Oct 23, 2024: Ottawa SYP: Sustainable Water Infrastructure Webinar

By CWRA Webmaster

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In Archived SYP Event, Archived Webinars, Webinar-Member, Webinar-Member-SYP

Title: Sustainable Water Infrastructure

Guest Speaker: Dr. Kerry Black, PhD, P.Eng

Time: Wed, Oct 23, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Location: Zoom Webinar

Host: PEO West Toronto Chapter

Co-host: CWRA SYP Ottawa Chapter

About the event:

On June 5, 2024, Calgary’s water distribution system suffered a catastrophic break in its main water feeder line from its Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant. This resulted in this plant having to shut down its operations. This resulted in a significant reduction in Calgary’s water supply as only its Glenmore Water Treatment Plant remained operational. The crisis deepened when Calgary announced on day 2 of the crisis, a boil water advisory for its community in Bowness. It also found 5 additional weak areas in the water main that needed urgent repair. On day 11 of the crisis Calgary declared a local state of emergency.

On Aug. 16, 2024, a similar catastrophic water main break happened in Montreal. It led to a temporary boil water advisory for the Eastern part of Montreal.

Professor Kerry Black will provide details of Calgary’s catastrophic water delivery system failure and possible reasons why it happened. She will also provide suggestions how cities can better prepare for; provide robust prevention strategies to; and respond to and recover from a future Water Supply catastrophic event.

Speaker’s Bio:

Kerry Black is an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair (Integrated Knowledge, Engineering & Sustainable Communities), in the Center for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE) and the Department of Civil Engineering, at the University of Calgary. She received her PhD from the University of Guelph with research focused on sustainable water and wastewater management in Indigenous communities. Her focus is to engage in a cross-disciplinary research platform, incorporating technical civil and environmental engineering principles and research, with policy and socio-economic components, focusing on sustainable infrastructure for healthy and resilient communities.

Over the past 12 years, she worked extensively in the academic, public, private and non-profit sectors, employed in technical, scientific, policy, and management roles. The majority of my experience has included working with and for Indigenous communities on urgent and pressing infrastructure issues across Canada. Her cross-disciplinary research has been featured in both engineering and social science journals. Dr. Black is a strong advocate for increasing diversity in science and engineering, sustainability initiatives and programs, and community development, including her work with Indigenous communities. As a non-Indigenous settler, her research work is guided by Indigenous partners and Nations, and in full and meaningful partnership and collaboration.