ST. LAWRENCE INFO

Quality of Fresh Water in Canada: Preliminary Findings

Nearly half the 345 monitored sites in Canada showed "good" or "excellent" water quality between 2001 and 2003, according to the Water Quality Index (WQI) developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME).¹

In 2004, the Government of Canada announced that it was committed to integrating sustainable development into its decision-making process in a systematic way. To reach this goal, it was necessary to secure reliable and accessible information that could guide the actions of Canadians and governments in this context. Such information is provided, for example, through indicators on greenhouse gas emissions, and indexes of air and water quality. With the aid of these tools, the Canadian government, in collaboration with the provinces and the territories, aims to keep the people of Canada regularly informed about the state of their country's environment.

A first national report, entitled Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators 2005, takes stock of preliminary findings in the domain, notably with regards to the water quality index. Among the findings:

• "Water quality, measured using the WQI to assess its suitability to protect aquatic life, was rated as good or excellent at 44% of the sites; fair at 31% and marginal or poor at 25%.
• Almost all the sites are in southern Canada, and in areas of human activity, and were therefore potentially affected by human settlements, farms, industrial facilities, and dams, as well as acid precipitation."

Consequently, the monitoring sites are not statistically representative of Canada as a whole. They were originally chosen for monitoring because they are in areas where there is concern about the effects of human activities on water quality — and because they are readily accessible. The territories, Saskatchewan, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, and Labrador are large areas that now have little or no representation in the water quality indicator. However, several monitoring programs do exist in these areas. For future reports of the WQI, sample collection and coverage will be expanded to move closer to a representative and geographically balanced network.

1. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment is comprised of environment ministers from the federal, provincial and territorial governments.

To Know More

Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators 2005

Related Links

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) – Water Quality Index (WQI)

Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs – Critères de qualité pour la protection de la vie aquatique (French only)