From the 1958 Constitution and By-Laws of the Manitoba Water Well Association, the following statement still rings true today.

The objectives of this Association shall be:

• To place the Water Well Contracting business on a scientific and business basis;
  

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• To maintain an organization to assist, promote, encourage and support the interest and welfare of the Water Well Industry in the Province of Manitoba;
  

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• To foster, aid and promote scientific education, standards, research and techniques, in order to improve the methods of water well construction;
  

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• To promote and encourage harmony and co-operation between members and government agencies relative to the proper development and protection of the underground water supply;
  

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• To generally advance the mutual interests of those engaged in the Water Well Industry, in their own and in the public interest.

Association Membership includes organizations, firms, corporations, and individuals that are involved in all aspects of groundwater related activities. This includes well drilling and pump installation contractors, manufacturers and suppliers to the industry, groundwater professionals and technicians, and government representatives.

The MWWA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, duly elected by members. Administration is performed by Executive Director, currently a volunteer position.

Did you know:

• The average homeowner in Canada pays about a penny for every litre of water.  We flush our toilets, wash our laundry and brush our teeth every day without thinking about where the water comes from
• The results of RBC's 2014 Canadian Water Attitudes Survey show that more than 40 per cent of water users are unaware of the water supply servicing their home. 
• 74 per cent of Canadians agree extreme weather events in Canada will be more commonplace in the future
• Water pollution and water supply ranked as the two least-important issues facing Canada (the economy and health care ranked the highest)

It seems Canadians only take notice when there are water-related deaths or destruction.  If your basement isn't flooded and there is no boil-water advisory in effect, then everything must be OK.  But it isn't!  We need to realize that extreme weather is the new norm that will continue to hammer our sensibilities and impact our water systems. 

The Globe and Mail  recently asked people how concerned they were about climate change:  79 per cent were very disturbed or somewhat concerned, and the rest were not worried at all.  26 percent of people think that "as long as the water tastes good, I don't care where it comes from".  Citizens don't notice the infrastructure that makes their everyday activities possible .....until it breaks.

Canadians are blessed with an abundance of water, but we have our heads in the sand when it comes to managing and valuing the asset.

And Canadians are not alone in their ambivalence.  As the state of California and most southwester United States suffers from extreme drought  that is draining groundwater reserves and costing billions of dollars in agricultural damages, people are still watering their lawns, refilling their pools and dumping buckets of ice water on their heads.

Public education is key to changing the perception of water. By raising awareness of water issues, we can slowly start encouraging advocacy for water management and investments.  (reprinted in part from Alberta Water Well Drilling newsletter)