Greening Government

Water conservation

Water conservation means doing the same with less. By using water more efficiently or reducing where appropriate, we protect the resource now and for the future.

Water shortages are a fact of life in many parts of Canada. There is also a cost to treating and delivering water, then taking away and treating the wastewater before returning it to waterways. The more water consumed, the higher the demand on these services and the aging infrastructure supporting them. Municipalities are moving towards more realistic pricing for these services.

Using water wisely will reduce pollution and health risks, lower water costs, and extend the useful life of existing supply and waste treatment facilities.

Wastewater Management

The objectives of reducing the impacts of wastewater generation are to use water resources more efficiently, minimize adverse impacts on the environment by ensuring that hazardous materials are not disposed improperly, and to reduce the burden on the existing water treatment infrastructure.

Wastewater treatment facilities can be overloaded by peak volumes. By reducing water volume, treatment facilities can avoid polluting natural water bodies.

Wastewater from facility operations and stormwater from property runoff require appropriate management to ensure that they do not pollute ground water or surface water.