This is Canada's Inaugural Water Week. It is not surprising Canada has joined in the world wide focus on water. Our dependency on water for all life has been taken for granted in modern times of convenient delivery and disposal but many recent events have shown us that more respect and care for it is long overdue.
Drinking Water and Quality is second on the list of top ten concerns listed by residents on the Cranbrook Connected Survey.
It is very difficult to reconcile the fact that stream health placed fifth from the bottom. Streams after all are the source of our drinking water. Stormwater management came in fourth from the bottom and climate change second from bottom. Waste water management comes in in the middle of priorities but the water we drink is eventually recycled from the waste water we dispose of. Climate change affects the quality, quantity and reliability of the supply. If we are to have drinking water of high quality we need to take care of all these things. All water is part of the water cycle which was taught to us at an early age. It appears there has been a major disconnect in this understanding.
There are no public events this week in Cranbrook that we know of in celebration of Water Week but if some of the issues surrounding our own Joseph Creek could be addressed that would be celebration enough. Cranbrook Council did after all make a proclamation in recognition of Canada Water Week.
There is one event planned for March 23rd
SOS: Save Our Snowpack! - Cranbrook
Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00pm
Location: COTR Lecture Theatre, Cranbrook, BC
For more information:
http://www.wildsight.ca/events/save-our-snowpack-cranbrook
For events in other communities:
http://canadawaterweek.com/taxonomy/term/10/all?page=1
We can't do without it, and yet most of us take water for granted. Think of all the ways we use it daily from brushing our teeth, making a cup of coffee, flushing the toilet, to running a nice hot bath. Yet, how many of us know where our water comes from?
ReplyDeleteOf course, it's so readily accessible. Simply turn on a tap and there it is. Cool, refreshing and safe. But how does it get to our tap? What is added to it to make it safe for us to drink? Don't we have a limitless supply? Why should we have to ration how much we use in the middle of summer if we want to water our lawn?
Hopefully reading your article about Canada Water Week will make more people will start to ask questions about where our water comes from and other water-related questions!!