WC143 JulyAug 2025 - Magazine - Page 5
EDITOR’S NOTE
PROJECTS l POLICY l INNOVATION
JULY/AUGUST 2025 • VOLUME 25, NUMBER 4
EDITOR/VP CONTENT & PARTNERSHIPS
Corinne Lynds
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Charlie Evans
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
John Tenpenny, Connie Vitello
ART DIRECTOR AND SENIOR DESIGNER
Gordon Alexander
CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS
Tom Woodcock, Jade Scrymgeour, Derren Roberts,
Mark Wessel, Waterlix, Saul Chernos,
Michael Goffin, Cody P. Bann, David Nolan,
Ellen Campbell, Michelle Fraser
WATER CANADA ADVISORY BOARD
Stephen Braun, Melissa Dick, Gregary Ford,
Jon Grant, Robert Haller, Linda Li,
Michael Lywood, Eric Meliton, Ranin Nseir,
Terry Rees, Emily Stahl
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Vanessa Watson, vanessa@actualmedia.ca
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DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Sarah Wensley
EVENTS & MARKETING COORDINATOR
Min Do
AGENCY DIRECTOR
Catherine Luzena
PRESIDENT
Todd Latham
PUBLISHER
Nick Krukowski
ADVISOR
James Sbrolla
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Top 10 Things Only a Water Nerd
Notices at the Cottage
AH, THE COTTAGE. A place to unwind, unplug, and escape the day-to-
day grind of deadlines, permits, and water balance models.
Unless, of course, you happen to be a water nerd.
Because no matter how hard you try to turn off the old brain, the moment you set foot
on that dock or glance at your neighbour’s retaining wall, something in you kicks in. You
see what others don’t.
So here it is: our light-hearted list of the Top 10 Things Only a Water Nerd Notices at
the Cottage.
1. “That septic system is way too close to the lake.” You came here for peace and quiet,
but you’re already calculating setback distances and permeability in your head.
2. “Wow… this shoreline is textbook naturalization.” You pause mid-paddle to admire
the native grasses and perfectly placed logs.
3. “Who installed that dock without permits?” You spot the shiny new dock across the
bay and instantly clock that it’s well outside the ordinary high water mark.
4. “Those culverts are going to be a problem come fall.” You can’t help yourself. One
glance at a misaligned culvert and you’re imagining spring freshet washouts, channel erosion, and a very expensive lesson in hydraulic capacity.
5. “What’s their water source, and is it treated?” You’re staying for the weekend, but
you’re also bringing test strips and a UV pen just in case. When someone says, “Don’t worry, it’s just lake water,” you flinch.
6. “Nice green lawn… terrible runoff management.” You see it all: the turf down to the
waterline, the absence of rain barrels, the compacted soil. Meanwhile, your neighbour sees
Instagram-worthy. You see nutrient loading.
7. “This dock is definitely not fish habitat friendly.” Floating dock? Good. Giant crib
filled with rubble? Not so much. You’re silently assessing aquatic habitat impacts while
everyone else is just jumping in the lake.
8. “This rain barrel system is actually impressive.” When you do see something done
right, you light up. You ask questions. You take notes.
9. “Did this place flood in 2019?” High watermarks on boathouses, riprap reinforcements, or suspiciously recent landscaping give it away.
10. “This is why I do what I do.” Eventually, the laptop stays closed, the sun sets just
right, and the paddle glides through the water in total silence. It hits you: this is why you
got into water work in the first place. To protect places like this.
So go ahead—take the weekend off (sort of ).
Whether you’re an engineer, environmental consultant, municipal lead, or a freshwater
advocate, you’ve earned it. Just don’t be surprised if your next vacation slideshow includes
more infrastructure commentary than wildlife sightings.
CORRECTION: In the May/June 2025 issue of Water Canada in our article “Fluoridating Community Water: A Local Government’s Prerogative”, we noted that
there was a study that linked high levels of 昀氀uoride exposure to lower IQs in children. The study that was mentioned was “Fluoride Exposure and Children’s IQ Scores:
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” by Taylor, Kylw W. et al. (JAMA Pediatr. 2025;179(3):282–292. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.5542.) While this study
has been noted by opponents to community water 昀氀uoridation, it should be highlighted that the exposure levels spoken to in that study were many times higher than
would be possible by ingesting municipally treated water in any Canadian community, based on our review of the literature. We also note that the authors of this
article are legal experts speaking to the constitutional authority of various levels of government to impact the question of 昀氀uoridating water, and not academics
capable of evaluating the science of water treatment; the study was noted as context for why readers might 昀椀nd the article on constitutional authority interesting.
We apologize for any inference that the noted study has found that drinking water treatment levels of 昀氀uoride are linked to e昀昀ects on human intelligence.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
WATERSHED MANAGEMENT | WASTEWATER TO ENERGY | PFAS
PLUS: Columns, news and insights, coverage of the industry’s biggest events, people on the move, and more.
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