Welcome to The Environmentalist, your column for understanding the natural world. This edition is about our water here in Abbotsford and the looming question, where does it come from?
Every morning of your life I imagine you will perform at least one of the next three actions. Have a cup of coffee or tea, brush your teeth, or take a shower. The main ingredient for all of them is water, but when you open the tap, do you think about where that water comes from?
It all begins when rainfall and melted snow collect in the Dickson and Cannell Lakes. Dickson Lake serves as a storage reservoir which flows into Norrish Creek. This source provides approximately 85 per cent of the entire Abbotsford water supply. Downstream, water flows south for 10 kilometres until it hits the Norrish Creek water treatment plant where large debris, such as branches or gravel, is removed before entering in order to protect the pumps and pipelines inside of the treatment plant. Similarly, Cannell lake has an Ultraviolet (UV) water treatment plant, where a near identical process takes place.
Once the water is inside of both plants, it needs to be treated. This is achieved by passing water through a sand or membrane filter that is able to remove fine particles. If the water is still turbid, some coagulants may be added to help the sediment clump together to facilitate removal. The next step is disinfection. Abbotsford uses UV and various chlorine compounds in order to kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites that the water might still be carrying. After a brief stop, the water is screened to make sure it is safe for human consumption.
Before being distributed, the treated water is stored in two large reservoirs. One is located West of Abbotsford and another on the East of Mission. Combined they hold a total volume “equal to the size of a soccer field with a height of 7.5 metres” according to Our Water Matters Canada.
Finally, through hundreds of kilometres of underground pipes, it reaches our buildings. But who makes sure that the process works perfectly? It is thanks to the Abbotsford Mission Water & Sewer Commission (AMWSC) that two municipalities collaborate to ensure water safety while preserving our healthy watersheds.
This amazing system is expected to soon reach its limit due to urban and population growth, forcing both cities to update their water management master plans. The main solution that has been considered is exploiting the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer, an internationally shared aquifer that is increasingly becoming the main water source for more people despite its fragility, with recent reports of nitrate affecting it.
As pressure increases, Abbotsford and the other cities involved need to sort out how to manage their increasing population’s demand. What should be prioritized? This is a very local issue and staying up to date with water source development. As the Lorax once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.” So, let’s care.
