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Questions and Answers
What is the main challenge in managing water resources according to the provided content?
What is the main challenge in managing water resources according to the provided content?
Which entities have primary jurisdiction over most areas of water management in Canada?
Which entities have primary jurisdiction over most areas of water management in Canada?
Which of the following responsibilities is under federal jurisdiction regarding water governance in Canada?
Which of the following responsibilities is under federal jurisdiction regarding water governance in Canada?
What is a key aspect of water governance as defined in the content?
What is a key aspect of water governance as defined in the content?
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What role do municipalities generally play in water management in Canada?
What role do municipalities generally play in water management in Canada?
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Which of the following is a potential threat associated with water resource management mentioned in the content?
Which of the following is a potential threat associated with water resource management mentioned in the content?
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Why is an integrated approach essential for water resource management?
Why is an integrated approach essential for water resource management?
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How do local authorities fit into the overall water governance framework in Canada?
How do local authorities fit into the overall water governance framework in Canada?
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Which province in Canada has the largest irrigated area?
Which province in Canada has the largest irrigated area?
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What is one of the key strategies for managing water quantity in water-short regions?
What is one of the key strategies for managing water quantity in water-short regions?
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Which federal responsibility is shared with provinces regarding natural resources?
Which federal responsibility is shared with provinces regarding natural resources?
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What is a significant feature of irrigation districts in Alberta?
What is a significant feature of irrigation districts in Alberta?
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What must be established in water-short regions regarding water use?
What must be established in water-short regions regarding water use?
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Which characteristic is true for over 80% of Alberta's irrigated land?
Which characteristic is true for over 80% of Alberta's irrigated land?
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What is one of the main concerns that federal and provincial governments coordinate on?
What is one of the main concerns that federal and provincial governments coordinate on?
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What is a notable feature of the water management system in southern Alberta?
What is a notable feature of the water management system in southern Alberta?
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What was identified as the principal cause of pollution in the Great Lakes during the early investigations?
What was identified as the principal cause of pollution in the Great Lakes during the early investigations?
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Which amendment to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement emphasized the elimination of persistent toxic substances?
Which amendment to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement emphasized the elimination of persistent toxic substances?
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What crucial approach was introduced in the 1987 amendment of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
What crucial approach was introduced in the 1987 amendment of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
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What were Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) primarily aimed at addressing?
What were Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) primarily aimed at addressing?
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The 2012 amendment to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement introduced measures focusing on which of the following?
The 2012 amendment to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement introduced measures focusing on which of the following?
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What major water quality challenge is exacerbated when water crosses political boundaries?
What major water quality challenge is exacerbated when water crosses political boundaries?
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Which program assists in the management of Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes?
Which program assists in the management of Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes?
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What was one significant outcome of the 1972 US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
What was one significant outcome of the 1972 US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
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What is the main goal of the Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for Areas of Concern?
What is the main goal of the Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for Areas of Concern?
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How many Areas of Concern (AOCs) have been remediated in Canada so far?
How many Areas of Concern (AOCs) have been remediated in Canada so far?
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Which of the following represents a Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) identified by Canada and the U.S.?
Which of the following represents a Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) identified by Canada and the U.S.?
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What significant structure was completed as part of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan?
What significant structure was completed as part of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan?
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What is a key factor affecting the status of Beneficial Use Impairments in the Hamilton Harbour?
What is a key factor affecting the status of Beneficial Use Impairments in the Hamilton Harbour?
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What does 'delisting' refer to in the context of Areas of Concern?
What does 'delisting' refer to in the context of Areas of Concern?
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What is the largest contaminated sediment site on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes?
What is the largest contaminated sediment site on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes?
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What type of issues do storm sewer/sanitary sewer system overflows often lead to?
What type of issues do storm sewer/sanitary sewer system overflows often lead to?
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What was the total cost allocated for the cleanup project that began in 2015?
What was the total cost allocated for the cleanup project that began in 2015?
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Which stage involves capping the contaminated sediment and using it for new port lands?
Which stage involves capping the contaminated sediment and using it for new port lands?
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What is identified as a significant factor in managing flooding risk effectively?
What is identified as a significant factor in managing flooding risk effectively?
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What natural process is flooding identified as, despite its potential hazards?
What natural process is flooding identified as, despite its potential hazards?
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Which phenomenon contributed to the significant flooding events along the Ottawa River in 2019?
Which phenomenon contributed to the significant flooding events along the Ottawa River in 2019?
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What is emphasized as a necessary approach for managing water risk and disaster effectively?
What is emphasized as a necessary approach for managing water risk and disaster effectively?
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What is a historic reason for human occupation of flood plains?
What is a historic reason for human occupation of flood plains?
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What type of pollution is associated with the contaminated sediment area mentioned?
What type of pollution is associated with the contaminated sediment area mentioned?
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Study Notes
Water Resource Management
- Managing Water Resources: Ensuring sustainable management of water resources and services is a major challenge.
- This includes maintaining freshwater supplies for economic activities, human use, and well-being.
- It also involves supporting aquatic ecosystems and addressing threats related to droughts and floods, especially in light of climate change.
Water Governance in Canada
- Shared Responsibility: Canada's water governance involves shared responsibilities between federal, provincial, and local authorities.
- Provinces: Hold primary jurisdiction over most water management and protection, issuing permits and licenses for major water uses.
- Municipalities: Often delegated drinking water treatment and distribution, and wastewater treatment operations in urban areas.
- Federal Jurisdiction: Responsible for oceans and their resources, fisheries, navigation, and international relations regarding shared boundary waters.
- Shared Federal-Provincial Responsibilities: Include agriculture, significant national water issues, and health.
Water Quantity Management
- Water-Short Regions Strategies: Water quantity management is a combination of policies that manage water demand, promote efficiency, and allocate water where it's needed most.
- Southern Alberta Example: Water allocation in water-short areas like southern Alberta requires clear rules on water use and allocation.
- Alberta: Home to the largest irrigated area in Canada (over 6,800 km²) with over 80% of the area located in 13 irrigation districts in the South Saskatchewan basin.
Water Quality Management
- Transboundary Challenges: Water quality management presents additional challenges when water crosses political boundaries (e.g., the US-Canada Great Lakes Basin).
- Great Lakes Basin History:
- Past Problems: Early 20th-century typhoid fever outbreaks and decline of fish species in Lakes Erie and Ontario due to eutrophic conditions from untreated sewage.
- International Cooperation:
- The International Joint Commission (IJC) was created in 1909/1912 to investigate pollution and recommend solutions.
- Chlorination of drinking water became the primary focus.
- 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA): Outlined shared priorities and actions to restore and protect the Great Lakes.
- Focused on reducing phosphorus, improving sewage treatment, and limiting phosphates in detergents.
- GLWQA Revisions and Progress:
- 1978: Emphasized toxic contaminants and an ecosystem approach to water quality management.
- 1987: Protocol emphasizing human and aquatic ecosystem health, implementing Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) in areas of concern, and developing lakewide management plans.
- 2012: Protocol focusing on nutrients, toxic contaminants, invasive species, habitat loss, and climate change aspects.
- Progress: Monitored through State of the Great Lakes Reports (latest in 2022).
Case Study: Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern
- Areas of Concern (AOCs): Geographic areas in the Great Lakes identified in the mid-1980s due to human-induced degradation of water quality and ecosystem health.
- Hamilton Harbour AOC:
- Known for: Long-term industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, uncontrolled stormwater runoff, and combined sewer overflows.
- Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs): Environmental degradations encompassing a range of issues like beach closures, drinking water restrictions, eutrophication, and impacts on fish and wildlife.
- Remedial Action Plans (RAPs): Implemented to restore beneficial uses within AOCs, with each AOC having its own plan.
- Hamilton Harbour RAP: Aiming for delisting the area from AOC status, with 3 Canadian AOCs remediated and 2 in recovery.
- Randle Reef Environmental Containment Facility (ECF):
- Constructed to address contaminated sediment in Hamilton Harbour, the largest contaminated sediment site on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.
- Targeted Remediation: Contaminated sediment containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from industrial activities.
- Three-Stage Project: Construction of the facility, dredging contaminated sediment, and capping the contaminated sediment for use as new port lands.
Management of Water Risk and Disaster
- Flood Management: Cooperative approach through risk assessments, prevention, and mitigation measures.
- Policies: Need coherent policy approaches across climate change adaptation, water management, land management, spatial planning, biodiversity protection, and disaster risk reduction.
- Floods as Natural Hazards: Flooding is both a natural process and a serious hazard for humans, often the most costly natural hazard in Ontario.
- Causes of Flooding: Snowmelt, summer thunderstorms, hurricanes, dam failures, and urban stormwater runoff.
- Flood-Prone Areas: Near lakes, coastal areas, and rivers, where water temporarily occupies floodplains.
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Description
This quiz explores the critical aspects of water resource management, including the sustainable use of freshwater and the protection of aquatic ecosystems. It delves into the shared governance structure in Canada, detailing the roles of federal, provincial, and municipal authorities in water management. Test your knowledge on the challenges of climate change, droughts, floods, and the legal frameworks governing water resources.
