

🖊️ Click to add your name and share:
 www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a sunlight-driven, bio-inspired photocatalysis process that degrades microplastics into acetic acid, the main ingredient in vinegar.

A promising step toward circular solutions for plastic pollution.
uwaterloo.ca/news/media/w...

From strengths to strategy: Navigate your research career at the next WaterLeadership workshop!

Join us in person to build your research profile, expand your network and gain insights from experienced water professionals.

Register: uwaterloo.ca/water-instit...

We’re pleased to see our colleagues at Aquanty featured in Water Canada.

The article highlights how HydroSphereAI is using machine learning to close critical gaps in streamflow forecasting, supporting flood risk management and climate resilience: emagazine.watercanada.net?pid=ODk89275...

The Peace-Athabasca Delta is at risk. Here’s what we can do to evaluate the threats This year, UNESCO will conduct a fact-finding mission to decide on Wood Buffalo National Park’s World Heritage status.

In The Media: UW water researchers Laura Neary and Roland Hall write in the @ConversationCA on why the Peace-Athabasca Delta is at risk — and how improved lake monitoring using water-isotope methods can track freshwater loss & guide protection efforts.

Read more:
theconversation.com/the-peace-at...

A sleeping giant: A massive layer of water under the ground is key to Waterloo Region’s future The low water levels in the biggest aquifer under the Waterloo Moraine sparked the Region of Waterloo’s water crisis and development freeze. The biggest and most important aquifer, which provides wate...

Front page coverage in the Waterloo Region Record features WI researcher Dave Rudolph on growing pressures facing the Waterloo Moraine, the region’s primary drinking water source.

“If there was ever a time to be more careful with it & understand it, it’s now.”

www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...

Traces of pollution in snow could change how plants grow Traces of black carbon in snow can alter the light reaching plants, potentially shifting growth patterns and reshaping ecosystems.

In the Media: New research from WI member Gladimir Baranoski shows traces of industrial pollution like black carbon in snow can change how sunlight reaches the ground, subtly altering plant growth and nudging fragile ecosystems ❄️🌿


Read more: www.earth.com/news/traces-...

Celebrate #WorldWaterDay 2026 with us!

Join keynote speaker Dr. Katie Meehan (King’s College London), a leading voice on water equity and plumbing poverty, plus a panel on Water Equity and Shared Responsibility.

📅 March 20 | ⏰ 10–3:30 | 📍 SLC Black & Gold Room


🔗 uwaterloo.ca/world-water-...

From strengths to strategy: Navigate your research career at the next WaterLeadership workshop!

Join us in person to build your research profile, expand your network and gain insights from experienced water professionals.
Register: uwaterloo.ca/water-instit...

Powering smart irrigation with second life batteries: Waterloo’s breakthrough approach for Yucatán farmers | Water Institute | University of Waterloo Draft 1

What happens to EV batteries after the road? 💧

#UWaterloo students Carter McCrae & Aidan Iapicco are giving them a second life powering irrigation for farmers in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Read more: uwaterloo.ca/water-instit...
#Water #CircularEconomy #SustainableAgriculture

The latest issue of #WaterNews is out 💧

Explore leading-edge research, recent publications and collaborative activities from across The Water Institute.

Dive in: mailchi.mp/uwaterloo/wa...

New research, real impact. 🌍 See how Water Institute researchers are advancing water knowledge:
uwaterloo.ca/water-instit...

Research lab taps engineering talent to protect Canada’s water | Waterloo News Water. One of our planet’s most vital and vulnerable resources is at risk. The increased presence of toxic substances in water, particularly micropollutants, jeopardizes human and environmental health...

Protecting water quality through engineering, partnership and community 💧

Water Institute member Dr. Maricor Arlos tracks harmful micropollutants in urban water systems, turning complex data into practical solutions with communities across Canada.

Read the full story: uwaterloo.ca/news/enginee...

Traditional knowledge can help limit exposure to contaminants like mercury, researcher says | CBC News Traditional knowledge and harvesting practices may help limit the buildup of contaminants such as mercury in people who live in northern Indigenous communities in the N.W.T. and Yukon, researchers say...

In the Media: CBC North coverage highlights research by Water Institute member Brian Laird on how traditional knowledge and seasonal harvesting practices can help limit mercury exposure in northern Indigenous communities. 🌊🐟

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Mineral dust accelerating melting of Greenland ice sheet | Waterloo News Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. A University of Waterloo scientist and a...

New research shows airborne mineral dust is accelerating melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Waterloo geomicrobiologist Dr. Jenine McCutcheon found the dust delivers nutrients that fuel ice algae growth, speeding ice loss in the Arctic.

Read more: uwaterloo.ca/news/media/m...

#WaterResearch

Join The Ecohydrology Research Group for the 14th Annual #WorldWetlandsDay at the University of Waterloo 🌿

📅 Feb 2, 2026 | 4–7 pm EST

📍 EIT Building
Poster session, reception + a distinguished lecture by Dr. Sarah Finkelstein.
🔗 Register now: uwaterloo.ca/ecohydrology...

Edible research, impressive results!

Congratulations to @wetland-ghg.bsky.social – champions of the SWIGS 2026 Bake Your Research Competition for their incredible multi-layer peat bucket cake! 🎂🌱

Join Can-Peat Jan 22 | 2–3 p.m. for a virtual launch webinar exploring the CanPeat Canadian Peatland Data Portal, improving access to peatland carbon data and supporting research, policy, land management and Indigenous data governance.

Register 👉 uwaterloo.ca/can-peat/for...
@can-peat.bsky.social

“It’s a disease superhighway.” The shocking new ecosystem that’s evolving in our oceans | Discover Wildlife A unique synthetic ecosystem is evolving in our oceans – welcome to the plastisphere

In the Media: A synthetic ecosystem is evolving in our oceans – welcome to the plastisphere

Waterloo PhD student Úna Hogan explains how plastic can persist for centuries in marine environments, fragmenting into smaller particles rather than disappearing. www.discoverwildlife.com/environment/...

How will climate change reshape the Winter Olympics? The list of possible host sites is shrinking Belgian biathlete Maya Cloetens is concerned about the future of winter sports in a warming world. Training in Grenoble, France, in the hopes of competing in next month's Winter Olympics in Milan and ...

In the Media: How will climate change reshape the Winter Olympics? New research by Daniel Scott shows the list of possible host sites is shrinking, from 93 viable locations today to just 52 by the 2050s.

Read more via @AP apnews.com/article/mila...

Mercury exposure in northern communities linked to eating waterfowl | Waterloo News A new study led by researchers at the University of Waterloo found that members of many Indigenous communities who eat certain types of locally harvested waterfowl, especially ducks with mixed or fish...

New research led by Water Institute member Brian Laird shows ducks and geese with fish-based diets can accumulate higher mercury levels, signalling they may need to include waterfowl in contaminant and nutrient monitoring programs.

Read more: uwaterloo.ca/news/media/m...

The latest issue of WaterNews is out! Dive into cutting-edge research, recent publications and collaborative activities from across the Water Institute.

📬 Read more: mailchi.mp/uwaterloo/wa...

Thousands of Cambridge jobs and homes on hold as water supply crisis unfolds Developer group is calling the water capacity issue 'unprecedented' and 'deeply concerning' given the region's 10-year-housing target of more 70,000 new homes

In the Media: WI member Bruce MacVicar weighs in on Waterloo Region’s unfolding water capacity issue and what it means for growth.

www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/t...

Peatlands in practice 🌱

From wildfire-affected field seasons to rare mosses and community-led research, members of the Can-Peat network shared stories from the field, highlighting how collaboration & lived experience drive peatland research and restoration.

Read more: uwaterloo.ca/water-instit...