Canadian Teachers are Waiting for Over 1,900 Sponsored Kits to be Sent to their Schools

Canadian teachers are currently waiting for over 1,900 sponsored Operation Water Drop, Operation Water Pollution and Operation Water Biology kits to be sent to their schools.  Individuals and companies can sponsor kits for schools.  If you/your company sponsors kits, you/your company will be acknowledged in the letter that accompanies the kit.  You can even decide in which geographic area your kits will be dispersed or to which specific school(s).  Please e-mail info@safewater.org if you would like to sponsor Operation Water Drop, Operation Water Pollution and/or Operation Water Biology kits or if you would like more information.
 
Home Project Objectives

In order to produce safe drinking water from poor source waters there are two objectives that need to be met:

  1. The removal of particles from the water. These particles include microbes, such as viruses, bacteria, algae and protozoan parasites.
  2. The removal of dissolved organic material from the water. This material includes naturally produced organics and man-made contaminants.

The SDWF is therefore planning to conduct R&D into particle and dissolved organic removal from drinking water sources. Support for these two areas are presently being sought. A host of agencies have indicated their support for addressing these fundamental issues by writing letters of support for a Prairie Water Partnership (Appendix 2). More than 25 organizations, including all levels of government, industry, and academia, provided letters of support for addressing these prairie water quality issues. Some of these letters have been included in this package indicating strong support from the medical community with letters from Faculty of Medicine (University of Alberta), Saskatchewan Health, Manitoba Health and Health Canada. While all agree that this is a serious health problem (Health Canada's comments were "the serious water quality problems in the Prairies") the resources for action within government agencies have not been forthcoming.

While promises by various levels of government are sometimes made, the reality remains that budgets have been slashed for responsible public agencies to the extent that no level of government can be counted on for solving these "serious water quality problems in the Prairies". One of the most knowledgeable scientists in Saskatchewan put it like this:

"Many Saskatchewan farms and even communities are forced to use sub-standard water. The problem often relates more to the quality of available water, and lack of practical small-scale treatment techniques to improve water quality, than to the availability of the supply.

One cannot help to wonder what adverse health effects exist for people living in this situation, and how many lost economic opportunities they experience because of the lack of good-quality water. From my own personal experience and observations, both of these effects are very real."

Dr. Joe Bergman, Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant (and previously with Saskatchewan Health, Regina)

Solving the serious water quality problems that exist on the Canadian Prairies cannot be done without a major R&D effort. The Safe Drinking Water Foundation has therefore prioritized particle and dissolved organics removal R&D. Several agencies that have expressed an interest in collaborating with SDWF on these issues have extensive experience in various aspects of these problems.