March 8th-14th, 2020 marks National Groundwater Awareness Week. Here at G³⁶⁰ we are excited to share 5 of our favourite groundwater facts relevant to Guelph, Canada, and the world at large.
Did You Know?
- Groundwater represents 99% of all unfrozen fresh water in the world. It provides almost half of the world’s population with domestic water, and is the source of almost half of the water used for irrigation worldwide.
- Seven countries in the world (China, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States) account for 74% of global groundwater withdrawals, with India accounting for one fourth of the global groundwater use.
- Almost nine million Canadians depend on groundwater for domestic use, which represents over 30% of the population. In some provinces, such as those in the Maritimes, the domestic use of groundwater is much higher. For example, the provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are 64% and 100% reliant, respectively, on groundwater as a source of water for domestic use.
- More than 80% of the people living in the Grand River watershed rely on groundwater as a source of clean, safe drinking water.
- Guelph is one of the largest Canadian cities to rely almost exclusively on groundwater for its drinking water supply. The average daily water demand in Guelph in 2019 was 47,015 cubic meters (~47 million liters). That is about 19 Olympic-size swimming pools!
To learn more about Groundwater Awareness Week and how you can get involved, visit the NGWA Groundwater Awareness Week website.
Learn more about the facts you read today at their sources below!
[1] Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice, 2019
[2] When Wells Run Dry, Taylor, 2014
[3] The Canadian Encyclopedia: Groundwater, 2015
[4] Grand River Conservation Authority
[5] City of Guelph Water Services 2019 Annual and Summary Report