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| FOCUS
ON ALBERTA |
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In
Alberta water is life…
Water is everywhere in Alberta.
It can be found high in the mountains in the form of snow
and ice, and in the province’s rivers, lakes, wetlands
and even underground. In Northern Alberta, there are large
rivers and numerous lakes, many of which have been minimally
impacted by human development. In the South, and especially
in the semi-arid southeast where there are fewer natural lakes,
reservoirs have been built on river systems to store water
and support irrigation farming as well as recreation, sport
fishing, and drinking water supplies. Alberta is estimated
to have much more groundwater than surface water and it can
be found in practically every part of the province. |
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the amount of water in Alberta is never constant. The hydrological
cycle effects water throughout the province and the level of
water in Alberta’s rivers, lakes and wetlands can experience
extreme variations. These extremes sometimes result in floods
or droughts. As the population grows, and more and more water
is used, both the water supply and water quality are receiving
growing attention.
Albertans use water for many things. About 97.5 percent of
the water used comes from surface water and 2.5 percent comes
from groundwater. The two main surface water users in Alberta
are irrigation (approx. 71 percent) and commercial/industrial
operations (approx. 15 percent). Municipalities account for
five per cent of surface water consumption. The three main
groundwater users are commercial/industrial (53 percent),
agricultural operations (25 percent) and municipalities (18%).
For the past several years government, industry and community
have been working closely together to better understand Alberta’s
water resources and to develop new policy directions to ensure
that the resource is protected and always available for future
generations.
This initiative is called the ‘Water for Life”
strategy and has been led by Alberta Environment. The strategy
has focused on four main areas, 1) a safe, secure drinking
water supply, 2) healthy aquatic systems, 3) reliable, quality
water supplies for a sustainable economy and 4) the investment
in knowledge to ensure that effective water management decisions
can always be made. Once it has been finalized, this new water
strategy will become the basis for managing Alberta’s
water resource in the first part of the 21st Century. |
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Scientific
uncertainty
Science doesn't claim to have all
of the answers. Sometimes information may be lacking or conditions
may be so subject to change that scientific analysis becomes
difficult to apply. Outcomes are sometimes difficult to predict.
There are occasions when not all scientists will agree on
the science itself.
To address such cases scientists
have developed what is known as the precautionary principle.
This means that where science is uncertain about outcomes,
and the outcomes could be potentially very harmful, society
should err on the conservative or safe side when making decisions.
Misuse of the precautionary principle
can occur and if taken to extremes can paralyze most decisions
in society. On the other hand, application of the precautionary
principle to recognize the potential range of results and
risks before proceeding with an important project can be a
wake up call that is ignored at our peril. The challenge is
understanding how to assess the data and possible risks. |
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