Drinking Water

Drinking Water image

[last updated: Sep 26/03] Pure, clean drinking water is essential for all living things. This fact was reinforced by the Walkerton, Ontario tragedy when people died after drinking contaminated water.

Greater Vancouver is fortunate in having a large watershed that has for the most part been preserved as a natural wilderness that can supply more than two million people in the Lower Mainland with naturally filtered water. But those precious North Shore watersheds are threatened by industrial logging and commercial and recreational development.

A decade long SPEC campaign in the 1990s eventually lead the GVRD to eliminate industrial logging in the watersheds. In 2001 SPEC played a key role in preventing the privatization of a new GVRD water filtration plant. Privatization could have resulted in the public losing control of a key segment of the regional water system.

Drinking water source protection is also a major issue outside of the Lower Mainland. SPEC worked with Mountain Equipment Co-Op, the Environmental Mining Council of BC and the Sierra Club of BC to develop a Community Drinking Water Atlas covering the whole province. This interactive research tool allows British Columbians to create watershed maps that include wildlife populations, water supply, mining operations, forestry activity, and other local information. It is accessible on the SPEC website.

Take Action ( items taken from SPEC's Greenpages )

  • BC Ministry of Environment    [last updated: Jul 23/09]

    The general responsibilities of the BC Ministry of Environment are: - Environmental protection of water, land and air quality including climate change and environmental emergencies - Environmental stewardship of biodiversity, including wildlife, fish and protected areas - Park and wildlife recreation management, including hunting, angling, park recreation, and wildlife viewing - Environmental monitoring and enforcement including the Conservation Officer Service, and State of Environment reporting
    In Vancouver call: 604 660-2421 Elsewhere in B.C. call: 1 800 663-7867 Outside B.C. call: 604 660-2421
    EnquiryBC@gov.bc.ca
    website: www.gov.bc.ca/env/
    greenpage category: Toxics

  • Freshwater Website - Environment Canada    [last updated: Aug 13/03]

    The Freshwater Website has everything from information on water policy to tips for water conservation in the home.
    website: www.ec.gc.ca/water/e_main.html
    greenpage category: Toxics

  • Greater Vancouver Regional District    [last updated: Aug 5/03]

    The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) is a partnership of 21 municipalities and one electoral area that make up the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver.
    website: www.gvrd.bc.ca
    greenpage category: Toxics