By Toby White
Canadians, especially Southern Albertans, have had water on the brain for the past few months. Events like the Walkerton tragedy are prominent on the national landscape, while the attention of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Waterkeeper Alliance and Mayor Bronconnier’s call for water meters have stirred up headlines in Calgary and prompted new approaches and perspectives on water usage.
"We take it for granted that, when we turn our taps on, we have all the clean water we need," explained University of Calgary Ecology Professor Lee Jackson. "But we’ve seen from recent incidents that we can no longer do that. We need to look at how we use these resources to ensure that they truly are sustainable."
Jackson, along with colleagues John Post and Ed McCauley are embarking on a large-scale study of three Alberta rivers: the Bow, Old Man, and Red Deer. Their project is part of a 15-year study by the National Centres of Excellence-a collaboration of Canada’s three major granting councils-and will involve 28 universities. The team will also work in conjuction with the National Water Research Institute, the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters, Agriculture Canada, Environment Canada and Alberta Environment.
"We believe sustainable development and its impact on water, is going to be an important issue for Albertans over the next decade," explained Jackson.
The first phase, a $588,000, four-year study, will examine how different land-use practices affect water as it flows through the three rivers into Saskatchewan. In addition to the environmental analysis, the team will employ U of C economist Dr. Ted Horbulyk to look at the economic ramifications of water use, a factor that Jackson feels has been missing in other water-use studies.
"We want to have a system where everyone who’s interested in water management can consider the link between economic development and the availability of clean water," said Jackson.
The study will examine water in the rivers as it passes through areas of different land use, allowing the researchers to see the effect of different practices on the quantity and quality of water in the river. It is meant to help maintain the long-term health of the three rivers in question.
"It’s more than an academic exercise," states Jackson, "We’re involved in this because we want to be involved with something that has applications to real world problem solving in Southern Alberta. We want to link economics to ecology in the rivers."