How Much is There?
Distribution of Water on Earth
About 70% of the Earths surface is covered by water, so you might think that with all this water, there ought to be plenty to go around for everyone. But unfortunately that isn’t the case.
Of all the water on Earth, 97% of it is salt water and is not suitable for drinking. While the remaining 3% is fresh water, 79% of this freshwater is frozen in glaciers and ice caps and 20% is under the ground. The 1% left is found in the atmosphere, in lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands; this is the water we all depend on for drinking, washing, gardening and recreation.
Adapted from Pollution Probe's Drinking Water Primer