July 8th, 2014 by Kristen Wong | Comments Off on UBC Dialogues: Okanagan – How Can We Protect Our Water?
The Okanagan is known for its pristine lakes and rivers. Tourists visit the region for the scenery, vineyards, and abundant recreation opportunities that these waters provide. Residents rely on this water every day. But how clean is it, really? Wastewater, as well as chemical runoff from industry and agriculture, poses a threat to our freshwater supplies. How can we neutralize these threats without sacrificing our economic well-being? What steps can we take to ensure our most valuable resource remains clean and abundant for years to come.
Moderator
Chris Walker – Host, CBC’s Daybreak South
Panelists
Bruce Mathieson – Associate Professor, Biology, UBC’s Okanagan campus
Ivor Norlin – Manager of Infrastructure Programs, Interior Health, Health Protection
Anna Warwick Sears – Executive Director, Okanagan Basin Water Board
March 16th, 2010 by | Comments Off on Pricing water for efficiency and responsibility: OECD Reports
The OECD announced today that three separate studies support that conclusion that “putting the right price on water will encourage people to waste less, pollute less, and invest more in water infrastructure.” In the view of the OECD, the “right price” is one that reflects the true cost of the water they consume – both drinking water, water for agricultural uses, and any other water uses that ultimately require treatment and/or disposal.
The studies themselves are “for fee” publications to the general public. These are, however, freely available to current UBC students, faculty and staff members and patrons working at UBC Library workstations via the subscription database SourceOECD. You will find our link to SourceOECD here. Note, the OECD does provide free access to a wide range of its smaller reports, including water pricing details “for Australia, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Turkey and the United States.”