Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics

Over the past 30 years, the population of British Columbia's Okanagan-Similkameen river basin has more than doubled, the fastest growth rate among the 23 major river basins in Canada. However, this scenic region in the British Columbia interior also has one of Canada's lowest renewable supplies of fresh water.

The Okanagan-Similkameen basin has only 0.1% of the country's renewable supply of fresh water. In comparison, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin has 6.8% of the renewable supply of fresh water, the Pacific Coastal basin has 15.8%, and the Northern Quebec basin has 16.0%.

From 1971 to 2001, the population of the Okanagan-Similkameen basin increased 137% to 285,145.

The impact of this strong growth in population can also be examined on the basis of two other indicators: the number of people for every square kilometer of land, and the number for every square km of surface water.

In 2001, the Okanagan-Similkameen river basin ranked first in Canada in terms of the number of people for each square km of surface water, and second only to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence river basin in terms of population density for every square km of land.

The Okanagan-Similkameen river basin had nearly 439 people for every square km of surface water. This was well ahead of its closest rival, the South Saskatchewan River basin, which had almost 284 people for every square km. British Columbia's Fraser River valley was a close third, with 224. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, the most populated basin in Canada, had only 131 people for every square km of water.

In terms of land, an average of just over 30 people lived in every square km of land in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence river basin in 2001, the highest ratio in Canada. The Okanagan-Similkameen river basin was in second place with about 18 people for every square km of land.

The study "Fresh water resources in Canada" is published in the 2003 edition of Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics, Statistics Canada's latest compilation of annual environmental statistics. It is a portrait of the nation's environment with emphasis on human activity and its impacts.

This publication includes 71 data tables on topics ranging from Canada's physiography to the production of waste.

Canadians among world's biggest consumers of water

While Canada has one of the largest renewable supplies of fresh water in the world, Canadians are also among the highest consumers of water in terms of per capita use, the study reported.

Most recent statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that in 1999, each Canadian on average used 1,471 cubic metres of water. Among OECD member countries, Canada was second only to the United States, where each American used 1,870 cubic metres.

The study pointed out that some of Canada's fresh water resources are being threatened. Since 1850, some 1,300 glaciers have lost between 25% and 75% of their mass, with most of this reduction occurring in the last 50 years. Along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, glacier cover is receding rapidly, and total cover is now close to its lowest level in 10,000 years.

The navigability of the St. Lawrence Seaway is at risk because of low water levels. In the early part of the 1900s, water levels in the port of Montréal averaged two metres above the long-term average low-water mark. At the turn of the millennium, this margin had declined to less than one metre.

From 1995 to 2000, the supply of bottled water increased 61%. In 1995, each Canadian consumed 17.9 litres of bottled water. Five years later, that number had jumped to 27.6 litres.

Constant threats to water quality

Despite considerable efforts to curb pollution, water quality is still a major concern for Canadians.

Many municipalities have been forced to issue boil-water orders. Agricultural run-off has contaminated drinking water supplies, as in the case of Walkerton, Ontario, and industries discharge hundreds of different substances into rivers and lakes daily. In 2001, more than 2,600 industrial facilities reported chemical discharges to water bodies.

The study pointed to some specific problem areas. Many municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities are aging, and the growing population is adding stress to these facilities. In 1997, the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association estimated that $5.4 billion in additional investment would be required each year from 1997 to 2012 to modernize and improve all water and wastewater treatment plants.

Most Canadians get their drinking water from municipal treatment plants. However, millions of people still rely on shallow ground water resources, which are generally safe but have a higher risk of exposure to contaminants. In 2001, 64% of Canadian farmers who relied on their own wells did not have their water supply tested regularly. Only 16% did so once a year.

Ammonia and nitrogen represented over 94% of the total industrial discharges into water in 2001. Ammonia alone accounted for almost one-half of the pollutants released into the Fraser River in British Columbia, and 42% of the pollutants discharged into Lake Ontario.

Landfills can be a potential source of ground water contamination. In 2000, less than one-half of the active landfills in Canada contained some type of liner. However, on the plus side, these landfills accepted 77% of the waste disposed that year. This reflects the trend toward large, regional landfills that have been better engineered than their predecessors.

Similarly, while only 18% of active landfills had a collection system for leachate, which is water that is polluted while seeping through a landfill, these facilities handled three-quarters of the waste disposed.

Quick glance: Other environmental highlights

In addition to the article on water, this issue of Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics also provides a comprehensive assessment of how Canadians are interacting with the environment. It includes data on a variety of topics, such as natural resources, ecosystems and environmental practices.

In 2000, the waste management industry in Canada handled 7.5 million tonnes of materials for recycling or re-use. The majority of this material was generated by two provinces: Quebec (37%) and Ontario (32%).

From 1989 to 2003, Canada's total protected land area increased from 29 million hectares to 82 million hectares.

In 2000, Canadian industries spent more than $3 billion on environmental protection. This marked the first time since 1995 that spending had surpassed the $3-billion mark.

In 1961, resource-based industries dominated Canada's exports, accounting for two-thirds of goods and services sent abroad. By 1999, however, this group of industries represented less than one-third of the value of exports.

The publication Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics 2003 (16-201-XIE, $22) is now available. A paper version (16-201-XPE, $43, including CD-ROM) will be available soon.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts methods or data quality of this release, contact Murray Cameron (613-951-3740; fax: 613-951-0634; camemur@statcan.gc.ca), Environment Accounts and Statistics Division.