Water Security in a Changing World Kevin Rumsey, M.A., M.Sc - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Water Security in a Changing World

Kevin Rumsey, M.A., M.Sc

Sustaineo Blue Water Consulting

Outline

https://www.raconteur.net/sustainability/worldwide-water-crisis-is-looming

Water Security defined as:

“The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of and acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development. In addition, protection against water-borne pollution, water- related disasters and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.” - UN (2013)

http://www.unwater.org/publications/water-security-global-water-agenda/

“Water security is the nexus that links together the web of food, energy, together the web of food, energy, health, climate, economic growth and peace that the world economy now faces”

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/4-billion-people-face-severe-water-scarcity-at-least-for-one-month-every-year/

https://www.co2.earth/

Methane Monster

https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends_ch4/

Earth’s fresh water in a bubble – no ice caps

https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html

Only about 0.3% Freshwater availability to humanity

https://slideplayer.com/slide/1519972/

https://boingboing.net/2008/03/11/all-the-water-and-ai.html

Snap Shot Today @ 7.6 Billion

• 2.1 Billion(27%) lack access to

safely managed drinking water

• 4.5 Billion (59%) lack access to safe
• 80% of all wastewater is discharged

untreated/un-reused.

• 67% of all transboundy waters
• 4.5 Billion (59%) lack access to safe

sanitation facilities

• 344,000 children < 5 die annually

from waterborne diseases.

• 4 out 10 (40%) now live with water

scarcity

• 67% of all transboundy waters

(263) have no cooperative agreements.

• 70% of all water withdrawals is for

agriculture

• 1.2 Billion people are at risk from

low level flooding (16%)

http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/19524/UNEP_WWQA_report_03052016.pdf?isAllowed=y& sequence=1

Threats to water

• Poor water governance (management) - weak political

will, corruption, low institutional capacity

• Rapid urban population growth
• Increasing standard of living (India and China)
• Increasing standard of living (India and China)
• Increasing energy demand, industrialization
• Intensifying activity in agriculture, livestock, forest &

sea harvesting

• Extreme climate variability
• Decline of ecological integrity.

Ed McBean, Ph.D, P.Eng Canada Research Chair in Water Supply Security

“…we’re moving towards increasing water scarcity – despite Canada’s theoretical abundance – this is probably the biggest looming problem for Canada

David Schindler, Professor Emeritus University of Alberta

problem for Canada”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canada-fresh-water-review-1/article35262579/

http://www.waterpolitics.com/2012/08/30/global-water-demand-by-2050/

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/4-billion-people-face-severe-water-scarcity-at-least-for-one-month-every-year/

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/4-billion-people-face-severe-water-scarcity-at-least-for-one-month-every-year/

http://watergovernance.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2010/04/FS_Myth_of_Water_Abundance.pdf

http://assets.wwf.ca/downloads/WWF_Watershed_Reports_Summit_FINAL_web.pdf?_ga=2.247247181.891394252.1497266572- 984777005.1497266572

Water scarcity

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/vancouver-water-shortage-climate-snowpack-conservation-1.4562900

2018 BC Hydro report on Climate Change

• Prediction for 2050
• Hotter climate and continued

warming in all seasons, with increased precipitation in winter, spring and fall, in most watersheds, spring and fall, in most watersheds, expect for the interior;

• Earlier snow melt, earlier peak flow

in Spring, yet with lower flows in the late summer/fall.

• Overall a modest increase in water

supply for hydro-electric power in the Province.

https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/hydro/medialib/internet/documents/ab

• ut/climate_change_report_2012.pdf

BC Govt Projected Impacts for BC by 2050

Temp increases up by 2.7 C.

• Longer growing seasons

hampered by droughts

• Increase in invasive species,

infectious diseases, species die Increase in Average Annual Rainfall by up to 12% in some regions, with hot dry summers.

• More frequent and intense

infectious diseases, species die

• ff
• Shifting aquatic ecosystems and

functioning

• Higher evaporation rates
• Increased public health risks
• More frequent and intense

storms causing damage to buildings and infrastructure.

• Fires, floods, insects, disease,

soil erosion

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/adaptation/impacts

BC Govt Projected Impacts for BC

By 2100, up to 70% of BC glaciers disappeared

• Changes in river flows and

temperature affecting fish habitat

Sea level rise along coast

• Coastal communities and ecosystems

experience more frequent and severe flooding temperature affecting fish habitat and hydroelectric power generation

• Decrease in drinking water quality

and quantity

• Water shortages cause increasing

competition between various water users. flooding

• Blocked drainage and sewages

systems, and seawater intruding into groundwater aquifers

• Low-lying agricultural lands becoming

too saline for cultivation

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/adaptation/impacts

BC Drought Message Guide, Summer 2017

https://www.freshwateralliance.ca/bc_drought_message_guide

Drought Message Guide 2017

• Drought and flood resilience will be the number 1 challenge that will

define British Columbia’s future.

• More than 60% of the province’s water basins were in drought

conditions in the fall 2017 and 1/5 of all provincial observation wells conditions in the fall 2017 and 1/5 of all provincial observation wells showed moderate to large rates of decline.

• Water pricing in BC currently the lowest rate in Canada. This

undervalues the services and benefits of freshwater. Nestle pays $2.25 for a 1 Million L’s of water -- almost as much as they charge for 1L of bottled water.

https://www.freshwateralliance.ca/bc_drought_message_guide

The capacity to prepare for disruptions, recover from shock and adapt from the experience … to bounce back.

Requires integration of social, economic and ecological components

Soft Path?

Hard Path?

Soft Path?

Hard Path Characteristics

• Traditional engineering

methodologies/thinking

• Centralized decision-making
• Supply management driven
• Linear and logical processes
• Working against nature
• Focused on maximizing profits
• Corporate and technology driven
• Large built infrastructure
• Capital Intensive
• Inflexible, non-adaptable
• Energy intensive - mechanical and

chemical

• Corporate and technology driven
• Promoted as continued economic

growth

• Little to no social value

consideration, community engagement to influence decisions. …business as usual

Soft path approach

Soft Path Elements

• Acknowledges limits of ecological

integrity.

• Broader and wholistic goals
• Finding a balance
• Uses an Integration approach-

multidisciplinary

• Innovation and ingenuity – green

infrastructure

• Non-linear - Flexible and Adaptable
• Policies based on stakeholder

consultation and political review. Uses an Integration approach- multidisciplinary

• Towards sustainability, conservation,

resilience

• Demand management
• Decentralized decision-making -

watershed level

• Creative partnerships and financing
• Works with nature

consultation and political review.

• Social engagement and prosperity
• Understandable by community
• Smaller scale
• Long term vision
• There is no one way – always context

specific

ttps://poliswaterproject.org/polis-research-publication/new- path-water-sustainability-town-oliver-bc-soft-path-case-study

Soft Path Case Studies

• York Region, ON
• Fergus-Elora, ON
• Milton, BC
• Salt Spring Island, BC
• Salt Spring Island, BC
• Abbotsford, BC
• District of Mission, BC
• Cowichan Watershed Board, BC

https://poliswaterproject.org/

http://www.cwn-rce.ca/focus-areas/blue-cities/canadian-municipal-water-priorities-report/

Top 6 Municipality Priorities

• Incorporate Integrated Risk Management
• Achieve Full Cost Recovery and Financing
• Expand Wastewater Resource Recovery and Use of Biosolids
• Expand Wastewater Resource Recovery and Use of Biosolids
• Build Resiliency to Climate Change and Extreme Weather
• Replace and Maintain Aging Infrastructure
• Adjust to Urban Population Growth

http://www.cwn-rce.ca/focus-areas/blue-cities/canadian-municipal-water-priorities-report/

https://www.rdn.bc.ca/drinking-water-and-watershed-protection

• Hiring the expertise.
• Data gathering and analysis to

improve understanding.

• Development of watershed

management plans.

• Changes in By-laws and operating
• Data gathering and analysis to

improve understanding.

• To develop education programs

and incentive programs.

• To support the engagement of

nongovernment organizations.

• Changes in By-laws and operating
• Understanding surface and

groundwater sources and to protect the "recharge areas"

• More informed decision-making

Low Impact Development

) “A land development approach that is more holistic, integrated and works with nature to manage the impacts of stormwater in accordance with simple principles”. a) keep water close to source, b) preserve landscape features, b) preserve landscape features, c) minimize imperviousness, d) create functional and appealing drainage, e) reduce area of the build up, f) promote natural movement of water, and g) protect ecological and hydrologic functionality.”

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/bbfs2terms.pdf

Urban stormwater mgmt

Urban stormwater – retention & detention

Vancouver Convention Centre

https://www.vancouverconventioncentre.com/news/media-release-annual- mowing-of-living-roof

Dockside Green Complex, Victoria

District of Sechelt, BC’s Water Resource Centre

http://www.sechelt.ca/Portals/0/public%20document%20library/Public%20Notices/2014-10-16%20WRC%20Fast%20Facts.pdf http://www.sechelt.ca/Live/Water-Sewer-Drainage/Water-Resource-Centre

Reclaimed Water Facility

https://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/features/reclaiming-wastewater-in-dawson-creek/

“Living Building” Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability

http://cirs.ubc.ca/building/

http://waterbucket.ca

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/pan-canadian- framework/adaptation-climate-resilience.html

https://www.toolkit.bc.ca/

http://www.canarm.org/

http://www.bcbuildinginfo.com/display_topic.php?division_id=2&topic_title_id=53&topicid=234

Adaptive Management

• The process and ability to

respond and adapt to changes and manage a level of uncertainty.

• Changes are needed in

governance institutions, policies and laws and regulations.

Adaptive Governance-Based Approach

• A methodological process of information flow.
• Establishes how and who decision makers are and their accountability
• Requires participation of all stakeholders; strategic policy-

development; with monitoring and enforcement. development; with monitoring and enforcement.

• Policies are implemented, viewed as experiments and learning is

integral to resource stewardship. “learning by doing” approach

• Known risks and changes to indicators are monitored and assessed
• ver time.

http://watergovernance.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2011/12/PART-1-SECTION-1.pdf

Source Water Protection Plans

SWP Toolkits

http://akblg.ca/src/documents/2018%20AGM%20&%20Convention%2 0Presentations/drinking_water_workshop_20180322%20Workbook%2 0Draft.pdf

Water Safety Plans

A plan to ensure the safety of drinking water through the use of a comprehensive and integrated risk assessment and risk management approach that encompasses all steps in water supply source catchment to consumer’s taps. The multi-barriers approach.

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/wsp170805.pdf

ERP

Capacity Building of Personnel

• Programs that enable personnel to strengthen and develop their

skills, knowledge to develop, implement and maintain effective sector

• services. Invest in people

Wrapping UP

• Climate change is largely water change.
• Climate change affects all aspects of the water cycle, and water is

primarily the main way through which the impacts of climate change will be felt. These changes will ultimately come down to 3 changes: 1) the timing of water flow/access/use, 2) water quantity and 3)water 1) the timing of water flow/access/use, 2) water quantity and 3)water

• quality. These changes are guaranteed to produce risks and will

challenge the global and its water security.

• We should begin to build resilience – call it climate proofing
• It’s going to take a new way of doing things – mind shift, paradigm

cooperation, flexibility, leadership, engagement….and a new frontier in relationships.

• Our water management challenges now demand a broader, more integrative

approach that accounts for multiple stressors and cumulative effects.

• Water security approach looks at all the demands placed upon a watershed,

including water quality, quantity (including climate change and allocation), aquatic ecosystem health, human health, risk and adaptive governance. aquatic ecosystem health, human health, risk and adaptive governance.

• Government can’t protect our water resources on their own. We’ll need public

interest groups and private industry also to be on board.

• The top down approach is finished
• Water governance at the watershed level with significantly more local and

regional decision–making needed.

• Need to fill in the capacity gaps in data, improve our knowledge, skills and

strengthen our water ethics

That’s it

Thank you for your attention