100 Quick Facts about

Water in Canada

1. Once evaporated, a water molecule spends about 10 days in the air.   
2. Water is the only substance found on earth naturally in three forms – solid, liquid and gas. 
3. Water helps to regulate the earth's temperature. 
4. Acid rain with a pH of 3.6 has 100 times the acidity of normal rain with a pH of 5.6. 
5. Many of the lakes on the Canadian Shield, including those of the Great Lakes, were created by glacial erosion. 
6. In nearly all the world's major religions, water is attributed important symbolic and ceremonial properties. 
7. The UN Declares 2005-2015 "Water for Life" as the International Decade for Action and sets the world agenda on a greater focus on water- related issues. 
8. The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 December 1992 by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water. 
9. About 70% of the earth is covered in water. 
10. Freshwater lakes and rivers, ice and snow, and underground aquifers hold only 2.5% of the world's water. By comparison, saltwater oceans and seas contain 97.5% of the world's water supply. 
11. 68.9% of the earth's fresh water exists in the form of glaciers and permanent snow cover. 
12. Of the total world's freshwater supply, 30.8% is groundwater, including soil moisture, swamp water and permafrost. 
13. Only 0.3% of total global fresh water is stored in lakes and rivers. 
14. Fifty percent of the world's wetlands have been lost since 1900. 
15. Almost two billion people were affected by natural disasters in the last decade of the 20^th century, 86% of them by floods and droughts. 
16. Annually, Canada's rivers discharge 7% of the world's renewable water supply – 105 000 cubic metres per second. 
17. Almost 9%, or 891 163 square kilometres, of Canada's total area is covered by fresh water. 
18. Approximately 60% of Canada's fresh water drains north, while 85% of the population lives within 300 kilometres of the southern border with the United States. 
19. Canada has about 25% of the world's wetlands – the largest wetland area in the world. 
20. Wetlands totalling an area of more than 1.2 million square kilometres cover about 14% of the land area of Canada. 
21. Fifteen to twenty-five percent of the Prairie Region is wetland. 
22. The wetlands of Lake Ontario have suffered severe loss over the last two centuries due to agricultural drainage and urban encroachment. 
23. Glacier ice over 100 000 years old is found at the base of many Canadian Arctic ice caps. 
24. In Canada, an estimated area of 200 000 square kilometres, or about 2% of the country's area is covered by glaciers and icefields. 
25. In Canada, there is more water underground than on the surface. 
26. With approximately 8% of its territory covered by lakes, Canada has more lake area than any other country in the world. 
27. Henderson Lake, British Columbia, has the greatest average annual precipitation in Canada – 6 655 millimetres. In contrast, Eureka, in Nunavut, has the least average annual precipitation – 64 millimetres. 
28. The highest waterfall in Canada is Della Falls, B.C. at 440 metres. 
29. The longest Canadian river is the Mackenzie River (Northwest Territories-Alberta-British Columbia) at 4 241 kilometres. 
30. The largest lake entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake in the N.W.T. at 31 328 square kilometres. 
31. The deepest lake is Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, 614 metres deep. 
32. In Canada, the individual river system with the largest drainage area is the Mackenzie River, with 1 805 200 square kilometres. 
33. The river in Canada with the greatest annual discharge is the St. Lawrence River at 9 850 cubic metres per second. 
34. The world's largest inland freshwater delta is formed where the Peace and Athabasca rivers flow into Lake Athabasca. 
35. Canada's longest inland waterway stretches 3 700 kilometres from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Lake Superior. 
36. Canada has 563 lakes having an area greater than 100 square kilometres. 
37. The Great Lakes are the largest system of fresh, surface water on earth, containing roughly 18% of the world's fresh, surface water. 
38. The combined shoreline of the Great Lakes is equal to about 45% of the earth's circumference. 
39. The Great Lakes Basin covers an area of 750 000 square kilometres. 
40. Only 1% of the waters of the Great Lakes are renewed each year by snow melt and rain. 
41. Floods are the most costly natural disasters in Canada in terms of property damage. 
42. The most severe flood in Canadian history occurred on October 14 to 15, 1954 when Hurricane Hazel brought 214 millimetres of rain in Toronto region in just 72 hours. 
43. The 1996 Saguenay basin storm and associated flood in Quebec led to 10 deaths and over $1500 million in damages. 
44. Among the worst floods in Canada's recent history was Manitoba's Red River flood of May 1997. 
45. Passage of a major storm on Lake Erie can cause short-term lake level changes of as much as 4 metres. 
46. On the Canadian Prairies, a common type of surface water source is the farm dugout, which is a small on-farm reservoir. 
47. Every year, 1.8 million people die from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera); 90% are children under five, mostly in developing countries. 
48. Worldwide, one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion to adequate sanitation. 
49. With the UN Millennium Development Goals, UN member states pledged to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, by 2015. 
50. Improved water supply reduces diarrhoea morbidity by between 6% to 25%; improved sanitation reduces it by 32%. 
51. One drop of oil can render up to 25 litres of water unfit for drinking. 
52. The addition of chlorine to our drinking water has greatly reduced the risk of waterborne diseases. 
53. More than 23 000 different chemicals and substances are available for use in consumer goods and industrial processes in Canada. 
54. Health problems related to water pollution in general are estimated to cost Canadians $300 million per year. 
55. Plasma, which constitutes 55% of our blood volume, is 90% water. 
56. It is recommended that people drink 2 to 3 litres (about 8 glasses) of fluid every day. 
57. You can survive about a month without food, but only 5 to 7 days without water. 
58. Approximately 300 litres of water is required to produce 1 kilogram of paper. 
59. It takes about 215 000 litres of water to produce one metric ton of steel. 
60. Today, around 3 800 cubic kilometres of fresh water is withdrawn annually from the world's lakes, rivers and aquifers. This is twice the volume extracted 50 years ago. 
61. The first municipal water filtration works opened in Paisley, Scotland in 1832. 
62. Remains of water storage dams found in Jordan, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East date back to at least 3000 BC. 
63. Universal water metering has proven to reduce overall residential and ICI (Industrial-Commercial-Institutional) water consumption by 15 to 30 percent. 
64. African and Asian women walk an average of 6 kilometres each trip in order to fetch water. 
65. Proportion of households in major cities connected to piped water (house or yard connection): World – 94%; Africa – 43%; Asia – 77%; Europe – 92%; Latin America and the Caribbean – 77%; North America – 100%; Oceania – 73% 
66. Proportion of households in major cities connected to sewers: World – 86%; Africa – 18%; Asia – 45%; Europe – 92%; Latin America & the Caribbean – 35%; North America – 96%; Oceania – 15% 
67. It is estimated that in 1999, 26.5 million Canadians received central water services. 
68. On average, 13% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks – up to 30% in some communities. 
69. Residential indoor water use in Canada: toilet – 30%; bathing and showering – 35%; laundry – 20%; kitchen and drinking – 10%; cleaning – 5% 
70. A 5-minute shower with a standard shower head uses 100 litres of water. 
71. A 5-minute shower with a low-flow shower head uses less than 50 litres of water. 
72. Water uses and consumption: toilet flush – 15-19L; shower (5 min.) – 100L; tub bath – 60L; automatic dishwashing – 40L; dishwashing by hand – 35L; hand washing – 8L (with tap running); brushing teeth – 10L (with tap running); outdoor watering – 35L/min; washing machine – 225L 
73. A single lawn sprinkler spraying 19 litres per minute uses more water in just one hour than a combination of ten toilet flushes, two 5-minute showers, two dishwasher loads, and a full load of clothes. 
74. The Great Lakes provide drinking water to 8.5 million Canadians. 
75. Although everybody on Prince Edward Island uses groundwater to meet their daily water needs, over half of Islanders (57%, the highest proportion in Canada) depend on private wells for their water supply. 
76. In all regions except Europe and North America, agriculture is by far the biggest user of water, accounting worldwide for about 69% of all withdrawals. 
77. Approximately 1000 kilograms of water is required to grow 1 kilogram of potatoes. 
78. About 75% of all agricultural water withdrawals in Canada take place on the Prairies, mainly for irrigation. 
79. The Great Lakes support 25% of Canada's agricultural capacity. 
80. During the period from September 2001 to August 2002, over 65% of prairie cropland in Canada was affected by moderate, severe or record drought conditions. 
81. Hydropower currently provides 19% of the world's total electricity supply. 
82. The average large dam today is about 35 years old. 
83. The largest hydro-electric power development in Canada is the James Bay project in Quebec, which started producing electricity in 1982. 
84. Although the Canadian Dam Association register of dams (2003) reports 933 large dams in the country, there are many thousands of smaller dams. 
85. Water power meets about 62% of Canada's electrical needs. 
86. Canada is the largest producer of hydroelectricity, followed by the United States and Brazil. 
87. Quebec has 333 large dams, more than any other province in Canada. 
88. There are approximately 770 dams in the Prairie Provinces. 
89. The Great Lakes support 33 million people, including nine million Canadians and eight of Canada's 20 largest cities. 
90. The Great Lakes Basin is home to 90% of Ontario's population and 40% of Canada's economic activity. 
91. Each year, the Great Lakes contribute $180 billion to Canada-U.S. trade. 
92. Every year 1.5 million recreational boaters enjoy the Great Lakes. 
93. Water withdrawals for industry: World – 22% of total water use; High-income countries – 59% of total water use; Low-income countries – 8% of total water use 
94. The Great Lakes support 45% of Canada's industrial capacity. 
95. The Great Lakes sustain a $100 million commercial fishing industry. 
96. The Great Lakes sustain a $350 million recreational fishing industry. 
97. Almost 60% of the world's fresh water falls within a transboundary basin; where at least one of the tributaries crosses a political boundary. 
98. Currently, there are 2921 active water level and streamflow stations being operated in Canada. 
99. The first Canadian Heritage River was the French River in Ontario, designated in 1986. 
100. Forty percent of Canada's boundary with the United States is composed of water. 

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