Author(s)

Henry Gordon-Smith

The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA.

This paper explores the common misconception that Canada has an infinite supply of freshwater. The true amount of water availability in Canada is explored, and the location of the majority of Canada’s water supply is described. As a consequence of a more precise assessment of Canada’s actual hydrologic situation the paper seeks to dash the dangerous myth of Canada’s water inexhaustibility, which is straining the country’s precious resource increasingly. Finally, this paper discusses the major threats to Canada’s water supply, which are from both external factors as well as its internal sociopolitical weakness. A solution to these problems is considered.

Canadian Water Supply; Hydrology; Water Security; Canadian Water Policies; Canadian Governmental Fragmentation; US-Canadian Political Relations; Water Wars

H. Gordon-Smith, "Water Myths: The Illusion of Canada’s Endless Water Supply," Journal of Water Resource and Protection, Vol. 4 No. 10, 2012, pp. 807-811. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2012.410093.