Clean Water and Sanitation
This goal ensures everyone has access to sustainable water and sanitation services, which is a critical climate change mitigation strategy for the years ahead.
The University's main campus is situated on the shore of Wascana Lake, serving as a visual reminder to us of the importance of water preservation and educating the community on effective water management.
We promote water conservation and conscious use of this valuable resource on campus and in the community. Our buildings are equipped to prevent polluted water from entering the water system, including those caused by accidents and incidents. We also provide clean and safe drinking water, and encourage reusing water bottles at various bottle-filling locations around campus.
Prairie Water Resilience Research Initiative
There are national and regional conversations underway related to water management and given the government’s commitment to establishing a Canada Water Agency. The University of Regina is known for our research into climate change, the environmental impacts, and water use and quality on the prairies. Most importantly, we look to understand the impact on communities of our water practices and policies, and from climate change and from how we change our environment. Our panel members are renowned researchers in their areas:
Dr. Margot Hurlbert, Canada Research Chair in Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability Policy; Professor, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina
Dr. Peter Leavitt, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change and Society, Director, Institute of Environmental Change and Society, University of Regina
Dr. David Sauchyn, Professor and Director, Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, University of Regina
(June 23, 2020)
Related Courses
BIOL 335 - Limnology
Physical and chemical characteristics of lakes and streams. Nutrient cycling. Ecology of aquatic organisms. Food-web interactions in lakes. Human impact on freshwater ecosystems. History of lakes. Includes field work.
***Prerequisite: BIOL 275 or BIOL 276.***
BIOL 456 - Global Biogeochemistry
The course will present an in-depth examination of elemental cycles within the context of global change. Topics will include the biogeochemical properties of water, carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, and some contaminants and the ways in which anthropogenic activities have altered the behaviour and movement of these elements.
***Prerequisite: CHEM 104 and BIOL 275***
BIOL 490AW - Plant Salinity Stress
Topics include: effects of salinity on plant functioning, sodicity stress versus water stress, and especially plant adaptations to high salinity (biochemical, physiological and morphological aspects of adaptation). Lastly, the course will address prospects for employment of genetic engineering techniques to improve salinity tolerance of crop plants.
ECON 372 - Natural Resource Management on the Prairies
Problems in the prairie oil/gas, timber, uranium, potash, power generation and water management sectors; preservation of prairie ecosystems; application of theory to determine how best to deal with these problems.
***Prerequisite: ECON 201***
ENEV 321 - Applied Environmental Science
Study of biochemical effects of human activities on the environment; ecology and environmental pollution; materials and energy balances; chemical systems; basic concepts of aquatic and soil chemistry; water resources; transport phenomena; water pollution; human health risk assessment; water quality and treatment; wastewater treatment; public health aspects.
*** Prerequisite: CHEM 104 ***
ENEV 363 - Water and Wastewater Engineering
The theory and design of systems and system components used in water treatment and distribution and in wastewater collection and treatment.
*** Prerequisite: ENEV 321 ***
ENEV 463 - Water Resources Systems
Water resources planning and management. Topics include planning for hydroelectric, flood control, water supply and irrigation projects; stochastic processes; synthetic streamflow generation; simulation and optimization of water resource systems.
*** Prerequisite: ENEV 462 ***
ENEV 465 - Advanced Water and Wastewater Engineering
Advanced consideration of water and waste treatment systems and their components; sludge treatment and disposal; wastewater reclamation and reuse; effluent disposal.
*** Prerequisite: ENEV 363 ***
ENEV 469 - Groundwater Development & Contaminant Transport
Basic principles of fluid flow in saturated and unsaturated materials, well problems, groundwater quality, discussion of salt water intrusion, and modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport.
***Prerequisite: ENEV 462 and ENEV 383. Concurrent enrolment allowed in ENEV 462***
ENEV 801 - Environmental Systems Engg
Systems engineering and mathematical modelling concepts. Application of systems approach to ecological systems (aquatics), natural transport systems (aquatic), water resources systems, terrestrial systems and engineering planning including environmental impact assessment. Surface water pollution by toxic substances.
ENEV 803 - Water Resources Management
Simulation and optimization of water resources management. Management of water projects and floodplains, Markov chain and Monte Carlo application to water resources.
ENEV 804 - Prairie Water Quality, Treatment Design and Quantity
This course investigates the uniqueness of Prairie water quality challenges in treatment design and allocation, as well as threats to water quantity and application. Includes discussion of dissolved nutrients, pesticides, PPCPs, and other water quality and treatment challenges. Discussion of impacts of economic growth, climate change, water allocation law are included around water quantity threats and opportunities. Planning and management through source water protection, agricultural evaluations, and others from the Prairie perspective.
ENEV 886CK - Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
The course will be focused on the technologies available for wastewater treatment and reuse. A number of lectures will be given to students to conduct extensive literature review, design of different wastewater treatment process trains, conduct cost estimates, and write a proposal and final report for the assigned project.
ENEV 886DI - AI Applications in Water Resources Engineering
The prediction and management of water resources are crucial aspects of water resources engineering. Over the years, AI models have been extensively developed and refined. These models can analyze historical data and current trends to forecast water availability and demand, thereby supporting more informed decision-making. In this course, we will explore and apply AI tools to address issues such as flooding, drought, risk management, and overall water resources analysis.
ENPE 302 - Applied Reservoir Engineering
Analysis and prediction of reservoir performance by use of material balance. Reservoir performance by use of decline curves. Pressure maintenance, oil trapping, capillary number correlations, fluid displacement, fractional flow, displacement efficiency, areal and vertical sweep efficiencies, waterflooding design, and gas injections.
***Prerequisite: ENPE 300.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for one of ENER 331 or ENPE 302.*
ENVS 100 - Introduction to Indigenous Environmental Science
This course will introduce students to the conceptual framework of the environment by examining its physical, biological, and social components with Indigenous perspectives. General topics will include: ecological principles and the responses of ecosystems to disturbance, population growth, biodiversity and conservation, and environmental sustainability.
ENVS 200 - Indigenous Environmental Law
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of environmental law, regulation and policy at the provincial and federal levels. Students will also be introduced to land use and environmental protection, natural resource development, rights associated with hunting, fishing and gathering, and approaches to Indigenous lands and resources.
***Prerequisite: 15 credit hours***
GES 121 - Physical Geography
The physical basis of geography; climate, landforms, and the geography of water, soil, and plants. Emphasis is placed on processes that account for the earth's natural landscapes and their geographic variability.
*Note: Students may receive credit for only one of GES 121, GEOG 121, or GEOG 221.*
GES 326 - Environment and Resource Management
A systematic analysis of geographical aspects of theory and methods of natural resource management. Focus is on the geographer's role in resource analysis and policy decisions with examples from agriculture, forestry, wildlife, energy, and parks.
***Prerequisite: 30 credit hours, including GES 100 or GES 120, or permission of the Department Head.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for only one of GES 326 and GEOG 326.*
GES 327 - Hydrology
Basic principles of hydrology and the geography of water. Emphasis on the surface components of the hydrological cycle, and on the collection and analysis of hydrometric data.
***Prerequisite: 30 credit hours including GES 121 or permission of the Department Head.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for only one of GES 327 and GEOG 327.*
GES 329 - Soil Geography
Introduction to the properties and classification of soil. The geography of soil at local, regional, and global scales. Relationship of soil to geomorphology, climate, water, vegetation, and environmental change.
***Prerequisite: 30 credit hours including GES 121 or permission of the Department Head.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for only one of GES 329, GEOG 329 or GEOL 329.*
GES 396AI - Geographies of Mining and Extraction
Examination of environmental, social, political and economic aspects of mining and resource extraction in particular sites and transnational spaces. Issues considered include: How does extraction shape local communities and environments? How have indigenous claims and resistance influenced corporate strategies and vice versa? Is resource wealth a blessing or a curse?
***Prerequisite: 30 credit hours including one of GES 120 or GES 100.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for only one of GES 396AI, IS 390AF, or GEOG 396AI.*
INDG 222AC - Northern Saskatchewan
This course examines the region known as Northern Saskatchewan: the history of the people who have shaped the region; government policies that have altered the political and social landscape, with emphasis on natural resource development and; the economic and social programs provided to the primarily Aboriginal population.
***Prerequisite: INDG 100, or permission of the Program Coordinator.***
INDG 222AD - Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
This course examines different approaches to documentation and representation of Indigenous environmental knowledge in natural resource management and planning. We consider cultural, social and ethical dimensions of how Indigenous Canadians and global Indigenous peoples have engaged in historic and current resource management.
***Prerequisite: INDG 100, or permission of the Program Coordinator.***
INDG 235 - Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Resource Management
This course examines the knowledge, practices, beliefs, and relationships linking Indigenous peoples and their environments. We consider the relevance of these systems for land stewardship with Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous settings.
***Prerequisite: INDG 100.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for one of INDG 235 or INDG 290AE.*
IS 390AE - Global and Local Environmental Struggles
This course examines key current global environmental issues and debates such as struggles over the production and disposal of toxic waste; the promises and limitations of the green economy; climate justice; global land grabbing; sustainable use of forests, water and land resources; global environmental agreements; and efforts to reclaim the global commons.
***Prerequisite: IS 100 or 30 credit hours.***
JSGS 870 - Water Policy in an Age of Uncertainty
Do contemporary water systems embody principles that will allow them to adapt and function in a changing climate, a rapidly evolving economy, a changing settlement system, and new lifestyles? Students will develop a collaborative, interdisciplinary framework for evaluating sustainable water governance.
MAP 810AF - Embodied Action: Indigenous Walking, Social Action & Healing
This course is an interdisciplinary study of Indigenous walking as social action, protest and healing. It will include the origins and growth of collective and individual actions such as the Great Lakes Water Walks led by Josephine Mandamin, and the twenty-five years of Chief Big Foot Memorial rides, walk, and runs. It will also consider the impacts of these actions, including the recent shift towards “Indigenizing” Pilgrimage Studies.
PHIL 370AE - Topics in Environmental Ethics
An advanced study of ethical issues regarding the relationship between human beings and nonhuman nature. Topics include the moral status of animals and other living things, intergenerational justice regarding pollution and conservation of natural resources, and the value of wilderness protection.
***Prerequisite: One 200-level PHIL course, or permission of the Department Head.***
*Note: Students may receive credit for one of PHIL 370AE or PHIL 470AE.*
SOC 830 - Development and Environment
This seminar investigates relationships between environmental issues and development processes. Drawing upon theories such as political ecology, discourse analysis and ecofeminism, it provides a foundation for discussions of social, political and economic factors in environmental change and conflict. Issues explored may include water, agriculture, population, common property, and climate change.
SOC 890AR - Critical Perspectives on the Environment in the Global South
This course covers critical readings related to the sociology and political economy of environmental issues in the Global South, including how these problems are a product of contemporary development processes. Readings will include social theory and history of the environment, as well as cover particular problems, such as those related to climate change, agriculture, water, natural resources, land rights and conflicts, and oil.