As a country with vast biological resources, Canada is frequently called water rich due to its many lakes and rivers. Canada lays claim to the most lake area of any country in the world with 563 lakes, including the Great Lakes, which contain 18% of the world's fresh lake water and transcend the border between Canada and the United States of America (1). Despite the prevalence of freshwater ecosystems and large volume of associated water resources, water quality in Canada is under threat.

Due to poor management and pollution, valuable freshwater ecosystems are now at risk. The State of the Environment in Ontario report of May 2023 by the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario reported that 60% of rivers and streams monitored to determine their biological health rate were scored as "poor" to "very poor". This decline in ecological health is largely due to pollutants introduced by humans. The State of the Environment in Ontario report states that 85% of water pollution in Canadian lakes and rivers is made up of nitrate, 13% being ammonia, and the remaining 2% of various pollutants such as lead (2). Ammonia is a colorless, soluble, corrosive gas with a very distinct odor used in household and industrial cleaners and to make fertilizers for crops, and long-term exposure to low concentrations can result in serious health conditions (3). 

To offset serious declines in water quality, the Government of Canada implemented the St Lawrence Action Plan in 2011, building upon four agreements that have been progressively implemented since 1988. This Action Plan aims to preserve the St. Lawrence River and the larger watershed it is a part of, managing the drastic environmental challenges facing this crucial ecosystem through 2026. The three key target areas of the roadmap are biodiversity conservation, improved water quality, and sustainable use of resources provided by the watershed.

Water pollution has been a major issue in many areas of the world for several decades, with increased industrial pollution resulting in the introduction of harmful chemicals. Climate change is now causing rising temperatures leading to consistent algae blooms, wildfires that impact water quality, and agricultural runoff pollution. More protective and conservation-based action needs to be taken to offset this serious and rapidly developing issue of water pollution and watershed ecosystem deterioration in Canada.

Photo Credit: F.Brown

Sources:

1. Government of Canada

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/water-overview/sources/lakes.html

2. The State of the Environment in Ontario report

https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/specialreports/specialreports/The_State_Of_The_Environment_EN.pdf

3. National Library of Medicine

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ammonia