Depletion Of Groundwater In Canada

Canada, like so many other countries in the world continues to deal with many different environmental resource issues. Throughout our history, one of the issues affecting our country has been the treatment of our First Nations people. For the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on the safe water crisis facing Canada’s First Nations communities. The Oxford Dictionary (2016) defines a crisis as a time of great difficulty or danger. The research included will help clarify the reality of the Canada’s First Nations safe water crisis. Despite some improvements over the past few decades, many of our First Nation citizens still lack access to safe and clean water. Our reserves have water that is contaminated, difficult to access or toxic because of outdated and faulty treatment systems. (Klasing, 2016) This safe water crisis is in need of immediate attention. It is Canada’s responsibility to provide the right to clean and safe water for all of its citizens.

Additionally, these water dispensers are often underfinanced by the government and operated by untrained people, causing chlorine shortages and mechanical problems which no one has the ability to fix immediatly. In some regions, PWDUs remain dysfunctional for years and show no sign of hope. As for the populations that are lucky to have tap water, water advisories are often late to give any signs of warning whenever water becomes contaminated through external causes “the Auditor General found water testing by Health Canada is also inconsistent, hampering the ability to detect problems in water quality before a crisis arises” (Vowel 217). Hence, people fall ill by consuming tap water before even being alerted of the dangers, which often causes the spreading of gastrointestinal infections among people. All those problems combined leave the Indigenous peoples at high risk of being sick whenever they consume water that is affordable, which is one of the most basic sources a human need to live. Moreover, health problems do not only come directly from consuming water, men who travel long distances in snow to acquire raw water suffer from physical pain, plus the heightened risk of injury and

Due to the location of Canada, they retain a large amount of fresh water, 20% to be exact (Water 2012). However, even with the large percentage only 7% of the renewable freshwater and most of the water (just like in the United States) is not located in desirable areas. The majority of the Canadian population lives along the southern border with the United States and which creates the problem of most of the country 's fresh water is found in the north drainage basins (Water 2012). As this hard to reach water reaches the cities or towns, municipal water supply only accounts for 12% of water use in Canada (Water Uses 2013). The larger user of this finite source come form cooling plants (64%), manufacturing (14%) and agriculture (9%) (Water Uses 2013).

“Water can be defined as a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms. Water is located all around Canada as it takes up about nine percent of Canada. Canada has about 20 percent of the world’s fresh water however only 7 percent of that is renewable as most is trapped in underground aquifers and glaciers. Canada has about twenty percent of the world’s fresh water resources. Everyone uses water, as it is a basic need to live. Water is also used for agriculture and industrial purposes.

Patel, Jugal, and Yuliya Parshina-Kottas. “Miles of Algae Covering Lake Erie.” The New York Times, 3 Oct. 2017.

Canada is a country that is well-known for its beautiful land and freshwaters. However, Jackfish Lake in Yellowknife was starting to display abnormal signs of algae growth. Currently, the algae displays a liver-like appearance and is spreading deeper into the lake. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources asks the City of Yellowknife to test this lake and confirm the source of the algae growth. Citizens assume that the Jackfish power

any repercussions, more so with the fact that 68.9% of that 1% is frozen in the

The First Nations water issue made the UN and at least one NGO to get the attention of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to focus on water issues for First Nations Canadian. The UN also reported that the First Nation doesn’t have proper water protocols. It results for the government to respect to economic rights to water and its cultural meaning for First Nations peoples. According to Vice News, the company Unique Foods Canada announced that they will give 30,000 of their vitamin-enriched water to Shoal Lake 40 and to other First Nations. The Chief of Six Nations said that the community was grateful for the donation, but Daryl Redsky of Shoal Lake 40 says it’s only a temporary solution for the problem. The First Nations peoples also

Around the world 1.4 Billion people are lacking clean drinking water with Canada’s population being just around 35 million. Each year seven million from all around the world die year from diseases linked to unsanitary water and the problem is getting worse each year.

Water usage for agriculture in Ontario is exceeded by two other sectors but, does play a large part and quite important as it generates a lot of economic revenue for the citizens. In Ontario, the Canadian Government requires all farmers who will be withdrawing more than 50,000 L of water to obtain the “Permit to Take Water”. This allows for the government to monitor how much water is being allotted to the agricultural sector. There are several issues faced by the government when trying to track water usage rates in Ontario. Agricultural water use in Ontario is distributed amongst 60,000 farms (figure 1) mostly in Southern, Ontario (Loë, 2005). The allocation of water in Ontario depends on accurate information from the sources of water, users

During the 1970s the Great Lakes were polluted by many things. For example, oils, factory’s waste, mercury, and fertilizer. The water was filled with so much pollution that it didn’t even look like water. The water was filled with so much mercury and other toxic chemicals that it would dangers for the fish to live, and for the birds to eat the fish. The Cuyahoga River

As a Canadian citizen who worries about the environment, and our everyday lives, I would say that we should not sell surplus water or Canadian fresh water to other countries. A water surplus is a place where there is more than enough water for the countries land and the countries people to survive. An example of a place that has surplus water is our country Canada. In fact, Canada has the most amount/the largest supply of fresh water in the world. Now as we all know, water is an essential element in our everyday lives.

Toronto Water is the largest energy user in the city of Toronto and has progressively sought to implement capital projects and operational changes to improve energy efficiency while still providing quality water services. One of these completed projects is an energy optimization plan (EOP) that provides a long-term energy management strategy to optimize consumption and cost over the next 20 years. Toronto Water treats and distributes drinking water, conveys and treats wastewater, and manages stormwater. Four drinking water plants treat more than “one billion litres of potable water and distribute it through 22 major pumping stations and 6,000 km of water mains” every day. The EOP focuses on three strategic areas: energy optimization, revenue generation, and innovation in energy.

The most likely reason that the blue-green algae situation of Lake Winnipeg had been neglected so long is due to its vast watershed and the multiple reluctant, irresponsible governments that reside in it, but this also means that the state of Lake Winnipeg affects many people. The biggest issue in returning the lake to its former state will be the communication between different governments with different views, budget, effect on, from the lake, and water quality guidelines. Many things can be done to improve the level of pollution such as upgrading of wastewater treatment plants, creation and maintenance of wetlands among other things. However, these options cost money and the majority of the responsibility falls on Manitoba.

Canada is unique in the fact that it has vast land and abundant water resources. Nonetheless, it is currently experiencing water shortage and quality issues (Introduction to Water Use, 2010). The false notion of an infinite water supply is being replaced by the realization that its supply is not unlimited, particularly where demands are high. As of late, water management in Canada has progressed from a water supply development project to a sustainable development project (Corkal & Adkins, 2008). The use of water is growing along with urban, industrial, and agricultural expansion leading to the amplified competition of the same water supply. Canadian farms use water for livestock maintenance and irrigation. Industrial water