A new report on the protection of Canada's drinking water shows that Alberta has slipped in the ranking and is now near the very bottom of the list.
The Waterproof 3 Water Report Card is compiled by ecojustice and is an evaluation of water policies, programs and legislation from across the country.
The provincial, territorial and federal governments are assigned a grade based on how well they do when it comes to protecting drinking water.
The eco agency says Alberta's ranking has slipped over the last five years from a B to a C- because of static treatment standards and poor source water protection efforts.
Specifically our province has no legally binding source water protection plans and ecojustice maintains that legal protection of watersheds is key to protecting drinking water.
The province says the methodology of the report is flawed and overlooks several laws in our province which protect watersheds.
Here's how the provinces and territories scored in the study:
- B.C. ~ C+
- Alberta ~ C-
- Saskatchewan ~ B-
- Manitoba ~ B+
- Ontario ~ A
- Quebec ~ B-
- Newfoundland and Labrador ~ B
- PEI ~ B-
- New Brunswick ~ B+
- Yukon ~ D+
- Northwest Territories ~ C
- Nunavut ~ D
The federal government received an overall grade of F in the study.
Several previous studies have shown Calgary's drinking water to be some of the best in the country.
To see all the results of the study visit the ecojustice Waterproof 3 website.
