Water

The years 1999 to 2001 were the driest in Alberta since records were first kept in 1919. Scientists report that pharmaceuticals are going from our toilets, into rivers and lakes, and back into our drinking water.

What's crystal clear to scientists about these Canadian water facts is that our concerns about water quality, quantity and ecosystem health are all interconnected.

With this in mind, the Government of Canada has made freshwater one of its top priorities for integrated science and technology.

While "blue gold" is largely a provincially regulated resource, local and provincial governments depend on federal science to provide the knowledge for informed decision-making.  This research is paying off in cleaner water, and its more sustainable use, across Canada.

Canada's largest freshwater research facility is Environment Canada’s National Water Research Institute (NWRI), in Burlington, Ontario. Their more than 300 staff, including hydrologists, limnologists (lake experts), microbiologists and environmental chemists are tackling issues from improving municipal wastewater processes to identifying emerging issues such as hormone-disrupting chemicals in water.

NWRI scientists are presently working with colleagues from Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to develop microbial tracking techniques to identify the sources of fecal pollution—whether human or animal—contaminating aquatic ecosystems such as beaches.

To ensure the sustainable use of Canada's groundwater, scientists at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are creating a national database of aquifers and groundwater characteristics. Last year, they completed a collaborative decade-long project to create Canada's first 3-D map of a groundwater region, that of the Oak Ridges Moraine area near Toronto.

Water is the lifeblood of agriculture. But water can also carry environmentally harmful agricultural wastes into waterways. As part of ManureNet, scientists at AAFC are exploring innovative ways of preventing farm animal pathogens from contaminating local water.

In the ongoing Turkey Lakes Watershed Study, scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada with eight other partners are exploring the ecosystem-level impacts of pollutants, such as acid rain, and ecological disruptions, including forestry practices.

This collaborative water research is showing that the benefits go beyond human and environmental health. They're economic as well. Monitoring of the effects of pulp-and-paper effluent by NWRI's National Environmental Effects Monitoring Office has documented reduced pollution and lowered costs for pulp and paper companies.

ResEau, an innovative Government on Line initiative led by Environment Canada and involving a number of jurisdictions, is exploring ways to enhance access for Canadians to information about water in their communities and regions.