Water news

U of T Engineering researchers are leading the way in addressing the global water crisis. Our faculty members have deep expertise in established and emerging areas of water research to create robust and resilient solutions.

Austin Mclean (MechEng 1T5+PEY, MEng 1T9) and Rashmi Satharakulasinghe (ChemE 1T7) demonstrate the electricity-free irrigation controller they developed to help farmers in developing countries make more efficient use of water in agriculture. (Photo: Corridor Water Technologies).

Social enterprise aims to bring smarter irrigation to areas without electricity

Recent U of T Engineering graduates spin off Corridor Water Technologies to help farmers around the world make the most of limited water resources

Professor Lesley Warren performs environmental sampling at Syncrude Canada’s Base Mine Lake, an important location for mining-impact water research and technology development in Alberta’s Oil Sands. (Photo courtesy Lesley Warren)

Methane-converting viruses could play a role in combating climate change

Genomic study reveals the complex interactions between bacteria and viruses in industrial wastewater

Fourth-year engineering students Kejdi Kola (back left), Calvin Rieder (back middle) and Anton Meier (back right) met with community members in Las Arrugas, Guatemala to design a water purification system for the community. (Photo courtesy Kejdi Kola)

Clean water for Las Arrugas: U of T Engineering team designs water filters for Guatemalan community

Project supported by CGEN aims to overcome challenges associated with intermittent and contaminated water supply

As a PhD student, Pavani Cherukpally researched the use of polyurethane foams to adsorb droplets of oil in wastewater. (Photo: Kevin Soobrian)

Oil-adsorbing sponge could prevent environmental contamination

U of T researchers have developed a chemically modified sponge that can remove oil microdroplets from wastewater with more than 90% efficiency in just 10 minutes

Hydrogeological technicians collect core samples from a hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifer near Barrie, Ont. Professor Elizabeth Edwards (ChemE) and her partners — including SiREM, a company that offers site remediation products and services — have developed bacterial cultures designed to clean up such sites by breaking down contaminants such as benzene, toluene and xylene. (Photo: Courtney Toth)

Contamination-eating microbes are ready for action

A new public-private collaboration enables field trials of bacterial cultures that can degrade hazardous waste

Professor David Taylor checking on his pressure, flow, and turbidity sensors in a valve chamber in Delhi, India. (Photo courtesy David Taylor)

Why some cities turn off the water pipes at night

A new paper outlines a simple, yet powerful model to understand why some water suppliers choose to turn off their supply at certain times — and how we can set smart goals for improvement

Left to right: Kamran Mahmoudov and Ahmed Mahmoud demonstrate a prototype of the WERLWind, a passive aerator that leverages wind power to deliver oxygen for fish farms. The invention won first place the 2019 Innovation Showcase, hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineering. (Photo: Cecil Brathwaite)

Fish farming technology from CGEN wins global invention competition

Team WETech receives $10,000 to further develop a passive aerator that delivers oxygen to fish ponds

Professor David Taylor analyzes the impact of intermittent water systems, as well as other water distribution technologies, on public health. (Photo: Roberta Baker)

Under pressure: Modelling intermittent water supplies to improve public health

Professor David Taylor studies water access and distribution in the developing world, helping utilities, local governments and NGOs improve quality and supply

Professors Chelsea Rochman (left, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) and Bob Andrews (right, CivMin) have joined forces to develop new techniques for analyzing microplastics and nanoplastics in drinking water. (Photo: Tyler Irving)

Microplastics in drinking water: how much is too much?

Professors Chelsea Rochman (left, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) and Bob Andrews (right, CivMin) have joined forces to develop new techniques for analyzing microplastics and nanoplastics in drinking water. (Photo: Tyler Irving)