Table 3.19.3
Selected indicators of pressures on water quality, Great Lakes drainage region

Table 3.19.3
Selected indicators of pressures on water quality, Great Lakes drainage region
Table summary
This table displays the results of Selected indicators of pressures on water quality Residual soil nitrogen, agricultural land, 2011, Residual soil nitrogen on agricultural land, normalized across the total area of the drainage region 2011, Risk of phosphorus release from agricultural soils, 2011, Risk of phosphorus release from agricultural soils, normalized across the total area of the drainage region, 2011, Nitrogen emissions, National Pollutant Release Inventory, 2014, Phosphorus emissions, National Pollutant Release Inventory, 2014 and Median monthly maximum turbidity, 2013, calculated using kg/ha, kg/km2, mg/kg, tonnes and nephelometric turbidity units units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residual soil nitrogen, agricultural land, 2011Table 3.19.3 Note 1 Residual soil nitrogen on agricultural land, normalized across the total area of the drainage region 2011Table 3.19.3 Note 1 Risk of phosphorus release from agricultural soils, 2011Table 3.19.3 Note 1 Risk of phosphorus release from agricultural soils, normalized across the total area of the drainage region, 2011Table 3.19.3 Note 1 Nitrogen emissions, National Pollutant Release Inventory, 2014Table 3.19.3 Note 2 Phosphorus emissions, National Pollutant Release Inventory, 2014Table 3.19.3 Note 2 Median monthly maximum turbidity, 2013Table 3.19.3 Note 3
kg/ha kg/km2 mg/kg tonnes nephelometric turbidity units
Canada 23.2 133.4 1.7 0.0 754,011 40,443 Note ..: not available for a specific reference period
Great Lakes 37.5 405.6 1.8 0.0 106,099 781 5.0
.. not available for a specific reference period
Note 1.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada produces agri-environmental indicators on residual soil nitrogen (RSN) and the risk of phosphorus release (P-source). The RSN indicator provides an estimate of the amount of nitrogen in agricultural soils, in kilograms per hectare, in 2011. RSN accounts for atmospheric deposition, nitrogen fixation, crop inputs (fertilizer and manure), crop removals (harvesting) and gaseous losses of ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas. The P-source is the amount of water extractable phosphorus potentially released from agricultural soils in a given year, in milligrams per kilogram. Agricultural land is taken from the Interpolated Census of Agriculture and includes cropland, summerfallow, tame or seeded pasture and natural land for pasture. It excludes other land (e.g., woodlots, wetlands, land occupied by buildings) on farms.

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Note 2.

Direct emissions from industrial facilities to air, land and water reported to the National Pollutant Release Inventory in 2014, excluding offshore facilities. For nitrogen, substances include ammonia, nitrate ion in solution, nitric acid and nitrogen oxides. For phosphorous, substances include total phosphorous and yellow phosphorous. Substances are reported in tonnes.

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Note 3.

Turbidity is a measure of the relative clarity of water measured in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). Data are for raw surface water sources from drinking water facilities that reported turbidity data for at least 10 months in 2013.

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Sources: Statistics Canada, Environment, Energy and Transportation Statistics Division, 2016, special tabulation from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), 2015, Agri-environmental Indicator―Residual Soil Nitrogen (RSN), (accessed September 28, 2016); AAFC, 2015, Agri-environmental Indicator?Risk of P release in agricultural land (P-Source) (accessed September 28, 2016); Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2015, National Pollutant Release Inventory, Pollution Data and Reports, (accessed August 24, 2016); Statistics Canada, 2015, “Source water quality, 2013,” Environment Fact Sheets, Catalogue no. 16-508-X.
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