Water - A Nonrenewable…

Water - A Nonrenewable Resource. There is an unfortunate history of Nestlé abusing Ontario watersheds and communities by overtaxing an aquifer beyond its sustainable use. Due to public pressure and abuse of permits, they sold their bottled water service to Blue Triton. By virtue of the fact that now Blue Triton are going to disadvantaged communities in Ontario as Nestlé had been doing to get their water, that seems like Blue Triton intend on following the same concepts as Nestlé.

There are countless examples in the news, studies, and literature demonstrating that the world is running out of freshwater. [The term freshwater includes both surface water and groundwater]. Groundwater tables are declining, sinkholes are occurring, ponds and even lakes are drying up, the ground elevation is subsiding, the flow of rivers and streams are becoming less, wetlands (the surface storage of freshwater) are drying up or being filled in, droughts are increasing in part because there is less surface water exposed to evaporation and transpiration from vegetation to make rain, rivers and streams are being dyked and flows are being streamlined to get rid of precipitation quickly instead of slowing surface drainage to increase the recharge of groundwater, etc. Our use and protection of freshwater must change. This can occur jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction by enacting laws and regulations to protect our water resources and by charging realistic fees for their consumption to encourage conservation of water. Landowners must realize that they do not own the water on and under their land since the value that water has benefit to a much greater area. However, they are nonetheless stewards of that water.

Every "Large Freshwater Consumer) must have a current permit. Prior to awarding any permit to a Large Freshwater Consumer, Ontario must conduct a watershed study by qualified independent authorities to determine the sustainable seasonal limits of water use for not only the proposed permit but also for other smaller uses such as individual freshwater wells and village water systems, projected impact of climate change, etc. Then, the quantity of water, both surface water and groundwater, must be monitored by measuring stream flows, groundwater table elevations, CABIN (Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network), etc, by independent qualified personnel for the watershed to ensure that water consumption is not exceeding sustainable use and negatively impacting water quality in the watershed. Use of fresh water by a Large Freshwater Consumer, without a current permit must result in barring the use of the freshwater. (However, note that Ontario has not been enforcing the need of current permits in the past.) The permit and permit renewal must include a standard "environmental clause".

The term Large Freshwater Consumer is to be defined as those who exceed a threshold quantity of fresh water measured by month and by year. There must be one common total freshwater quantity threshold applicable to all users. The clause must apply to any agency, business, farm, municipality, individual, etc, that consumes or processes freshwater from the environment exceeding either of the defined threshold. The standard environmental clause must be adhered to regardless how they use the water (e.g, process water, irrigation, potable water production, street washing, bottling, fracking, thermal, etc). records of water taken and how used must be required of them, be made publicly available,and be subject to audit by an independent, qualified agency awarded a Standing Offer Agreement by public tender.

The Environmental Clause in a permit should require the following. The following data must be made available publicly, and subject to independent third-party audit.
1) Water consumption/use is to be measured by certified meters.
2) Records are required of water taken and how used.
3) Specific and time-based goals are to be set by the users for improved quality and quantity of freshwater.
4) Stewardship for freshwater conservation is to be promoted and financially supported from the permit fees by Ontario (e.g, naturalization of stream flows, shading of water bodies to reduce water temperature, promotion of freshwater plant and animal life (benthic, aquatic, etc), water reuse (e.g, grey water, reverse osmosis of brackish water), etc.
5) Regulations must be put in place that allow a jurisdiction to limit and enforce freshwater usage with fines and stoppages of service, despite permits, treaties, and allowed practices, if records indicate that freshwater usage in a watershed is exceeding permitted quantities, or if water consumption in a watershed is not sustainable, e.g, during a drought or new information on determining the available freshwater in a watershed.