IMPLEMENTING THE PROVINCIAL WATER EFFICIENCY STRATEGY (2007)

British Columbia is blessed with bountiful supplies of clean fresh water, so much so that we take it for granted, believing it to be an infinitely renewable resource. As such, we often abuse the privilege and stewardship of this valuable commodity. As well as providing its population with abundant clean drinking water, it is crucial to expanding economic development, agricultural subsistence and the health of our tourism industry. It is necessary to ensure that all regions of the province have access to sufficient supplies of water at all times.

According to the provincial government, “since 1950, the global renewable freshwater supply per person has fallen 58% as the world’s population increased from 2.5 to 6 billion. British Columbia’s per capita water consumption is on par with the Canadian average (638 litres/day). The lowest per capita water use rates in Canada are in Ontario (549 litres/day) and the Prairie provinces (492 litres/day). Canadians are among the world’s highest water users. In 1999, total domestic water use by British Columbians who pay a flat rate (76% of the province) was 524 litres/person. This was 15% more water per day than was used by those who paid based on volume (455 litres/person). The minimal impact of water metering in British Columbia compared to the rest of Canada may be due to metered rates being among the lowest in the country. Canadian water prices are among the world’s lowest, averaging about half the prices in most developed countries.

The percentage of observation wells with declining water levels due primarily to human activities increased from 10% in 1965–1970 to 14% in 1995–2000. Declining water levels related to human activities are mostly a result of intensive local groundwater pumping for industry, agriculture and municipal water supplies and, in urbanized areas, decreased recharge due to impervious surfaces.

Despite the apparent abundance of water in BC, our water supply is not as plentiful as we would like to think. Over 17% of our surface water sources have reached, or are nearing, their capacity to reliably supply water for extractive uses. Long-term trends of observation wells indicate that ground water levels are declining in some areas of the province and over one-third of our aquifers are vulnerable to contamination. While the water supply situation is not a serious problem for many communities, these figures tell us that the availability of a healthy, sustainable and plentiful water resource can no longer be presumed.

It is critical to increase the productivity of the water that we do use. That means that we must be able to do more with each unit of water. Agriculture in BC accounts for the highest water usage, followed by industrial applications. By concentrating on improving our water productivity, we can assist in the continuation of a healthy economy. There are many ways in which we can employ our water more efficiently. It has been proven that water use efficiency measures are viable and beneficial.

“There are several possible reasons why water use efficiency is not being widely adopted in a more comprehensive and rigorous manner, including: lack of knowledge and expertise, legal barriers, costs and a lack of recognition for the potential benefits of water use efficiency.”

As our population and economy expands, and climate becomes more unpredictable, greater stress will be placed on our seemingly abundant fresh water. More pressure will also be placed on Canada by the US to export this precious resource as US supplies become increasingly strained. While BC already has a comprehensive water strategy , it is imperative that these strategies are put in place and adhered to in order to benefit all segments of industry and society.

Additionally, there are significant opportunities for businesses to adopt, develop and innovate cost-effective methods to optimize water usage. By doing so they will be improving their bottomline and facilitating the prevalence of water efficiency throughout the province.

THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS

That the provincial government:

1. encourage all municipalities, businesses and other stakeholders to implement, adopt and enforce the measures in their water conservation strategy;

2. where appropriate, as a first step urge all municipalities and regional districts that have not already done so, to install a water metering system; and

3. establish a public awareness and education program on water conservation in British Columbia.