A federal-provincial assessment of water supply and use has been initiated for the Great
Lakes basin. The study is intended to assess current
and future water use within a study area covering
each of the four sub-basins of the Great Lakes, the Ontario portion of the Ottawa River basin
and the upper St. Lawrence River basin relative to ground and surface water supplies and
ecological requirements. The effort will improve understanding of the diversity of water
resource conditions across the Canadian Great Lakes basins and the sensitivities of the system
to potential climate change and variability. This project will feed directly into a
Great Lakes Commission effort to develop a
Water Resources Management Decision Support System for the Great Lakes (U.S. and Canada).
A Study Team has been established and is made
up of representatives from Environment Canada,
the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,
the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and
Conservation Ontario. This
Study Team has developed an official 4½ year project plan
which is attached.
The primary goals of the study are:
- To gain baseline information on water supply (surface and groundwater source and abundance), water use and demand at a sub-basin level
- To make projections for the future and to consider the impacts of climate change
- To improve our understanding of the diversity of water resource conditions in the Great Lakes Basin and the sensitivities of the system to future demands and climate change
An Advisory Committee made up of interested agencies and stakeholders has been established. If
you are interested in the study and would like to join the Advisory Committee, please refer to
the Advisory Committee page.
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