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Of the 738 municipalities (total responding population of 21.1 million people) that submitted information on water supply problems, 86 (12.1% of the total responding population) indicated that they experienced a water supply problem from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2009.4 This information provides only a high-level assessment of water supply problems in Canadian municipalities, as the detailed causes of the problems are not identified. Water supply problems can include, but are not limited to, insufficient water resources, broken water mains, washouts due to floods, and planned or unplanned plant closures.
The MWWS also collects high-level data on water quality problems. Of the 746 municipalities (total responding population of 20.4 million people) that submitted information on water quality problems, 206 (33% of the total responding population) indicated that they experienced a water quality problem between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009. Water quality problems can include, but are not limited to, aesthetic (taste or odour), chemical, microbiological and radiological problems.
In some cases, water supply problems can lead to water quality problems. Broken mains or insufficient water flow, among other factors, can lead to contamination of the water supply.5
4. In the MWWS Water Use Report (2006 data), it was reported that 16% of responding municipalities indicated that they experienced water supply problems sometime in 2006. No comparable statement can be made for 2009, as the 2009 questionnaire collected information for the entire period of January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2009, as a whole and not for each intervening year.
5. U.S. EPA, 2006.