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FINDING SUSTAINABLE PATHWAYS

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Our process helps Canada achieve sustainable development solutions that integrate environmental and economic considerations to ensure the lasting prosperity and well-being of our nation.

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Changing Currents – Chapter 4: Natural Resource Sectors Water Use, Issues and Opportunities

Chapter 4

Natural Resource Sectors Water Use, Issues and Opportunities

The use of water and the effects upon it by the natural resource sectors vary considerably across the country. The regional distribution of the sectors largely influence where the pressures on the water resources are felt. The complexity of this picture is complicated by the numerous and varied sub-sectors that operate in the regions, making for a very intricate “water story.” To understand the complexity of water use and issues we need to disaggregate and understand the individual sectoral uses.

This chapter describes the natural resource sectors’ most important water uses, key issues, and possible areas of opportunity for improved water use. The NRTEE analyzed the following sectors: electricity (hydro and thermal power generation), oil and gas, agriculture, mining, and forest.

From a quantitative perspective, the natural resource sectors are the greatest gross water users in the country, accounting for approximately 84% of all water withdrawn in 2005 (Figure 5). The thermal power generation sector is by far the single largest gross water user in Canada. Based on consumptive use — meaning the volume of water that is withdrawn and subsequently not returned to the source — the agriculture sector is the most significant user in Canada (Figure 6).

FIGURE 5

 Figure 5: Gross Water Use by Major Canadian Sectors, 2005

These numbers provide only a partial understanding of significant water uses. First of all, the figures are estimates, in some cases based on modelled or proxy data. Second, the figures do not include information on water use by the hydroelectric sector, a significant gross water user in Canada. And finally, the figures tell us only part of the overall water-use story. Just as important are the timing of withdrawals and returning water, the quality in which water is returned to the systems, and the consumption of water within the context of the regional or local water situation (i.e., consumption is likely more important in areas where water is scarce or intake to flow is high). The water uses and issues by each of the natural resource sectors are unique; each has a different use and impact on the water resources upon which they rely, and each must be examined on its own.

FIGURE 6

Figure 6: Consumptive Water Use by Major Canadian Sectors, 2005

As significant users of water and as drivers of economic growth, the natural resource sectors will likely exert increasing pressure on our water resources into the future. Despite the recession of 2008–09 and projected modest growth in 2010, forecasts predict a period of recovery-paced growth in 2010–13 for the Canadian economy as a whole and for the natural resource sectors. Even though natural resource sectors have been heavily impacted by the recession, very few sectors are expected to contract between the years 2008 to 2013. Based on the projections of forecasting organizations, natural resource sectors are expected to grow about 50% to 65% between now and 2030. It is reasonable to expect their water uses to increase with production levels.
 

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(f) All industrial values are from 2005 (Statistics Canada’s survey of Industrial Water Use, 2005, available at: http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/ bsolc?catno=16-401-X) , Municipal values are from 2006 (Environment Canada’s 2006 Municipal Water and Wastewater Survey, available at: http:// www.ec.gc.ca/Water-apps/MWWS/en/publications.cfm) and Agricultural values are from 2001 (Statistics Canada’s Estimation of Water Use in Canadian Agriculture in 2001, available at: http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=21-601-M2007087).

(g) All industrial values are from 2005 (Statistics Canada’s survey of Industrial Water Use, 2005, available at: http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/ bsolc?catno=16-401-X) , Municipal values are from 2006 (Environment Canada’s 2006 Municipal Water and Wastewater Survey, available at: http:// www.ec.gc.ca/Water-apps/MWWS/en/publications.cfm) and Agricultural values are from 2001 (Statistics Canada’s Estimation of Water Use in Canadian Agriculture in 2001, available at: http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=21-601-M2007087).