NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR WATERS

Newfoundland's environmental agency operates three major programs.- 1) pollution prevention - to alleviate the environmental effects of industrial activity, pesticides, and other hazardous products, and to deal with generation and disposal of solid and liquid wastes. Intricate and effective monitoring takes place, along with the requisite enforcement, licensing and training activities. This also involves integrated waste management and remediation where necessary, 2) water resources management - concerns itself with allocation of water, stream alterations, protection of water supply areas, licensing of well drillers, and 3) environmental assessment - this activity ensures that development is environmentally friendly.

Newfoundland has taken various approaches to managing water issues both before and after confederation with Canada. However, like other sparsely populated areas in Canada, the recent decades of increasing global environmental awareness, together with ambitious growth and development initiatives have brought specific issues to the forefront.

The Gisbourne Lake story, taking place within the last two years, was one of those issues. While an entrepreneur sought permission to sell off tanker-loads of fresh water from the lake for export, and was in the process of carrying out the necessary environmental impact assessment to launch his enterprise, government intervened The province became deeply concerned about the prospect of water as an export commodity. Legislation was quickly passed that firmly declared Newfoundland's water is not for bulk offshore sale and no such enterprise would take place anywhere in the province.

In the town of Pasadena, an innovative water conservation project was launched to reduce overall water consumption by 15 to 20%. Many Canadians don't recognize the need to conserve water because of its easy availability and because it's cheap. But water conservation reduces the cost of water delivery and the treatment o waste water. Costs of providing clean water are extremely high -- and getting higher.

Pasadena residents were up to the challenge. Fifty households volunteered to have their water consumption practices monitored. They decreased their consumption by 20% even before any water-conserving devices were installed Then they received water-conserving devices -- including faucet aerators, low flow showerheads, toilet flappers and Frugal flush adapters. Consumption was charted each week. The results? They reduced their overall water use by approximately 43%.

Atlantic Planners Institute

This page and all contents are produced by the Atlantic Planners Institute, an affiliate of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

This document was last modified on November 15, 2000.