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The Importance of Water

Drinking Water - A Personal Choice
How Safe is Your Water?
Manitoulin Island Water Sources
Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines

Drinking Water - A Personal Choice

Everyone knows that we should drink water.

The question is what kind of water?

Doctor's tell us that it is vital for a healthy lifestyle and necessary to perform basic body functions. It is a fact that water lubricates joints, carries essential nutrients, disposes of toxins, regulates body temperature and aids in food digestion. The human body is over 70% water.

Water that is contaminated with bacteria, chlorine, salts, inorganic minerals and other pollutants cannot perform these essential functions properly.

Today's market for water is greater than ever before and the choices for consumers are staggering. Spring, Mineral, Glacier, Flavoured, Distilled, Filtered, Purified, Reverse Osmosis, Mountain and many others. Most consumers are not aware of the differences between these sources.

The situation is further complicated with scares of boil water advisories, plastic water bottle concerns, reports of elevated lead levels, benzene and oil contamination, e-coli and cryptosporidium outbreaks. These are no longer isolated incidents and have become everyday news.

Minerals in water are a very highly debated topic. This debate is centered around inorganic vs organic mineral sources. There is no argument that we need minerals. What is the best source?

Drinking water is more now than ever... a personal choice.

At Wahl Water Treatment we are committed to providing you with the information necessary to make this choice.

Most people don't drink enough
water because they don't like the
taste or don't trust the source.

How Safe is your Water?

Most people associate the safety of their water by the way it looks, smells and tastes. Many contaminants in water are colourless, odourless and tasteless.

Some water sources have offensive odours, discolouration, staining and highly visible contaminants. These sources are easily identified as potentially harmful.

There are justified concerns over bacteria counts in water.

Local Health Units test for Coliform and E-Coli, two very harmful bacteria. These are unquestionably very important tests and one part of the overall water safety. The Health Unit does not test for pesticides, herbicides, oils, chemicals, lead, arsenic or any other potential contaminants.

Municipal water is tested regularly and uses chlorine as the primary disinfectant. Many consumers have adverse reactions to chlorine and offensive odours can be present in the water supply. Studies have linked chlorine by-products to the formation of trihalomethanes, a known carcinogen.

The safety of your water source is based on organic, inorganic, chemical and bacterial contaminants. Testing for all of these components is available and can provide a more accurate picture of what is in your water supply.


Water Testing
Makes good sense and
ensures the safety
of your water.

Manitoulin Water Sources

Manitoulin has a wide variety of water sources that are suitable for home, cottage or business use. Our experience has shown us that the quality of the water varies greatly from source to source.
Contact us for more information.
It is always a good idea
to test the water before deciding
to purchase or build.

Water Source Advantages Disadvantages Potential Issues
Lake Water
 		Good Quantity Widely Available
 		Bacteria Concerns
Sediment and Organics
 		Freezing
Low Water Levels
Zebra Mussels
Deep Drilled Well Year Round Water Hardness and Iron
Expense of Setup 		Low Water Levels
Sulphur and High TDS
Adverse Water Quality
Artesian Spring Lots of Water Hardness
Not widely available 		Excessive Water on the Property
Shore Well Year Round Water Expense of Setup
Not always Lake Water 		Low Water Quantity
Sulphur and Iron
Discolouration and Tannin
Bacteria and Sediment
Dug/Shallow Well Easily Accessible
Easy to Setup 		Bacteria Concerns
Sediment and Organics
Tannins and Discolouration 		Seasonal Low Water Issues
Variable Incoming Quality
Vermin Contamination

Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines

The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality deal with microbiological, chemical and radiological contaminants. They also address concerns with physical characteristics of water, such as taste and odour. A multi-barrier approach is taken to protect water quality.

This multi-barrier approach takes all threats into account and makes sure there are "barriers" in place to either eliminate them or minimize their impact. It includes selecting the best available source (e.g., lake, river, aquifer) and protecting it from contamination, using effective water treatment, and preventing water quality deterioration in the distribution system.

More information is available at:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/guide/index-eng.php

Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines May 2008   (PDF)