Site Accessibility Information Access Key 1 to Skip to Top Navigation Access Key 2 to Skip to the Three One One link Access Key 3 to Skip to City of Winnipeg Main Menu Access Key 4 to Skip to Left Navigation Menu Access Key 5 to Skip to Content area Access Key 6 to Skip to Right Sidebar content area Access Key 7 to Skip to Footer Links

City services in the event of a Canada Post work stoppage

City services in the event of a Canada Post work stoppage

Water and Waste Department

2008 Shoal Lake water quality test results

Image of Shoal Lake inletOur staff test Shoal Lake and the intake at the west end of Indian Bay (where the water enters the aqueduct) as part of our routine water quality testing program.

For more information on Winnipeg's drinking water and our impact on Shoal Lake, visit the web page on Shoal Lake - Our Water Source.

Testing

We take samples at the intake every week during the open water season and every two weeks during the rest of the year. We also take samples from the Shoal Lake watershed from May to October. We test the intake samples for:

  • routine water chemistry
  • taste and odour compounds
  • metals
  • disinfection by-products
  • bacteria and protozoa
  • toxins produced by algae

By taking these samples, we track seasonal changes in water quality and determine the effects (if any) of human activity within the Shoal Lake watershed.

The intake for the aqueduct is at the west end of Indian Bay. Water entering the intake passes through screens before being disinfected by chlorine. We add sufficient chlorine to maintain a free chlorine residual of about 0.3 milligrams per litre in the water in the aqueduct when it enters Deacon Reservoir.

What is being
measured		 How it's
measured		 Guideline
or regulation		 Shoal Lake
average		 Shoal Lake
range		 Comments
Odour units Inoffensive 134 70 to >200 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Geosmin parts per trillion no guideline 4 <1 to 11 Common taste and odour compound
IPMP - 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine parts per trillion no guideline <2 <2 to <2 Common taste and odour compound
IBMP - 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine parts per trillion no guideline <2 <2 to <2 Common taste and odour compound
MIB - 2-methylisoborneol parts per trillion no guideline <10 <10 to <10 Common taste and odour compound
246 TCA - 2,4,6-trichloroanisole parts per trillion no guideline <2 <2 to <2 Common taste and odour compound
236 TCA - 2,3,6-trichloroanisole parts per trillion no guideline <2 <2 to <3 Common taste and odour compound
345 TCV - 3,4,5-trichloroveratrole parts per trillion no guideline <2 <2 to <2 Common taste and odour compound
MTBE - methyl tertiary-butyl ether parts per million no more than 0.015 <0.001 <0.001 to <0.001 Raw water - guideline does not apply
NDMA - N-nitrosodimethylamine parts per billion under review <0.05 <0.05 to <0.05 Guideline under review by Health Canada
Plankton (algae) count cells per millilitre no guideline 29,170 2,200 to 297,400 Algae contributes to odours and may cause filter clogging 
Chlorophyll-a parts per billion no guideline 4 2 to 9 Chlorophyll is found in algae 
Microcystin LR parts per billion no more than 1.5 <0.2 <0.2 to 0.3 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Cryptosporidium oocysts per 100 litres no guideline <1 <1 to <1 15 samples taken in 2008 - no positive results
Giardia cysts per 100 litres no guideline <1 <1 to <1 15 samples taken in 2007 - no positive results
Turbidity (clearness) Nephelometric turbidity units no more than 1 0.75 0.28 to 1.15 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Colour, Apparent units no more than 15 3.5 2.5 to 5.0 Coloured water may be offensive
Total Dissolved Solids parts per million no more than 500 87 66 to 114 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Conductivity microsiemens per centimetre no guideline 146 138 to 163 Another measure of dissolved solids
pH units between 6.5 and 8.5 8.08 7.47 to 8.74 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Temperature degrees Celsius no more than 15 9.5 1.5 to 23.0 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Total Alkalinity parts per million as calcium carbonate no guideline 70 65 to 79  -
Total Hardness parts per million as calcium carbonate

between 80 and 100

 75 70 to 81 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Total Organic Carbon parts per million no guideline 9 7 to 13  -
Soluble Organic Carbon parts per million no guideline 9 7 to 11  -
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) parts per million no guideline 0.47 0.37 to 0.56 TKN is a combination of ammonia and organic nitrogen
Total Phosphorus parts per million no guideline 0.013 0.008 to 0.019 Phosphorus can contribute to algae growth
Total Soluble Phosphorus parts per million no guideline <0.002 <0.002 to 0.003  -
Fluoride parts per million no more than 1.5 <0.08 <0.08 to <0.08 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Nitrate Nitrogen parts per million no more than 10 0.034 <0.003 to 0.130 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Chloride parts per million no more than 250 <9 <9 to <9 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Sulphate parts per million no more than 500 5.4 3.1 to 10 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Trihalomethanesa parts per billion no more than 100 0.7 <0.5 to 2 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Bromodichloromethanea parts per billion no more than 16 <0.5 <0.5 to 1 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Haloacetic acids parts per billion no more than 80 <2 <2 to <2 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Aldehydes parts per billion no guideline  NR  NR  -
Calcium parts per million no guideline 21.4 19.7 to 24.0 Contributes to hardness
Magnesium parts per million no guideline 5.91 5.42 to 6.31 Contributes to hardness
Sodium parts per million no more than 200 2.1 1.9 to 2.2 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Potassium parts per million no guideline 1.3 1.2 to 1.4 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Iron parts per million no more than 0.3 0.01 <0.01 to 0.02 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Copper parts per million no more than 1.0 <0.001 <0.001 to 0.001 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Lead parts per million no more than 0.01 <0.001 <0.001 to <0.001 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Aluminum parts per million no more than 0.1 0.004 0.002 to 0.008 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Arsenic parts per million no more than 0.01 <0.001 <0.001 to <0.001 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Chromium parts per million no more than 0.05 <0.001 <0.001 to 0.004 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Nickel parts per million no guideline <0.001 <0.001 to <0.001  -
Cadmium parts per million no more than 0.005 <0.001 <0.001 to <0.001 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Manganese parts per million no more than 0.05 <0.01 <0.01 to <0.01 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Zinc parts per million no more than 5.0 <0.001 <0.001 to 0.004 Raw water - guideline does not apply
Mercury parts per million no more than 0.001 0.0000013 0.0000006 to 0.0000026 Raw water - guideline does not apply
a Trihalomethane guidelines from 'Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality' by Health Canada, March 2008.
NR There were no aldehyde results because the samples were not submitted in the appropriate containers and some were past their holding times.
  Guidelines from 'Guidelines for Canadian Water Quality Summary Table' by Health Canada, revised May 30, 2008.

 Select this icon to print a printer friendly version of this page This page is printer friendly.

top of pageTop of page

This page was last updated on April 15, 2024

Was this information helpful?

How can we make this web page better?

Information collected will be used to improve our website. Do not use this form to submit a request for service or information because it will not be forwarded to departments for response. To submit a request for service or information, contact 311.

This form is not intended to collect personal information; however, any personal information you choose to include in your comments is collected by the City of Winnipeg under the authority of section 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of improving our website and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. Contact the Corporate Access and Privacy Officer by mail (City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9) or by telephone (311) if you have any questions about the collection of this information.

Ces renseignements sont-ils utiles?

Comment pourrait-on améliorer cette page Web?

Les renseignements recueillis serviront à l’amélioration de notre site Web. Prière de ne pas se servir de ce formulaire pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, car la demande ne sera pas transmise au service en question. Pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec le 311.

Le présent formulaire ne vise pas à recueillir des renseignements personnels. Cependant, les renseignements personnels que vous choisissez d’inclure dans vos commentaires sont recueillis par la Ville de Winnipeg en conformité avec l’alinéa 36(1)b) de la Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée dans le but d’améliorer son site Web et ne seront ni utilisés ni divulgués pour d’autres raisons, sauf dans les cas où cela est autorisé par la loi. Communiquez avec l’agent de l’accès à l’information et de la protection de la vie privée de la Ville par courrier au Bureau du greffier, immeuble Susan-A.-Thompson, 510, rue Main, Winnipeg (Manitoba) R3B 1B9, ou par téléphone au 311 si vous avez des questions sur la collecte de ces renseignements.