Water Management - Introduction

Table of Contents

1. Pathways of Water
2. Pathways of Pollution
3. An Ontario Perspective
4. Available in Published Version of Water Management
   

Water is a precious resource. The success of your farm business and the health of your family depend on having a clean and abundant supply.

Water is also a shared resource. Water used on your farm, whether for livestock, laundry, drinking, or mixing with pesticides, has been used by other people, fish and wildlife before you, and will be used by them again after it leaves your farm.

As a user of water, you have a right to expect an ample supply of clean water to meet your needs.

Likewise, it's expected that water leaving your farm, either through evaporation, infiltration to groundwater, or surface runoff, will still be abundant and clean for the next user.

• the home
• the barn and other farm buildings
• the field
• wetlands, watercourses, woodlots, and ponds.

Figure 1. Farming influences the water cycle. Management will affect the amount of precipitation that infiltrates the ground, how much flows over the surface, and will even have an impact on evaporation rates.

We recommend that you read this book from start to finish: like the water cycle itself, each section contains material that has some bearing on the whole!

But first, a brief look at how water -- and the pollutants it can carry with it -- pass through our environment. You need to understand the water cycle before you can develop an effective water management plan for your operation.

Pathways of Water

Water is in constant motion, continually recycling through the environment in a series of pathways called the water cycle.

The water cycle establishes a water balance in every hectare of land and kilometre of stream. We can affect this balance, positively or negatively, as we change our land and water use.

Pathways of Pollution

Water is a universal carrier. Its properties enable it to dissolve many substances, and carry them with its flow. Pollutants can be carried with water through all phases of the water cycle.

Your farm is part of the overall water cycle, having an impact on both the surface water that runs over it and the ground water that runs beneath it.

Normal farming practices involve the use of many substances that can potentially contaminate water: pesticides, fuel, fertilizers, manure, to name a few.

These substances can move into surface water, either by being attached to sediment eroded from agricultural land, or dissolved in runoff. They can infiltrate soil to contaminate ground water supplies.

An Ontario Perspective

Most of Ontario's agricultural production lies within the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River basin. This is the largest fresh surface water system in the world. It holds 20 percent of the world's available fresh water.

As the number of water users in Ontario continues to increase, there are greater demands on our water supplies. When planning for the future we must ensure that water is used as efficiently as possible and protected from pollution.

Water is the common property of all Ontario citizens. To protect our water resources and all who use them, a variety of laws and regulations are in place.

Figure 2. Average Canadian Home Water Use - 20% Laundry and dishes, 35% Showers and baths, 5% Drinking and cooking and 40% Toilets.

A summary of this legislation can be found in the last section of this Water Management online book.

Available in Published Version of Water Management

• Composition of Earth's Freshwater - Chart
• The Water Cycle

Best Management Practices: Water Management