Fresh Water Policy

Water is unquestionably one of the most important natural resources on Earth –everyone and everything needs water to live. Canada contains 9% of the world’s accessible freshwater and Nova Scotia alone has over 100 river systems, 10 000 lakes, and 35 000 wetlands. Our Water Policy work includes:

• Water Policy Influence Water policy is gaining provincial as well as national interest.  Water issues affecting Nova Scotians include sedimentation and acidification of rivers, contamination from wastewater and on-site septic systems, runoff from agricultural areas and loss of wetlands. See the NSEN Watershed Caucus's Blueprint for Water Management in NS (April 2010).
• Building Water Bridges How have we brought people together in the past?  These events have taken place to build partnerships and understand the limitations to better water and coastal management.
• Watershed Caucus of the Nova Scotia Environmental Network The watershed caucus is a network of individuals and organizations that are interested in supporting watershed-based management within Nova Scotia.
• Paint the Town Blue September 2009 was Paint the Town Blue month!!  There were weekly events and activities around conserving water, how to be a better water steward and protecting the Halifax Harbour from pollution.
• Ditch the Bottle Turn on the Taps and Ditch the Bottle is a coalition of groups calling on municipalities to ban the sale and distribution of bottled watter in municipal buildings.
  

Please check out this excellent video by St. Mary's University students, focusing on the Millennium Development Goal number 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability:

Our Funders

The Water project at the Ecology Action Centre has been funded through the generous contributions of :

• The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation 
• Environmental Damages Fund, Environment Canada

Background

Nova Scotia's freshwater resources
Water is unquestionably one of the most important natural resources on Earth –everyone and everything needs water to live. Canada contains 9% of the world’s accessible freshwater and Nova Scotia alone has over 100 river systems, 10 000 lakes, and 35 000 wetlands. We use several forms of freshwater: drinking, ground, surface and waste water, resulting in our households using 700-1400 liters of water/day.
Read more:

• Watersheds and You
• Water Issues in Nova Scotia
• Water Resources Management

More information about Nova Scotia’s water resources is available in the Water for Life discussion paper produced by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment.