We use lakes directly for many things and lakes are also indicators of the quality of our fresh water, without which we could not live. We need freshwater for drinking and for food production (crops, livestock, fish).

Degradations of water quality affect our health.

Fresh water is critical for many industrial processes. Many forms of energy production depend on freshwater (often by turning turbines with water – like dams or by boiling water – nuclear, coal power for example). We use freshwater for waste and sewage disposal. Freshwater is also widely used for recreation, from sailing to cottaging.

In a nutshell, fresh water is critical to almost everything we do.