Well water and health: Overview
What groundwater is, how it's used and who's responsible for the water quality of private drinking water wells.
On this page
- About groundwater
- Responsibilities for water quality of private wells
- Provincial and territorial resources
- Contact us
About groundwater
Groundwater is the water that fills the spaces between layers of soil, sand and rock in the ground. Areas that contain enough groundwater are called aquifers. Groundwater from aquifers supplies drinking water wells.
Water in aquifers can come from:
- rainfall
- melting snow
- surface waters
As water soaks into the ground, particles in the ground act like a filter, helping to clean the water as it travels. This filtering process takes time. This means that surface water from recent weather events, like rainfall and melting snow, take a long time to reach the aquifer.
Although the ground acts as a filter, that doesn't mean that all groundwater is free of contaminants and of good quality. Some groundwaters contain contaminants from natural sources or human activities.
Responsibilities for water quality of private wells
Health Canada estimates that about 4 million people in Canada rely on a private well for their drinking water.
As a private well owner you are responsible for:
- monitoring and maintaining the quality of your well water
- protecting the groundwater on which your well relies
Private well water quality should meet provincial or territorial water quality regulations to make sure it's safe to use. Health Canada develops the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, along with other guidance documents, in partnership with:
- provinces
- territories
- other federal departments
These documents:
- make drinking water quality recommendations for all people living in Canada
- advise what parameters to test for in drinking water
- include the acceptable levels of each parameter in drinking water
- provide guidance on monitoring and management strategies
- provide guidance on drinking water treatment options
Each province and territory implements its own policies and regulations based on these guideline and guidance documents. Health Canada doesn't regulate any water systems.
Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality
Municipal or local governments are responsible for making sure the water quality in public systems meets provincial or territorial requirements. Private well owners are responsible for ensuring the water quality in their private well is acceptable.
Provincial and territorial resources
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Contact us
Email: water_eau@hc-sc.gc.ca
Telephone:1-833-223-1014
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