Fresh Water Supply

• One in every three Canadians and one in every seven Americans rely on the Great Lakes for their freshwater.
• In total, freshwater is estimated to contribute up to $23 billion annually to the Canadian economy, Environment Canada says.
• Between 1972 and 1991, Canada's withdrawal of freshwater resources increased from 24 billion cubic meters per year to over 45 billion cubic meters per year—a rise of 80%; in the same period, the population increased only 3%.
• Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment plant is used for drinking purposes; during the summer, about half of all treated water is sprayed onto lawns and gardens.
• On average, 14% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks—up to 30% in some communities.
• Per capita, Canadians are the planet's second-biggest water consumers, behind Americans. The average Canadian uses 335 litres per day—more than double Europeans' usage. And Canadian water use is growing (by 25 percent over the past two decades), while other developed countries, including the U.S., have seen consumption drop.
• Canada has about 9% of the world's renewable freshwater supply, compared with 18% for Brazil, 9% for China, and 8% for the United States.
• Canada holds 20% of the world's freshwater, but has only 9% of the world's renewable freshwater supply; the rest is "fossil water," a legacy of the melting of large ice sheets that once covered much of Canada.
• Approximately 60% of Canada's freshwater drains north, while 90% of its population lives within 300km of its southern border.