Sustainable water exports
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The benefits of engaging in bulk water trade
Diane K atz
T
he Harper government recently tabled legislation (Bill C-26) that would broaden prohibitions against the bulk removal1 of water from Canada. A plain reading of the bill reveals a number of loopholes by which bulk water exports could occur, prompting urgent pleas from some alarmist groups for more stringent measures. But as a recent Fraser Institute study on the issue documents, opposition to bulk water exports is enveloped in environmental alarmism and protectionism. In reality, Canada is blessed with abundant supplies of unspoiled surface water and ground water, and bulk exports could be environmentally sustainable (Katz, 2010). Existing federal law prohibits bulk water removal from “boundary” waters such as the Great Lakes and other waters that intersect the Canadian and US borders. The proposed Bill C-26 would impose the same prohibition on “transboundary waters,” which are rivers and streams that flow across the international
boundary. All provinces, with the exception of New Brunswick, also prohibit bulk exports from waters within their jurisdiction.2 Canadian opposition to bulk water exports runs deep. Bombarded with baseless claims of widespread water depletion and degradation, citizens understandably feel protective of the natural resource they value most.3 Notwithstanding relatively minor shortages, however, Canada is rich in water wealth, ranking third worldwide in the most “renewable”4 fresh water, behind Brazil and Russia (Environment Canada, 2009c). Indeed, the country features more lake area than any other country on Earth (Environment Canada, 2009c)—some two million lakes in total, of which 563 span more than 100 square kilometres (Environment Canada, 2006). Chief among them, of course, are the Great Lakes, which hold an astonishing one-fifth of the world’s total fresh surface water (table 1).
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Withdrawals and consumption of Great Lakes water have actually decreased by 48% in recent decades (International Joint Commission, 2000). This decrease is largely the result of technological innovations, many of which also improve the quality of water discharged back to the basin. Enormous quantities of water also run through Canadian rivers, which discharge a remarkable 105,000 cubic meters of water per second.5 Even greater volumes of groundwater lie beneath the land surface (Environment Canada, 2006), although this volume has not been systematically mapped or measured. Opponents of water exports contend that Canada is not actually a water-rich country because 60% of its fresh water drains to the north, while three-quarters of the population is concentrated within 160 km of Canada’s southern border with the United States (Environment Canada, 2009c). Therefore, they argue, water
Fraser Forum September/October 2010
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