The Western Producer - Communities feel pinch as river levels plummet
“Pressure on Alberta rivers due to sustained dry conditions last fall forced a Saskatchewan town to declare a state of emergency in early December.”
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This recent article featured on The Western Producer highlights the mounting stress that climate change is exerting on Canada’s water resources, and the mounting need for a consistent national approach to addressing water vulnerability. The situation has led the town of Leader, Saskatchewan, to declare a state of emergency due to insufficient water supply for its residents.
As concerns over compliance with water management agreements and the provision of essential services like clean drinking water intensify, there's a pressing need for a unified national approach to address water vulnerability. There is an urgent need for a coordinated national effort to better understand and quantify the impact that climate change is having on drought frequency and intensity across Canada.
The Canada1Water project, nearing the completion of its initial research and development phase, stands as a crucial national initiative. The C1W project aims to analyze the effects of climate change on Canada's water resources, offering decision-makers, policy analysts, and community planners user-friendly tools to navigate the challenges of ensuring a sustainable water supply in the coming decades and centuries.
Click here to read the article in The Western Producer
“So far in history, there has only been a few times that the actual flow has fallen below 42.5 … in late November 1994 and in late November again in 2011, both of which were at times Alberta was not consuming more than 50 percent of the natural flow,”
“At this time, we do not have the funds to undertake a permanent solution but will continue to make every effort to ensure our residents have safe drinking water,”
Low water levels in the South Saskatchewan River have become a perennial issue for the town of Leader, Sask., in southwestern Saskatchewan, which declared a state of emergency in December after its water system could no longer access the river.