PUBLISHED: 30 July 2012
Interesting Facts
“All the water that will ever be is, right now.” —National Geographic, 1993
Over time, we’ve collected a few facts on our provincial, national and global water trends and statistics. These facts are presented here to illustrate the importance of protecting our precious waters. Every drop counts. We encourage you to learn more about our water, and how you can become more involved in making Alberta the next world leader in water management solutions.
Alberta Water Facts
- While 80% of Alberta’s water supply lies in the Northern part of the province, 80% of Alberta’s water demand comes from the southern half of the province.
- Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park is the second largest glacier-fed lake in the world
- Approximately 40,000 cubic kilometres (km3) of groundwater exists in Alberta—enough to cover the entire province in about 60 meters of water
Click here to read more interesting facts on water in Alberta.
Canada Water Facts
- Canada has 563 lakes having an area greater than 100 square kilometres.
- Approximately 60% of Canada’s fresh water drains north, while 85% of the population lives within 300 kilometres of the southern border.[1] Currently, there are 2921 active water level and streamflow stations being operated in Canada.
- Health problems related to water pollution in general are estimated to cost Canadians $300 million per year.
Click here to read more interesting facts on water in Canada.
World Water Facts
- Sanitation and drinking water investments have high rates of return: for every $1 invested, there is a projected $3-$34 economic development return.
- Around 3,800 cubic kilometres of fresh water is withdrawn annually from the world’s lakes, rivers and aquifers.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.
- Increased stress from (expanding populations, urbanization and climate change) on the world’s water resources over the last 20 years has resulted in over 80% of countries reforming their water laws.
Click here to read more interesting facts on water in the World.
