By: Nicole Neilson Fresh Water Contamination. Water In British Columbia Without a steady supply of...

By: Nicole Neilson

Fresh Water Contamination

Water In British Columbia Without a steady supply

of fresh and clean water, all life would not exist

Water in BC is often taken for granted

Canada contains 1/5 of the world’s fresh water

Average daily use of fresh water in BC is 500 liters per person

Uses of Water in British Columbia

Water has been used since the very beginning

Water is used to power our homes, for drinking, for agriculture, to sustain wildlife, to transport goods, hydro-electric power, fisheries, and for everyday use

Importance of Water Obviously, water is necessary to

survive Water is critical in many other

resources such as fisheries, transportation for lumber, dams in hydro-electric power, water for agriculture, drinking water, etc

Water was how the fur trade was able to happen, as they travelled along rivers to their destinations

As early as 5000 BC irrigation has been used to increase crop production

Importance of Watersheds British Columbia contains one

of the most important fresh watersheds, the Fraser river

There are 291,000 other watersheds in BC including Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam reservoirs

Watersheds are areas that store all the water that flows in from the surrounding streams and rivers

Water in the watersheds is used for all of the previously listed things

Water pollution BC contains some of the cleanest water

in the world, but still our everyday life is beginning to affect the quality of water

Water can be contaminated by pollutants such as herbicides, pesticides, oil, and manure from agriculture

Chemicals such as oil, gas and metals are washed into storm drains which drain into streams

Toxic substances are often washed down household drains and feed into streams and marine bays

Untreated sewage is often emptied into lakes

Sources of water pollution Other ways fresh water

can be contaminated are.. Tanks, pipelines or sewer

lines that have leaked Industrial chemical spills Livestock wastes and

municipal landfills Contaminants in the rain,

snow or atmospheric fallout

Water pollution (different side of view)

Although many of these things pollute the water, on the other hand the only positive thing is that these industries provide jobs for people and as well as economic benefits

There is not really a positive side to pollution

Question What effect or effects

is pollution having on our fresh water supply?

Effects of pollution Excess nitrates and

phosphates in the water can cause algae growth to speed up and create algae blooms which kill aquatic plants by preventing them from getting enough sun to survive

Construction/logging in an area can cause erosion which contaminates streams with extra sediment

Effects of pollution in clean water

Extra sediments reduce the effectiveness of water purification so its harder to obtain clean drinking water

Any chemicals in the water kill any fish and also make it unsafe to drink and use for farming to grow crops

Pollution on a global level Most other countries in the

world have a form of pollution in their water, most other countries are much worse compared to Canada

840,000 people die each year from water related diseases

Contaminated water is the world’s biggest health risk and 750 million people lack access to clean water

Some countries with the most polluted water include India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil and the United States

Pollution situations similar to BC A country with similar pollution

situations to BC is France Pollution is a problem due to

accumulation of industrial contaminants, agricultural nitrates, and waste from the nation's cities

France uses 73% of its fresh water for industrial purposes and 12% for farming

Similar to BC, France’s forests are affected by acid rain and other contaminants

France is working on creating protection laws and licensing approved dump spots

How to reduce pollution First possible solution would

be to reduce the amount of waste and chemicals that enters water

This is not always possible, so we should try and treat the waste in treatment plants before it enters the water so it is less harmful

Make sure to follow all rules to do with dumping wastes. For example watershed protection and clean water acts

How to deal with pollution already in water

There are a few methods of removing already existing pollution from water

One method is air stripping Air stripping involves

pumping out the dirty water, heating it up so the contaminants evaporate, and then re-injecting the clean water back into the ground.

Other ways are using granular activated carbon and advanced oxidation

Sources"Freshwater | WWF-Canada Conservation." Freshwater. Web. 23 May 2015.

"PAN Europe - Issues." PAN Europe - Issues. Web. 23 May 2015.

"Encyclopedia of the Nations." Environment. Web. 23 May 2015.

"Water." Government of Canada, Environment Canada. Web. 19 May 2015.

"Freshwater." David Suzuki. Web. 21 May 2015.

Sources"Anne Murray: Fresh Water Is B.C.'s Greatest Resource." Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 May 2015.

"Capital Regional District." Our Environment. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Water Crisis." Water. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Living Water Smart." : B.C.'s Water Plan. Web. 21 May 2015.

"Water Pollution Freshwater." Pollution Issues. Web. 21 May 2015.