Goal 6 - Institutional Stewardship Initiatives
Institutional Mandates
City of Edmonton Drainage Services Bylaw
The University of Alberta Utilities Group operates (North Campus) or manages (remaining campuses) the storm and sanitary system for the university; wastewater is then sent for treatment at local municipal facilities. Wastewater treatment is subject to Bylaw 18093 (drainage bylaw). Water quality standards and guidelines ensure the protection of ecosystems, wildlife and human health and welfare.
Water Extraction
The University of Alberta complies with the Alberta Water Act. The Act supports and promotes the conservation and management of water through the use and allocation of water in Alberta. It requires the establishment of a water management framework and sets out requirements for the preparation of water management plans.
The University of Alberta gets its water from the North Saskatchewan River, which is the sole water source for the city of Edmonton. Water is extracted and treated by EPCOR's E.L. Smith and Rossdale Water Treatment Plants, filtered, and then sent to the university. EPCOR has implemented several sustainable practices and technologies for both water intake and wastewater treatment. These include protecting the broader river watershed, specialized fish-safe intakes, and wastewater treatment that reclaims energy and recycles water.
As Edmonton's sole source of water supply, the North Saskatchewan River is fundamental to our sustainability. Water supply has become an increasingly urgent challenge throughout the world due to drought, pollution and ever-increasing levels of human consumption.
Managing Water Risks
The University of Alberta has policies, processes and guidelines to prevent polluted water from entering the water system, either as a result of accidents/incidents on campus or otherwise, including: guidelines on how to package hazardous waste; a process for hazardous waste pick up and disposal; Biosafety Guidelines for use and storage of biological materials; a policy on assignment of accountability for Environmental Management; and Health, Safety, and Environment Responsibilities
North Campus Open Space Plan
The North Campus Open Space Plan, released in 2014, includes sustainability as a key consideration for space planners. Section 5.6 provides strategies to limit the use of potable water for landscape irrigation and instead incorporate rainwater, stormwater and grey water as assets. Elsewhere, the plan prioritizes native plants that are drought tolerant, and it calls for rainwater retaining infrastructure such as wetlands, bioswales, rain gardens and green roofs.
Water Management Plan
The University of Alberta’s Watego Water Management Plan is one of several Major Projects that are designed to reduce the University of Alberta's environmental impact. The management plan provides a university-wide water stewardship framework that sets a way forward for water use reductions, infrastructure upgrades in washrooms and labs, behaviour change campaigns and pilots of innovative technologies.
Free Drinking Water on Campus
Water fountains and water refill stations that provide free drinking water at the University of Alberta are located throughout all campuses and are free to use by students, staff and visitors. Water refill stations and water fountains can be found in all major buildings on campus including University Commons, Students Union Building, libraries and many other buildings.
Educational Opportunities for Water Management
Centre for Healthy Communities (CHC)
The University of Alberta Centre for Healthy Communities (CHC) works with diverse partners and collaborators to advance the wellbeing and sustainability of communities. The Innovation Forum is an educational platform for connection and collaboration that provides an opportunity to highlight different perspectives and inspire action on a wide range of issues concerning healthy communities.
The Innovation Forum hosted by the CHC, in partnership with Alberta Innovates, Alberta Municipalities and the City of Calgary during the 2024/2025 academic year, brought together stakeholders (practitioners, industry professionals, students, researchers, members of local communities and the public) from various sectors together to share insights and experiences, and generate actions to collectively advance water reuse and climate resiliency in municipalities. The keynote speaker Dr. Norman Neumann focused on the drivers and impediments to water reuse and the topic was further explored in smaller group conversations. This topic of water use is timely in municipalities as many places in Alberta are experiencing water shortages or water management is a priority.
Additionally, a panel session featured experts from government, academia, industry and the University of Alberta’s Water Research Centre, Alberta Environmental and Protected Areas, and the Indigenous Skilled Trades Alliance.
Water in the Community
The University of Alberta cooperates with local, regional, national, and global governments on water security. A newly created Water Research Centre at the University of Alberta, in partnership with the local City of Edmonton’s EPCOR utility provider, will focus on local, regional, and national cooperation. The research centre will include a wide range of collaborators in the water industry, government ministries, utilities, agriculture, and municipalities.
University of Alberta professors, Dr. Mike Flannigan and Dr. Vic Adamowicz have collaborated on various projects in conjunction with Global Water Futures in partnership with the national Government of Canada. The goal of the program is to deliver risk management solutions - informed by leading-edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools - to manage water futures in Canada and other cold regions around the world where global warming is changing landscapes, ecosystems and the water environment. Global Water Futures is closely linked to institutions, governments, and organizations around the world.
Through the Department of Renewable Resources, the University of Alberta has many partnerships and projects that cooperate with regional and provincial governments such as the Southern Rockies Watershed Project. At the global government level, the University of Alberta is an active partner with UArctic, where water security is a focus area. UArctic is an international cooperative network of universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations focused on education and research in and about the Circumpolar North. There are over 200 member universities from 8 arctic countries.
Water Reuse Activities
Water reuse is the method of recycling treated water for beneficial purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and groundwater replenishment. Explore the University of Alberta's initiatives using the Interactive Project Map and through the The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System report where water reuse is tracked and measured.
Water Reuse at the University of Alberta
The University of Alberta reuses water across various initiatives, see below for extensive examples. Through the capture and reuse of fire pump test water, rain water, and other initiatives, the University of Alberta tracks the reuse of over approximately 25,000 gallons of water.
Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (CCIS) underground cistern
An underground cistern was installed on the west side of CCIS in 2013. Fire pump test water is captured and transferred to a 95,000 litre cistern for temporary storage. The saved water from the cistern is transferred to a portable tank to be used for irrigation and water features on campus.
Augustana Campus
Augustana Campus has one 1500 gallon underground tank that collects water from the campus’ grass swales, two 250 gallon above ground tanks which collect rain water from the roof of the Facilities Building, and an additional 100 gallon tank which collects rain water from the Auxiliary Building. The water that is collected is used for irrigation on campus.
Campus Gardens
The Campus Community Gardens at the North Campus, Campus Saint-Jean and Augustana Campus are irrigated with rainwater collected in barrels. Augustana community garden collects water in a 100 gallon tank for the Campus Garden. The North Campus community garden collects water in two 55 gallon rain barrels and a small 25 gallon tub which is reused to water the gardens.
Triffo Hall
Triffo Hall collects rainwater in a below-grade storage tank system and uses it for toilet flushing to reduce potable water use.
East Campus Village
Porous paving in the East Campus Village residences area allows for water to infiltrate into soil.
University of Alberta Botanic Garden
The University of Alberta Botanic Garden has slow ditches, a parking lot runoff collection well and buffered riparian areas to help manage groundwater.
Water Usage and Care
The University of Alberta applies many building standards to minimise water use including water conscious building standards. For example, closed plug loop water recirculation is used for systems that require water for cooling; and the Green Building Design Summary has a list of standards including low-flow fixtures implemented within the University of Alberta.
As well, since 2008, the Government of Alberta has required all new buildings and major renovations that receive substantial provincial government funding to achieve a minimum LEED® Silver certification. The Green Globes® rating system and guidelines are used on projects that do not require LEED certification to rate and guide sustainable designs. Although not all projects at the university will be formally certified, all projects should endeavour to incorporate sustainable measures as identified by the LEED and/or Green Globes Rating Systems.
Information on current green building ratings can be found through interactive dashboards at: uab.ca/eca. For example, the Green Building Dashboard is used to track buildings at the University that receive external sustainability designation such as LEED, Green Globe, and BOMA Best certification. The BOMA Best Water focus area evaluates and scores the University of Alberta on its water management, efficiency and conservation performance. Many University of Alberta buildings have scored gold (ECHA, ETLC, UHall), silver (Timm’s Centre for the Arts, Telus Centre) or bronze (SUB, Ag/For Building, CCIS) in the BOMA Best Certification.