The majority of Canadians (53 percent) rank fresh water as the country's most important natural resource; ahead of forests (20 percent), agriculture/farmland (14 percent), oil (eight percent) and fisheries (two percent), according to the 2009 Canadian Water Attitudes Study.

More than eight in 10 of us think Canada will have a fresh-water shortage problem if we do not pay attention to conservation. But despite this appreciation for water, Canadians continue to waste it at alarming rates, using five times more water per day than we think we do, consuming about 329 litres per day.

Canadians not only underestimate the amount of water we use, but our water habits have actually worsened so far in 2009. Visit the Government of Canada Water Conservation Tips web page to improve your water conservation habits: www.on.ec.gc.ca/reseau/watertips/watertips_e.html

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