As Alberta's economy and population grow, the demand for water is soaring and so is the need to know how well we're managing this invaluable resource.

Canada Research Chair and U of L researcher Dr. Alice Hontela is adding to the well of knowledge by seeking to understand just exactly what's in our water.

Hontela is part of MITHE (Metals in the Human Environment) strategic network. She says climate change and

increasing industrial activity (especially farming and mining) are not only affecting the volume of available water, but the concentration of pollutants in it.

Through lab and fieldwork, she studies the endocrine systems of different fish species – whose systems resemble in some aspects those of humans – to determine the effects of certain pollutants.

She explains that some chemicals are safe at low doses (like selenium, which our bodies need), but toxic at higher concentrations. Since pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, are difficult or impossible to remove with filtration, the health of both human and aquatic species requires keeping these chemicals at non-toxic levels.

The answers Hontela and her colleagues discover are crucial to finding new ways to deal with our water and pollutants, and will aid in making sound management decisions for the future.