Fresh Water Facts

Approximately 1000 kilograms of water is required to grow 1 kilogram of potatoes.

Of the total world's freshwater supply, 30.8% is groundwater, including soil moisture, swamp water and permafrost.

Water power meets about 62% of Canada's electrical needs.

The world's largest inland freshwater delta is formed where the Peace and Athabasca rivers flow into Lake Athabasca.

Henderson Lake, British Columbia, has the greatest average annual precipitation in Canada – 655 millimetres. In contrast, Eureka, in Nunavut, has the least average annual precipitation – 64 millimetres.

Only 1% of the waters of the Great Lakes are renewed each year by snow melt and rain.

Quebec has 333 large dams, more than any other province in Canada.


On the Canadian Prairies, a common type of surface water source is the farm dugout, which is a small on-farm reservoir.

It takes about 215 000 litres of water to produce one metric ton of steel.

One drop of oil can render up to 25 litres of water unfit for drinking.

In Canada, there is more water underground than on the surface.

Only 0.3% of total global fresh water is stored in lakes and rivers.

African and Asian women walk an average of 6 kilometres each trip in order to fetch water.

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.

Fifteen to twenty-five percent of the Prairie Region is wetland.

The highest waterfall in Canada is Della Falls, B.C. at 440 metres.

Only 1% of the waters of the Great Lakes are renewed each year by snow melt and rain.

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

68.9% of the earth's fresh water exists in the form of glaciers and permanent snow cover.

Hydropower currently provides 19% of the world's total electricity supply.


Canadian Water Use
Residential indoor water use in Canada is as follows: toilet, 30%; bathing and showering, 35%; laundry, 20%; drinking and cooking, 10%; cleaning, 5%.
On average, 14% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks — up to 30% in some communities
About 60% of Canada’s water flows northward, yet 90% of the population lives within 300 kilometres of the Canada-U.S. border.
"11% of all surface and groundwater withdrawn in Canada is used for municipal purposes. Urban Canadians on average use almost twice as much water per capita as urban residents in most other industrialized countries except the United States." (Environment Canada)
In 1994, Canadian households paying for water by volume used 263 litres per person per day compared to the 450 litres per person per day used in households paying a flat rate — a 39% savings.
"Canadian households use twice as much water as European ones and pay less than half as much for it." (Environment Canada)
Monthly water bills in Canada range between $15 and $80, the lowest being in areas of Quebec, Newfoundland and British Columbia, and the highest in the Prairies and the North. The average household uses about 26,000 litres each month, an average of 326 litres per person per day. More water is consumed in the North — about 500 litres per day per person in the Northwest Territories and about 1,000 in the Yukon. This may be due to the fact that in the North water often has to be kept running to prevent pipes from freezing.