26 March 2007The Edmonton JournalDavid Schindler and Maude Barlow
In the words of Daniel P. Beard, recently retired Commissioner of th U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, reflecting on America's many dam projects of the 20th century: "we reaped great benefits, but there were very great costs. For some, the jury is still out whether the benefits outweigh the costs. But for many the answer is simple: we have paid too dearly for 'cheap' power and water."
Alberta, with its rapidly growing population and industry, is "ground zero" for water shortages in Canada. Already, the provincial government has declared a moratorium on new water licences for the Bow and Oldman rivers, which recent studies show are vastly overutilized by irrigated agriculture and growing municipalities. Controversy has arisen over new proposals to divert water from the Red Deer River to support development in watersheds that have already outstripped their water supplies.
Another concern is the vast water needs of the oilsands, which rely on water from the Athabasca, the only remaining free-flowing large river of the Prairie provinces. Approved developments are expected to take 11 per cent of winter low flows in the Athabasca in dry years. Climate warming and destruction of tributaries and wetlands in the Athabasca watershed undoubtedly make this a conservative estimate.
So far, water problems have been ignored by federal and provincial politicians, despite their recent posturing in the "greenest cloak" competition. Canadians should demand rapid action from their elected representatives to secure and protect our freshwater supplies, protecting them from the ravages of climate warming, frivolous use, pollution and export to other countries.
The security of our grandchildren's Canada depends on it.
David Schindler holds the Killam Memorial Chair and is Professor of Ecology at the University of Alberta. Maude Barlow is national chair of the Council of Canadians and author of an upcoming book, Blue Covenant:
The Global Water Crisis and the Fight for the Right to Water
