Weather tools: Water Survey of Canada

Information on Canada’s freshwater resources is required by a wide audience, including research scientists, policy-makers, design engineers and the general public.

This is where Environment Canada comes in, as the federal agency responsible for the collection, interpretation, and dissemination of standardized water quantity data and information in Canada. We have maintained the National Hydrometric Program through cost-shared agreements with the provinces and territories since the mid-1970s.

Water level, flow and sediment data are used by decision makers to resolve issues related to sustainable use, infrastructure planning and water apportionment. Hydrological models use the data to improve the forecasting of floods and water supplies, and to predict the social and economic impacts of environmental changes on flow regimes to human and aquatic health and economic activity.

For more information on freshwater, visit Environment Canada’s Wateroffice website - the definitive source for hydrometric (Monitoring of stream flows and lake levels) data.