Respect Water: World Water Day 2019



It's 2019 and another World Water Day is upon us. Water is such a vital part of our lives. We drink it, eat it, wear it, use it, bathe in it, and more every day. It seems odd that we only celebrate water on a few days every year!

Each year, the UN declares a theme for World Water Day. This year's theme is clean water for everyone. Surprisingly, there are many communities - even in Canada - that don't have access to clean water. It goes to show that we still have a ways to go in terms of managing this precious resource.

Here are other reasons we should all respect our waters!

  • Calgary gets floods. We all remember the big flood of 2013, but there's flooding fairly regularly. The City has plans extending far into the future to help lessen the impacts of floods. Learn about how to mitigate flood risks for you and your neighbours on The City of Calgary's website.

  • It takes a lot to manage our water. The City of Calgary has its job cut out for it! Between the infrastructure maintenance, running our treatment plants, and ensuring that our water is entirely clean, it takes a lot of time, money, and energy to manage our water resources. This is one of the reasons we recommend for people to use rain barrels, as it lessens the load on our stormwater treatment.

  • Alberta ecosystems rely on water. Many of the amazing and unique ecosystems in Alberta rely on our waterways and protecting them is key to protecting biodiversity. The Alberta Wilderness Association has a lot of information of the work they've put into protecting these waterways.

  • Water is sacred to the indigenous peoples of Canada. The Sacred Relationship project out of Alberta explores the relationship between indigenous communities and water, and how water connects all of us.


The UN has a website set up to teach you all about their clean water initiative and what you can do to help. What does World Water Day mean to you? Let us know on social media on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Don't forget to save more water with a rain barrel, too!

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