Water Diversion

1. Water Diversion Friday March 26th

2. Water Quantity: Do we have enough? • Parts of Canada have a good supply of fresh water, but others don’t. • The prairie provinces • Must divert water

3. Water diversion The moving of water from its natural watershed to another watershed, often using mechanical devices like dams and canals

4. The IJC (international Joint Commission) • In 1909 a treaty was made: • Boundary Waters Treaty: Signed in 1909, it provides the principles and mechanisms to help resolve disputes and to prevent future ones, primarily those concerning water quantity and water quality along the boundary between Canada and the United States. • Created the IJC (6 people—3 Canadian, 3 American)

5. Milk River vs. St. Mary’s • Alberta vs. Montana • Developed from melting mountain glaciers and sent water off in new direction • Montana: Drought, poor infrastructure • Both: used water for irrigation

6. Drought and Irrigation Drought: A period of months or years when an area does not have enough water supply. Irrigation: An artificial application of water into soil. There are 3 ways to do this: surface, drip, and sprinkler.

9. Drip Irrigation

11. Devils Lake

12. The Problem… • Devils lake is getting larger because of runoff • We do not want Devil’s lake water running into Manitoba, Canada • Why not? • Water contains many pollutants and invasive species • Why can this become an issue? • damage to the fishery in Lake Winnipeg, the fish industry, and tourism based on sport fishing 2. the effects of new species in the Red River 3. the effects of pollutants, especially salts and phosphorous, which add too many nutrients to the water and cause fish populations to decline

13. Toxins: Phosphorus • Coming from Devil’s Lake • Also… • Phosphorous was found in dish washer detergent and the government banned it in the 1980’s • Unfortunately they did not ban it in all detergents, shampoo’s and soaps • How does it affect our waterways? • Phosphorus is a nutrient that plants love • They grow very well in phosphorus • Result is that we also use phosphorus as a fertilizer on farms

14. Effects… • Because plants thrive on phosphorus blue green algae starts to thrive in lakes choking out other species • It sucks the oxygen out of the water • The algae also makes people sick • The result is that government is now passing legislation to ban phosphates in all detergents and soaps • However, they are not banning it on farms.

15. Blue-Green Algae

18. America is running into trouble…

19. Should we export water to the United States? • Yes • Provide jobs to people in the water industry • Make money selling water • Provide power to everybody and needed water • Water we sell is not being used by other people. For example it is just running into the Atlantic • No • Under NAFTA if water is sold in one province then all provinces must allow the sale of water. You lose control over your own natural resource. • Environmentalists see it as damaging the environment • Water is not infinite and Canada needs our water • Water belongs to everyone and should not be sold to the highest bidder • Water will not just end with U.S.. It will then be shipped all over the world. Only the rich can afford it. • Once you start selling it, how do you turn it off.

20. In what ways has America tried to get our water? • One way is through NAFTA – The North American Free Trade Agreement. • Another is through NAWAPA.

21. NAFTA • North American Treaty Agreement • Between 3 countries: Canada, US, Mexico • If one province allows sale then all provinces must allow America or Mexico companies in to buy water

22. NAWAPA • North American Water And Power Alliance • 1950s and 1960s to capture and redistribute fresh water in Alaska and Canada. NAWAPA would deliver large quantities of water to water-poor areas of Canada, the lower forty-eight states of the United States of America, and Mexico.

23. James Bay • Read & answer questions • Due end of period