The main question: How reliable is Canada’s waterworks infrastructure?

Last month in Calgary, a break in a critical feedermain that services 60% of the city, as well as some surrounding areas, caused an immediate and cascading effect on water supply. Residents and businesses alike were asked to sharply reduce their water consumption to avoid critical shortages—or, for some, even a complete loss of supply—until the repair work could be completed.

A situation like this begs the question—what is the state of waterworks infrastructure across Canada? Let’s have a look at some key data on age, useful life and physical condition.

Age of waterworks infrastructure higher than average age of all infrastructure

In 2023, the average age of infrastructure assets (all categories) in Canada was 13.1 years. For waterworks infrastructure, including filtration plants and other infrastructure (including the vast network of pipes), the average age was 15.9 years.

Though the average age of waterworks infrastructure was up steadily from 2014 (14.6 years), it was down from 18.0 years in 2002 and 2003, the all-time high since we started tracking these data in 1981 (13.8 years).

Remaining useful life declining steadily in recent years

In 2023, the nationwide stock of waterworks infrastructure had 59.2% of useful life remaining—roughly equal to the average of all asset categories (59.6%)—a steady decline from the recent high in 2014 (62.5%) and the all-time high observed in 1981 (64.6%).

By province and territory, in 2023, this ratio was as high as 75.1% in Nunavut and as low as 50.7% in Nova Scotia.

Nationally, this ratio declined steadily from 1981 to an all-time low of 53.7% in 2002, which was then followed by a steady increase to 2014. Since that year, the only year-over-year increase on record was from 2020 to 2021 (+0.1 percentage points).

Capital expenditures and budgets increasing

Local and regional governments across Canada reported a combined $3.6 billion in capital expenditures on waterworks infrastructure in 2022, accounting for 13.6% of the $26.7 billion spent on all infrastructure assets.

For comparison, capital spending in 2022 on waterworks infrastructure ranked third, behind sewage ($3.6 billion) and transportation ($9.8 billion) infrastructure.

Waterworks infrastructure expenditures eclipsed $3.6 billion in 2019, before consecutively declining in 2020 ($3.4 billion) and 2021 ($3.2 billion).

In 2022, governments and other public-sector institutions across Canada spent an additional $8.3 billion for water supply (operation, maintenance and other expenses), up from $6.1 billion in 2021.

Nearly 4 out of every 10 kilometres of transmission pipes are in unknown, very poor or poor condition

Every two years, the Core Public Infrastructure Survey (CCPI) releases detailed data on the type and condition of infrastructure assets, including data for potable water. The most recent data are from 2020, when there were more than 161,900 kilometres of municipally owned local water pipes (fewer than 416 millimetres), 11,100 km of transmission pipes (greater than 416 mm) and 6,200 km of which the diameter was unknown.

Among municipally owned potable water assets across Canada in 2020, 1 out of every 10 km (10.0%) of transmission pipes had an unknown physical condition, while roughly the same proportion was in either poor (6.7%) or very poor (3.1%) condition.

Local water pipes were more likely than transmission pipes to be in poor (8.1%) and very poor (5.3%) condition, while a lesser proportion had an unknown physical condition (7.7%). Proportions varied among other assets, such as water reservoirs (including dams), treatment facilities, storage tanks and pump stations.

Among provinces and territories, municipalities in New Brunswick (14.6%) and British Columbia (10.9%) had the highest rates of transmission pipes in very poor condition, while the Northwest Territories (25.0%) and Quebec (10.1%) had the highest rates of those in poor condition.

In 2020, the estimated replacement value of publicly owned potable water assets across Canada was $270.1 billion. About one-sixth (16.6%) of this value was for assets in poor, very poor or an unknown physical condition.

Next release

On October 21, 2024, CCPI data for the 2022 reference year will be released.

For more information

Check out our Infrastructure statistics hub for the latest data and analysis on investment, stock, economic contribution and environmental perspective.