-
About 83%
of our blood is water. It helps digest our food, transport
waste, and control body temperature.
-
More than
5 million people die each year from diseases caused by unsafe
drinking water, lack of sanitation and insufficient water
for hygiene. In fact, over 2 million deaths occur each
year from water-related diarrhea alone.
-
In the developing
countries, 80% of illnesses are water-related.
-
Worldwide
water withdrawals from water bodies have risen from 250 cubic
metres/person/year in 1900 to over 700 cubic metres today.
-
Once evaporated,
a water molecule spends about 10 days in the air.
-
Glacier ice
over 100 000 years old is found at the base of many
Canadian Arctic ice caps.
-
In Canada,
the place with the least amount of precipitation, on average,
is Eureka, Nunavut, with 64 mm/year.
-
The wettest
place in Canada, on average, is Ocean Falls, B.C., with 4386.8 mm
precipitation/year.
-
Freshwater
lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers hold only 2.5% of
the world's water. By comparison, saltwater oceans and seas
contain 97.5% of the world's water supply.
-
Over two
thirds of the earth's fresh water exists as ice in the form
of glaciers and ice caps.
-
Of the total
world's freshwater supply, about one third is found underground.
-
About 7.6%
of Canada is covered by fresh water in lakes and rivers -
755 165 square kilometres.
-
Annually,
Canada's rivers discharge 7% of the world's renewable water
supply - 105 000 cubic metres per second.
-
Canada's
rivers and lakes contain enough water to flood the entire
country to a depth of more than 2 metres.
-
Canadians
are the trustees of almost 25% of all of the world's wetlands,
currently covering 16% of the land area of Canada.
-
Approximately
60% of Canada's fresh water drains north.
-
Canada holds
20% of the world's fresh water, but has only 7% of the world's
fresh renewable water.
-
Canada has
built over 600 large dams, and about 60 large domestic
interbasin diversions.
-
To date,
only about 40% of Canada's hydroelectric potential has been
developed.
-
Water power
meets about two thirds of the nation's electrical needs.
-
The highest
waterfall in Canada is Della Falls, B.C. at 440 metres.
-
The longest
Canadian river is the Mackenzie River in the N.W.T. at 4241 kilometres.
-
The largest
lake entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake in the N.W.T. at
31 328 square kilometres.
-
Acid rain
with a pH of 3.6 has 100 times the acidity of normal
rain with a pH of 5.6.
-
On average,
6% of Canada's urban population lives in municipalities that
do not provide sewage treatment.
-
Water consumption
usually drops 18-25% after a water meter is installed.
-
Estimates
vary, but it is commonly believed that there are up to 100 000 chemicals
in commercial use worldwide.
-
One litre
of oil can contaminate up to 2 million litres of water.
-
On the Prairies,
irrigation is the largest consumer of water.
-
Approximately
10 litres of water is required to manufacture 1 litre
of gasoline.
-
Approximately
1000 kilograms of water is required to grow 1 kilogram
of potatoes.
-
Approximately
295 000 litres of water is required to produce 910 kilograms
of paper.
-
Approximately
86 300 litres of water is required to produce 910 kilograms
of steel.
-
On average,
14% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks -
up to 30% in some communities.
-
Toilets (while
consuming nearly one quarter of our municipal water supply)
use over 40% more water than needed.
-
Many homes
lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking
and drinking.
-
Less than
3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment
plant is used for drinking purposes.
-
Residential
indoor water use in Canada: toilet - 30%; bathing and
showering - 35%; laundry - 20%; kitchen and drinking -
10%; cleaning - 5%.
-
A 5-minute
shower with a standard shower head uses 100 litres of
water.
-
A 5-minute
shower with a low-flow shower head uses only 35 litres
of water.
-
During the
summer, about half of all treated water is sprayed onto lawns
and gardens.
-
Water uses
and consumption: toilet flush - 15-20L; shower (10 min.) -
100L; tub bath - 60L; automatic dishwashing - 40L;
dishwashing by hand - 35L; hand washing - 8L (with
tap running); brushing teeth - 10L (with tap running);
outdoor watering - 35L/min; washing machine - 225L.
-
A single
lawn sprinkler spraying 19 litres per minute uses 50%
more water in just one hour than a combination of ten toilet
flushes, two 5-minute showers, two dishwasher loads, and a
full load of clothes.
-
The Great
Lakes, straddling the Canada-U.S. boundary, contain 25% of
the world's fresh water in lakes.
-
One out of
every three Canadians and one out of every seven U.S. residents
depend on the Great Lakes for their water.
-
The Great
Lakes' coastline accounts for 4% (10 000 kilometres)
of the total length of Canada's coasts.
-
Passage of
a major storm on Lake Erie can cause short-term lake level
changes of as much as 4 metres.
-
Glacial bluffs
make up 21% of Lake Ontario and 42% of Lake Erie Canadian
shorelines.
-
Erosion of
shores along the Great Lakes is primarily caused by waves.
-
Since the
beginning of the 19th century, marshes along the Canadian
shore of Lake Ontario have been reduced in area by 40%.
-
Each day
humans must replace 2.4 litres of water, some through
drinking and the rest taken by the body from the foods eaten.
-
A tree is
75% water.
-
More than
half of the world's animal and plant species live in water.
-
3/4 of the
earth's surface is covered with water.
-
Raindrops
are not tear-shaped. High speed cameras have revealed that
they resemble a small hamburger bun.
-
About 70%
of the human body is water.
-
A person
can live without food for more than a month, but can live
only a few days without water.
-
Humans need
a minimum of 30 litres of water a day (5 litres for drinking
and cooking, and 25 litres or more to keep clean).
-
All living
things, from insects to trees, need water to survive.
-
1.1 billion
people, about 20% of the world's population, remain without
access to safe drinking water.
-
One litre
of water weighs one kilogram. In developing countries, it
is common for water collectors, usually women and girls, to
have to walk several kilometers every day to fetch water.
Filled pots and jerry cans weigh as much as 20 kilograms.
-
A person
living in the Sub-Saharan Africa uses 10-20 litres of water
a day.
-
The average
Canadian uses 326 litres of water everyday.
