Deck 12: Water

Question 1

Canada has ________ of the world's total flow of renewable freshwater.

A) 1.9 per cent
B) 6.5 per cent
C) 20 per cent
D) 12 per cent

Answer 1

B

Question 2

________ countries are expected to face "extremely high" levels of water stress in 2020, 2030, and 2040.

A) 33
B) 167
C) 14
D) 67

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Wetlands cover about ________ per cent of the land and freshwater surface of the globe.

A) 10
B) 2
C) 4
D) 6

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In Canada, 98 per cent of the surface water available for human use is held by ________.

A) groundwater
B) wetlands
C) rivers
D) lakes

Question 5

About ________ of Canada is covered by lakes and rivers.

A) 12 per cent
B) 7 per cent
C) 20 per cent
D) 3 per cent

Question 6

________ holds the highest volume of water in Canada.

A) The Mackenzie River
B) The Fraser River
C) The Ottawa River
D) The Assiniboine River

Question 7

Renewable supplies of water are defined as ________.

A) flows associated with precipitation or snowmelt
B) water found in liquid form within a country's jurisdiction
C) groundwater sources
D) any supply of water found within a country's jurisdiction

Question 8

________ of Canada's water flows northward to the Arctic, where few people live.

A) 5 per cent
B) 10 per cent
C) 20 per cent
D) 60 per cent

Question 9

In Canada there are more than ________ large dams.

A) 777
B) 600
C) 333
D) 900

Question 10

What James Bay, Churchill Falls, and the Columbia and Nechako Rivers have in common is that ________.

A) all have been the sources of energy generating projects
B) all have been the subject of major land claim agreements between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government
C) all are located in Quebec
D) all have experienced limited environmental impacts

Question 11

________ was involved in spearheading the James Bay Project.

A) Robert Bourassa
B) René Levesque
C) Gilles Duceppe
D) Jean Charést

Question 12

The James Bay Project was built using the ________.

A) James Bay River
B) La Grande River
C) Churchill River
D) Saguenay River

Question 13

The Cree people of northern Quebec were forced to stop fishing in reservoirs created as part of the James Bay Project due to ________.

A) increased water temperatures
B) high bacterial content in the fish
C) high mercury levels in the fish
D) social problems brought about by the project

Question 14

Mercury in reservoirs comes from ________.

A) nearby upland terrestrial soils
B) bacterial decomposition of organic material
C) dam effluents
D) dam construction debris

Question 15

Supporters of exporting water from Canada to the United States argue that ________.

A) Canada has more water than it needs to meet its foreseeable needs
B) water can be considered another resource with value and exchanged on the open market
C) there are economic benefits from sales and employment in construction of pipelines
D) All of the above

Question 16

The Great Lakes Charter between relevant provinces and states in Canada and the US declared that ________.

A) each province and state had jurisdiction to withdraw and divert water from the Lakes without requiring consent from Great Lakes states or provinces
B) there are no comments in the Charter related to water diversion
C) each jurisdiction can divert up to 5 per cent of water within each Lake for use within its own jurisdiction, but consent is required to export water outside the jurisdictions border
D) no jurisdiction would start a new diversion or increase an existing one involving more than 5 million gallons per day without seeking the consent of all Great Lakes states or provinces

Question 17

________ is an example of a non-point source of pollution.

A) Agricultural run-off
B) A sewage outfall pipe
C) A manufacturing plant's waste disposal pipe
D) All of the above

Question 18

Tertiary wastewater treatment includes the removing of ________.

A) insoluble materials
B) chemical and nutrient contaminants
C) bacterial impurities from water
D) All of the above

Question 19

________ of waste flows into municipal waste systems originated in households.

A) 65 per cent
B) 82 per cent
C) 18 per cent
D) 11 per cent

Question 20

________ is released into water bodies in the greatest quantity in Canada.

A) Manganese
B) Ammonia
C) Mercury
D) Zinc

Question 21

Diffuse pollution in water bodies can be defined as a problem associated with ________.

A) negative impacts on ecosystem and human health
B) behavior of individuals driven by inappropriate values, beliefs, and attitudes
C) environmental degradation and the economic costs imposed on downstream users
D) All of the above

Question 22

The International Joint Commission is a ________ institution.

A) bilateral
B) trilateral
C) multilateral
D) unilateral

Question 23

PLUARG was created to assess ________.

A) pollution in the Great Lakes
B) annual drought in the Prairie provinces
C) bacterial contamination of a municipal water system in Saskatchewan
D) flooding in the James Bay area

Question 24

The SWEEP program involved many programs, including ________.

A) development of Heritage Rivers
B) reduction of phosphorus loading to Lake Erie
C) mitigating problems arising from hydroelectric development projects
D) sewage treatment

Question 25

________ of the global population use fewer than 50 litres of water for each person daily.

A) Two-thirds
B) One-sixth
C) Two-fifth
D) One-quarter

Question 26

________ has the highest per capita water use.

A) India and Japan
B) Switzerland and Sweden
C) the United Kingdom and China
D) Canada and the United States

Question 27

The minimum water requirement of a normal healthy adult in an average temperate climate is ________.

A) 3 L per week
B) 300 L per week
C) 3 L per day
D) 30 L per day

Question 28

About ________ Canadians rely on groundwater for drinking water.

A) 6 million
B) 12 million
C) 9 million
D) 3 million

Question 29

The town of Walkerton, Ontario, made national headlines in May 2000 because ________.

A) Escherischia coli bacteria contaminated the town's water supply system
B) mercury contaminated the area's groundwater
C) a cryptosporidium parasite contaminated the area's groundwater
D) the main water supply for the town dried up due to drought

Question 30

As of June 2018, there were ___________ long-term drinking water advisories in place for First Nations communities across Canada, excluding British Columbia.

A) 82
B) 72
C) 37
D) 26

Question 31

The First Nations Water Management Strategy aimed to achieve improvements in the quality and safety of drinking water on First Nation reserves by ________.

A) building and upgrading water systems to meet standards
B) developing comprehensive policies, guidelines, and standards
C) educating on-reserve residents about drinking water issues
D) All of the above

Question 32

________ aims to improve water use efficiency by challenging basic patterns of consumption.

A) Supply management
B) The virtual water
C) The soft path
D) Demand management

Question 33

This statement is NOT related to the concept of virtual water: ________.

A) "virtual water" refers to the volume of water used in the production of a product
B) it is calculated as the difference between inputs and outputs of groundwater systems
C) this concept grew out of recognition of the importance of water for agriculture and food production
D) nations can preserve domestic water resources by importing water intensive products

Question 34

The "virtual water" strategy has limitations, including that ________.

A) a nation may be reluctant to become dependent on other countries for food needs
B) poor nations may not have the foreign currency to purchase food products requiring significant water inputs
C) local farmers may lose their livelihoods if type of crops grown shifts
D) All of the above

Question 35

Water footprints track ________.

A) direct and indirect water use by a consumer or product
B) direct water use by a consumer or product
C) indirect water use by a consumer or product
D) virtual water use by a consumer or product

Question 36

Flood plains are ________.

A) flat areas that are permanently submerged
B) level land alongside a river or lake that may be submerged by floodwaters
C) lands flooded only as the result of hurricanes
D) annual deposits of silt along the banks of a river

Question 37

________ caused over 80 deaths and millions of dollars in damage in Toronto in 1954.

A) The Lake Ontario tornado
B) Hurricane Hazel
C) Cyclone Sally
D) The Humber River floods

Question 38

________ is NOT a structural approach to reduce flood damage.

A) An upstream dam
B) Land-use zoning
C) Deepening of river channels
D) A protective dike or levee

Question 39

________ of Canadian households are at risk from either riverine or overland flooding.

A) 19 per cent
B) 25 per cent
C) 15 per cent
D) 13 per cent

Question 40

The areas of Canada most vulnerable to drought are ________.

A) the Prairies, northern Quebec, and New Brunswick
B) the Prairies, Ontario, and eastern Manitoba
C) the Prairies, Alberta, and northern Saskatchewan
D) the Prairies, southern Ontario, and interior BC

Question 41

Palliser's Triangle is located in ________.

A) Newfoundland and Labrador
B) Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
C) British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan
D) New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec

Question 42

________ is common in Palliser's Triangle.

A) Hurricane damage
B) Drought
C) Water pollution
D) Flooding

Question 43

Water levels in Lake Athabasca are likely to be lower in the future due to ________.

A) lower levels of alpine-sourced river discharge
B) climate change
C) extraction for use in the Alberta tar sands
D) water diversion

Question 44

________ are authorized to formally designate a river as a heritage river.

A) Federal and provincial/territorial governments
B) Community members
C) Landowners
D) All of the above

Question 45

The designation of the Grand River as a Canadian heritage river in 1994 was a landmark event because ________.

A) most of its lands were owned by the Crown
B) it was the first Canadian heritage river to be designated
C) most of its lands were owned privately
D) most of its lands were included within the national park system

Question 46

The Grand River's archaeological sites tell the story of ________ years of human history.

A) 11,000
B) 5,000
C) 1,000
D) 9,000

Question 47

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement ________.

A) had a main objective to reduce phosphorus-loading in Lakes Erie and Ontario
B) was signed in 1972 between the United State and Canada
C) was amended in 1978, 1983, and 1987
D) All of the above

Question 48

Water ethics ________.

A) are supported by the Canadian government
B) are principles to guide behaviour regarding water access
C) have been firmly established by the UN human rights council as legally binding
D) ensure industrial water extraction rights

Question 49

Countries opposed to a resolution for water to be recognized as a basic human right include ________.

A) Spain
B) Canada
C) Germany
D) All of the above

Question 50

Canada has opposed recognition of water as a basic human right because ________.

A) of concerns that Canadian sovereignty over its own water is ambiguous under NAFTA
B) of the limited inclusion of other basic necessities in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
C) of the decreased liability related to many small communities under boil-water advisories
D) the Canadian government already believes it has a moral duty to share water with less water-rich areas

Question 51

Violent conflict over access to water resources is highly unlikely in the near future.

Question 52

Countries that are assessed as having an extremely high level of baseline water stress automatically experience scarcity.

Question 53

Canada diverts more water for hydroelectric power generation than any other country.

Question 54

Hydroelectric power generation provides "clean energy" because it causes no negative environmental impacts.

Question 55

Reservoir creation makes mercury more available to the food chain.

Question 56

Exporting water to other countries can be easily halted if the exporting country experiences shortages or drought conditions.

Question 57

Managing point-source pollution is more challenging than managing "non-point-source pollution."

Question 58

PLUARG studies did not provide credible scientific evidence of non-point source pollutants entering Lake Erie.

Question 59

Canadians are among the highest per capita consumers of water.

Question 60

More Canadians get their drinking water from wells than from municipal water treatment plants.

Question 61

The Walkerton crisis began when farmers who applied manure to local fields did not follow proper practices.

Question 62

Providing safe drinking water in Northern and remote communities is challenging due to the operation cost and difficulty in keeping qualified operators.

Question 63

Supply management is the traditional approach to water security and involves developing a new supply source.

Question 64

Flood plains are created by major flooding events.

Question 65

The best flood protection strategies include a mix of both structural and non-structural approaches.

Question 66

Droughts are defined using only meteorological measures based on precipitation levels.

Question 67

The Grand River has been designated as a Canadian heritage river.

Question 68

There are still serious threats to the biological and chemical integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Question 69

Water will never become a traded commodity under NAFTA.

Question 70

The UN has designated water as a basic human right.

Question 71

What are the reasons for creating water diversions in Canada?

Question 72

What is the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement? What prompted its creation?

Question 73

Describe the different levels of wastewater treatment in Canada.

Question 74

What does Environment Canada recommend in order to reduce water use in the home, and what are the three rules of water conservation?

Question 75

What was SWEEP? Why was it developed? What was its purpose?

Question 76

What is the multi-barrier approach to drinking water management?

Question 77

What is virtual water and how can it help meet food security needs?

Question 78

Why do humans tend to settle near lakes and rivers?

Question 79

What is the difference between structural and non-structural approaches to flood management? Give two examples of each approach.

Question 80

What is the difference between a hydrological drought and a meteorological drought?