Drinking Water Q&A
Here are answers to some of the more frequently asked questions concerning water. If you don't find the answer you're looking for, please call us at 625-2195.
How do we know our drinking water is safe?
Thunder Bay's water treatment plant employes highly effective water treatment and quality assurance processes that ensure the absence of harmful substances in our tapwater. Water quality is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How is the water quality monitored?
Water quality guidelines are established by the federal government through the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ) and the provincial government through the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS). The City’s drinking water testing and analysis program was reviewed following enactment of the new water protection legislation. Weekly microbiological testing of water at the Bare Point Water Treatment Plant and at various points in the distribution system meets all requirements and was kept unchanged. Annual testing for volatile organics, pesticides and PCB’s meets legislated requirements.
What do the results of this monitoring indicate?
The results of our extensive water quality assurance program confirm the excellent quality of water produced at the City of Thunder Bay’s water treatment plant.
Should we be concerned about lead in drinking water?
The issue of lead in drinking water has become a concern for many municipal water utilities. In 2007, the MOE determined that drinking water samples take from some consumers' taps in Southern Ontario contained lead above the water quality standards set out by the Province of 10 micrograms per litre.
Is there anything homeowners can do about lead in drinking water?
Lead concentrations in drinking water can be minimized by not drinking ‘first draw’ water in the morning. This is water that has sat in plumbing lines overnight and has the highest levels of leached metals such as copper, zinc and lead.
A good practice is to run the water until it feels very cold before drinking it. Flushing the toilet or taking a shower will also use up this ‘first draw’ water.
The City completed a corrosion study between 1996 and 1998 in the Current River North Ward area, in the portion of the ward that is served by the Hodder Avenue standpipe. It concluded that to inhibit corrosion the use of low doses of sodium hydroxide would be most effective. Further, the report recommended that sodium hydroxide be used as the corrosion inhibitor for the expansion to the Bare Point Water Treatment Plant.
