Groundwater in Canada (with particular Reference to British Columbia)

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Groundwater and Transboundary Groundwater and Transboundary

Groundwater in Canada (with particular Reference to British Columbia)

Reference to British Columbia)

• Groundwater in Canada

• Groundwater and Transboundary Groundwater in y British Columbia

• The Abbotsford - Sumas International Aquifer, q , British Columbia, Canada

• Governance

– Groundwater in British Columbia: Legal Regime – Transboundary Groundwater in British Columbia: y

Stakeholders

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Groundwater in Canada Groundwater in Canada

I i ibilit f d t t d t b

• Invisibility of groundwater tends to obscure importance

• 30.3% of residents in Canada rely on groundwater for drinking water

• In USA over 50 billion gallons of groundwater are used every day to support agricultural economy y y pp g y alone

• Groundwater under threat in both countries due toGroundwater under threat in both countries due to both over consumption and contamination

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Groundwater in Canada

• Declining health of groundwater linked to poor governance

• Transboundary groundwater challenges exacerbated by:

– difficulty of ensuring ability of all stakeholders to articulate interests;

– difficulty of effectively coordinating management;

– lack of information on groundwater resources;

– limited information sharing between stakeholders

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Groundwater in British Groundwater in British

Columbia

• Groundwater provides 23% of BC’s l ti ith d i ki t

population with drinking water

• Groundwater is 9 % of total water consumption in province

consumption in province

BC’ d i 25% f d i

• BC’s groundwater is 25% of groundwater in

Canada

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Abbotsford - Sumas International Aquifer, British Columbia,

C d

Canada

• Covers 260 sq km

• Straddles border between Washington State (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)

(USA) and British Columbia (Canada)

• Used by over 100,000 people

• Located in coarse sands and gravels

• Flows south from British Columbia into

Washington State

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Abbotsford Sumas International Abbotsford - Sumas International

Aquifer: Challenges q g

• Easily contaminated from surface activities

• Only thin layer of soil at surface to stop contaminants from moving down

• Water table close to surface so surface contaminants do not have far to travel

• Water table just 0 to 5 metres below surface at edge

edge

• Water table just 30 meters below surface at centre

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Abbotsford Sumas International Abbotsford - Sumas International

Aquifer continued q

• High annual rainfall (100 - 150 cm) causes leachingg

• Too much irrigation

• Recent shift in composition of crops

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Abbotsford - Sumas International Aquifer

ti d continued

• Sole source of water for thousands of people

• Used for drinking, agriculture (animals andUsed for drinking, agriculture (animals and irrigation) and industry

• Water quality being degraded

• Nitrate contamination of groundwater getting worse

• Cleanup much more expensive than prevention

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Abbotsford - Sumas International Aquifer

ti d continued

• Nitrate concentrations now higher than health standards

• Sources of contamination include: manure,

fertilizers, pesticides, sewage, fuel storage tanks,

f i i ti iti t t ff

surface mining activities, stormwater runoff

• Future? Anticipated rapid growth, intensive

i lt di i d t i l d i l

agriculture, expanding industrial and commercial activities

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Abbotsford - Sumas International Aquifer

ti d continued

Risk of nitrate contamination doubled between 1971 Risk of nitrate contamination doubled between 1971

and 1991:

Decrease in the agricultural land base w/o – Decrease in the agricultural land base w/o

corresponding decline in volume of animal production – Shift from beef and dairy to poultry production leading – Shift from beef and dairy to poultry production leading

to less land needed for pasture (high nitrogen assimilation capacity) leading to more raspberry p y) g p y production (low nitrogen assimilation capacity)

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Governance

• Groundwater in British Columbia:

Legal Regime Legal Regime

• Transboundary Groundwater in British

Columbia: Stakeholders

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Governance: Groundwater in British Col mbia: Legal Regime

Columbia: Legal Regime

• No regulations whatsoever before 2004!g

• New Groundwater Protection Regulations (2004)

– Phase 1 (July 2004): qualifications for well drillers – Phase 1 (July 2004): qualifications for well drillers,

registry for well drillers, groundwater protection, well identification

– Phase 2 (date TBA): additional standards, water analysis, well reports, establishment of offences

– Phase 3 (date TBA): implementation, authorizations, other measures for protection and use

• GWPR addresses critical issues that Alberta, Ontario, Washington State have also addressed

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Governance:Transboundary y

Groundwater in British Columbia:

Stakeholders Stakeholders

• Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

(CEC)

• International Joint Commission (IJC)

E i l C i C il (ECC)

• Environmental Cooperation Council (ECC)

• Abbotsford - Sumas Aquifer International Task

F (ASAITF)

Force (ASAITF)

• Abbotsford - Sumas Aquifer Stakeholder Group (Ci / C ) (ASASG)

(City / County) (ASASG)

• Fraser Basin Council (FBC)

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Commission for Environmental Commission for Environmental

Cooperation p

• Creature of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the North

Trade Agreement and the North American Agreement on

E i l C i

Environmental Cooperation

• Primary role is prevention rather than Primary role is prevention rather than

intervention

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International Joint Commission

• Created 1909

• Interesting history

• Increasing involvement in

transboundary groundwater issues over

time

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Environmental Cooperation Council

C t d t t th 1992 E i t l

• Created pursuant to the 1992 Environmental Cooperation Agreement between BC and

Washington State

• Overseas five different task forces Overseas five different task forces

• Role to ensure coordinated action and

information sharing

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Abbotsford Sumas Aquifer Abbotsford - Sumas Aquifer

International Task Force

• One of five task forces created by ECC

Ch d i h i i if d d l i

• Charged with monitoring aquifer and developing recommendations for shared management and pollution reduction

pollution reduction

• Reports biannually

Mi i di ff if

• Mission to coordinate efforts to protect aquifer, establish managerial approaches, develop

management strategies coordinate mechanisms to management strategies, coordinate mechanisms to educate and involve public

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Abbotsford - Sumas Aquifer Stakeholder Group (City /

County) County)

• Acts as stewardship board / management forum f ll k h ld

for all stakeholders

• Disseminates information form government research agencies

• Co-ordinates public awarenessp

• Monitors stakeholder initiatives

• Explores funding to develop partnerships

• Liaises with US counterparts

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Fraser Basin Council Fraser Basin Council

• Created in 1997 to facilitate shared decision

ki i hi h d

making within watershed

• New body involving may governmental and NGO interests

• BEPP (Business Environmental Pledge Program) ( g g ) initiative to improve the health of the

internationally significant Abbotsford Sumas y g

Aquifer (businesses pledge to undertake actions to benefit the ecosystem)y )

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“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success that to take the lead in the

its success, that to take the lead in the

introduction of a new order of things. The reformer has enemies in all who profit by the reformer has enemies in all who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order. The p y lukewarmness arises partly from fear of their adversaries who have law in their favour, and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe anything new until they have

h d t l i f it”

had actual experience of it”

Machiavelli, The Prince, (1532)