The Canadian Press reports this week that, “The government has only murky information about Canada’s water supply and it’s putting Canadians’ health and the economy at risk, an unpublished (March 2009) federal report warns.”
“The government formed a working group of high-ranking civil servants from several departments to study water issues.” An Environment Canada spokesperson says the working group is no longer meeting.
WATER AVAILABILITY
Their paper says, “Decisions are currently being made with incomplete information on some of the most fundamental aspects of water availability.”
The report says the lack of information “could potentially lead to unsustainable water withdrawal as a result of optimistic allocation decisions.”
It adds, “There appears to be insufficient understanding of how much water is presently available; where available water is located; how severe Canada’s regional water availability issues are; current and forecasted demands for water usage; and the anticipated impacts of climate change on future water supplies.”
CLIMATE CHANGE
“The paper …also says the knowledge gap widens as climate change and development strain the water supply.”
MAPPING
“The report notes Canada is still two decades away from mapping a number of key aquifers.”
RECOMMENDATIONS?
“The group’s recommendations to the government are blanked out in the document released to The Canadian Press.”
“Environment Canada spokeswoman Ashleigh Wilson said the government is taking action to address the report’s findings.”
The full article is at http://www.canadaeast.com/wellness/article/1069967.
