Dalhousie University’s Eco-Efficiency Centre publishes Industrial Best Practices for Water Management Guide
The report covers the current state of water management in industrial parks and discusses the implications that inefficient water use can have on operating costs and public perceptions of environmental responsibility.
Premiers agree to implement a Canada-wide Water Efficiency Labeling Program
Donna Caddie (200p)
The program objective is to reduce water consumption by informing consumers of the most efficient products on the market.
Drought creates a ‘teachable moment’ for water-centric planning and climate change adaptation in the Comox Valley
“The extreme dry weather conditions experienced in 2009 raise questions and concerns about the way we have been building our communities. The focus of the series is on how to balance settlement changes and ecology,” states John Finnie.
Living Water Smart website provides useful suggestions for reducing water use during the current drought
Living Water Smart – conservation house
We drink only 3 percent of the water we use, with the rest going down the drain, down the toilet, or used to wash our cars and water our gardens.
Pathway to Urban Water Sustainability in British Columbia: Partnerships, Collaboration, Innovation and Integration
Env Science & Eng Magazine – Jan 2010 cover (360p)
Water issues are complex and best solved collaboratively, which include using strategies and solutions that fall outside government control. While legislative reform is a foundation piece, collaboration takes place in the world of practitioners.
Small Water Systems on long-term boil order: suggestions to comply with provincial drinking water legislation in BC
“Many small water systems throughout British Columbia, particularly those on a surface water source, have no effective or minimum treatment in place, and have chosen to remain on a boil order, often for many years,” wrote Denny Ross-Smith. “I would urge all small systems in this position to begin planning now to take the steps necessary to comply with the Drinking Water Protection Act and Regulation.”
Metro Vancouver Reference Panel presents Final Report on region’s Liquid “Resource” Management Plan
“Our Final Report is the culmination of several thousand hours of volunteer time and effort. The heart of the report is the three-page table titled A Recommended Policy Framework for Liquid Resource Management in Metro Vancouver. It is reader-friendly, and is complete with on-the-ground examples,” stated Reference Panel Chair Kim Stephens.
Water Sustainability Committee of BC Water & Waste Association plays leadership role in advancing Living Water Smart Vision: “Living Water Smart provides British Columbians with a vision of what this province can look like if we all work together,” stated Daisy Foster, Chief Executive Officer of the BCWWA (2009)
“It is one thing to have a vision; it is another to do what needs to be done to create a lasting legacy. It requires sustained commitment to make things happen. BCWWA views the Penticton Forum as providing a vehicle for promoting commitment to bringing the Living Water Smart vision to fruition. It has started a dialogue about what a formal mechanism for aligning with and committing to Living Water Smart might look like,”stated Daisy Foster.
LIVING WATER SMART: “The Okanagan Sustainable Water Strategy seeks to ensure water resources are managed in a broader sustainability framework,” stated Anna Warwick Sears, OBWB Executive Director (2009)
“The Sustainable Water Strategy is designed to build on the 1974 Okanagan Basin Study, a joint Federal/Provincial initiative to develop a comprehensive plan for the development and management of water resources in the Basin. The Sustainable Water Strategy is grounded in action. Twelve high-level Guiding Principles for water management and policy provide a framework for the Strategy. The key action items in the Strategy were developed respecting these Guiding Principles,” stated Anna Warwick Sears.
RUNNING DRY:Much of the world is desperately short of fresh water. Are future water wars inevitable?
The dry bed of Australias Murray River
Macleans Magazine – 06 July 2009
From Tofino to Tucson, water experts are reporting similar climatic trends: a longer dry season, less snow, more rain and earlier spring melts.