Mini Quiz !
1. What % of the Earth’s surface is covered by
water?
– 70%
2. What % of water is accessible for human
use?
– 3% is freshwater, 2.4% is frozen or deep
underground, so less than 1% is accessible
3. On average, how many litres of water does a
Canadian use each day?
– Between 329 to 343 litres
Presentation Overview
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Water in Canada
The Hydrologic Cycle
What is a Watershed?
Our Watershed
Brief History
Water Colour
Pollution
Endangered Ecosytem
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tidal Bore
Tidal Bore in the Past
Tidal Bore or Total Bore?
Tidal Bore Photos
About us
Our issues
Take Action
Water in Canada
http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/images/info/facts/e-Canada_domestic_water_use.htm
The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle
http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/nature/grdwtr/e_cycle.htm
What is a Watershed?
• Watershed:
A watershed is an area
of land that drains
surface water from a
connected system of
watercourses and that
ultimately drains into
one particular river,
creek, stream, lake or
ocean.
http://www.tetes-chercheuses.
fr/images/img45e68f6cb8362.jpg
What is a Watershed?
• Watershed:
The watershed
includes both the
streams and rivers
that transport the
water, as well as the
land surfaces from
which water drains
into the
watercourses.
http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/h2o/bowen
/images/watershed_e.jpg
Our Watershed
• Here is our watershed
http://www.petitcodiac.org/riverkeeper/
francais/La_Petitcodiac/Bassin/bassin.html
Brief History
• Geological formation of this region dates back
to more than 250 million years ago
• What is the Mi’kmaq name for the Petitcodiac
River and what does it mean?
– First Nations named it Pet-Kout-Koy-Ek which
means River that bends like a bow.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=fr&ie=UTF8&t=k&ll=46.007455,-64.80835&spn=0.449255,0.85144&z=10
Brief History
•
•
There was a thriving
shipbuilding
industry in the 1850’s
What important species was
commercially fished before
the construction
of the causeway?
• Commercial Atlantic Salmon
fishing exceeded 2000 kilograms
per year, from 1960 to 1967
• Population decline between
1967 and 1968 to a mere 668 kg
harvested
Brief History
• In 1968, a causeway was built…
Brief History
•
•
From 1968 to 1992,
Moncton’s dump was
located on the shores of
the Petitcodiac
Moncton’s raw sewage
was discharged directly
into the river until
Greater Moncton’s
sewage treatment plant
started operating in
1994
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=46.0
68973,-64.808221&spn=0.016763,0.034676&t=k&z=15
Water Colour
• What causes the brown colour of our river?
• The Petitcodiac River’s colour is due to suspended
sediments.
• These sediments come from the silty banks of the
river.
• The silt remains suspended because of the waves
current, tides, wind etc…
• There is no direct link to the color of water and toxic
pollution
Pollution
What are some examples of water pollution?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pesticides
Abandoned Dams
Toxics in the air
Acid Rain
Toxic Waste
Causeways
•
•
•
•
•
•
Landfills
Wastewater
Sedimentation
Snow Dumps
Stormwater
Chemicals
Endangered Ecosystem
• Changes in the Petitcodiac
ecosystem, affect
ecosystems thousands of
kilometers away (Arctic,
American East Coast , South
America, etc.).
• All ecosystems are linked
together, one way or
another
• So this is why we don’t want
to pollute our watershed
and use too much water…
http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/os/byseaenmer/images/img_food_web_mod5.jpg
Tidal Bore
•
•
The tidal bore is created
by the great Bay of Fundy
tides
The front of the bore is
the tide coming in
• Rare natural phenomenon
• Visit Youtube and type in:
– Tidal Bore
– Amazon Surf
Tidal Bore in the Past
• Up to 2 metres high
• Heard from more than
1.5 kilometres away!
Tidal Bore or Total Bore?
• Today, it can be as high
as 75 cm traveling at
speeds up to 13 km/h
• Since Petitcodiac
Causeway construction,
the tidal bore lost its
strength
Tidal Bore Photos
Tidal Bore Photos
About us
• Not-for-profit organization
• Member of the Waterkeeper Alliance
• Goals:
– To restore and protect the ecological integrity of
the Petitcodiac River system
– To ensure compliance with environmental laws
– To educate the public about our river and
pollution issues
Our Issues
• The causeway has been our main issue since
the start of our organization in 1999
• The gates will open in 2010, but…
• We must ensure the project is completed
• Other issues needing attention:
– Uranium
– Pesticides
– Sewage
– Abandoned dams and other causeways
Take Action
•
•
•
•
•
What can you do?
Reduce water use
Be informed
Get involved
Respect our environment
and our river
• Become a volunteer
• Contact us at
info@petitcodiac.org
Thank You!
• Thanks for your time