BC Water & Waste Association and the Province of B.C. proclaim May 2nd to 8th Drinking Water Week in B.C.
BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA) and the Province of British Columbia have officially proclaimed the week of May 2 to 8, 2010 "Drinking Water Week."
"Sometimes we take our tap water for granted, in some parts of B.C.," said Daisy Foster, CEO, BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA). "Drinking water week provides a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives. We are asking people to stop and think about what a valuable resource our water is and take steps to conserve it."
A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of a community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment, and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression. Water is a limited resource that must be protected and conserved. If our water system could talk to us, it might remind us that it: keeps us healthy, supports our economy and provides us with the high quality of life we enjoy here in B.C.
During Drinking Water Week over 1,300 water and waste water professionals from all over the province, North America and Europe will discuss emerging industry trends at the annual BC Water & Waste Association conference in Whistler (May 1 to 5).
Tips for conserving water:
- Take shorter showers
- Check your toilets and faucets for leaks
- Turn-off the water while brushing your teeth
- Purchase water-efficient appliances
- Install low-flow shower heads
- Wash your car with a bucket instead of a hose
- Install low-flow toilets that use less water
- Use rain barrels
- Avoid watering your lawn in the summer
Facts about our Water and Canadians' Attitudes to Water*
- More Canadians are drinking tap water this year (49%) than last year (41%)
- 25% of Canadians have no idea where the water that flows out of their taps comes from
- The average Canadian personally uses 329 litres of water per day-twice the amount used by Europeans, but the average Canadian thinks they use only 79 litres per day
- Running a water faucet for 5 minutes takes the same amount of energy as leaving a 60 watt light on for 14 hours
- Canadians admit to knowingly engaging in water wasting activities such as leaving the tap running while washing dishes (44%) and hosing down their driveways (19%)
- Canadians are more concerned with saving electricity than water: 29% of Canadians don't know what they pay for their water, only 10% don't know what they pay for their electricity bill
- Canadians have not made the link between water and energy conservation. Generating energy requires a lot of water. Moving water to make it available for when and where we want it requires significant amounts of energy.
*Source: 2010 Canadian Water Attitudes Study, commissioned by RBC and Unilever Canada
For more information on BCWWA and Drinking Water Week including resources such as children's activities (colouring sheets, true and false, cross words) please visit www.bcwwa.org/dww.php.
