The environment is a big part of our economy and that is especially true in terms of the environment of water.
That was the contention of Carl Neggers a keynote speaker at the Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds Conference held in Yorkton last week.
In the case of water that seems rather obvious, said Neggers who brings more than 30-years of strategic and sustainable management experience to the table having worked with federal and provincial ministries, the hospitality industry, accounting firms, professional sports franchises and environmental service companies helping to restructure and streamline their practices towards a more self-reliant, sustainable and profitable future.
If you don’t have enough if it, it becomes problematic,” he said.
And that means water has value.
If something has a value it can be proved “based on the amount that we have,” he said, adding that is fostering much debate these days.
Certainly there is a cost to maintaining safe water, and that cost is going to grow.
“There is a significant infrastructure deficit in water,” he said, adding it will be “very expensive” to replace that aging network.
“If you could only see what’s under the ground you would be shocked.”
However, it remains crucial systems be in place “to clean the water the way we need to,” said Neggers who was the Director General of the federal government’s Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA). Serving western Canada, PFRA is an internationally recognized agency, which addresses the sustainable resource development challenges faced by agriculture and rural Canadians.
At the same time what we do must be “more sustainable and more affordable” moving forward, he offered.
If that is not the case you can end up with dramatic situations like the one on Flint, MI “where they didn’t have access to clean reliable water.”
Closer to home there is the issue of blue algae infestations in the summer of Lake Winnipeg.
“Everywhere we turn we need to diligent in protecting water,” said Neggers, also served as Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Equity Fund, working with entrepreneurs in the development and commercialization of their innovative products and services.
As an example it has been realized that estrogen from women’s health products is having an effect on fish when it gets into lakes. While it might be a great tool to manage birth rates, Neggers noted “it has a negative impact when it enters the water system.”
Neggers said the concern for water can create some business opportunities. He said businesses which can show they are using less water can win fans among consumers with an environmental conscience.
And, when shortages do begin to occur technology trends to develop to deal with it.
“When things get tight, people get smart,” said Neggers.
That is one area where we have an advantage these days. Neggers pointed to the difference between the knowledge base, and access to it, when the drought of the 1930s hit, and today. The Internet has created an immediacy of knowledge exchange that is an asset in the face of any critical situation.
With that knowledge base and broader access can come fresh solutions to water safety to the benefit of all users, said Neggers, adding forward looking solutions are critical.
“More of yesterday will not get us to a better tomorrow,” he said, adding it has be recognized “… things will not be the way they are, nor should they (necessarily) be.”
So there are some elements to build around moving forward.
Neggers said that starts “by looking at water as a finite resource.”
Next “water matters on a number of fronts,” he said.
In that respect a multi-disciplinary plan is required, one which takes into account the different requirements of varied users, from human consumption, to agriculture, business, recreation and others. Neggers said that means looking at the issue of water “through a larger lens.”
But ultimately, we need to recognize water will be in shorter supply.
“We are moving from abundance to relative obscurity,” he said, again reiterating planning is needed now to at least slow that trend.
