The seminar will address the impact on freshwater sources such as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), Cyanotoxins produced from HABs and how to address these challenges to maintain the supply of safe drinking water to the public.

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are becoming a continuous challenge to the ecosystem and human health due to climate change, discharged nutrients from agriculture activities, improperly treated or untreated sewage effluents, and others. Higher temperatures and unpredictable weather conditions are expected to have significant impacts on water quantity and quality. Water system engineers, governing authorities, and researchers have been challenged with problems associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) for the past few decades. The public started to be concerned about the absence of proper solutions to these problems that could have serious impacts on human health. HABs could harm the ecosystem by producing toxins that accumulate in certain species like fish. Cyanotoxins caused by Cyanobacteria blooms have been associated with the death of wildlife, and domestic animals have posed a risk to human health through exposure to contaminated fresh water, ingestion of contaminated drinking water, or by consumption of contaminated fish.

Learning Objectives:

• To enhance participants’ knowledge of the impact of Climate Change on Water Resources and the potential impact on human health.
• To understand the impact of Climate Change on water supplies and how the world mitigates and adapts to these effects.
• To enhance participants’ understanding of Climate change impacts on the ecosystem, especially on water sources and the water systems infrastructure.

Presented by EGBC. For more information and to register, go to https://www.egbc.ca/Events/Events/2023/23JUNCCI