Water works!

Water works for us in many ways, making our lives easier and more enjoyable. But we must take great care not to overuse and abuse this precious resource.

Water is a basic necessity of life, not only for people but for every type of plant and animal as well. Water accounts for about 65% of our body weight. If we lost as little as 12% of it, we would soon die.

Water is essential not only for survival but also contributes immeasurably to the quality of our lives. Since the dawn of time, human beings have harnessed water to improve their lives. In some ways, the history of civilization is the story of how we have made water work for us in ever more ingenious ways. As early as 5000 B.C., our predecessors used irrigation to increase crop production. Archaeologists have found masonry sewers dating back to 2750 B.C. and water-flushed toilets dating back almost as far.

Water played – and continues to play – a special role in the growth of our nation. The fur trade, which stimulated the exploration of Canada's vast interior, was totally dependent on water for transportation. Water powered the grist mills and sawmills along small and large rivers in the Maritimes and Upper Canada, making possible the production and export of grain and lumber, two early economic staples. As Canadian industry diversified, water was put to new uses: as a coolant, a solvent, a dispersant, and a source of hydroelectric energy.

Water transportation is still the most efficient way to move bulk goods. Water is also the basis of cheap energy. It is a raw material in the manufacture of chemicals, drugs, beverages, and hundreds of other products. It is an essential part of the manufacturing processes that produce everything from airplanes to zippers. In other words, we depend on water for most of our technology, comforts and conveniences, and of course for personal hygiene and to flush away our waste products.

Many people think it makes no difference how much water we use or what we use it for. Actually, the way we use water is very important. Some uses are incompatible with others. Some uses remove water from the natural cycle for longer periods than others. Worst of all, most uses actually lower the quality of the water.

Water quality is everybody's business because ultimately we all draw from the same supply of water. Most Canadians live downstream from somebody else, not to mention the fact that the same basic supply of water, replenished over and over again through the hydrologic cycle, has been used millions of times over in the long history of the earth. We are now aware of limits to the reuse of water, when and where it is returned to nature diminished in quantity and quality. Therefore, we must learn to understand water use much better: where we use it, what to measure, what the main uses are, how they compete and interfere with each other, and how to manage the growing competition.

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