Canada
- Alberta's Water Gets a C-
Originally reported at CTV News
TORONTO — More than a decade after the Walkerton disaster, much of Canada’s tap water remains at risk from contamination despite initial progress in front-line monitoring and treatment, a new report concludes.
In its third such report released Tuesday, the environmental group Ecojustice warns that while some jurisdictions have stepped up water protection efforts in the past five years, most have not done enough.
In 2000, seven people died and 2,500 fell ill in Walkerton, Ont., when the town’s poorly monitored drinking water was contaminated with E. coli from farm runoff.
The tragedy prompted most provinces to review and revamp their drinking water laws with mixed results — but that burst of enthusiasm has faded in recent years, according to the report.
“In many places, the health of Canadians is still at risk,” the report concludes.
“The lack of recent progress also seems to indicate that the impetus for improved water protection, spurred by events like Walkerton, is on the wane.”
The report called “Waterproof 3″ finds only Ontario among the provinces worthy of an A grade for its water protection efforts, while Alberta lags with a C-.
The federal government gets an F for a record that continues to worsen, the report states.
In particular, the report criticizes Ottawa for a lack of progress on the legislative front, poor water quality for First Nations, and budget cuts it says will hurt Environment Canada’s ability to monitor the situation.
“The federal government is failing in almost every aspect of water protection, even though it should be setting rigorous standards,” the report says.
For the first time, the report has expanded to include source-water protection efforts — the idea that the best way to provide safe tap water is to ensure the water does not get contaminated in the first place.
The findings are not encouraging.
“Full-fledged source-water protection — a critical first step in achieving safe drinking water systems — has been implemented to some degree in only seven of 13 provinces and territories,” the report states.
“(It) is notably lacking in industry-heavy areas where the risk of contamination is high.”
According to the report, Prince Edward Island leads when it comes to protecting water sources. Almost everyone getting tap water from systems covered by legally binding source-water protection plans. On the downside, the province does not mandate water treatment.
Alberta has no legislation in place to protect water sources, and its standards for testing and treatment have not changed in five years, the report finds.
The report praises Ontario for implementing “the most ambitious source-water protection program” in the country and having the tough standards for treatment, testing, operator training and public reporting.
Among the territories, Nunavut does not legally protect water sources and its treatment standards are “among the lowest” in Canada. The Northwest Territories gets a nod for an “ambitious” review of its laws.
Canadians living in rural and remote areas are most vulnerable to the “alarming deficiency” when it comes to warnings about contaminated water, the report finds.
Overall, the report concludes, the biggest threats have shifted over the past decade from deficiencies in front-line water protection to unprotected source water, climate change and government cuts.
For example, it cites Ontario research that pharmaceuticals are increasingly finding their way into drinking water but testing for them is generally not mandatory and treatment does not always remove them.
Ecojustice — formerly the Sierra Legal Defence Fund — is a national group of lawyers and scientists who work on environmental issues.
Want to learn about solutions? Connect at facebook.com/TheCulliganManCanada.
- From Tap to Bottled Water
Take a second to watch this YouTube (via BottledWaterMatters.com) showing the complex process of turning municipal water into a packaged drink. Go behind the scenes and look at the steps involved in further purifying tap water before it gets bottled.
Steps include: pre-filtering, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet, ozonation and adding minerals for taste.
The process is carefully monitored and tested for quality and safety. As you watch, decide for yourself if it’s just “tap water in a bottle.”
Refreshing Culligan bottled water is a healthy choice. With bottled water, kids tend to drink less soda and sugary drinks. Plus, doctors recommend eight glasses a day for dieting, exercising and a healthier lifestyle. Contact us at Culligan of Rothesay CulliganRothesay.com for more information.
- Some of the Thirstiest Canadians
At the time of these photos, the Culligan Men and Women at the Navan Fair served over 3,000 people at our Culligan Hydration Station. They were giving out free reusable bottles and filling them from 6 BFCs.
- The Calgary Culligan Canine Connection
From @LaurieSouchotte: ” Our labs LOVE our driver. Thankfully he doesn’t mind.
BUT
labs do more spilling than drinking, so we’d be broke. They like the bottles though!”
- Hot Time in the City
“Bottled water is also a hot commodity,” says Tim McCardy who works at Culligan of Barrie. The Barrie Culligan dealership pushed water delivery into high gear this week as temperatures rose.Watch Tim McCardy on ATV News (6:00).
Culligan has a variety of in-home bottled water coolers that can be delivered directly to your residence. To beat the heat with Culligan, contact us at Culligan of Central Ontario on Facebook or our website, HeyCulliganMan.com for more information.
- Winnipeg Keeps Cool
On Monday, Winnepeg residents used 19.5 million litres of water – their third highest consumption level this decade. By 9 p.m. water use had easily surpassed the normal peak summer consumption of 12.5 million litres. Not surprisingly, summer water use is higher than winter consumption as people fill pools, water lawns and try to keep cool.19.5 million litres seems like a lot, but it’s still less than half the record set in 1988 of 40 million litres. Diane Sacher, manager of water services for the city, credited Winnipeggers for keeping their water use comparatively low by installing water-efficient toilets, faucets, shower heads and appliances.
The increased water flow has resulted in discolored water in at least 53 Winnipeg homes. While this water won’t cause illness, it can have an unpleasant odor or taste. The city advises residents to run the tap for 10 minutes and then wait another 30. The Culligan Man suggests Winnipeggers contact him on his Facebook page, Culligan of Winnipeg or website for clean water all year round.
- From Lake Water to Drinking Water?
Would you drink water out of Lake Ontario? That’s exactly what one reporter set out to do. In an effort to become more self-reliant and use resources around her, Emily Mathieu, from theStar.com, experimented with the best way to drink water from Lake Ontario.
She spoke with a civil engineering professor who did not recommend drinking lake water. “Anyone who is going to drink right out of the lake should research the levels of pollution or any potential contaminants and find out what can be filtered out and any long-term effects of drinking the water,” he said.
If you do want to experiment, bring lake water to a rolling boil for at least five minutes. Boiling won’t necessarily kill everything, so chlorine tablets and portable UV lights may help. Other possibilities include granular activated carbon or a hand pump filter.
Even with precautions, it can be impossible to predict what will happen if you stick a mug in Lake Ontario and take a swig. It depends on where you drink, how much you drink, and your age and health. While home filtering processes are good for emergencies or camping, you can put yourself at ease by relying on tap water or installing a professional water filtration system in your home. Visit CulliganCanada.ca to see all options we provide!
- Haiti Volunteer Thankful for Culligan Water
On Daniel Alford’s mission trip to Haiti, he was thankful to have access to Culligan water. He expressed his appreciation on his Facebook wall, thanking his friends who work at his local Culligan dealership.
Daniel mentioned that “The Culligan name had become synonymous with clean drinking water in some parts of the country.”
Daniel’s friend, Leah Sommer of Northeast Ohio Culligan commented, “I’m happy to be part of a company like Culligan water that cares about people, locally and internationally.”
Culligan, The Good Water Company is also very happy and proud to be a part of such an amazing company.
Click to learn more about Culligan’s recent donations in Haiti and Japan.
- Well Water Watch
Are you on the Well Water Watch? As a result of this year’s heavy snowfall throughout the region, the frequency and severity of flash floods are expected to increase this spring. “Spring runoff” is a term used to describe the influx of contaminants leeching into water systems after snow melts as the temperature rises during March and April.- These floods should be of particular concern to residents using private wells, given the vulnerability of wells during this period.
- According to the Ministry of Health: “Get in the habit of water testing. Next to properly maintaining your well, testing is your best strategy for playing it safe. Test your well water at east three times a year for bacteria. Always test water after major plumbing work or after a flooding.”
- Bacterial contamination may provide the greatest threat to private well users.
- Ultraviolet sterilizers and chlorine treatments are examples of proven techniques used to fight contaminants such as E. Coli.
- One way to ensure a sterile water analyses is to a) remove the aerator and b) run a lit match quickly around the end of the faucet prior to taking a sample. This will help kill any bacteria clinging to the hardware.
- Nitrates are a very common issue, and should be tested for regularly.
With no taste or smell, nitrates can have adverse health effects if unchecked in your water. Infants, for example, cannot safely absorb nitrates because their stomach acid is not strong enough to convert it.
