Update: On May 14, 2012, Nanaimo City Council reversed its March decision to make Nanaimo a Blue Community and will keep allowing bottled water to be sold at park facilities and at city events.  

“We should not forget that billions of people still lack a safe supply of water and access to safe sanitation. Canada and the United Kingdom are proposing the removal of an explicit reference to the right to water and sanitation for all from the first draft of the ‘Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development’ outcome document,” warned the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Bottling water has now become a multi-billion dollar business for some companies including Nestlé. Recently, the City of Nanaimo received a letter from Nestlé regarding the City’s decision to stop having bottled water for sale in their vending machines. Check out Bottled Life for an indepth look at Nestlé’s tactics.

This is Drinking Water Week (May 13-19) in BC and a good time to appreciate our access to free, clean drinking water. Check out this infographic on the cost of urban water around the world.  As the temperatures start to rise, this is a good time to remind ourselves on a few ways to conserve this valuable resource.

• Running your sprinkler for just one hour can use 1,514 litres of water
• At 15 litres per minute, pressure washing for four hours can use 3,600 litres
• toilets account for 45% of all indoor water use in a typical residence and 20% of toilets leak
• a running toilet can leak 4 litres of water per minute which adds up to 5,760 litres per day.
• storm drains are not a part of the wastewater system – don’t wash your car near them

Here are some helpful links:

H2 House – how to detect water leaks around your home
Environment Canada water use calculator
Drinking Water Week – take part in the BC Community Water Challenge

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