NEW
Cryofront: News and Views from the Far North
Grise Fiord water supply 2008 – iceberg harvesting
Climate change and water supply in the far north By Ken Johnson, NTWWA Director
An introduction to a new feature in WCW Magazine By definition, cryofront is the “zero degree isotherm in a soil profile” or what may be referred as the “leading edge of the cold.” For the purposes of this new, and hopefully continuing presentation in Western Canada Water, Cryofront is intended to provide news, and perspectives on the technical, administrative and political aspects of water, and waste in the far north of Canada. And, on occasion, Cryofront will venture to other countries, and continents in the wide world of cold. This is a timely start to this WCW presentation, as Canada copes with a new era in the visibility and importance of its cold region. From climate change to sovereignty, and all points in between, the Canadian north has not been on the national radar to such an extent since the “Roads to Resources” initiative by John Diefenbaker 50 years ago. From a global perspective, the Canadian north has probably not seen as much attention since the search for the ill fated Franklin expedition almost 160 years ago. Water resources and climate adaptation Water resources have been identified as one of the highest priority issues for climate change adaptation in Canada. Water infrastructure is probably the most vulnerable to climate change, and the importance of water to human health, the economy and the environment probably make it the most critical type of infrastructure. The impacts of climate change on water infrastructure could result in multiple problems such as increased water demand, water apportionment issues, loss of potable water, increased water quality problems, and increased risk of flooding, just to name a few. 20 | Western Canada Water | Spring 2009
Now apply this same basic reasoning to northern latitudes, and the potential problems profoundly increase because of the underlying challenges associated with climate, geography, culture, and cost. Hamlet of Grise Fiord’s water supply challenges Grise Fiord, Nunavut is Canada’s most northern community, and the permanent home to 140 Canadians. Community infrastructure is tough to maintain at this latitude, and it was made “tougher” in spring of 2008, when residents of the community were forced to use icebergs as their potable water supply as they dealt with a severe water shortage. Grise Fiord must replenish its water supply during a brief three-week window in the summer when glacier melt flows sufficiently to fill several large tanks with capacity enough to supply the community for 12 months. Grise Fiord has some of the highest water rates in the country with a rate of approximately 4.5 cents per litre – the cost of water in Ottawa is approximately 0.1 cents per litre. Up to the late 1970s iceberg ice was the community’s sole water supply from late September through June. Thirty years later, the community was once again reverting to this “old technology” for an interim potable water supply. The community would normally have the two huge water tanks filled with glacial runoff to last them for 12 months from the tank filling in June of each year. Unfortunately maintenance work and a lack of rain in the summer of 2007 left the tanks under-filled. Grise Fiord officials issued an advisory urging residents to conserve water, while a six-kilometre ice road was built to the Hamlet’s new water Click here to return to Table of Contents
source — a massive iceberg. Loaders were used to break blocks from the iceberg and haul them into the community, where four people chipped them into smaller pieces and put them into the tanks. It was estimated that the essential endeavour would cost about $60,000. The lack of water has prompted residents to wonder what would happen should the problem recur. Climate change may be a factor in their situation, which they never foresaw a few years ago when the existing tanks were built. As well, the community may have to look for another source of water than the glacial runoff. City of Yellowknife’s water treatment challenges Bottled water was in high demand in Yellowknife for most of June 2004, after the Northwest Territories capital city issued a boil water advisory due to an unusually turbid tap water. The turbid water turned into a mystery when it failed to clear up in a few days after the usual spring thaw had run its course along the Yellowknife River. When the boil water advisory went into a second week, it became evident that something else was at play. The cause of the higher-than-normal turbidity was eventually traced to a river bank collapse six kilometres upstream from Yellowknife’s raw water intake. During an aerial tour of the river, City staff spotted a large plume of silt and sand released into a narrow stretch of shallow water. It was determined that the adjacent river bank had collapsed due to melting permafrost, and had released large amounts of sediment into the river that were carried downstream to the raw water intake. Repeated tests in the distribution system were conducted throughout the boil water advisory, and revealed no bacterial concerns. Did the river
bank collapse because of climate change, creating a significant water supply problem for the NWT capital? No one can say for sure. This event has prompted the City to advance the plans for the eventual construction of a potable water filtration system. City of Whitehorse’s water supply changes The City of Whitehorse has traditionally used the Schwatka Lake hydro electric reservoir as the primary source of potable water for the community, with supplementary water supplied by a series of wells in the Riverdale residential neighbourhood. The initial advantage of the Riverdale wellwater was that it provided a warmer water supply, which reduced the water heating requirements needed during the winter operation of the water distribution system. With the completion of a watershed management plan, the City began to rethink their water supply strategies, and the opportunity for an increased role for the Riverdale wells. The strategy has evolved into the long term plan of removing the surface water supply, and implementing groundwater as the only water supply for the system. This recognizes the opportunity for energy savings in water heating, water treatment requirements with the groundwater source, and the potential for climate change impacts in the surface water supply.
Ken Johnson Ken is a consulting engineer and planner, as well as a member of the NTWWA and WCW Boards; ClearTech Carbon_quarter_WCanW 4/27/06 11:04 AM Page 1 he can be reached at ken.johnson@cryofront.com
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Spring 2009 | Western Canada Water | 21