The real dish on water
The not-so-obvious running tap
Where does all our water go?
Running down the drain
The 3 Rs of water use
Water-saving gardens
Websites that gush about water


Running down the drain

For household purposes, the average Canadian uses 343 litres of water per day. That’s almost twice as much as in France. One reason we use so much is because its true price isn’t reflected in our water bills. One study found that Canadian municipal water, including water and sewage services, is about 70 cents (U.S.) per 1,000 litres. Consumers in France, the U.K., Netherlands, and Denmark pay over $3 for the same amount.

This current situation is causing problems. As urban populations grow, more water needs to be brought into the city system. This places a new financial burden on cities to tap new sources of drinking water, and build new water treatment facilities and larger sewage treatment plants to deal with increased wastewater.

There’s also an ecological cost to increased water usage: building and expanding new dams and reservoirs destroys wildlife habitat, diverts more water from rivers and streams, negatively affects fish, and depletes valuable underground aquifers which are a source of ground water for wells and springs.

 Canadian municipalities are encouraging urban dwellers to become wiser water users through public education campaigns and watering restrictions. But are we getting the message? Water is an intricate component of the nature Canadians value. We shouldn’t let it run down the drain.

Next >> The 3 Rs of water use

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