In Prince Edward Island we use the “Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality” to assess the safety of drinking water and its suitability for domestic use. The most important values are the health-based guidelines expressed as “maximum acceptable concentrations” often...
Uranium is a naturally occurring element that is widely distributed throughout the Earth’s rocks and soils. Uranium can be dissolved from minerals in the soil or rock and be present in groundwater. The concentration of uranium in water is typically very small, but varies from...
Sodium is a naturally occurring element that is widely distributed throughout the Earth’s rocks and soils, most often found in combination with chloride in the form of salt (sodium chloride). The presence of sodium in groundwater can result from a number of sources including the...
Selenium is a naturally occurring element that is widely distributed throughout the Earth’s rocks and soils and is found in trace quantities in most plant and animal tissues. Selenium can be dissolved by weathering of minerals in the soil or rock or deposited from atmospheric...
Nitrate is a naturally occurring form of nitrogen that is commonly found throughout the environment. It is present at low levels in most groundwaters, but can be present significantly higher levels in areas with extensive use of fertilizers, storage and spreading of manure or...
Manganese occurs naturally in PEI rocks and soils. Usually it is not easily dissolved from these sources and its concentration in well water is low. In some cases, particularly in swampy areas where oxygen levels in groundwater are low, manganese is more easily dissolved and can...
Lead is a naturally occurring element that is present in some minerals in rocks and soils, but the main source of lead in drinking water is generally through contact with plumbing components containing lead. The amount of lead dissolved into drinking water depends on a number of...
Iron is a naturally occurring element that is common in PEI rocks and soils. Iron can occur in well water for two reasons; it may be present in fine sediment particles, or it may be present in dissolved form in the water. A reddish-brown colour to the water, or an accumulation or...
Chloride is a naturally occurring element that is common in most natural waters and is most often found as a component of salt (sodium chloride) or in some cases in combination with potassium or calcium. The presence of chloride in groundwater can result from a number of sources...
Barium is a naturally occurring element that is found in small quantities in a variety of minerals. Varying amounts of barium can be dissolved as water passes through rocks and soils and be present in groundwater. Barium may also be present in the air as a result of industrial...