Calgary's water meets or is better than all federal and provincial health-related guidelines.
Calgary's water quality is tested at every step of the process, from the raw water that enters our treatment plants, through production and distribution, right back to the taps in your home.
The parameters we test for are outlined in the table below.
Key Drinking Water Quality Parameters 2012
| TREATED WATER AT PLANT |
|
| Water Quality Parameter |
Units |
Drinking Water |
Limit a |
Major Source |
|---|
| Basic Water Chemistry (< or < means not detected) |
Colour |
TCU b |
<2-3.0 |
<15 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Hardness as CaCO3 |
mg/L |
137-260 |
500 mg/L e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
pH |
pH |
7.1-8.0 |
6.5-8.5 e |
Influenced by the dissolved minerals in the water and water treatment |
Temperature |
°C |
1.4-20.2 |
<15 °C e |
Surface-water temperature |
Total dissolved solids |
mg/L |
156-299 |
<500 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Turbidity |
NTU c |
<0.05-0.09 |
1.0 g |
Suspended particles in solution |
| Inorganic Substances |
Aluminum |
mg/L |
0.0131-0.1766 |
0.1 f |
Plant treatment |
Arsenic |
mg/L |
<0.0005 |
0.01 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
| Barium |
mg/L |
0.0267-0.0778 |
1.0 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Cadmium |
mg/L |
<0.0005 |
0.005 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Calcium |
mg/L |
37-71 |
No limit |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Free Chlorine residual |
mg/L |
0.84-1.42 |
>0.2 |
Plant treatment |
Chromium |
mg/L |
< 0.0005-0.0018 |
0.05 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Copper |
mg/L |
< 0.0005-0.0028 |
<1.0 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Fluoridek |
mg/L |
<0.072-0.30 |
1.5 |
Naturally occurring plus plant treatment |
Iron |
mg/L |
<0.05 |
<0.3 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Lead |
mg/L |
<0.0005
|
0.01 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Magnesium |
mg/L |
11-20 |
No limit |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
| Manganese |
mg/L |
<0.0005-0.0027 |
<0.05 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Mercury |
mg/L |
<0.00005 |
0.001 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Nickel |
mg/L |
<0.0005-0.0014 |
No limit |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
| Nitrite + Nitrate as Nitrogen |
mg/L |
0.0069-0.19 |
10 |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Potassium |
mg/L |
0.43-1.4 |
No limit |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Sodium |
mg/L |
1.6-12 |
<200 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
| Sulfate |
mg/L |
33-81 |
<500 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
Zinc |
mg/L |
<0.001-0.0098 |
<5.0 e |
Erosion of natural deposits in watershed |
| Microbiological Organisms (<1 means not detected) |
E. coli |
MPN/100 mL d |
<1 |
0 |
Domestic animals, wildlife and human waste |
Total Coliform |
MPN/100 mL d |
<1 |
0 |
Soil, domestic animals, and wildlife |
| TREATED WATER IN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM |
|
Water Quality Parameter |
Units |
Drinking Water |
Limit a |
Major Source |
| Volatile Organic Substances |
Total Trihalomethanes h |
mg/L |
0.0209 |
0.1 |
By-product of chlorination |
| Microbiological Organisms |
E. coli i |
MPN/100 ml d |
Absent |
0 |
Domestic animals, wildlife, and human waste |
Total coliforms i |
MPN/100 ml d |
Absent |
0 |
Soil, domestic animals, and wildlife |
Appendice
a Limit stipulated by Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (Health Canada Aug.2012) or Alberta Government operating approval for aesthetic, health, and operational reasons.
b TCU = True Colour Units.
c NTU = Nephelometric Turbidity Units, a measure of water clarity.
d MPN = Most Probable Number
e Aesthetic objective, which is not a health-related limit
f Federal operational guidance value, which is not a health-related limit.
g Lower limits are stipulated for some operating conditions.
h Annual average values.
i Samples collected from the distribution system are analyzed at the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health as required by Alberta Environment operating approval.
j The City of Calgary ceased fluoridation of its drinking water on May 19, 2011.
Please note: mg/L = milligrams per litre, or parts per million (ppm)
