Amendments to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality leave Williams Lake’s drinking water averaging slightly above new acceptable concentrations of manganese.
In a press release issued Friday, the City of Williams Lake noted the new maximum acceptable concentration for manganese has been classified as 0.12mg/L and currently Williams Lake averages 0.14mg/L in its drinking water.
Anticipating the possibility of changes to the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines, the City has been working over the past two years to ensure it is in a prominent position to respond to changes such as these through a new water management strategy.
Read more: Water treatment strategy prepared for Williams Lake
Improvements to the City’s water infrastructure have already commenced and with continued work it is anticipated to be compliant of the new guidelines, the press release stated.
Manganese is an essential element in humans and animals, it’s contained in the environment and in drinking water sources, it occurs naturally in the environment and is widely distributed in air, water and soil. Health Canada has been studying the effects of consuming various levels of manganese from drinking water sources. Manganese in appropriate doses is beneficial to human and animal health. New information on the effects of higher concentrations of manganese have prompted the new guidelines for manganese in drinking water.
The quality of the drinking water has not deteriorated, only the Canadian Guidelines for drinking water have changed, the City noted in the press release.
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