Water Survey of Canada
The Water Survey of Canada (WSC) is a scientific branch of Canada's Department of the Environment responsible for monitoring the nation's freshwater resources.
The WSC maintains Canada's hydrometric data network, widely referred to as HYDAT. Previously over 2,500 hydrometric gauges were maintained, however, currently less than 2000 stations provide active data.[1] Stations or gauges record lake and river water levels that are used to compute river flow data.
Data developed by the WSC is used for water resource management purposes in various policy programs by federal, provincial and municipal governments. This information is also available free to the public by searching Archived Hydrometric Data. The data also contributes to ongoing efforts to measure local, regional and national impacts from climate change.
