ENVGEO362 Lecture 3 Fall 2024 PDF

Natural resource management 3. Water resource management Water governance Main source: – Textbook chapter 14 – Additional sources: see sources mentioned on slides Intro Ecclesiastes 1:3-7 (NIV) 3 What do people gain from all their labors, at which they toil under the sun? 4 Generations come and g...

Natural resource management 3. Water resource management Water governance Main source: – Textbook chapter 14 – Additional sources: see sources mentioned on slides Intro Ecclesiastes 1:3-7 (NIV) 3 What do people gain from all their labors, at which they toil under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. Intro Main challenge: ensure sustainable management of water resources and water services to – maintain adequate supplies of freshwater of suitable quality for economic activities, human use and well-being, and – support aquatic and other ecosystems, and – address threats associated with droughts and floods (with the additional impact of climate change). This requires an integrated approach for the management of water and water-related ecosystems and an effective cooperation in transboundary river basins. Water governance in Canada: shared responsibility Water governance = processes/institutions through which societies organize themselves to make decisions/take actions to affect water. In Canada: shared responsibility - Canadian provinces and Yukon Territory: primary jurisdiction over most areas of water management and protection; most major uses of water in Canada are permitted or licensed under provincial water management authorities. - Municipalities: Most of those provincial governments delegate certain authorities to municipalities, especially - the drinking water treatment and distribution, and - wastewater treatment operations of urban areas. - Other local authorities: Provincial governments may also delegate some water resource management functions to local authorities that may be responsible for a particular area or river basin. Water governance in Canada: shared responsibility - Federal jurisdiction: conservation and protection of oceans and their resources, fisheries, navigation, and international relations (including responsibilities related to the management of boundary waters shared with the US). managing water in its own "federal house," e.g. federal lands (National Parks,...), federal facilities (office buildings, labs, penitentiaries, military bases,...), First Nation reserves, as well as two of Canada's three territories (Nunavut and Northwest Territories). - Shared federal-provincial responsibilities include: agriculture, significant national water issues, and health. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/water-overview/gove rnance-legislation/shared-responsibility.html A. Managing water quantity (water-short regions) Water quantity: best managed through a combination of policies that - manage demand for water, - promote water use efficiency, - and allocate water where it is most needed. A. Managing water quantity (water-short regions) Canadian example: water allocation in southern Alberta Water-short areas (e.g. southern Alberta) require clear rules regarding who can use water and under what circumstances. Source: https://www150.stat can.gc.ca/n1/daily-q uotidien/170321/mc- b001-eng.htm A. Managing water quantity (water-short regions) Spatial Density of All Annual Crops in Canada, see https://agriculture.canada.ca/atl as/apps/aef/main/index_en.html? AGRIAPP=3&APPID=e87af05b d35848598994b13f45a24a25& WEBMAP-EN=f9f37b7d427648 0398c0f2fa46c7a8cf&WEBMAP -FR=b8ae183cd893462f890450 28b09fcdff&mapdescription=tru e&print=true&breadcrumb=b1, b2,b10,b3&adjust_to_view - Alberta: has the largest irrigated area in Canada (appr. 6,800 km2), and more than 80% of this area is in 13 (self-governing) irrigation districts in the South Saskatchewan basin. - irrigation districts: more than 55 reservoirs, and approximately 8,000 km of conveyance works, including canals and pipelines, which carry nearly 2 billion m3 of water per year. See https://www.alberta.ca/irrigation-strategy A. Managing water quantity (water-short regions) Alberta’s prior allocation system (First-in-Time, First-in-Right) - 10,000s of licences for surface and groundwater in Alberta (anyone taking/diverting water in meaningful quantities): municipalities, agricultural operations, golf courses, oil companies,... - each licence has a priority number, and the oldest licences are the highest ranked; earlier licence holders are entitled to receive the full volume allocated to them before later licence holders receive any See also: https://albertawater.com/what-is-fitfir/ and https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/priority-licence-transfers-here-s-how-alberta-s-wate r-system-works-drought-1.7115044#:~:text=The%20priority%20principle%20is%20known,rece ive%20any%20water%20at%20all - provisions for temporary or permanent transfer of a water allocation in basins where there is a moratorium on new licences; transferred water price is negotiated by buyer and seller (aka a water market; instead of having to buy land linked to a water licence), See also: https://albertawater.com/water-licences-transfers-and-allocation/ A. Managing water quantity (water-short regions) Source: https://www.alberta.ca/drought- water-allocation-and-apportion ment A. Managing water quantity (water-short regions) - However, in times of drought, the 13 irrigation districts in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (who have more priority than other users) commit to temporarily assign appropriate licensed amounts to other users (e.g. communities, livestock operators); - and all those who participate then in water sharing are also expected to share the burden of the shortage by Source: implementing water conservation https://www.alberta.ca/d efforts. rought-water-allocation- and-apportionment Example: Bow River: water management https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpL11ROPoPE B. Water quality management Water quality management - requires preventing and reducing pollution from all sources, - through a systematic integration of water quality considerations in agricultural and other policies and appropriate treatment of wastewater, - both polluters and users should be kept accountable. https:// www.tvo.org/ article/oversalted- why-ontario- needs-a-new- approach-to- snow-removal B. Water quality management Water quality - physical, chemical and biological properties - is naturally variable (e.g. mineral content in groundwater, sediment content in surface water, nutrients in surface water, …) - can also be significantly impacted by humans What is "good" water? Depends on - the intended use, and - determination of an acceptable level of risk to humans/aquatic systems (e.g. provinces have legal standards for drinking water quality, based on recommended maximum levels of various substances by the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines) see e.g. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/030169 Governance for water quality management in Canada is challenging (involvement of all levels of government, and many water users) B. Water quality management Point-source pollution: - historical focus on this pollution from municipal/industrial sources - strong progress in end-of-pipe treatment of waste (1983: 80% of population received wastewater treatment --> 2009: 97%) - elimination of several highly toxic substances through bans (e.g. DDT, PCBs) or changes in industrial processes; however, - there's also continuous introduction of new chemicals and substances into the environment Non-point-source pollution: - harder to manage, because it does not involve a pipe or other readily identifiable source - e.g. washing of contaminants (nutrients and chemicals) from fields, roads, etc., entering surface water bodies/groundwater aquifers - e.g. atmospheric deposition of toxic substances B. Water quality management Responsibilities for water quality management? - Provinces: primary responsibility in water quality management; - fed. gov.: responsibilities relating to boundary waters, interprovincial waters, aboriginal communities, quality of fish habitat - municipalities: provision of drinking water and sewage treatment services Canada Water Act: provides an enabling framework for collaboration among the federal and provincial/territorial governments in matters relating to water resources. Canadian Environmental Protection Act: authorizes the federal government to regulate specific toxic substances B. Water quality management extra challenges for water quality management when water crosses political boundaries, e.g. in the US-Canada Great Lakes Basin - by 1900: frequent typhoid fever outbreaks, and several fish species largely disappeared (eutrophic conditions) in Lakes Erie and Ontario - 1909/1912: creation of the International Joint Commission (IJC); assigned to investigate the extent/causes of pollution and recommend remedies; untreated municipal sewage was identified as principal cause --> focus on chlorination of drinking water - 1972: US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA): identifies shared priorities and actions needed to restore and protect the Great Lakes; → focus on nutrient loadings to the lakes; so reductions in phosphorous concentrations achieved through better sewage treatment and limits on phosphates in detergents B. Water quality management - 1978: GLWQA revised; more emphasis on toxic contaminants (calling for the virtual elimination of discharges of persistent toxic substances) and an ecosystem approach in water quality management (greater awareness of the multiple sources and pathways of pollutants) - 1987: GLWQA amended by protocol; emphasis on the importance of human and aquatic ecosystem health; development and implementation of RAPs (Remedial Action Plans) in 43 Areas of Concern (with a high level of citizen involvement); lakewide management plans (with also focus on critical pollutants in open waters, non-point-source contamination, airborne toxic substances) - 2012: GLWQA amended by protocol: new measures focusing on nutrients, toxic contaminants, invasive species, habitat and species loss, climate change aspects. Progress? See e.g. State of the Great Lakes Reports, last report 2022 at https://stateofgreatlakes.net/  B. Water quality management Case study: Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern - Areas of Concern (AOCs): geographic areas in the Great Lakes identified in the mid-1980s because human activities had severely degraded water quality and ecosystem health. See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rftEsio6NDo&t=53s Hamilton Harbour is one of the 43 Areas of Concern because of the effects of: - long-term discharges of industrial and municipal wastewater to the harbour and its tributaries, - uncontrolled urban and rural stormwater runoff, and - combined storm sewer/sanitary https://www.canada.ca/en/canada-water-agency/ freshwater-ecosystem-initiatives/great-lakes/great- sewer system overflows lakes-protection/areas-concern.html B. Water quality management - Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) are implemented to restore beneficial uses withing the AOCs; each AOC has its own RAP; implemented by Canada and Ontario, working with community members and local governments, see e.g. https://hhrap.ca/about-hhrap/ - The ultimate goal is to remove the area from the list of Areas of Concern, a process called delisting. So far 3 of the Canadian AOCs are remediated, and 2 are in recovery. - In order for the Hamilton Harbour AOC to be delisted, all Beneficial use impairments (BUIs) must be addressed to be restored. Beneficial use impairment (BUI) means environmental degradation as a result of a reduction in the chemical, physical or biological integrity of the Great Lakes. - Canada and the U.S. have identified 14 BUIs ranging from beach closings, restrictions on drinking water consumption or taste and odor problems, eutrophication, … to issues related to fish and wildlife. B. Water quality management - For the Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern, the status for the majority of BUIs is still impaired. For the outcomes relevant to each BUI, see https://hhrap.ca/track-the-progress/ - A critical milestone in the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan was the construction of the Randle Reef Environmental Containment Facility (ECF). Randle Reef in the Hamilton Harbour AOC is the largest contaminated sediment site on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. About 60 hectares in total, it contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated sediment (industrial pollution from multiple sources dating back to the 1800s). B. Water quality management In 2015, a $138.9 million project to clean up the reef began. A 3-stage project is led by Environment and Climate Change Canada, with funding from the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Hamilton/City of Burlington/ Halton Region/the Hamilton–Oshawa Port Authority/Stelco. - stage 1: construction of the ECF structure and dredging between the double sheet pile walls (completed) - stage 2: dredging of the contaminated sediment located outside of the ECF (completed) - stage 3: capping of the contaminated sediment in the ECF and use as new port lands A short visual description (start 3rd stage, CHCH) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I99LXV8njfA C. Management of water risk and disaster Best managed in a cooperative way through risk assessments and a mix of prevention and mitigation measures. Policy coherence across climate change adaptation, water management, land management, spatial planning, biodiversity protection and disaster risk reduction is crucial. https:// www.calgary. ca/water/ flooding/ history- calgary.html C. Management of water risk and disaster Flooding is - a normal and natural process, critical to many ecosystem functions. - but also a serious hazard to people; most costly natural hazard in Ontario. Flooding happens in many places, and a very recent example was the 2019 flooding along the Ottawa River, which was even bigger than the 2017 event that was then considered the flood of the century… A short visual (Rhoddy’s Bay, about an hour upstream the Ottawa River from Ottawa) see e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGip4Ta922w&t=2s Diverse potential causes: snowmelt (spring), summer thunderstorms, hurricanes, dam failures, urban stormwater runoff… - near lakes and coastal areas - near rivers e.g. water temporarily occupies flood plains (historically, people have occupied these because of fertile land, level ground, access to water...) C. Management of water risk and disaster Responses to flooding: structural vs non-structural approach Structural approach: building flood control dams, dykes, levees (however, often leading to increased occupancy of flood plains, and even more damage when floods occur) https:// www.gov.mb.ca/ mti/wms/rrf/ index.html Case study: dealing with the Red River Floods - southern MB, along the Red River - broad flat plain (former glacial Lake Agassiz), periodically subject to severe flooding; - the 1950 flood (with the largest evacuation of people in Canadian history) propagated the construction of the Red River Floodway to reduce the impact on Winnipeg. C. Management of water risk and disaster - Red River Floodway (most significant element), - Portage Diversion (diverts flows up to 700 m³/s from the Assiniboine River) and - Shellmouth Dam (reduction up to 200 m³/s in the Assiniboine River). Source: https:// www.gov.mb.ca/ mti/wms/ops/ index.html C. Management of water risk and disaster Original Red River Floodway: - protect Winnipeg from a 160-year flood (up to 2,500 m³/s) - built between 1962 and 1968; after the 1950 flood; cost $63 million; has saved Manitoba more than $30 billion in flood damage. Expansion of the current floodway system: - protect Winnipeg from a 1-in-700 flood event (up to 4,000 m³/s) larger than the highest flood on record in 1826 - began after the 1997 flood (Compare: average flow rate over the Horseshoe Falls: 2,400 m³/s.) Source: https://www.gov.mb.ca/mti/wms/rrf/index.html C. Management of water risk and disaster Non-structural approach (as a structural approach alone was/is often not working) 1975 Flood Damage Reduction Program (FDRP): new national approach (partnership fed. gov. and provinces / territories), with a number of non-structural approach elements: - mapping of flood plains (identify areas of risk) - zoning land to direct development out of flood plains - flood-proofing vulnerable structures - buying and removing structures at risk and even relocating structures - participating governments do not support future developments in vulnerable areas and withhold disaster assistance payments if they were built (however: terminated in the late 1990s for financial reasons; mapping now outdated) C. Management of water risk and disaster However: Ontario was already pre 1975 active in this field. 1946: Conservation Authorities Act (CAs formed by participating municipalities and organized around watersheds); original CAs mandate: further conservation, restoration, development, and management of nat. resources (excl. gas, oil, coal and minerals) 1954: Hurricane Hazel (extensive damage and casualties), see https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hurricane-hazel --> prov. gov. started mapping flood zones, leading to some municipalities prohibiting construction in hazard zones; 1956: CAs now have power to make regulations that controlled alterations and development in flood plains. Mid 1990s: mapping completed in 318 communities; 200 areas had been zoned as hazard areas in which new development was not permitted. So, thanks to the existence of CAs, the end of the FDRP did not mark the end of flood plain management in Ontario. C. Management of water risk and disaster Ontario’s pillars of emergency management Flood Management Activities of related to flooding Conservation Authorities in Ontario: - Undertake floodplain mapping, modelling, Source: https://www.ontario.ca/ and monitoring streamflow, rainfall and page/protecting-people- snowpacks property-ontarios-flooding- - Regulate development in flood prone strategy areas in cooperation with municipalities and the Province - Provide planning support and advice to municipalities to minimize flood impacts and issue warnings - If able to, acquire important floodplain lands and flood vulnerable structures - Operate over 900 dams, dykes, channels and erosion control structures Source: https://conservationontario.ca/conservation- authorities/flood-erosion-management C. Management of water risk and disaster Challenges: * need for updated flood plain maps (renewal process for flood plain maps in Ontario is now underway): - location of rivers and shorelines can change - wetlands and forests grow and shrink - human developments cause areas vulnerable to floods to be altered See e.g. https://trca.ca/conservation/flood-risk-management/flood-plain-map- viewer/#use-now * climate change can alter hydrology e.g. urban water management infrastructure is designed based on assumptions about the frequency and magnitude of rainfall events; storms larger than anticipated by the designers of water infrastructure can cause extremely damaging, and more frequent floods