A sampling of water quality facts

• Approximately 57% of Canadians are served by wastewater treatment plants, compared with 74% of Americans, 86.5% of Germans, and 99% of Swedes.
• In developing nations, 80% of diseases are water-related.
• Of all Canadians, 26% rely on groundwater for domestic use.
• One drop of oil can render up to 25 litres of water unfit for drinking.
• One gram of 2,4-D (a common household herbicide) can contaminate ten million litres of drinking water.
• One gram of PCBs can make up to one billion litres of water unsuitable for freshwater aquatic life.
• One gram of lead in 20 000 litres of water makes it unfit for drinking. Older homes often contain plumbing made of lead or soldered in lead, which can then leach into water.
• The nitrates in fertilizers promote excessive growth of algae and larger aquatic plants, causing offensive algal blooms and driving out sport fish.
• Methane gas can often be seen bubbling up from the bottom of ponds; it is produced by the decomposition of dead plants and animals in the mud.
• Calcium and magnesium – both essential elements for man – account for most water hardness. Death rates for certain types of cardiovascular disease have been found to be higher in soft water areas than in hard water areas in many parts of the world.
• Copper is another essential element – for optimal absorption and metabolism of iron and for bone formation – and fairly common in natural water. More than one milligram per litre may make water unpalatable.

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