Demand for water infrastructure across the country has more than doubled in recent years, and as a result, Canada’s network of water, storm water and wastewater facilities has increased by 43 percent since 2016.

The latest findings in Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Survey shows that there were more than 56,000 water-infrastructure facilities in Canada in 2018, compared with about 39,000 in 2016. Moreover, those facilities in service were linked to 816,000 kilometres of water and sewer pipes, force mains, open ditches and culverts, compared with 761,000 kilometres of linear assets in 2016. 

The survey also shows that the rate of construction of water infrastructure has been on the rise in recent years. In 2017 and 2018, an average of 13,000 kilometres of new linear water assets were built per year. That figure compares to around 6,000 kilometres per year between 2000 and 2016.

Similarly, an average of about 1,590 non-linear water facilities were built each year in 2017 and 2018, compared with approximately 1,200 facilities per year from 2000 to 2016. 

Part of the reason for the surge in construction of water infrastructure assets was a commitment by the federal government in its 2016 budget to deliver $2 billion in funding for water and wastewater systems through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.

Between 2016 and 2018, the federal government approved 2,365 projects under the fund. When combined with investments from other levels of government, those projects were worth a total of $3.8 billion.

Some analyses suggest that even with those spurs in investment, significant funding shortfalls remain. Data from the Annual Survey of Capital and Repair Expenditures (CAPEX), for example, showed that over $18 billion was invested in water and wastewater infrastructure from 2016 to 2018. That figure was down from the $24.5 billion invested between 2010 and 2012.

Moreover, a 2007 study conducted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and McGill University estimated that close to $88 billion worth of investments in water-related infrastructure were required to repair existing stock and to build new infrastructure. CAPEX data shows that $65.8 billion was invested in these assets between 2007 and 2016.

Perhaps as a result of those funding shortfalls, the overall condition of water infrastructure assets has changed very little since the 2016 infrastructure survey. The share of linear assets in poor or very poor condition was unchanged at around 11 percent. There was a decrease in the share of linear assets reported to be in good condition or better, and less than half of linear assets were deemed to be in good or very good condition in 2018, compared with 53 percent in 2016. 

Additionally, the infrastructure survey shows that about one in five water and wastewater pipes, and about one in four sanitary sewer pipes, were at least 50 years old. Potable water treatment facilities tended to be newer than the underground infrastructure, with just 7 percent built before 1970.