Drinking water and health: Technical resources

On this page

• Guidelines and technical documents
• Guidance documents
• Drinking water Screening Values
• Source to tap guidance
• Technical and research reports

Guidelines and technical documents

Documents for public comment

• Documents for public comment: Water quality

Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality: Technical documents

• Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality: Summary table

Microbiological parameters

• Escherichia coli
• Total coliforms
• Enteric viruses
• Enteric protozoa: Giardiaand Cryptosporidium

Chemical and physical parameters

• Aluminum
• Ammonia
• Antimony
• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Atrazine
• Barium
• Benzene
• Benzo[a]pyrene
• Boron
• Bromate
• Bromoxynil
• Cadmium
• Carbon tetrachloride
• Chloramines
• Chlorine
• Chlorite and chlorate
• Chlorophenols
• Chlorpyrifos
• Chromium
• Colour
• Copper
• Cyanide
• Cyanobacterial toxins
• Dicamba
• Dichlorobenzenes
• Dichloroethane, 1,2
• Dichloroethylene,1,1
• Dichloromethane
• Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4
• Dimethoate
• Dioxane-1,4
• Diquat
• Ethylbenzene (see toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
• Fluoride
• Formaldehyde
• Glyphosate
• Haloacetic acids
• Iron
• Lead
• Malathion
• Manganese
• MCPA - (2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic Acid)
• Mercury
• Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)
• Metribuzine
• Microcystin-LR (see cyanobacterial toxins)
• N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
• Nitrate/nitrite
• Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)
• Odour
• Operational Parameters
  • Calcium
  • Chloride
  • Hardness
  • Hydrogen sulphide
  • Magnesium
  • Sulphate
  • Total dissolved solids
• Pentachlorophenol (see chlorophenols)
• Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• pH
• Selenium
• Silver
• Sodium
• Strontium
• Taste
• Tetrachloroethylene
• Toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes
• Trichloroethylene
• Trichlorophenol,2,4,6- (see chlorophenols)
• Trihalomethanes
• Turbidity
• Uranium
• Vinyl chloride
• Xylenes (see toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
• Zinc

Radiological parameters

• Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality: Guideline technical document, radiological parameters

Guidance documents

Chemical and physical parameters

• Potassium from water softeners
• Chloral hydrate in drinking water
• Temperature aspects of drinking water
• Natural organic matter in drinking water
• Guidance on Sampling and Mitigation Measures for Controlling Lead
• Issuing and rescinding drinking water avoidance advisories in emergency situations

Microbiological parameters

• Use of quantitative microbial risk assessment in drinking water
• Overview of the microbiological aspects of drinking water quality
• Use of enterococci as an indicator in Canadian drinking water supplies
• Monitoring the biological stability of drinking water in distribution systems
• Issuing and rescinding boil water advisories in Canadian drinking water supplies

Drinking water Screening Values

• Diazinon
• Diuron
• Drinking water screening value for Iodide: Technical summary
• Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)
• Perchlorate
• Sulfolane

Source to tap guidance

• Guidance for safe drinking water in Canada: From intake to tap (2001)
• From source to tap: The Multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water (2002)
• Guidance for providing safe drinking water in areas of federal jurisdiction (December, 2021)

Technical and research reports

• Findings and recommendations of the fluoride expert panel (January 2007)
• Expert panel meeting on the health effects of fluoride in drinking water: Summary report
• Fluoride and Oral Health

Related links

• Drinking water contaminants
• Water and wastewater (Statistics Canada)
• Recreational water quality and health: Technical resources
• Households and the environment survey, treatment of drinking water