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 We work with watershed groups, government, academics, first nations and individuals to direct water policy in Nova Scotia. 
• Water Caucus of the Nova Scotia Environmental Network The Water Caucus consists of more than 30 individuals and organizations that support watershed-based management within Nova Scotia.  The EAC is actively involved in the Water Caucus.  Our monthly conference call meetings are used to share expertise, knowledge and information, and discuss water issues relevant to community groups. This network also helps water-focused ENGOs provide input to the development of water, watershed and coastal management projects, strategies and policy.
• Turn on the taps and Ditch the Bottle is a diverse coalition of groups working to phase out the sale and provision of bottled water and to re-invest in tap water.  Government buildings where access to tap water exists are priority locations for phasing out the sale of bottled water.  These include recreational facilities, community centres, schools, offices and hospitals.  

Our Funders

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

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.