Water Conservation, Can We Keep Canada From Turning Into A Desert?

by Sari Boudreau
(St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada)

Did you know that Canadians use more water than in many other countries in the world? Why do Canadians use so much of this precious commodity? The biggest culprit of water consumption in Canada, and North America, is industry. In fact, Canadian industry uses nearly 70% of the country’s water supply, while domestic use accounts for about 20% of all water consumption.

Sadly, Canada ranks 28 out of 29 countries of the OECD, with the only country using more water being the United States. And, it isn’t just industry that is draining the country’s water supply. We have found that domestic use of water accounts for about 20% of all water consumption in Canada, and that the average Canadian uses 1,600 cubic metres of water each year, which is more than twice the amount of people in other countries.






Why Do Canadians Use So Much Water?


As we look at the problem of the over-consumption of water in Canada, we find that one of the largest contributors to the problem is the fact that they pay a lot less for water than those in many other countries. In fact, the amount that Canadians pay for water is less that what it costs to process and make the water available to consumers.

Nearly half of all customers pay a flat rate for their water, no matter how much they use, allowing them to use much more than is really necessary.

What Can We Do to Fix the Problem?

Having good water conservation practices is something that we need to help Canadians put in place to ensure that they stop taking advantage of this resource. One of the ways that this can be accomplished is to increase the cost of water, which will in turn hopefully make people use less.

Of course, we need to have a number of educational programs in place for industry as well as the public. The first step to conserving water is to be educated about the problem. Then, we can start doing something about it.

Sari