How much raw sewage finds its way into Canadian waterways, by the numbers

OTTAWA – Canadian cities and the federal and provincial governments are spending billions to keep raw sewage out of waterways, but as of now, enough untreated waste spills each year to fill 86,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Some more numbers:

215 billion litres: Reported amount of untreated sewage flowing into Canadian waterways in 2017.

1.02 trillion litres: Reported amount of untreated sewage flowing out between 2013 and 2017.

269: Number of municipal water systems that are supposed to report sewage outflows to Environment Canada each year.

159: Number of municipal water systems that actually reported sewage outflows to Environment Canada each year.

1: Number of municipalities known to monitor the actual amount of sewage outflows versus a calculated estimate.

36 per cent: Share of total leaks and spills in 2018 that came from British Columbia.

Source: Environment Canada