![\"This](\"http:\/\/nunatsiaq.com\/pub\/photos\/iq_watershed.jpg\")
\nThis image shows Iqaluit’s current freshwater source, Lake Geraldine watershed and reservoir. The yellow dots indicate the potential extraction points along the Apex River, the source the city has identified to supplement its freshwater supply. (IMAGE COURTESY OF EXP. SERVICE INC.)<\/div>\n
![\"Lake](\"http:\/\/nunatsiaq.com\/pub\/photos\/geraldine_d.jpg\")
\nLake Geraldine, Iqaluit’s main water source, on May 23: new research shows the lake might not be able to sustain Iqaluit’s growing freshwater needs beyond another 10 years. (PHOTO BY STEVE DUCHARME)<\/div>\n
Water reservoirs in some Nunavut communities could run dry over the next decade due to shifting weather and climate patterns, a group of environmental researchers have found.<\/p>\n
In their study, the researchers sound the alarm on access to fresh water in Nunavut, saying Iqaluit alone could exhaust its freshwater supply within the next five to 10 years.<\/p>\n
Iqaluit\u2019s end-of-winter supply could be completely used up in any given year, said York University geographer Andrew Scott Medeiros, during the period before the ice melts when the supply has already been drained and no more rain or run-off can enter the system.<\/p>\n
The issue is one of climate change: Arctic regions are seeing decreased precipitation and increased evaporation with warmer temperatures.<\/p>\n
The City of Iqaluit has estimated that its freshwater source, the Lake Geraldine watershed and reservoir, is at or near capacity.<\/p>\n
While the city looks at options to supplement its water supply, Medeiros fears Iqaluit could run into the same problems that smaller hamlets have run into in recent years.<\/p>\n
In 2015, for example, the hamlet of\u00a0Igloolik\u2019s main water reservoir was temporarily depleted<\/a>\u00a0in the late spring when residents used water faster than the ice in the open reservoir could melt.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if a source like [Iqaluit\u2019s] Lake Geraldine runs dry, you can\u2019t ship bottled water to a population that large,\u201d Medeiros said.<\/p>\n Medeiros and a team of researchers have spent the last several years looking at freshwater quality and quantity issues across the territory, including an analysis of Government of Nunavut-commissioned studies and proposals for supplementary water sources.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s latest study, soon to be published in the\u00a0Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research<\/i>, focuses on Iqaluit where the capital\u2019s fast-growing population\u2014estimated to consume about 352 litres of water per capita, per day\u2014is quickly outgrowing its water supply.<\/p>\n That\u2019s prompted Iqaluit to look at alternative sources to supplement the city\u2019s freshwater supply; the city\u2019s general plan identified the Niaqunguk or Apex River as a potential source, backed up by a 2014 study prepared by EXP Services Inc.<\/p>\n Iqaluit\u2019s engineering and public works committee voted in 2015 to pursue a more in-depth review of that source.<\/p>\n Municipal staff told\u00a0Nunatsiaq News<\/i>\u00a0last week that the city is currently working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on getting approval for this water source, with plans to begin tapping the Apex River as early as 2018.<\/p>\n The report looked at two potential extraction points from the river at their highest flow rate, July, August and September, to see if they could potentially supply the 845,000 to 1,853,000 cubic metres of water the city estimates it will need to meet its annual demands.<\/p>\n Over that three-month period, the study estimated the river\u2019s flow volume at some 6,900,000 cubic metres at its highest rate.<\/p>\n But York University researchers say that flow isn\u2019t consistent with the river\u2019s typical conditions.<\/p>\n At a pump rate of 1,853,000 m3 over the summer months, there\u2019s a one in three chance each summer that the Apex River would be depleted, Medeiros said\u2014not to mention that the rate exceeds DFO\u2019s guidelines for water extraction.<\/p>\n \u201cThere isn\u2019t enough water in that river to supplement Iqaluit,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m sure people who use that water traditionally would not appreciate it. Yet they\u2019re still moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n But Medeiros notes the problem of vulnerable water sources isn\u2019t limited to Iqaluit: \u201cThis is s territorial problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The issue extends to Rankin Inlet, which recently tapped into the local Char River to supplement the community\u2019s freshwater drinking source at Lake Nipissar.<\/p>\n Medeiros said a previous study of the Char River miscalculated the amount of freshwater available in the river, a source that has also been known to run dry naturally.<\/p>\n In a 2016 study,<\/a>\u00a0the same group of York University researchers predict end-of-winter shortages could occur in Rankin Inlet as early as 2020 unless \u201csubstantial efforts are employed immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n But since Medeiros and his colleagues flagged their findings to the Government of Nunavut earlier this year, they said they\u2019ve had no response. And\u00a0it\u2019s not the first time GN officials have been warned.<\/a><\/p>\n Part of the problem is that the territorial government has no freshwater management plan, nor is there a department or employee responsible for freshwater policy in Nunavut, Medeiros said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Nunavut, it\u2019s not even on the radar,\u201d Medeiros said. \u201cThere is no mechanism to deal with water issues. It\u2019s often left until it becomes a Department of Health issue.\u201d<\/p>\n The GN has yet to respond to a request for more information about how, or whether, the government is addressing the territory\u2019s freshwater needs.<\/p>\n Medeiros doesn\u2019t suggest there\u2019s any easy answer for Nunavut. The group\u2019s upcoming study looks at other options for Iqaluit like snow fencing, designed to extend the snow and ice melt period, as well as reverse osmosis, a process of desalinating ocean water.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no simple solution,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will require serious thought and cold weather engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: Nunatsiaq News 2017-05-23: NEWS: Nunavut water reservoirs at risk of running dry, researchers say<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nunavut water reservoirs at risk of running dry, researchers say Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet could deplete freshwater sources in five to 10 years SARAH ROGERS This image shows Iqaluit’s current freshwater source, Lake Geraldine watershed and reservoir. The yellow dots indicate the potential extraction points along … Continue readingNunatsiaq News 2017-05-23: NEWS: Nunavut water reservoirs at risk of running dry, researchers say<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144,"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions\/144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andrewmedeiros.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}