The rising tide of Canada’s water quality crisis

Across Canada, many people are familiar with the consequences of poor water quality, from unsafe drinking water to the occurrence of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Blooms return annually to many lakes, making the waters unswimmable. They can also make the water unsafe for drinking. Blooms have affected sacred sites of Indigenous Peoples, including Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., which impacted last year’s pilgrimage and the Pope’s visit. Other sacred sites and myriad lakes across Canada have been affected. The health impacts of bloom exposure can be severe, ranging from skin irritation to fatality. On the economics side, the impacts are also grave, with costs associated with blooms in the United States estimated in the billions of dollars. In recent decades, bloom impacts have been increasing and are seen from coast to coast, and even in the North. But the greatest effects are apparent in areas with high population density, and areas with substantive agriculture. That’s because those are the sites of high nutrient inputs which increase bloom risk. Dr. Helen Baulch is an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Photograph courtesy of Helen Baulch Interestingly, for a time this seemed to be a problem we had solved. Canadian science was at the forefront of understanding drivers of blooms via work that is now five decades old. At the Experimental Lake Area in northwestern Ontario, whole lake experiments identified increasing inputs of the nutrient phosphorus as the key factor causing widespread deterioration of lakes. For a time, policy responses seemed sufficient. Investing in wastewater upgrades and regulating phosphorus in laundry detergents helped hasten recovery of many lakes, including the famous but transient success story of Lake Erie. The resurgence of bloom issues is a clear indication that these responses are no longer sufficient. Increased nutrient loading combined with climatic changes and other impacts on lake ecosystems mean blooms are, again, a key issue across vast numbers of the nation’s lakes. For many lakes, greater efforts to control agricultural nutrients will be required to control blooms. Yet the decline in support for watershed groups in many parts of the country, combined with changes in agricultural extension funding and programs, and tremendous pressures on agricultural producers mean we have not yet had adequate success in controlling agricultural runoff. This task of managing agricultural runoff is by no means easy. Work, again at the Experimental Lakes Area, shows just how little phosphorus it takes to cause lake blooms to begin. The results suggest we need to either accept widespread bloom-risk or support major changes to nutrient management. Often, agricultural nutrients are very well-balanced to crop demand—meaning only a small percentage of inputs runs off. Yet a little waste, and increasing phosphorus inputs by just tens of kilograms per year, can be enough to degrade a lake. Fortunately, right now, there are many opportunities to bring change. Federal goals to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide emissions will benefit from implementation of precision nitrogen management, a practice that can be extended to phosphorus management. For example, producers could decrease inputs in areas most vulnerable to runoff, where the risk to lakes is greatest. And with high fertilizer prices affecting producers, practical options to reduce inputs hold new appeal. Agronomic recommendations in parts of the nation have not been updated in decades, despite massive changes in crops and cropping practices, and a new awareness of the environmental consequences of too much phosphorus in lakes. In the 1970s, we mobilized new policy to keep our waters swimmable and drinkable. Once again, we need to mobilize action. Mitigating blooms will require a new approach to managing our watersheds, and an investment in change. Key next steps include revisiting agronomic recommendations, policies on manure management, and building a case for change with agricultural producers. Continued investment in wastewater treatment is also required. And as we work towards solutions, we need to manage the health and environmental risks we currently have through improved communication of bloom risks, bloom monitoring, and water treatment. The water quality crisis in Canada isn’t just about blooms. Contaminated groundwater, toxic chemicals, and unsafe drinking water affect many waters, and remind us that water and water quality require care, consideration, and ambitious action to sustain. Dr. Helen Baulch is an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan. She is a Centennial Enhancement Chair, working in the school of School of Environment and Sustainability and Global Institute for Water Security. The Hill Times

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The rising tide of Canada’s water quality crisis

Keeping waters drinkable and swimmable is going to require concerted action.

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