According to an analysis published by the Conference Board of Canada this country has the second worst performance on water withdrawals (water use) amongst a group of 16 peer countries.

The Conference Board states that Canada’s water withdrawals are nearly double that of the 16-country average. Industry is Canada’s largest water user. This can be attributed to the lack of widespread water conservation practices and water pricing that does not promote efficiency.

Amongst industrial water users, thermal-electric power producers withdraw 86 per cent. Manufacturers take 12.4 per cent—where water is mainly used in paper industries, primary metals industry, and chemicals industries. Mining industries are responsible for 1.6 per cent of total industrial withdrawals.

The Board urges that Canadians must start paying more for water and embrace water conservation measures or risk the depletion of one of Canada’s most valuable resources.

The full article – one page – is available at http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/environment/water-consumption.aspx