Water

The Salmon River is low this time of year, so water seems even more precious. When we think of resources, we usually take water for granted. But what seems like abundance is really a scarce resource that we depend on for the foundation of all life on Earth.

Steven Solomon, in his book Water, puts it well:

"Only 0.025 of Earth's water is fresh. But two-thirds of that is locked away from our use in ice caps and glaciers. All but a few drops of the remaining one-third is also inaccessible, or prohibitively expensive to extract, because it lies in rocky, underground aquifers - in effect, isolated underground lakes - many a half mile or more deep inside Earth's bowels. In all, less than 0.003 of total freshwater is in liquid form on the surface."

Unfortunately, much of that liquid water, even on the Earth's surface, is hard to reach.

As Solomon states, "Some societies have been built around the edges of lakes, which hold some 40 times more water than rivers. Yet lake water has been a far less useful direct resource to large civilizations because its accessible perimeters are so much smaller than riversides. Moreover, many are located in inhospitable frozen regions or mountain highlands, and three-fourths are concentrated in just three lake systems: Siberia's remote, deep Lake Baikal, North America's Great Lakes, and East Africa's mountainous rift lakes, chiefly Tanganyika and Nyasa. One of the most striking facts about the world's freshwater is that the most widely accessed source by societies throughout history-rivers and streams-hold just 0.00006 of the total."

We are lucky to be surrounded by water-Lake Ontario on the south and many lakes and streams on the west, north, and east. We think that this is true for everyone, but it is not. The distribution of water on Earth is wildly unequal. One-third of all streamflow occurs in Brazil, Russia, Canada, and the United States, with a combined one-tenth of the world's population. Semiarid lands with one-third of the world's population, by contrast, get just 8 per cent of renewable supply.

We should remember that when we hose off our driveways and water our lawns on sunny days (which wastes 90% of the water through evaporation). Canadians are terrible wasters of water. The United Nations calculates that 60-80 litres per day are needed for drinking, sanitation, food preparation, and bathing. Canadians manage to use more than four times that amount.

An article titled Economics And Technical Change: The Water Resource Conundrum, published by Environment Canada states, "The average Canadian per capita water use from municipal systems is 350 liters per day, second only to that of the U.S., and over double that of many European countries. Also, of the water pumped in many Canadian municipalities, less that 75% can be accounted for by deliveries to customers. Water use inside the home is excessive. The typical toilet uses 20 liters per flush, and showers use over double the amount of water required for effectiveness."

However, individual Canadians should not be singled out for blame. Dan Shrubsole and Dianne Draper in On Guard for Thee? Water (Ab)uses and Management in Canada, state, "Agriculture is the #1 consumer of water, with only 25% of the water it withdraws being returned to its source. Over 85% of agricultural withdrawals of water are for irrigation, and 15% are for watering livestock.

Then there is recreation. Municipal golf courses use more water than municipalities. There are also hidden uses of water, and the amount needed to produce common foods and clothing will astound you. The average bathtub without you in it holds about 200 litres of water.

According to Waterfootprint.org (http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/productgallery), a kilogram of roasted coffee takes 105 bathtubs to grow and process. A kilogram of beef takes 775 bathtubs of water to produce. That cotton shirt in your closet takes 135 bathtubs. A bottle of wine takes 36 bathtubs.

It adds up fast.

It's clear that we can use much less water with technology and by making a few simple changes. Baths take 100 litres of water, showers with water-saving showerheads, about 30 litres. Toilets need 4-6 litres per flush, not 20 litres. Turning the tap off while you are brushing your teeth will save 700 litres a month.

We hear a lot about the oil crisis but the water crisis is next, even here, living beside Lake Ontario. Remember, you can survive without oil; you can't survive without water.

Next time, I will explore many ways to re-fit your home and your behaviour to save our precious water.