University of British Columbia

Drinking water, aquatic life at risk due to B.C.’s fire-ravaged summer: experts

Drinking water, aquatic life at risk due to B.C.’s fire-ravaged summer: experts

Experts say the extent to which wildfires have burned across the province this year will have serious implications for the quality of B.C.’s watersheds and the ecosystems that rely on them. John Richardson, a Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences professor at the University of British Columbia, says with so many hillsides scorched by wildfires this year, there’s nothing to prevent incoming rain from creating a “debris torrent” — something which spells bad news for the province’s drinking water.

Some farmers in B.C. able to extend harvesting while others struggle with drought

Some farmers in B.C. able to extend harvesting while others struggle with drought

The unusual stretch of warm weather and summer-like heat is allowing some farmers in B.C. to extend their fall harvest season as crops continue to grow and yield quality produce, while others, especially in water-restricted areas, are struggling with the lack of rain. Sean Smukler, the chair of agriculture and environment at the University of British Columbia, says farmers experienced a cold and wet start to spring that delayed the growth of their crops by about three weeks, but some have been able to make up for lost time in the latter half of the season. "The crops that are well established and just need a little bit of water in this late season are probably able to take advantage of the sunny warm weather," Smukler told CBC News.

Social factors make Indigenous people more vulnerable to COVID, says B.C. professor

Social factors make Indigenous people more vulnerable to COVID, says B.C. professor

Lack of access to clean drinking water and low-quality health care have had a direct impact of Indigenous people’s vulnerability to COVID-19, according to a B.C. expert. Kimberly Huyser, an associate professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, has been studying Indigenous people’s health in relation to the pandemic since it began. She said it wasn’t the specific virus that interested her, but rather the way it highlighted how health care often fails Indigenous people in North America.

The Lhoosk’uz Dené village near Quesnel celebrates clean drinking water

The Lhoosk’uz Dené village near Quesnel celebrates clean drinking water

The Lhoosk’uz Dené village, located 200 kilometres west of Quesnel on Kluskus Lake, now has clean drinking water — for the first time in 20 years. The remote village of about 50 people has relied on bottled water to supply their household and everyday needs. “We’re so off-grid that many people don’t even know where we are. Even the nearest hospital is three hours away,” says Chief Liliane Squinas in a July 13 statement from the University of British Columbia (UBC). In 2008, the community received its first road access — a single logging road. “The community had no road access prior,” says Madjid Mohseni, a UBC professorin chemical and biological engineering.

WSP Canada Wins Award for Innovative Solution for Safe Water in Remote Communities

WSP Canada Wins Award for Innovative Solution for Safe Water in Remote Communities

WSP won for its work in developing an innovative solution for safe water in remote communities. Like many remote communities, the people of the Tl’azt’en Nation in northern B.C. had no access to clean drinking water. Because conventional water treatment technology was unfeasible, WSP Canada and the RES’EAU-WaterNET partnered to develop a treatment system for organic material. The project delivered a full-scale plant that allowed a 14-year boil water advisory to be lifted. The system uses natural biological processes, is low in consumables, reduces chemical requirements, produces little waste and is simple for operators to use.