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- How much fresh water does Canada have?
Canada has 7% of the world's renewable fresh water.
It is easy for Canadians to assume that they have an almost endless supply of clean, fresh water. After all, we're often told that Canada has some 20% of the world's total freshwater resources. However, less than half of this water – about 7% of the global supply – is "renewable". Most of it is fossil water retained in lakes, underground aquifers, and glaciers.
For Canada's 30 million people – about half a percent of the world's population – this is still a generous endowment. But, more than half of this water drains northward into the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay. As a result, it is unavailable to the 85% of the Canadian population who live along the country's southern border. That means the remaining supply, while still abundant, is heavily used and often overly stressed.
- Why do people call water a "renewable" resource?
Water may be considered an inexhaustible resource because the total supply of water in the biosphere is not affected by human activities. Water is not destroyed by human uses, although it may be held for a time in combination with other chemicals. To be useful, however, water must be in a particular place and of a certain quality, and so it must be regarded as a renewable, and often scarce, resource, with cycling times that depend on its location and use.
Water that falls from the atmosphere as various types of precipitation and then runs off the land surface to form streams and rivers that eventually reach the ocean, generally operates on a one-year-renewable cycle known as the hydrologic cycle. From the ocean the water is evaporated by solar energy and returned to the atmosphere, from which it again falls as rain or some other form of precipitation.
In certain locations, however, water has a much longer cycling time; after entering the ground from rainfall, it may percolate slowly through underground channels until it reaches underground reservoirs. In certain arid regions, the total water supply may be underground water that accumulated during past ages, when the climate of the region was more humid. Since that time there may have been little or no addition to this supply because of the existing climatic conditions. Because its cycling time may be extremely long and dependent upon the frequency with which wet and dry climates alternate in a particular region, such a water resource can be virtually nonrenewable.
- How do I get streamflow data on Canada's water resources?
All historical water survey data for specific locations throughout Canada is available on Environment Canada's Web site. These data include: daily and monthly means of flow; water levels; and, sediment concentrations (for sediment sites). For some sites, peaks and extremes are also recorded. For information on data availability, contact:
Water Survey of Canada 
Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3
Tel.: 613-992-7121
Fax: 613-992-4288
- Where can I find a list of all of the "Quickfacts" that appear randomly on the bottom of each page of the Website?
All of the water facts are listed on the Quickfacts page.
- Where can I find information on Great Lakes water levels?
Environment Canada's Our Great Lakes Web site contains a great deal of information on water levels, including the "Level News". 
The Canadian Hydrographic Service (DFO) also posts information on recent water levels on the Great Lakes.
- Which freezes faster – hot water or cold water?
Cold water. Hot water cannot freeze, it must first cool down to become cold. Then it freezes.
A more technical explanation:
Physically, water changes its state at zero degrees Celsius, above zero it is liquid, below it is solid. The state is dependent on the kinetic energy content of the solution. As long as the energy content (i.e., heat content, temperature) of the molecules is high enough to overcome the molecular attractive forces, the solution is in the liquid state. Once the molecules have given off enough energy to the surroundings (i.e., container, etc.), they no longer have sufficient energy to overcome the intermolecular attractive forces and form the so-called hydrogen bonds. This is the period where water freezes.
In hot water, the internal kinetic energy is too high to form and maintain these hydrogen bonds in a regular pattern, therefore, the substance is in the liquid state. Going even higher in the energy scale, the substance evaporates, i.e., changes its state from liquid to gaseous.
By the way, this scenario is true for nearly every substance in the universe.
- Where can I find links to other water-related Websites?
On this site, we have tried to provide a number of links to other freshwater Web sources, as they relate to specific issues and concerns. Each "issue page" (e.g., groundwater, water policy, water quality, etc.) contains a blue and gold links box.
Clicking on one of the grouping (Federal Governments, Provincial Governments, Agencies, ENGOs, etc.) will take you to a links page that lists third-party or "off-site" Web pages on the topic of interest.
Please note: These links are provided as a convenience and their inclusion in no way implies that Environment Canada endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or use of these "third-party" sites.
- I am researching a project on water pollution in Canada. Where can I find information?
One important source of information is the section of this site on Water Pollution.
...and don't forget to visit the links page by clicking on a heading in the blue and gold box on the right-hand side of the page.
- Where can I find guidelines for the maximum acceptable concentrations of contaminants in drinking water?
Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality – a booklet which identifies parameters (microbiological, physical, chemical, and radiological) that have been found in drinking water and are known, or suspected to be harmful – is produced by Health Canada in cooperation with the health and environment ministries of the provinces and territories, under the auspices of the Federal-Provincial Subcommittee on Drinking Water. Information on this publication is available on Health Canada's Web site.
- What are the principle sources of groundwater contamination?
There are many areas across Canada that are affected by groundwater contamination. We would suggest that you visit our Groundwater page.
Pay particular attention to the links in the blue and gold box on the right-hand side of the page. Here you can access other sites that relate to groundwater.
- How do I increase the size of text on your pages?
You should be able to control the size of the font using your own browser. How you do this depends on which Internet browser you are using. Just follow the instructions below.
To increase the type size in Internet Explorer:
- Select "View" on the menu bar.
- Select "Text Size".
- From there, select "Larger" or "Largest" until the desired text size has been reached.
To increase the type size in Netscape:
- Select "View" on the menu bar.
- Select "Increase Font". Notice that the text size has increased.
- To increase the type size further, continue selecting "Increase Font".
If you are not using Internet Explorer or Netscape and would like further assistance, contact the Website Administrator by e-mail at H2O@ec.gc.ca.
- Where can I apply for funding if my group would like to get involved in environmental conservation and protection in my community?
EcoAction is an Environment Canada funding program that helps groups to implement projects that protect or enhance the environment in their community.
Visit this page for more information on this and other Environment Canada funding programs.
- How do I apply for a job with Environment Canada?
Hiring in the federal public service is done through a central agency.
You can check for opportunities through the national office of the Public Service Commission or contact one of its local offices.
Environment Canada's, Meteorological Service of Canada has developed a site to recruit professional and support staff in the atmospheric sciences.
The Environmental Assessment Recruitment and Development Program seeks university graduates who have the qualifications needed to serve as the future of the federal government’s environmental assessment professional community.
- Are there any special intern job programs for youth?
Environment Canada runs two internship programs: one is the Environmental Youth Corp and the other is Science Horizon. They both are part of the Government of Canada Youth Employment Strategy.
You should also visit the Youth.gc.ca for more information on other internship programs.
Have other questions?
A Primer on Fresh Water: Questions and Answers
is one of Environment Canada's most popular publications. It provides answers to over 130 additional questions relating to Canada's water resources.
This site contains links to Websites originating from organizations not subject to the Official Languages Act and the information on these sites is made available in the language in which it was written.
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