Ask Ashley
Save the Water
July 15, 2008
Q:
Hi Ashley,
Someone recently posed the question to me. "Why do we need to save water anyway?" This may seem like a ridiculous question - but I really didn't know how to answer that question! His argument was that the glaciers are going to melt whether we use the water or not. It's not like we are 'bottling' it and saving it for a time when we will need it. I understand the glaciers are going to keep on melting so how does our water use and consumption make a difference?
Sincerely,
Heather
A:
Dear Heather,
Conserving water can be a hard concept to grasp because most of us remember learning about the water (hydrologic) cycle during our childhood. We learnt that as water is consumed in one locale, it returns to the earth in the form of precipitation. This simplified view, although generally correct, fails to incorporate water quality, regional ecosystem health or the energy required to treat the water. Water quantity and quality are intimately connected and if we use too much of the available water in our local watershed we risk adversely affecting the health of our local aquatic ecosystem.
The amount of water available to us in Calgary is primarily dictated by what flows into the Glenmore reservoir from the Elbow River. As the city grows, so does the demand; consequently it is important to “save” water to ensure that there is enough water available for all Calgarians to meet their basic needs. This is particularly true during the growing season when water use is at its highest, rising by up to 50% to keep our lawns and gardens green. Thus, conserving water is about maintaining a healthy supply so that we can all meet our basic needs but, also, to ensure that the water quality does not fall to a point where the aquatic ecosystem is put at risk.
Water quality, as I mentioned before, goes hand in hand with water quantity. This is important because, with the exception of water used for lawn and garden irrigation, almost all of the water used by Calgarians is returned to our rivers in an altered, and often times, contaminated state. Although Calgary has some of the highest wastewater treatment standards in the world, the water returned to the Bow River is higher in nutrients than when it was originally withdrawn. Nutrient “loading” has the ability to adversely affect aquatic life, especially if water levels fall below a certain threshold. Untreated water also enters our waters through hundreds of storm water drains.
Storm water, or the water that drains off of lawns, roads, parking lots and driveways, ends up in our waterways without any treatment. Although several of Calgary’s newer communities have an intermediate step between the aforementioned sources and the Bow River, helping to remove many of the contaminants, most of the communities in Calgary are responsible for loading the river with fertilizer, motor oil, pesticides and soil. These pollutants travel freely into our rivers through storm sewers, negatively impacting water quality.
Knowing this, we should take steps to reduce the number and quantity of pollutants entering our waterways. Stopping or limiting our use of pesticides, fertilizers, maintaining our vehicles and making sure there is not an excess of water draining off our property can make a significant difference. It is also important to conserve water so that the volume of water in our rivers does not fall to a point where the aquatic ecosystems are put at risk. The greater the volume of water in our waterways at any one time, the lesser the impact wastewater from our treatment plants and off our many roads, lawns and driveways will have on these ecosystems.
Finally, conserving water is also about conserving energy. All of Calgary’s water is treated to a standard that ensures that it is safe for human consumption. The water used to brush our teeth, water our lawns and flush our toilets is all treated to the highest standard. It is filtered, chlorinated and fluorinated before ever arriving at our homes. Once we’ve used the water to meet our daily needs, it flows down our drains where it gets treated at one of Calgary’s wastewater treatment plants. Treatment at both ends comes at a tremendous cost and requires a staggering amount of energy. Decreasing our energy use, most of which comes from fossil fuels, not only helps to combat climate change, it also takes stress off of water resources.
By adopting a new water ethic and employing water wise technologies to reduce our consumption of a resource we depend on, we will ensure that we have clean, healthy and accessible water well into the future.
Sippingly,
Ashley
Ashley Lubyk, BSc. in Environmental Science, is the Coordinator of Residential Environmental Services at Clean Calgary Association. Please send your question concerning Water, Waste, or Recycling to Ashley.