by Val Kononoff, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities
Many of us have heard the Sons of the Pioneers sing "Cool Clear Water." But how many of us have taken the time to consider water management, conservation and pollution?Water is the essence of all life.
As Canadians, we use fresh water as if it were free and inexhaustible. We use about two and a half times as much water as the average European. In Saskatchewan, many of us have taken water for granted. Despite our seeming abundance, we are not water rich.
The previous four years have led many of the municipalities (urban and rural) to monitor water use due to drought and lack of rain. The municipalities are concerned about good safe potable water for their ratepayers.
Residents of Saskatchewan are dependent upon snow as a water source. The snowpack melts in the spring and becomes a significant portion of the water available in reservoirs, dams and streamflows. Snow is an important contributor to water supplies in rural Saskatchewan. Groundwater supplies are recharged in the spring replenishing water in the aquifer.
Municipal water supplies and sources are not all groundwater. Due to increasing demands on aquifer water supplies, large municipalities (Regina) may have to augment their groundwater supplies with surface water.
It is noteworthy that groundwater is considered generally safer than surface water because of the filtration processes taking place in the ground. However, the filtration processes can become ineffective when contamination from sewage, fertilizer or chemicals seep into the ground. The role of groundwater is critical. A significant function of groundwater is its gradual discharge to rivers or streams to maintain a water flow during dry weather periods.
Statistics indicate that approximately 38 percent of Canadian municipalities rely entirely or partially on groundwater. in Saskatchewan most cities receive their daily water needs from groundwater sources.
Rural Saskatchewan residents have several sources of water supplies. Many have groundwater supplies coming from wells, either a shallow well or a deep well. Some depend on spring runoffs whereby the water is stored in dams or large dugouts.
There are significant costs attached to water supplies regardless of whether they are for urban or rural municipalities. The urban Municipality usually is required to pump, store and treat water as they make it available for use. A problem that urban municipalities also encounter is to take away water after discharge. The rural municipality may provide a basic service of supplying a pump to the water user.
A user fee is a common approach used by urban and rural municipalities in providing water service to residents. These fees cover operational, expansion, maintenance or upgrading costs. The fee is but a small cost of supplying water. The municipalities levying the charges may base their fee on the volume of metered water. Many areas charge flat rates, irregardless of the water consumption.
The consumers having access unlimited water supplies take for granted a resource that is available for daily needs. We must establish awareness and policies for a resource that can easily be jeopardized by mismanagement of waste disposal.
Water has been classified as a renewable resource. Let us develop an awareness of using only the amount we need, rather than wasting a precious resource. All life depends on water. All living things, from the tiniest of animals and insects to the tallest trees, need an adequate water supply to survive.
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