Water quality in Canadian rivers

Measure of the physical, chemical and biological conditions of river water and its ability to support aquatic life as well as its suitability to support human use. Water quality is considered excellent when it almost always meets the established water quality criteria.

This indicator provides a measure of the ability of river water across Canada to support plants and animals.

Water quality is reported by measuring a number of chemical and physical properties (parameters) in water. The results for each parameter are compared to its water quality guideline. If measured water quality remains within the guidelines, it is assumed that it can maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Water quality data are collected by federal, provincial and territorial monitoring programs from across Canada. Water quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life are used to calculate the indicators. They come from the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and provincial and territorial government sources. Where these guidelines do not exist, other guidelines, such as irrigation guidelines, are used. Additional information from Statistics Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada are used to assess land use.

Note that the indicator reflects the state of water quality in rivers in southern Canada. Northern Canada is under-represented.

For more information, please refer to Water quality in Canadian rivers from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

For key results on water quality in Canadian rivers, please refer to Water quality in Canadian rivers from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

For visuals of water quality in Canadian rivers data, please refer to Water quality in Canadian rivers from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

For key results on water quality in Canadian rivers, please refer to Water quality in Canadian rivers from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Clean freshwater is an essential resource. It protects aquatic plant and animal biodiversity, and can be used for manufacturing, energy production, irrigation, swimming, boating, fishing and domestic use (for example, drinking and washing). Degraded water quality damages the health of all freshwater ecosystems, such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. It can also disrupt fisheries, tourism and agriculture, and make it more expensive to treat to drinking water standards.