Highlights | Projects | Bio | Publications | Contact

Highlights | Projects | Bio | Publications | Contact

Highlights

QUALIFICATIONS

  • PhD in Hydrology
  • Professional Engineer
  • 30 years in water-related issues
  • Many publications, including peer-reviewed articles and a children's book

EXPERIENCE

  • Private, government, and academic sector experience
  • Consulting clients in non-profit sector and all levels of government
  • Wide range of water-related projects, including watershed decision-making, nutrient management, water infrastructure best practices, emerging issues, and climate change adaptation assessment and options development
  • Studies and measures across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales.Budget management of capital and operating funds

SKILLS

  • Policy and program design, implementation, and evaluation
  • Capacity development, training programs, and teaching
  • Primary and secondary research, analysis, and reporting
  • Workshop design and facilitation, public speaking
  • Staff, project, and budget management

Sample Projects

TEDx talk: Influencing Nature to Address Climate Change (TEDxCorkstown, 2020)

Primer on Release of Plastic Pollution from Natural Disasters & Spills (ECCC, 2023 with Giroux Environmental Consulting)

Great Lakes Surface & Groundwater Interaction Modelling (IJC, 2018 and 2021 with LimnoTech)

Environmental Scan & Toolkit on Cumulative Effects Management (CIRNAC, 2019)

Ecological Assessment of NW Manitoba Freshwater Resources (Nature United, 2019)

Urban Freshwater Stressors (Canadian Water Network, 2017)

Facilitated Workshop on Groundwater in the West (NRCan, 2023)

Climate Resiliency Strategy (IJC, 2022, with LimnoTech and Rene Drolet Consulting)

Phosphorus and the Circular Economy (Ryerson & Govt of ON, 2014)

Climate Adaptation for Province-wide Municipal Services (Govt of AB, 2011)

Nutrient Reduction Strategies for Small Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities (MB Water Stewardship, 2010)

Economic Benefits of Investing in Great Lakes Restoration (ON MoE, 2010)

Plastics in Canadian Stormwater, Wastewater, and Industrial Discharges (ECCC, 2022 with Giroux Environmental Consulting)

Water Conservation, Scarcity, and Climate Adaptation (CCME, 2009)

Water Monitoring Data Requirements, Indicators, and Climate Adaptation (CCME, 2009)

Municipal Water Sector Best Practices (FCM, 2009)

Right-size governance solutions for water and wastewater treatment in small, rural, remote communities (Infrastructure Canada, 2022)

Bio

Mary Trudeau, PhD, P.Eng, is an experienced manager and professional engineer with thirty years of experience in the development and implementation of water policy, programs and projects. She combines strong analytical skills and management abilities with in-depth technical knowledge of urban infrastructure and practical experience in both the public and private sectors. Dr. Trudeau has successfully managed large, multi-disciplinary teams, public advisory committees, multi-stakeholder technical advisory committees, and staff groups of up to 70 persons, ensuring high quality deliverables on time and within budgeted resources.

Dr. Trudeau has a wide range of interests, as indicated by her formal education. After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Civil Engineering), while working as an engineer managing potable water infrastructure maintenance for a large Canadian municipality, she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Concentration English Literature). She later completed a Master of Science, Environment and Management, at Royal Roads University while managing a municipal surface water monitoring program and laboratory unit. Her Masters’ Thesis pertained to an environmental effects monitoring program that she initiated to assess the effects of municipal infrastructure effluents on receiving waters. Her PhD (Geography) research examined changes in event-scale hydrology within urbanizing watersheds and empirical relationships with aquatic biodiversity, specifically fish richness.

Dr. Trudeau has advised federal government departments, several provincial government agencies and non-profit sector clients on water and climate adaptation policy and programs. She has led numerous projects, including: best practices documentation for urban infrastructure management; surveys of jurisdictional practices to inform planned policy or program development; formative and summative program evaluations; climate change adaptation planning; consultation workshops and forums for technical experts as well as for the general public. She has also written a children's book to celebrate the beauty of our amazing planet, called A Tale of Two Planets.

Peer-reviewed Publications

Water Canada

May 2017

Urbanization Effect on Hydrology

Ecohydrology

April 2017

Associations of event‐scale flow hydrology with fish richness in urbanizing Canadian watersheds of Lake Ontario

Journal of Hydrology

Oct 2016


Empirical assessment of effects of urbanization on event flow hydrology in watersheds of Canada’s Great Lakes St. Lawrence basin

Journal of Hydrology

Aug 2015


Change in event-scale hydrologic response in two urbanizing watersheds of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Basin 1969–2010

Journal of Environmental Management

Dec 1999

User-pay financing of stormwater management: A case-study in Ottawa-Carleton, Ontario

Other Publications: Children's Book

Contact

Mary Trudeau,

PhD, P.Eng.

Envirings Inc.

111 Mason Terrace

Ottawa, ON, Canada

K1S 0L2

+1 613-304-1802

m.p.trudeau.water ((at)) gmail ((dot)) com

LinkedIn profile >>

Instagram for A Tale of Two Planets>>

© 2023 Envirings Inc. | Design by Brad Kynoch

For Ottawa Riverkeeper, data collection and identification of ecological indicators for the Ottawa River, including a preliminary assessment of data availability and key data gaps.

For the International Joint Commission, a literature review, facilitated expert workshop and development of options for approaches to modelling surface and groundwater interactions on a basin scale for the Great Lakes Basin, with assistance from Rene Drolet Consulting Services, Jim Nicholas and Dr. Pedro Restrepo.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) has committed funding to establish an Indigenous-led Centre of Expertise on Cumulative Effects Management; this study was a preliminary scan of practices in Canada and references, with lead consultant Rene Drolet Consulting Services.

For Nature United (The Nature Conservancy), a literature review to assess ecological freshwater resources in northwestern Manitoba, with recommendations for potential actions by local communities, with assistance of Kilgour & Associates.

TITLE: Urban Freshwater Stressors

CLIENT: Canadian Water Network

SUMMARY: Developed a whitepaper, with the input of an Advisory Committee, on the long-term chronic issues facing freshwater as a result of urban infrastructure. The whitepaper provided background for discussion at a workshop of approximately 30 invited practitioners. Drafted a document outlining various techniques and approaches identified in the workshop to mitigate or manage urban freshwater stressors.

TITLE: Natural Resource Extraction Effects on Water 

CLIENT: Federation of Canadian Municipalities 

SUMMARY: Developed a scoping paper to identify key policy issues arising from natural resource extraction and the effects on water resources, in partnership with Giroux Environmental Consulting and René Drolet Consulting Services.

TITLE: Urban Freshwater Stressors


CLIENT: Canadian Water Network


SUMMARY: Developed a whitepaper, with the input of an Advisory Committee, on the long-term chronic issues facing freshwater as a result of urban infrastructure. The whitepaper provided background for discussion at a workshop of approximately 30 invited practitioners. Drafted a document outlining various techniques and approaches identified in the workshop to mitigate or manage urban freshwater stressors.

TITLE: Phosphorus and the Circular Economy

CLIENT: Ryerson University & Government of Ontario

SUMMARY: Provided assistance in workshop design, facilitated discussions and provided reporting services for a workshop with approximately 100 national and international experts and other attendees regarding Closed-cycle Nutrient Management in Canada.

TITLE: Climate Adaptation for Province-wide Municipal Services

CLIENT: Government of Alberta

SUMMARY: As part of a larger project, Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Options for Alberta, led the Municipal Affairs portfolio analyses to identify the risks associated with climate change and adaptation options as a foundation for a provincial climate change adaptation strategy. Project undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants and in partnership with S.E.I. and Black Shield Preparedness Solutions.

TITLE: Nutrient Reduction Strategies for Small Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities

CLIENT: Manitoba Water Stewardship

SUMMARY: Evaluation of Nutrient Reduction Strategies for Wastewater Treatment Facilities in Manitoba, with focus on small municipalities and strategies that do not rely on coagulants for phosphorus reduction. This study was commissioned to support the Winnipeg Watershed Management Action Plan to reduce nutrient loading to Lake Winnipeg. Project undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants.

TITLE: Economic Benefits of Investing in Great Lakes Restoration

CLIENT: Ontario Ministry of Environment

SUMMARY: Managed a study Assessing the Economic Value of Protecting the Great Lakes to assist in decision-making to protect the Great Lakes. This study was commissioned to support watershed level decision-making by the Ontario government, specifically pertaining to investment priority setting and policy to fulfil Ontario’s commitment to improve and protect the health of the Great Lakes Basin. Project undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants and with the advice of Dr. John Livernois, University of Guelph.

TITLE: Province-wide Municipal Sewage Program Evaluation


CLIENT: Ontario Ministry of Environment


SUMMARY: Evaluation of Ontario’s Municipal Sewage Program and development of an Action Plan to respond to drivers such as climate change and the CCME National Strategy for Municipal Wastewater Effluents. Project undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants.

TITLE: Water Conservation, Scarcity, and Climate Adaptation


CLIENT: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment


SUMMARY: Managed this climate change adaptation project to identify the implications of water scarcity and water conservation for adaptation initiatives. Project undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants in partnership with Dr. James P. Bruce, Dr. Rob de Loë Consulting Services and Mr. Rick Findlay.

TITLE: Water Monitoring Data Requirements, Indicators, and Climate Adaptation


CLIENT: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment


SUMMARY: Managed a climate change adaptation project to identify water monitoring and water-related data requirements for decision-making. Projects undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants.

TITLE: Municipal Water Sector Best Practices


CLIENT: Federation of Canadian Municipalities


SUMMARY: Manager and principle author of the Water Sector Research Report to develop capacity among Canadian municipalities for sustainable municipal water infrastructure. Project undertaken while with Marbek Resource Consultants.