The flow of water cannot be contained in one city, province or country. Around the world, we all need to work together to keep water clean. But that is easier said than done. Some water issues we face are pollution, water quality and over consumption.
Can You See Pollution?
When water is polluted it affects humans, animals and the natural environment. Pollutants can be big or small. Take a look in the waterways near your home and you may see bottles, tires, bicycles and all sorts of litter that has been dumped. Garbage in the water hurts the natural habitat and makes it difficult for plants and animals to live.
Cleaning Our Water
Small pollutants can be invisible to the human eye, but can cause more damage than big pollutants. Soaps, solvents, pesticides, fertilizers, oil, chemicals and toxins can be present in water and you may not even know it! All of these items need to be removed before water is safe for human use. Water treatment facilities, like the one in Peterborough, make sure that water is clean and safe for everyone to drink.
Water throughout the World
Not everyone has clean water. In some underdeveloped countries, water sources aren't safe to drink. The drinking water can contain sewage and living organisms that will make people sick. The World Health Organization recognizes that 80% of all sickness and disease in people is from unsafe water and poor sanitation. Canada is working with other countries to make sure there is clean and safe drinking water available for people around the world.
Conserving Our Water
Safe water is so important that not one single drop should be wasted. In our own homes we can concentrate on water conservation. Conservation means to keep, protect or preserve our natural resources for future use. Many people don't realize how much water is used in a day. Take a look at the list below to see how often, and approximately how much, water is used. It's not as obvious as you may think.
- 1000 kilograms of water is required to grow 1 kilogram of potatoes
- 10 litres of water is needed to manufacture 1 litre of gasoline
- 300 litres of water is required to produce 1 kilogram of paper
- 215 000 litres of water is used to produce one metric ton of steel
- Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and drinking
- Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment plant is used for drinking purposes
- Residential indoor water use in Canada: toilet - 30%; bathing and showering - 35%; laundry - 20%; kitchen and drinking - 10%; cleaning - 5%
- Toilets use over 40% more water than needed
- A five-minute shower with a standard shower head uses 100 litres of water
- A bath uses 60 litres
- Brushing your teeth with the tap running uses 10 litres
- Automatic dishwashing uses 40 litres
- One load of a washing machine uses 225 litres
- During the summer, about half of all treated water is sprayed onto lawns and gardens
- Outdoor watering uses 35 litres per minute
- A single lawn sprinkler spraying 19 litres per minute uses 50% more water in just one hour than a combination of ten toilet flushes, two 5-minute showers, two dishwasher loads, and a full load of clothes!
For information on these facts and more, visit www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/e_quickfacts.htm.
