From river to tap—and back again—water moves through complex systems most of us rarely see.

In this episode, Bri sits down with Trina Manning, Director of EPCOR’s Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant, to follow Edmonton’s water journey from the North Saskatchewan River to our taps and eventually back to the river.

Together, they explore drinking-water treatment and testing, distribution, wastewater treatment, water reuse, and the people and infrastructure working around the clock to make it all happen. The conversation also shares simple ways households can help protect this essential system.

About our guest

Trina began her career with EPCOR in 2001 and has held a variety of roles over the years, including 13 years in project management. Prior to stepping into her current role, she served as the Senior Manager of Operations at Gold Bar, leading to a deep familiarity with the plant and its operations.

Episode Resources

• How Water Gets to Your Home—And Back to the River (a visual!)
• More about Edmonton’s water treatment process
• Take the self-guided walking tour of Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Explore EPCOR’s publicly available drinking-water and wastewater quality reports.
• Find out what belongs in the garbage instead of the toilet—and how proper disposal helps protect home plumbing and the wastewater system.

About the Podcast

What On EARTH Can We Do? is a seasonal podcast from the Alberta Emerald Foundation, hosted by Programs and Communications Manager Bri Huot-Boer.

Through accessible conversations and real-world examples, each season explores an environmental topic affecting Alberta and shares the people, knowledge and solutions helping create a more sustainable and resilient future.

Learn more about the AEF

This season of What On EARTH Can We Do? is made possible with support from EPCOR. It is also supported in part by the Government of Alberta, the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, and the City of Calgary.

The views and opinions expressed by our guests do not necessarily reflect those of the Alberta Emerald Foundation.

Before water reaches a treatment plant or household tap, it has already travelled through a much larger natural system.

In the premiere of What On EARTH Can We Do? Season 8, Dr. Evan Davies helps us trace Alberta’s water back to its source. Explore how precipitation, snowpack, rivers, lakes and groundwater contribute to the province’s water supply, why where we live affects where our water comes from, and how the health of our watersheds connects us to communities far beyond our own.

About our guest

Dr. Evan Davies is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada. His research focuses on water resources planning and management, and in particular on numerical simulation of the impacts of alternative management policies on water resources at scales from local to global.

Episode Resources

• Discover which watershed you live in
• Explore current river conditions near you

About the Podcast

What On EARTH Can We Do? is a seasonal podcast from the Alberta Emerald Foundation, hosted by Programs and Communications Manager Bri Huot-Boer.

Through accessible conversations and real-world examples, each season explores an environmental topic affecting Alberta and shares the people, knowledge and solutions helping create a more sustainable and resilient future.

Learn more about the AEF

This season of What On EARTH Can We Do? is made possible with support from EPCOR. It is also supported in part by the Government of Alberta, the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, and the City of Calgary.

The views and opinions expressed by our guests do not necessarily reflect those of the Alberta Emerald Foundation.

This season, we’ve talked about rescuing surplus food, redistributing it to communities, and even turning it into clean energy. But what about the scraps, spoiled produce, bones, peels, and leftovers that can’t be saved?

In this episode, Bri sits down with Brian Wonnacott, superintendent at AltRoot, a composting facility in Westlock that transforms organic waste into a valuable resource for local farms. Brian breaks down how industrial composting works, why microbes are the real stars of the show, and how composting helps reduce methane emissions, support regenerative agriculture, and build a truly circular local economy.

Resources

• AltRoot’s End-to-End Tracability tool
• How to compost at home

About the Podcast

The What On EARTH Can We Do? podcast is a program of the Alberta Emerald Foundation (AEF), a registered charity dedicated to accelerating environmental excellence across Alberta.

Learn more about the AEF

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Capital Power, Government of Alberta, the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, Pathways Alliance, City of Edmonton, TD Friends of the Environment, and City of Calgary

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed by our guests do not necessarily reflect those of the Alberta Emerald Foundation. As a non-partisan organization, we are committed to presenting diverse perspectives on environmental issues.