SDWF MISSION

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SDWF MISSION

• Encourage the universality of safe drinking water
  by supporting innovative research and
  development.
• Increase awareness of health concerns from
  consumption of poor quality water.
• Act as a policy advocate to ensure appropriate
  action is taken to provide safe drinking water to
  all people.

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SAFE DRINKING WATER IN CANADA

• Here in Canada, we assume that our water is
  always safe to drink, and that we have a constant
  supply...After all, Canada has over 21 of the
  world's fresh water, which represents 85 of the
  fresh water in North America. We may be aware of
  the fact that 1.1 billion people do not have
  sufficient access to safe water, and that 2.6
  billion people have no access at all to
  sanitation and clean water. But here is Canada?
  We're fine, right? Wrong...

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BOIL WATER ADVISORIES

• Health Canada presently tells 95 rural
  communities to continue their Boil Water
  Advisories, and another 85 communities have water
  systems near breakdown. As of Thursday January
  28th, 2010, www.water.ca reported the following
  Drinking Water Advisories (Boil Water Advisories
  and Do Not Consume Orders) across Canada 304 -
  BC 11 - AB 219 - SK 74 - Man. 69 - Ont. 72 -
  QU 178 NF 5 - NB 50 - NS 1 - PEI 1 -
  YK/NWT.

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Maybe the Communities with BWAs are the Lucky
Ones!

• SDWF scientists repeatedly help communities who
  Health Canada have not accurately or competently
  assessed their drinking water and have wrongly
  advised them that their water is safe when in
  reality they too should be on a BWA!

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Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines

• 83 Health-based
• 20 Aesthetic
• 6 Health and aesthetic
• Health Canadas monitoring program community
  treatment and distribution system is as follows
• Weekly 4 parameters (Coliforms, E. coli and
  Chlorine Residuals (Total Free))
• Quarterly Trihalomethanes on some systems
• Annually 15 health-based, 13 aesthetic and
  parameters that do not have guidelines.
• The other guidelines? Every FIVE years!

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Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines

• If you board a plane and the crew tells you that
  there are 109 mechanical checks, they have
  completed 4 of them this week but the plane is
  safe to fly would you take the flight?

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WATER POLLUTION

• Some communities are struggling with pollution
  issues - trichloroethylene in Beckwith, Ont.
  trihalomethanes and other surface water
  contaminants in SK nitrates in NS etc. Canada
  uses many pesticides which have never been
  properly assessed and continue to be used in
  spite of increasing and overwhelming scientific
  evidence that they cause cellular damage and
  death. Per year, Canada has over 90 000
  water-related illnesses and 90 water-related
  deaths (Source www.ecojustice.ca, Oct. 2006).

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BOTTLED WATER

• Bottled water is a temporary solution for some
  people, but it is only a band-aid, and represents
  another concern about water. Not only does it
  have a significant negative impact on the
  environment (removing large quantities of water
  from one source, putting it in plastic, using
  energy to transport it, etc), but it is not
  well-regulated. Of the 18 regulations pertaining
  to bottled water, only 3 deal with the actual
  quality of water (the rest are marketing and
  labeling) and inspections take place every 12 -
  18 months. The regulations do NOT test for nor
  detect chemical contaminants.

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SDWF KNOWLEDGE AND FACT SHEETS

• The SDWF helps people become more aware and
  knowledgeable, they have developed over 40
  comprehensive Fact Sheets covering everything
  from waterborne illnesses to social justice
  issues around water, to climate change and
  chlorination - all of which are free and
  downloadable from the website. Students, as our
  future citizens, must become fully literate in
  environmental issues if they are going to be
  properly prepared to make informed decisions for
  themselves and others.

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SDWF SCHOOL PROGRAMS

• Available to all schools anywhere in North
  America!
• All lessons can be downloaded directly from our
  website.
• Curriculum Connections for respective provinces
  and lessons are listed online.

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SDWF SCHOOL PROGRAMS

• We are honoured to be recognized as Environmental
  Programs of Excellence by Green Street since
  2002.

• Available Programs Operation Water Drop,
  Operation Water Pollution, Operation Water
  Health, Operation Water Flow, Operation Water
  Spirit, Template for Change

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OPERATION WATER DROP (OWD)

• Dates for Distribution of kits -
• Elementary and/or High School kits
• 2010 March 1, March 15, March 29, April 12, April
  26, May 10 May 25.
• New for 2009-2010! Get a complimentary copy of
  the DVD Downstream with every Operation Water
  Drop Kit ordered.

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OPERATION WATER DROP (OWD)

• Elementary teachers can demonstrate seven
  scientific tests on their own community drinking
  water Alkalinity, Ammonium, Colour, Copper,
  Total Hardness, Chlorine, pH and Sulphate.
• High School teachers can guide their students to
  work in groups and test for the above eight
  compounds, as well as an additional five
  analytical tests Arsenic, Heterotrophic Plate
  Count, Iron, Manganese and Nitrate.

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OPERATION WATER DROP (OWD)

• Students can compare their local water to three
  other sample waters as well as to a control
  medium.
• The other water samples should include an Urban
  treated drinking water, a Rural treated drinking
  water and a Raw untreated source water, and then
  compare results from these waters to their own
  community drinking water.
• Water samples from an Urban treated drinking
  water, a Rural treated drinking water and a Raw
  untreated source water are available on request
  from SDWF, with a fee to cover postage of 20 for
  High Schools.

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OPERATION WATER DROP (OWD)

• Expectations of Program
• To encourage students to develop critical
  thinking skills which will empower them to
  become actively involved in issues such as
  ensuring safe drinking water within their
  community, and on a global scale.

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OPERATION WATER DROP (OWD)

• Operation Water Drop is available for a cost
  recovery fee of
• Elementary Schools - Grades 4 to 8 60
• High Schools - Grades 9 to 12 120
• Please note CAD funds for Canadian and U.S.
  Schools.
• If you are ordering from the U.S. please send an
  additional 8.00 to cover shipping and
  handling.

• Many chapters of TD Friends of the Environment
  Foundation will fund schools in Canada
• Contact info_at_safewater.org for more information.

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OPERATION WATER POLLUTION (OWP)

• New for 2009-2010! Receive a complimentary copy
  of the DVD Crapshoot with every Operation Water
  Pollution kit ordered.
• Designed for use in both Elementary and High
  School classrooms.
• Directly connects with Science and Social Studies
  curricula and is set up as content-integrated
  lessons. The series of eleven lessons guides
  students through an examination of water
  pollution issues.

• The students discover how water pollution is
  reversed and what they can do to affect
  change in their community with regards to water
  pollution.
• Every lesson includes additional suggested
  activities and resources, along with
  references to other sources of information.

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OPERATION WATER POLLUTION (OWP)

• How it works
• Lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations and all
  resources are available online. All material is
  downloaded by the teacher for review prior to
  receiving the TDS and pH meters.
• Cost
• The cost of Operation Water Pollution is 120 and
  includes both a TDS and pH meter. It should be
  noted that each meter is reusable and remains
  viable for approximately two years. Many school
  kits are available free of charge as a result of
  different sponsors such as Green Street and TD
  Friends of Environment Foundation.
• End Goals
• Students develop definitions of polluted drinking
  water that serves
• as the backbone for the other lessons in
  this program.

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OPERATION WATER HEALTH (OWH)

• Designed for use in both Elementary and High
  School classrooms.
• Directly connects with Health, Science and Social
  Studies curricula and is set up as
  content-integrated lessons.
• Teachers may choose to present one of the lessons
  or all of the lessons as they find the material
  to be most suitable or applicable for their
  students and related subject lesson plans.

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OPERATION WATER HEALTH (OWH)

• Through a variety of activities and cooperative
  learning strategies, the students explore common
  disease-causing microbes found in water, how
  these microbes are removed or inactivated in
  water with water treatment and the diseases these
  microbes cause when they are not identified and
  treated in drinking water systems.
• How it works
• Lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations and all
  resources are available online, for review and
  for teachers to print.

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OPERATION WATER HEALTH (OWH)

• Cost
• There is no cost for the program lessons may be
  downloaded at any time from the Safe Drinking
  Water Foundation website free of charge. We do
  ask that teachers register before downloading
  simply to monitor teacher evaluations which
  help us to improve the lessons annually.
• End Goals
• Students develop definitions for both healthy
  and unhealthy drinking water and these
  definitions serve as the backbone for the other
  lessons in this program.

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OPERATION WATER FLOW (OWF)

• OWF encourages teachers of Math, Chemistry,
  Biology and Social Studies to support the Science
  teacher in order to give students a more thorough
  understanding of issues surrounding drinking
  water.
• OWF is available free of charge online at
  www.safewater.org
• Visitors to the website are asked to register
  their contact information before downloading the
  OWF lesson plans.

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OPERATION WATER FLOW (OWF)

• OWF encourages students to establish the true
  cost of water (economic and environmental) the
  social responsibilities of providing safe
  drinking water the need for national
  regulations and the need for water conservation
  and source water protection, etc.
• Operation Water Flow supports and encourages a
  broad understanding of information related to
  drinking water issues.
• OWF is available for grades 6 to 12.

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OPERATION WATER FLOW (OWF)

• Math or Social Studies?
• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada allows
  Aboriginal people 235 litres per day of safe
  water!
• Non-Aboriginal communities are under provincial
  laws and vary, but they are probably similar to
  Saskatchewan which allows non-Aboriginal people
  approx. 456 litres per day!
• Grade 9 I use that much water? Looks at ways to
  conserve water.
• SDWF believes non-Aboriginal people should have
  no problem living with the same water consumption
  as Aboriginal people!

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OPERATION WATER FLOW (OWF)

• End Goals
• That students incorporate their newfound
  knowledge into their presentations of their
  Operation Water Drop results.

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OPERATION WATER SPIRIT (OWS)

• OWS is a collection of thematic units and lesson
  plans which will reinforce Aboriginal culture and
  perspectives regarding water for Aboriginal
  students - while at the same time provide an
  Aboriginal perspective to non-Aboriginal
  students about water issues.

Operation Water Spirit invites teachers to
encourage classroom discussions to enable
students to gain a closer understanding of
Aboriginal issues and perspectives surrounding
drinking water.
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OPERATION WATER SPIRIT (OWS)

• OWS is available free of charge online at
  www.safewater.org
• Visitors are asked to register their contact
  information before downloading the OWS lesson
  plans.
• OWS is available for grades K to 12.
• Students will learn that not everyone has safe
  drinking water and Aboriginal people are the
  greatest protectors of our environment,
  encouraging the need for water conservation and
  source water protection, etc.

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OPERATION WATER SPIRIT (OWS)

• Expectations of Teachers
• To present Operation Water Spirit in an open and
  caring atmosphere to encourage students to view
  Aboriginal issues by walking in their moccasins
  for the duration of these lessons.
• Expectations of Students
• To be receptive to new perspectives and to leave
  all racial prejudice behind.
• End Goals
• A closer relationship and understanding of water
  issues between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
  students.

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TEMPLATE FOR CHANGE (T4C)

• Template for Change (T4C) includes 12 DVDs
  contained in one wallet. Presentations are by
  Engineers, Microbiologists and Scientists from
  around the world giving a global perspective, and
  an independent, non-government look at water
  issues. It includes speakers from First Nations
  as well as 
•  

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TEMPLATE FOR CHANGE (T4C)

• Dr. David Suzuki, Guest Speaker, presenting on
  The Challenge to Scientists -  Getting the
  Message Out.
• Dr. David Schindler, Professor of Biology at the
  University of Alberta and Chairman of SDWF,
  presenting The Effects of Environmental
  Degradation on Native Communities.
• Dr. Hans Peterson, Executive Director of the Safe
  Drinking Water Foundation, presenting Battling
  the Odds to Produce Safe Drinking Water.

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TEMPLATE FOR CHANGE (T4C)

• T4C is available for a cost recovery fee of 75
  and can be ordered online at www.safewater.org
• Schools are encouraged to order Template for
  Change once students have participated in
  Operation Water Flow, Operation Water Spirit,
  Operation Water Health, Operation Water Pollution
  and, most of all, in Operation Water Drop - to
  test and compare their own community drinking
  water.

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TEMPLATE FOR CHANGE (T4C)

• Students can then organize community awareness
  evenings to pass on their newfound knowledge to
  community citizens and leaders. This is also an
  opportunity for students to fundraise by charging
  a small admission fee to attendees.

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THE WATER DROP_______________________________

• The Water Drop is the water resources for
  teachers newsletter published by the Safe
  Drinking Water Foundation that is available in
  English and French on their website
  www.safewater.org

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THANK YOU
For becoming part of the solution to make Safe
Drinking Water a reality for Everyone!
Please visit us at www.safewater.org for
additional information about any of our programs.