When you turn on your tap and clean, safe water comes out, do you ever stop to think: how does it get there? Who brings it you? Where does it end up when you’re finished with it?

BC Water & Waste Association and the Province of British Columbia have officially proclaimed Drinking Water Week May 1 to 7, 2011.

We invite you to celebrate this exciting week by “getting to know your H2O” – including where it comes from, where it goes, and how you can protect and conserve it.

Here in B.C., where we have an abundance of natural resources, we often take our tap water for granted.

However, there is no such thing as ‘new water’ – the water that we use continually cycles through the environment, and is reused again and again.

British Columbians personally use an average of 490 litres of water per day compared to the Canadian average of 329 litres per day.

That is about double what Europeans use!

Although it may not be apparent to all of us, the costs and energy required to deliver water to our taps, treat it to be safe and clean, and safeguard the environment by managing wastewater, add up to billions of dollars every year in Canada.

Daisy Foster, CEO of the 4,400-member BC Water & Waste Association notes, “Increases in our population, the growth of industry and agriculture, and the effects of climate change all place enormous pressure on our water supply.”

Drinking Water Week, May 1-7, is dedicated to creating awareness of the value of our water, our water systems, and the people who make it accessible and safe for us to drink.

Many communities throughout B.C. are holding events to celebrate Drinking Water Week. This will  include hosting tours of their local reservoirs and treatment plants, and we encourage you to take the time to visit them.

BC Water & Waste Association