Runoff from fertilizers and other nutrient-rich chemicals is posing a major threat to Canada’s water bodies, according to a government report conducted over five years. The report, completed in January 2001 and obtained under public access rules by a private citizen, says farming and municipal sewage systems are the biggest source of the nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich chemicals that lead to the algae growth choking off oxygen supplies and other life forms in inland waters. The report also details problems with the country’s air quality.
