Water Use and Wastewater in the Georgia Basin an indicator of resource sustainability

What is Happening?

British Columbia's population is concentrated in the Georgia Basin (74% in 2000). In 2001, 77% of the municipal water used in the Province  was used in the Georgia Basin. As can be seen in the graph below, an average of 1,619,989 kilolitres (1 kilolitre = 1000 litres) per day of municipal water was used in the basin that year, a slight drop from 1,636,673 kilolitres used in 1999. Along with the Georgia Basin's growing population, municipal water use has increased steadily since 1983. Between 1983 and 2001, daily municipal water use measured as Average Daily Flow (ADF) increased by 41%. Since the basin's population served by municipal water grew by 55% during this same period, daily municipal water use per person (capita) actually declined. Per capita use declined from a daily high of 724 litres in 1986 to 618 litres in 2001 (includes all municipal water use sectors). This 2001 rate of municipal water use in the Georgia Basin from all sectors was similar to the 2001 national daily rate of 622 litres per person (Environment Canada, 2005a) but was lower than British Columbia's estimated 2001 daily rate of 651 litres per person for the whole province.

Source: Environment Canada, Municipal Water Use Data, 2005b. The daily water use per capita calculation is the total water use (as Average Daily Flow) by all sectors divided by the population served by a municipal water system. Commercial, industrial and other sector water use is not directly attributable to individuals in the Georgia Basin. See Data Set for additional information.

GRAPH DATA

Municipal water systems in BC obtain the majority of their water from surface water sources. In 2001, groundwater sources were used to supply 15% of the provincial population served by municipal water systems. In the Georgia Basin, only 9% of the population on municipal water in 2001 were supplied with groundwater sources. For more information on groundwater in the Lower Fraser Valley see the groundwater indicator.

The Georgia Basin's treated municipal wastewaters are mostly discharged to the Fraser River and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca. In the Georgia Basin, the average daily amount of treated municipal wastewater increased by 62% between 1983 and 1999, following similar overall trend in the amount of daily municipal water use. In 1983, over 96% of the municipal population on sewers were served by a municipal wastewater treatment system and this reached 99% by 1999. Over the same time, there have also been improvements to the level of wastewater treatment. Generally the treatment plants in the basin can be categorized by four generalized levels of treatment, - preliminary, primary, secondary, and advanced or tertiary treatment. The level of wastewater treatment in the basin does vary between municipalities. However, as can be seen in the graph below, there has been an increase in the percentage of the municipal population whose wastewater receives secondary treatment. This increase was gradual between 1983 and 1996 but increased substantially by 1999.

Source: Environment Canada, Environment Canada, Municipal Water Use Data, 2005b and BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection 2001. See Data Set for additional information. The 2001 data for wastewater treatment was incomplete for above the comparison.

GRAPH DATA

Prior to 1999, less than twenty percent of the Georgia Basin's municipal population had secondary or tertiary treatment of their wastewater. By 1999, 55% of the municipal population served by sewers had secondary or tertiary treatment. 

Why is it Happening?

Many Canadians take access to water for granted. This is reflected in the amount of water used. On average, urban Canadians use almost twice as much water per person as do urban residents of most other industrialized countries except for the United States (Environment Canada, 2001b).

Municipal water use in the Georgia Basin includes residential, commercial, industrial, and other water uses. Over sixty percent of that water is used for household purposes such as cooking, cleaning, bathing, flushing toilets, watering lawns and filling pools. Twenty-eight percent is used for commercial and industrial purposes while the remaining 6% went to other uses such as firefighting or was lost through leaks in the water main system. Water lost through leaks can be significant. 

An analysis of the basin's total daily municipal water use from 1991 to 2001 confirmed that a large fraction is residential water use. As can be seen in the graph below, this sector consumed the largest amount of municipal water and had the most significant increase in total daily water use during this 11 year period (28% or 228,610 kL/day). During this period the population served by a municipal water system grew by 638,240 persons reaching 2,622,216 by 2001. This growth placed larger demands on local water supply and treatment facilities than they were designed for. The basin's population is projected to grow by 35% and is estimated to reach over 4 million by the year 2020 (G. Thornburn, Environment Canada 2001, pers. comm.).

Source: Environment Canada, Municipal Water Use Data, 2005b. See Data Set for additional information.

GRAPH DATA

Although the total demand for the basin's municipal water is increasing, average daily residential water use per person (water use per capita) has been declining. In 2001,  water consumed by residences in the basin was at a daily rate of 403 liters per person. This is lower than the provincial average of 425 liters/day for the same period but much higher than the national rate of 335 liters/day (Environment Canada, 2005a).

Source: Environment Canada, Municipal Water Use Data, 2005b. See Data Set for additional information.

GRAPH DATA

Why is it Significant?

Water is essential for life, health and survival of plants, animals and people. High levels of water use have both environmental and economic consequences. These include increased infrastructure cost and energy use and can lead to significant pressures on the water supplies. During the period of 1994 to 1999, 49% of the basin's municipalities reported water quantity problems (Environment Canada, 2005b). The reasons were primarily related to seasonal shortages due to lower precipitation, increased consumption, infrastructure problems and limited  water reservoir capacity.

The more water used, the more energy required to pump potable water and wastewater, and the greater the volume of wastewater needed to be treated. Higher water usage also dilutes the raw sewage and makes it more difficult to process effectively. Municipal wastewater effluents are one of the largest sources of pollution by volume to Canadian waters (Environment Canada, 2001b). They can contribute to ecosystem, socio-economic and human health impacts. These include nutrient enrichment of receiving waters, depletion of dissolved oxygen sometimes resulting in fish kills, toxicity to wildlife, and water degradation resulting in beach closures and the contamination of shellfish growing areas. For example, up to 60% (63,000 hectares) of the BC shellfish closure areas are located within the Georgia Basin. See the shellfish indicator for linkages to impacts from wastewaters.  There is also a growing concern about the impacts associated with endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and other chemicals and pharmaceutical products common in municipal wastewaters. 

Improvements to wastewater treatment in the Georgia Basin have been largely attributed to upgrades within the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Preliminary treatment, the lowest level of wastewater treatment, served about 9% of the basin's 1999 population and is primarily confined to the core area of the Capital Regional District (Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria) on Vancouver Island. Primary treatment served 36% (856,818 persons) of the basin's 1999 population with the majority (89%) of this treatment being at the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) Iona Island and the Lions Gate treatment plants. Within the basin, tertiary wastewater treatment is applied to wastewater from less than 1% of the population, with Whistler having the largest facility. Province wide, the same trend in wastewater treatment emerged in 1999 as within the basin. However, provincially there was a higher percentage of the population (8%) with tertiary treatment and this was primarily in the Okanagan area. Elsewhere in Canada, Ontario and the Prairie Provinces had over 94% of the population on sewers on secondary or advanced treatment in 1999 (Environment Canada, 2001c). Quebec had about 43% of the population on sewers with primary treatment and 49% with secondary and tertiary treatment. In the Atlantic Provinces, nearly half of the population on sewers released untreated wastewater directly into inland and coastal waters.

What is Being Done?

The federal government strongly supports the recent adoption by governments of the source to tap, multi-barrier approach to protecting drinking water for Canadians. The multi-barrier approach highlights the importance of protecting the lakes, rivers and aquifers which are the sources of drinking water, as well as ensuring effective treatment and distribution systems. The federal government is committed to enhancing its research to identify, understand and reduce the human and environmental impacts of micro-biological and chemical substances which contaminate water sources and aquatic ecosystems. The government is also working with all provinces and territories to ensure understanding and knowledge of threats to water quality are shared, and strategies to reduce or eliminate impacts can be put in place by individual jurisdictions. In addition, all governments are collaborating on accelerating drinking and source water quality guidelines development, linking monitoring networks to better share information on water quality issues and trends, and providing Canadians with information on the quality of their water.

Local governments in the Georgia Basin are promoting water efficiency and conservation through public education and communication programs as well as regulatory measures such as watering restrictions. Watering restrictions in the basin were applied in some municipalities in 1993, 1995 and from 1998 onwards. Restrictions are used to curb increasing demand especially in years of low precipitation and low water supply. For example, the Capital Regional District (CRD) of Victoria issued Stage 3 water restrictions (essentially no lawn watering) for 2001 because of the lowest rainfall since 1900. For specific public education programs, strategic water management plans and incentives for conserving water within the basin consult the Victoria Capital Regional District, the District of North Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Regional District web sites. For province-wide initiatives consult the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection web site. For additional information consult Environment Canada's web site on water efficiency and conservation. Environment Canada and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association also provide information on water use and water efficiency initiatives among municipalities at their Water Efficiency Experiences Database web site.

Numerous water-saving devices are now available for use in homes and businesses, including low-flow aerators on faucets and low-flow showerheads and toilets. A low-flow showerhead can save half the flow of a conventional showerhead. In 1994, 43.4% of households surveyed in BC by Statistics Canada reported using low-flow showerheads and 15.9% reported using water saving low-volume toilets. Household outdoor water use can also be reduced by using more water-efficient landscaping, lawn watering devices, car washing practices and rain water collection. For more information on these and on other actions citizens can take to conserve water, consult Environment Canada's consumer's guide to water conservation.

Nationally, in 1994 the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment introduced an Action Plan to Encourage Municipal Water Use Efficiency. This Action Plan has resulted in the implementation of new government programs and policies that contribute to water use efficiency, such as mandatory metering, auditing and retrofitting, and charging users according to volume used and wastewater generated. In December 2000, the federal government, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the National Research Council signed an agreement to develop a National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure: Innovations and Best Practices by October 2004.

Federal and provincial jurisdictions are also exploring strategies for consistent and improved management of municipal wastewaters in Canada. The federal government announced in its spring 2000 budget a six-year $2.6 billion investment in Canada's physical infrastructure. This money, along with matching funds from municipal and provincial/territorial governments, totals over $6 billion in investments. A portion is set aside for "green infrastructure" projects, such as municipal wastewater initiatives. In July 1999, the provincial Municipal Sewage Regulation was promulgated and a number of local governments have developed, or are in the process of developing Liquid Waste Management Plans. These include GVRD, CRD, Regional District of Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley Regional District, Sunshine Coast Regional District and Union Bay.

In the summer of 2000 the federal government also provided a $125 million endowment to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities which included a Green Municipal Investment Fund and a Green Municipal Enabling Fund. Both funds focus on innovative solutions to promote energy reduction and water conservation in Canadian municipalities.

Economic incentives such as volume-based pricing (i.e., metering) are being used by various Canadian municipalities to help conserve water. In 1999, Canadian households on water volume-based pricing (i.e., metered) used about 288 litres per person per day. Households paying a flat rate for water used 433 litres per person per day, or 50% more than metered households (Environment Canada, 2001a). Nationally, 56% of the municipal population have water meters. Ontario and the Prairie provinces have the highest levels of metering (83 and 88% respectively). The lowest level of metering is in Quebec at 15% (Environment Canada, 2001d). The Georgia Basin has only 24% of its municipal population metered and it has changed little between 1991 and 2001. Most municipalities in the Georgia Basin still charge flat rates for water.

Other economic incentives being applied by an increasing number of municipalities are sewer surcharges to residential water bills, and financial incentives such as low interest loans, tax credits, and rebates for installing water efficient devices. Using water more efficiently will lower water costs and extend the life of existing municipal water supply and sewage treatment facilities. Examples of such incentives in use in the Georgia Basin are the CRD water efficient irrigation and the bathroom fixtures rebate programs.

For more information contact: Don.Bernard@ec.gc.ca about water use or Phil.Wong@ec.gc.ca about wastewater.

Check the following sites for additional information on this indicator:

• Environment Canada, Clean Water
• Environment Canada, Primer on Fresh Water
• Environment Canada, Freshwater 
• Environment Canada, Water use
• Environment Canada, Water conservation and efficiency slide show
• Environment Canada, A consumer's guide to water conservation
• Environment Canada, Municipal Water Use Database
• Environment Canada, National Indicator on Municipal Water Use
• Environment Canada, Threats to Sources of Drinking Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Health in Canada
• Environment Canada, Action and Learning

  The following Web sites are not under the control of Environment Canada (EC) and they are provided solely for the convenience of users. Environment Canada is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. Environment Canada does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content. Users should be aware that information offered by non Government of Canada sites that are not subject to the Official Languages Act, and to which Environment Canada links, may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

• BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Water Management , and Pollution Prevention and Remediation
• BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, the Water-Use Efficiency Catalogue for British Columbia
• Canadian Water and Wastewater Association - Water Efficiency Experiences Database
• GVRD - Water, Water Sprinkling and Sewerage
• Capitol Regional District - Water and Liquid Waste Management Plan
• Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Seattle - Reduce Water Use
• Water Use in the United States

For references used in this indicator click here.