Fresh Water-Related Indicators in Canada: An Inventory and Analysis

Dunn, Gemma; Bakker, Karen

doi:10.4296/cwrj3602815

Cited by 28 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…However, critics argue that Canada's pursuit of subsidiarity may be detrimental to water management in other ways (see e.g. Hill et al 2008;Weibust 2009;Bakker and Cook 2011), contributing to urban-rural disparities (Hrudey 2011), regulatory disparities (Cook et al 2013;Dunn et al 2014aDunn et al , 2014b, poor data collection and quality, and inadequate information sharing (Dunn and Bakker 2011). Another concern is that decentralization may occur without necessary and sufficient capacity; for example, local actors might lack the power, capacity or financial resources to fulfill expected mandates (Brown and Purcell 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial risk governance: challenges and opportunities in fresh water management in Canada

Dunn

Harris

Bakker

2015

Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressour

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2015) Microbial risk governance: challenges and opportunities in fresh water management in Canada, Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques, 40:3, 237-249, This paper analyzes the barriers and opportunities that decentralized water governance regimes pose to effective microbial risk assessment and management for drinking and recreational water quality. The paper presents a case study of Canada (a country whose approach to water governance is among the most decentralized in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]) evaluating microbial governance approaches in British Columbia and Ontario. The analysis is timely for two reasons: (1) relatively little research has been conducted on microbial risk assessment and management from a governance perspective; the literature focuses largely on technical and methodological approaches (such as Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment [QMRA] or Water Safety Plans); (2) 15 years post Walkerton,-little research has examined the implementation of source water protection as a strategy to reduce microbial risk in recreational and drinking water in the context of decentralized water governance. A range of issues are considered, including how decentralized governance might enable or constrain microbial risk assessment and management practices, and how the relationships between decentralized and multi-level governance actors might further deepen the complexity of watershed management, particularly source water protection. The analysis indicates that decentralized water governance in Ontario and BC may contribute to difficulties in effectuating source water protection and other features of a multi-barrier approach. The most significant challenges, as identified by practitioners, relate to the fragmentation of land and water jurisdiction, regulation, institutions and mandates, particularly a lack of coordination (both regulatory and institutional) and limited clarity on roles and responsibilities. Building on this analysis, the paper suggests more effort is required to support proactive institutional arrangements, including: inter-and intra-agency communication across levels of government; master planning and other initiatives to move towards integrated policy development; flexible, responsive policy environments; a governance culture that fosters leadership and collaboration; and holistic problem framing and mobilization of interdisciplinary knowledge.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial risk governance: challenges and opportunities in fresh water management in Canada

Dunn

Harris

Bakker

2015

Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressour

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“…Figure 10 shows the comparison of the two watersheds based on individual IM variables. The index enables planners and managers to assess the state of the watershed, identify and monitor the state of the watershed over time, and allow watersheds to be compared and contrasted to assess water security (Dunn and Bakker 2011). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of Water Quantity on Modeling Using a Vulnerability Index for Northern Ontario Watersheds

Philip

Todd

Damaia

et al. 2017

JWMM

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The 2007 Brisbane Declaration and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have made recommendations for assessing the water resources of a hydrologic system as an integral part of hydrologic and hydraulic modeling. Considering these recommendations, it is necessary to understand the flow regime and available water resources. This paper describes the data sources and methods used to create a water quantity vulnerability index for the Southwestern Hudson Bay and Nelson watersheds in Ontario, Canada. The index was generated for 71 gauged watersheds of the Water Survey of Canada across the project area with an impact matrix being constructed from a set of 27 scale weighted streamflow and climate impact variables. Variables were specifically selected to represent the dimensions of water quantity exposure by describing the magnitude, frequency, duration and timing of flows. Vulnerability index values ranged between 21 and 24 with hydrologic regions of Far North West being lowest at 21. A database of water quantity statistics, impact matrix variables and estimated vulnerability indices has been created to serve water policy, planning and management staff.

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“…Efforts to develop a Canadian water security assessment framework, with a strong focus on drinking-water safety will provide a national platform that heavily relies on the use of spatial environmental indicators, such as the SEI [92,93]. The framework outlined herein could be applied at a national scale to complement existing national water indicators [94,95] to specifically identify community watersheds with the greatest exposure to wildfires. Other aspects of freshwater supply can be addressed using the SEI with minor adaptation; for instance, the location of waterworks' intakes can be substituted with any value at risk, such as a reservoir, a lake used for recreation, or an endangered riverine ecosystem.…”

Section: Accounting For Wildfires In the Future Of Canada's Water Secmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Regional-Scale Index for Assessing the Exposure of Drinking-Water Sources to Wildfires

Robinne

Bladon

Silins

et al. 2019

Forests

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Recent human-interface wildfires around the world have raised concerns regarding the reliability of freshwater supply flowing from severely burned watersheds. Degraded source water quality can often be expected after severe wildfire and can pose challenges to drinking water facilities by straining treatment response capacities, increasing operating costs, and jeopardizing their ability to supply consumers. Identifying source watersheds that are dangerously exposed to post-wildfire hydrologic changes is important for protecting community drinking-water supplies from contamination risks that may lead to service disruptions. This study presents a spatial index of watershed exposure to wildfires in the province of Alberta, Canada, where growing water demands coupled with increasing fire activity threaten municipal drinking-water supplies. Using a multi-criteria analysis design, we integrated information regarding provincial forest cover, fire danger, source water volume, source-water origin (i.e., forested/un-forested), and population served. We found that (1) >2/3 of the population of the province relies on drinking-water supplies originating in forested watersheds, (2) forest cover is the most important variable controlling final exposure scores, and (3) watersheds supplying small drinking water treatment plants are particularly exposed, especially in central Alberta. The index can help regional authorities prioritize the allocation of risk management resources to mitigate adverse impacts from wildfire. The flexible design of this tool readily allows its deployment at larger national and continental scales to inform broader water security frameworks.

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Fresh Water-Related Indicators in Canada: An Inventory and Analysis

Cited by 28 publications

References 19 publications

Microbial risk governance: challenges and opportunities in fresh water management in Canada

Microbial risk governance: challenges and opportunities in fresh water management in Canada

Importance of Water Quantity on Modeling Using a Vulnerability Index for Northern Ontario Watersheds

A Regional-Scale Index for Assessing the Exposure of Drinking-Water Sources to Wildfires

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