Water Facts                                                                                                                            

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  What is the definition of safe water? Why is it called potable water?
A.  Water is considered safe to drink if it meets or exceeds all of the provincial standards that are legally enforceable. Water is called potable when it is safe to drink.

Q.  Can I tell if my drinking water is safe to drink just by looking at it, tasting it, or smelling it?
A.  Unless germs occur along with other signs of contamination such as sewage smells, they generally can not be detected by looking at, tasting, or smelling water. Even some very good tasting stream water can contain germs. Chemicals are a somewhat different matter. Although chemicals can't be seen in water, many do impart tates or odours. Water should be clear, nearly taste free and odour-free. Any changes in your water could signal a problem.

Q. People swim and boat in our water source. Should I be concerned?
A.  Although swimmers and boats add some pollution, when this pollution is diluted by all the water that is in the lake or reservoir, it usually doesn't amount to much addition because the water is thoroughly treated before it comes to you. Any contamination will have been removed. Fires, litter and stormwater runoff can cause far more trouble than this kind of pollution.

Q.  When I'm working in the yard, I'm tempted to drink from the garden hose. Is this safe?
A.  No. A standard garden hose has substances in it to keep the hose flexible. These chemicals go into the water as it goes through the hose. They are not good for you, animals or pets. Filling water bowls with the hose, therefore, is not a good idea.

Q.  If I am immunecompromised, what should i drink?
A.  If you are infected with HIV, have AIDS, are a cancer patient, are taking immunosuppressive drugs after a transplant or were born with a weakened immune system, you need to discuss this matter with your doctor. If you have been advised to boil your water, water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute (three minutes at higher altitudes). This includes water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, washing food and so on. Any water you might swallow should be boiled.

Q. How can I conserve water?
A.   Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth
      While your waiting for the water for your shower or bath to turn hot, use a bucket to catch the running water for your plants
      Run the dishwasher only when its full
      Turn off automatic sprinklers if it has rained
      Catch rainwater for watering indoor plants
      Turn off the ice maker in your freezer if its full, or in the winter if you do not use ice in the colder months
     

Q.  What is SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)?
A.  The SCADA system that the CSRD and our contractors presently use is internet based and can be accessed through a laptop computer at any location. This system helps staff monitor and control our water systems and allows our operators to provide better coverage and a higher level of service while at the same time reducing costs as fewer site visits are required.  Operators from any location can not only monitor but can actually change the set points for flow, chlorine dose, pump run times etc, and react to alarm conditions, such as loss of flow, reservoir levels, power outage or high / low temperatures. 

Parameters such as reservoir level, chlorine residual, turbidity etc. can also be looked at as a trend or graph over a day, week month etc. this gives CSRD staff insight into potential issues before they reach the point of causing an alarm. This allows CSRD operations staff to operate the water systems in a proactive manner as opposed to the reactive approach used prior to SCADA where staff could only respond after an alarm was set off, this again results in reducing operating costs as fewer callouts are generated.

Example of a typical SCADA screen (Cedar Heights):

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Water Meters: