We take a lot for granted here in Canada.
Relative safety in our daily lives, a reputation for politeness, mundane (for the most part) political scandals.
Our access to fresh, reliable drinking water is probably top of the list.
Here in Canada, we benefit from more than 20 per cent of the world’s surface freshwater and seven per cent of the world’s renewable flow, according to a February 2024 report from Yahoo Finance. We also have the most lakes, at 879,800.
Canada has more than 2.9 trillion cubic metres of renewable internal freshwater—only Russia (4.3 trillion) and Brazil (5.7 trillion) have more.
Of course, when you live where fresh, clean water is abundant, it’s only natural you sometimes take it for granted—waste it, even.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the average American family can waste more than 680 litres of good water weekly, or 35,582 litres annually, just by being careless—leaving the faucet running while brushing their teeth, or not fixing leaks in their home plumbing systems.
Recent stats for Canada are harder to come by, but it’s a safe bet we’re just as guilty on this side of the border.
It’s hard to reconcile such water wealth when you compare it to situations around the world.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2 billion people (26 per cent of the world’s population) do not have safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion (46 per cent) lack access to safely managed sanitation.
“Between two and three billion people experience water shortages for at least one month per year, posing severe risks to livelihoods, notably through food security and access to electricity,” UNESCO said in its 2023 World Water Development Report. “The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1.7–2.4 billion people in 2050. The growing incidence of extreme and prolonged droughts is also stressing ecosystems, with dire consequences for both plant and animal species.”
Worldwide, agriculture accounts for roughly 70 per cent of freshwater withdrawals, followed by industry (just under 20 per cent) and domestic (or municipal) uses (about 12 per cent), the report said.
Groundwater supplies about 25 per cent of all water used for irrigation and half of the freshwater withdrawn for domestic purposes.
Since the 1980s, the global demand for freshwater has been increasing by just under one per cent per year, and water demand from the municipal sector has experienced a considerable increase relative to the other sectors—a trend likely to continue as populations urbanize and the water supply and sanitation systems servicing these cities expand.
In this week’s cover feature, you’ll read about efforts by some locals, through the Whistler Lakes Conservation Foundation (WLCF), to sample and monitor the health of Whistler’s water.
It’s important work, and we’ll be interested to hear more when the WLCF produces a report on its findings next year.
Having lived in communities all across Western Canada, and visiting even further afield, I would say we are truly blessed when it comes to Whistler’s water. I can’t recall water ever tasting cleaner, or colder from the tap, than what we get here in the resort.
But it’s not perfect. Whistler’s water is corrosive, which means it can leach metals from certain plumbing fixtures—that’s why the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) advises you to flush your taps until the water is cold before drinking it (and why it leaves water in public buildings, like the Meadow Park Sports Centre, continuously flushing throughout the day).
A 2020 report by Kerr Wood Leidal consulting engineers tested water in 11 RMOW-owned buildings, only one of which showed levels of lead and copper below both the Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) and aesthetic objectives (AO) on first sampling.
Of the other buildings tested, all showed lead levels exceeding the MAC on first sampling—between .005 mg/l and .299 mg/l—except for the Maury Young Arts Centre, which showed only elevated levels of copper.
Three buildings—the Public Safety Building, the Spruce Grove Fieldhouse and the library—showed levels of both lead and copper exceeding the MAC.
Research has shown there is no safe chronic exposure levels to lead, and that blood-lead concentrations—even at low levels—are linked to lower IQ scores in kids aged three to five, and the associated declines in IQ are in fact greater at lower blood-lead concentrations.
According to Health Canada, short-term exposure to copper may result in effects in the gastrointestinal tract (such as nausea, pain and vomiting, or diarrhea).
A second round of testing at six of the buildings, conducted after a five-minute flush of the taps followed by 30 minutes of stagnation, showed levels of lead and copper below both the MAC and AO.
However, the report noted a single flush at the beginning of the day is “likely not adequate,” and concluded that “all drinking water outlets in all RMOW owned/operated buildings should be flushed until cold every time they are used for consumption.”
There have been no public updates in recent years on community-wide corrosion control efforts, (and the RMOW was unable to provide an update before Pique’s weekly deadline*), but any permanent fixes won’t come cheap: an update in early 2020 stated the capital cost to adjust pH levels—one of the main drivers of corrosivity—throughout Whistler’s complicated water system was estimated at $5.7 million, not including any land acquisitions that may be required to do the work.
For now, the RMOW’s guidance for residents remains consistent, posted in bold lettering at the top of whistler.ca/drinkingwater: Remember to flush your taps!
Again, it’s not perfect, but it’s encouraging to see groups like the WLCF taking action to monitor and understand Whistler’s water.
And even with its corrosive nature, Whistler’s water is likely among the very best in the world.
Let’s not take it for granted.
*After Pique went to press, the RMOW provided the following update:
"The South Whistler Water Supply Update project including pH correction to minimize pipe corrosion is progressing well and is scheduled to be online in June of 2025. Emerald Estates is the next area on the priority list for pH correction and is scheduled for construction in 2025. The central Community, Village and Alpine zone supply pH correction projects are in the planning stages. For now, we continue to follow 'flush until cold' recommendations, and we’ve installed filtration systems on key fixtures in affected public buildings."
