Accessible Data
Measures the percent of 167 sub-watersheds in Canada where there is enough data to assess the sub-watersheds' overall health
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It’s important to be transparent that this Shared Measurement System was designed from a non-Indigenous worldview and we recognize that Indigenous ways of knowing are absent from it. For more information on this positioning, see our Right Relations page.

Overview

Having access to reliable information about the health of our waters is vital to making good management decisions. If we don’t understand the health of our waters, we can’t fully understand the impact of pressures that threaten fresh water such as pollution, agricultural runoff, urbanization, natural resource extraction and climate change.

WWF-Canada has undertaken watershed health assessments of all the country’s sub-watersheds. In 2017, when WWF first released it’s Watershed Reports, of Canada’s 167 sub-watersheds (based on the Water Survey of Canada’s "sub-drainage" areas), only 57 (34%) had sufficient, accessible data to assess overall health. In October, 2020, WWF updated the Watershed Reports, and this time 67 of the 167 sub-watersheds (40%) had sufficient, accessible data to assess overall health.

As WWF-Canada states, “Canadians deserve to know the state of their country’s watersheds.” Unfortunately, we are not collecting enough water data to give an accurate picture of watershed health across the country. As a result, for the majority of the country, we are unequipped to make decisions informed by good data.

Last updated October 2020

Percent of 167 sub-watersheds in Canada that have sufficient, accessible data allowing WWF-Canada's Watershed Reports to assess their overall health

40%

Number of 167 sub-watersheds in Canada that have sufficient, accessible data allowing WWF-Canada's Watershed Reports to assess their overall health

Note: The data presented here represents our best research given the time and resources at hand. We acknowledge there may be errors. This shared measurement system belongs to all members of the Our Living Water Network, so if you have any corrections for us, or ideas to share on this measure, please send us an email at [email protected].

Accessible Data|Measures the percent of Canada’s 167 sub-watersheds where there is enough data to assess the sub-watershed’s overall health
Accessible Data|Measures the percent of 167 sub-watersheds in Canada where there is enough data to assess the sub-watersheds' overall health
Imagine a Canada where all waters are in good health: