“We can provide access to safe, clean water where it’s lacking in third world countries,” Haughton said. “Strangely enough, we have that situation right here in our backyard in Canada, which is surprising and disappointing.” Worth $300,000, the mobile system is designed to sit inside a 10-foot shipping container. It uses natural filters to remove bacteria, metals and chemicals. It can produce 50,000 litres of water in a day, via solar energy, which is enough for 500-2,000 people, depending on the location.
A second chance: Canada, U.S. renegotiate a critical water treaty
The Columbia River Treaty, an international agreement governing the flow of water between British Columbia and six U.S. states, will be 55 years old this year. It has not aged well. The river springs from the Columbia Icefield in the Rocky Mountains of B.C. and winds 1,930 kilometres through the Northwestern United States – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. No other river in North America spills more water into the Pacific Ocean.