Water Quality & Treatment Blog

This document is meant to be a summary of the more common contaminants, their potential effects and what is generally considered acceptable methods to properly treat each contaminant. 

"PFAS are not natural water contaminants. They are human made."

With origins dating back to the 1940’s, this group of chemicals has been used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. 

"Water is commonly known as the universal solvent, particles of soluble materials are absorbed into the water."

TDS refers to the amount of minerals, metals, organic material and salts that are dissolved in a certain water volume that is expressed in mg/L or parts per million (ppm)

"Nitrate is an invisible, colourless & tasteless water contaminant that goes undetected unless specifically sampled for."

Nitrates are compounds that occur naturally within the earth but are found in elevated levels in agricultural communities and rural towns. While they do not present any taste or odor, drinking elevated levels of nitrates can cause illness in both humans and in livestock.

Lead is toxic and can be harmful to human health, even in small amounts. It can pose a significant public health risk if ingested or dissolved in drinking water. Scientists agree there is no level of lead that is considered safe, and Health Canada recommends reducing levels as much as possible.

"There are more than 200 recognized enteric viruses of which approximately 140 variations are currently known to infect humans."

"There are far too many contaminants to effectively regulate, test and provide 100% safe drinking water from every tap."

As there is an increase in conducted research, new findings are becoming apparent regarding the potential for new or emerging contaminants in water posing risk to human health. No one really knows what actually lies in our drinking water, and no single test exists to test for every possible contaminant.