WC146 JanFeb 2026 - Magazine - Page 12
We cannot exist as humans without a safe,
reliable supply of drinkable water.
12
WATER C AN ADA • JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2026
Challenges to the safety of tap water
Public confidence in the safety of tap water is regularly challenged—sometimes rightly so, other times not so fairly. On
the “rightly so” side, science continually strives to improve
our world, revealing new threats and, usually, discovering
the solutions. We have learned that lead, used in plumbing
for millennia, was not safe to use. Utilities have worked
for decades to remove lead from our
systems, so that it now only exists in
a diminishing number of service lines
and private plumbing. Most recently we
have discovered the appearance of PFAS
chemicals in our environment and must
determine the threat and the treatment
required.For issues of chemistry and water safety, we, as utilities, look to Health
Canada and the Canada Drinking
Water Guidelines and Provincial Regulations for direction. We can’t each be
conducting our own research, so we rely
on the collaborative effort of the federal,
provincial and territorial governments.
Then, on the not-so-science-based
side, we are regularly challenged by
unsupported arguments and fear
campaigns. The safety of chlorine has
always been challenged, but we could
argue that adding chlorine to water
has saved more lives over time than
all other medicines put together.So
far, the science favours its continued
use and has yet to identify significant
risks that outweigh the enormous
benefits. Similarly, fluoride is again
under attack, mostly in the U.S., while
the science has yet identified genuine
risks.After seeing a significant drop
in community dental health, Calgary
has reintroduced its use, basing their
decision on the available science.Unless federal changes are made, Health
Canada will continue to review these
and other chemicals and then update
their guidance to utilities.
Beyond just meeting the drinking water guidelines and
regulations, the best strategy for any utility is to share
information with their community. Start with sharing the
facts about these chemicals, where to see the research and
any local data about potential threats. (Many fact sheets are
available from Health Canada, while speaking notes that
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
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DRINKING WATER
