Commentary, Opinion

Water, water, everywhere

August 1, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Louise Montague

‘Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.’

A line from the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” depicts the irony of a sailor stuck on a ship surrounded by salt water he cannot drink.   

Water is essential for life. Can you imagine not being able to drink water, either because there isn’t any or because it is not fit to drink? 

Such is the case in many parts of Canada.

Twenty-six First Nations communities still have long-term Drinking Water Advisories. Some of these communities have been forced to boil their water for 30 years and live on bottled water from toxic plastic bottles. 

In May, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Drought Monitor reported that 45 per cent of the country was classified as abnormally dry and that 59 per cent of our agricultural landscape has moderate to exceptional Drought. 

Headlines in Calgary in June read ‘We will run out – Calgarians urged to turn off taps’ due to a water main break.

Calgarians were forced into a crash course in water conservation – taking ultrashort showers and holding off on flushing toilets. 

Canada is one of the highest per capita water users in the world. We use more than twice as much water as Europeans.

We can no longer assume our waters are boundless and safe. Floods, wildfires and droughts are escalating, and water quantity and quality are increasingly threatened. Treating our freshwater as a precious resource helps to lessen these threats.  

There are lots of simple things we can do at home.

In Ontario, 75 per cent of residents spend five minutes or more in the shower.  Limiting showers to three minutes can collectively save 800 million litres of water, per day.

Bubble baths can use up to 200 litres at once – that’s enough potable water for a person to drink 1.5 litres daily for four months. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save 36 litres per day. Aerators on faucets will reduce water use by at least 20 per cent.

A low-flow showerhead can reduce water use by up to 60 per cent year. 

Wash your clothes less often and use full loads. Most commercial car washes use 60 per cent less water than a homeowner uses just to rinse the car. 

Change your diet – eat more vegetables and less meat.

It takes enormous amounts of water to produce animal products. Drink one less cup of coffee per day – coffee has one of the highest water footprints per pound. 

We need water for daily life, to grow our food and fight forest fires.  Developing a strong conservation ethic means having a goal of using the least amount of water for each task. Ask yourself – how much water do I really need?  

Let’s not take our precious water for granted.

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