Drinking water and health: Overview
On this page
- Responsibility for drinking water safety in Canada
- Drinking water guidelines
- The multi-barrier approach to drinking water safety
- Well water safety
Responsibility for drinking water safety in Canada
In Canada, provincial, territorial, municipal and federal governments share the responsibility for making sure drinking water supplies are safe. Provinces and territories are primarily responsible for making sure water is safe to drink. Municipalities are usually responsible for treatment and distribution, except to private home owners who draw drinking water from a source on their property.
Health Canada's Water and Air Quality Bureau develops the Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality in partnership with the provinces, territories and other federal departments. Every jurisdiction in Canada uses these guidelines to establish drinking water quality requirements based on their need and context. These requirements can include:
- policies
- standards
- regulations
Learn more about:
- Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water
- How different levels of government share the responsibility for clean and safe drinking water
Drinking water guidelines
Drinking water guidelines set limit on how much of a contaminant should be in drinking water. They're based on the best available:
- science
- analytical methods
- treatment technology
Drinking water authorities need to know whether their drinking water management program is working effectively. They test and analyse drinking water at various points from its source to your tap. They compare the results to the guidelines to determine whether the water is safe to drink.
Some people may be more exposed or more sensitive to some contaminants meaning they could experience greater health effects. When we develop drinking water guidelines, we consider the impact on these people, including:
- infants
- children
- people in poor health
- people of reproductive age
- those living in areas with high pollution
We also assess climate change impacts for each contaminant.
Learn more about:
- Drinking water guidelines
- Consultations on draft drinking water guidelines
- Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality: technical documents
- How Health Canada decides which contaminants to develop guidelines for
The multi-barrier approach to drinking water safety
The best way to keep drinking water supplies clean, safe and reliable is to take a preventive risk management approach. The multi-barrier approach looks at all 3 parts of the drinking water supply:
- the source water
- the drinking water treatment system
- the distribution system which carries the treated water to homes, businesses, schools and other buildings
- The plumbing inside your home is an extension of the distribution system.
The approach identifies all known and potential hazards, including:
- hazards created by human activity, such as:
- agriculture
- industrial practices
- recreational activities in the watershed
- natural hazards, such as seasonal droughts or flooding
- hazards in the treatment plant or distribution system due to operational breakdowns or aging infrastructure
This approach also makes sure barriers are in place to reduce or eliminate the risk of contamination. This includes:
- selecting the best available source (for example, a lake, river or aquifer) and protecting it from contamination
- using effective water treatment
- preventing water quality deterioration in the distribution system
- For example, we work with standards organization to ensure the pipes, fitting and fixtures used in the distribution system don't leach contaminants into your drinking water.
As drinking water travels from its source to your tap, it can become contaminated in many ways. This means understanding each water supply from its beginning in nature to where it reaches you, the consumer. This understanding comes from collecting and studying data about:
- the water's characteristics
- the ways it could become contaminated
- the type of treatment it needs
The multi-barrier approach recognizes that each individual barrier may not be able to completely remove or prevent contamination. However, when used together, the barriers work to ensure that the water is safe to drink over the long term.
Learn more about:
- The Multi-Barrier Approach to Safe Drinking Water
- Products and materials that come into contact with drinking water
Well water safety
About 3 million people in Canada rely on a private groundwater well for their drinking water.
As water from rain or melting snow soaks deeper into the ground, the particles in the ground act like a filter, helping to clean the water as it travels deeper. However, that doesn't mean that groundwater is free of contaminants. It may not always be of good quality due to natural or human contamination.
If you're the owner of a private well, it's your responsibility to protect the quality of your well water.
Be Well Aware: Information for private well owners
Related links
Contact us
Contact us for more information about drinking water treatment devices.
Email: water-eau@hc-sc.gc.ca
Page details
- Date modified: