Canada's Water Resources - We may not have enough!
OTTAWA - The world’s supply offreshwater is limited and finite. While Canada is blessed with an
abundance of freshwater, an expected increase in the development of
the natural resource sectors begs the question of whether our
country has enough to support economic growth while also
maintaining the health of our ecosystems.
This is the main conclusion of a new report from The National
Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NTREE) that
examines the sustainability of Canada’s water supply and its use by
the nation’s major resource sectors.
The report, which reviews water use by the agriculture, forest,
mining, electricity and oil and gas sectors, says that the time is
now for Canadian policy makers, businesses, environmental groups
and other concerned Canadians to look at ways to modernize outdated
and inadequate water management practices.
The report concludes:
- Data on precise water use and access to such data is limited,
making it difficult to know the national supply of water and the
amounts being used. - Approaches to allocating water in most of Canada are
increasingly outdated and may no longer be appropriate given new
environmental pressures and competing economic interests. - Several levels of governments share jurisdiction over
monitoring and managing water, leading to potential confusion among
businesses which need water for production purposes. - There is an overall lack of capacity and expertise across the
country to effectively manage water resources. - The impacts of climate change are expected to transform the way
Canadians need to manage water resources.
“Governance at a national level is not currently positioned to
respond to expected increasing pressure on our water resources,”
says the report’s executive summary. “This is largely due to
jurisdictional complexity, inconsistent approaches across the
country, policy fragmentation, a lack of resources, and
insufficient technical, scientific, and policy capacity.”
Growth in the natural resource sectors is expected to climb by
between 50 and 65 per cent by 2030. The report calls for a national
framework to deal with the issues and expected pressures outlined
in the report.
“We need to know whether we are in a
position to sustainably manage our water resources for future
generations and if we have the capability to deal with issues like
an anticipated change in precipitation patterns caused by climate
change.”
“While Canada is blessed with an abundance of freshwater, an
expected increase in the development of the natural resource
sectors begs the question of whether our country has enough to
support economic growth while also maintaining the health of our
ecosystems,” said NRTEE Vice-Chair Robert Slater.
NRTEE President and Chief Executive Officer David McLaughlin
said Canada needs to get a better handle on the quantity of water
being used and how much is needed in the future.
“New stresses and demands are likely to pose a significant
challenge to the sustainability of Canada’s water resources if
action is not taken now,” said Mr. McLaughlin
Key Highlights of the Report
- According to Statistics Canada, the natural resource sectors
account for at least 84 per cent of gross water use in Canada. The
figure does not include gross use by the hydro and oil and gas
sectors. - The natural resource sectors accounted for approximately 12.5
per cent of GDP in 2009 and are expected to grow by about 50-60 per
cent by 2030. - All Canadian provinces, with the exception of Prince Edward
Island, share freshwater resources with other provinces/territories
and/or the United States. - At least 20 federal agencies have responsibilities regarding
water management, covered under 11 different pieces of
legislation. - Water use licenses exist in all provinces and territories, but
vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In most
cases, one-time fees are payable at the time of application. Some
provinces have fixed prices, while others have variable fees.
Natural Resource
Sectors
- Thermal electric power generation is responsible for 64% of
water withdrawn across Canada, making it the greatest water user in
the country. - In 2005, agriculture was responsible for 10% of gross water use
and 66% of national consumption. Irrigation makes up 77 per cent of
all agricultural water use. - Unlike the thermal power sector, hydroelectric power is not a
significant consumer of water. However, hydro facilities can affect
stream flow and water levels and have important impacts on
ecosystems and downstream users. - The oil and gas sector uses relatively small volumes of water
at the national level, but has important water quantity and quality
impacts at the local level. In 2007, three-quarters of all
Alberta’s oil production was water-assisted. - British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan together account for
92 per cent of agricultural water use in Canada. - Mining operations can benefit from robust adaptive water
management plans to cope with climate change. For example, melting
permafrost in Canada’s North will have a serious impact on the
stability of structures such as tailings impoundment
facilities
More Details are available:
Electricity Sector
As
the most significant gross water user in Canada, the electricity
sector will face choices about Canada’s future electrical
generation mix that will have implications for the sustainability
of water resources. For fossil and nuclear power generation, water
availability is a key consideration, both in terms of constraints
at existing facilities and siting of new facilities.
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Oil and Gas Sector
Even though the oil and gas sector uses relatively
small volumes of water on a national scale, the anticipated strong
growth for the sector will have important consequences for regional
water resources. The sector’s impacts on water quality and
ecosystems will continue to be a challenge for the sector to
manage.
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Agriculture Sector
Due to irrigation, the agriculture sector consumes
more water than any other natural resource sector in Canada.
Anticipated increases in demand for irrigation, meat, consumable
crops, and biofuels, coupled with the pressures expected from the
effects of climate change, will likely result in increased water
demand by the agriculture sector.
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Mining Sector
The mining sector is not a significant user or
consumer of water, however mining activities can impact water
quality and ecosystems if not managed properly. Climate change
impacts may have important consequences for the management and
future design of mines across Canada, particularly in the North.
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Forest Sector
Pulp and paper manufacturing industries have
significantly improved their water use practices and account for
approximately five per cent of gross water use in Canada, of which
only two per cent is consumptive. Canada’s forests play a crucial
role in influencing the quality and quantity of water resources; in
light of climate change impacts, more research is needed to better
understand forest-water resource interactions.
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The report
target=”_blank”>Changing Currents: Water
Sustainability and the Future of Canada’s Natural Resource
Sectors is
available for download
Source: www.nrtee-trnee.com
