2019 Shoal Lake water quality test results

Our 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
• metals
• disinfection by-products
• bacteria and protozoa
• pesticides, herbicides and PCBs

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.

Water entering the aqueduct intake passes through screens before being treated by chlorine on a periodic basis for slime and Zebra mussel control. The aqueduct brings water to Deacon Reservoir before entering the Water Treatment Plant. There, we test both the raw and treated water before the water is distributed to Winnipeg homes and businesses.

Test results are from January 1 to December 31, 2019

What is being measured	How it's measured	Shoal Lake average	Shoal Lake range
Miscellaneous
Carbon, Dissolved Organic	parts per million	8.6	6.7 to 11.3
Carbon, Total Organic	parts per million	8.4	5.5 to 10.7
Chlorophyll-a	parts per billion	4.1	1.0 to 8.5
Colour, True	TCU	11.0	10 to 15
Conductivity	microsiemens per centimetre	156	141 to 185
Odour	units	85	75 to 150
pH	units	8.10	7.72 to 8.66
Plankton (algae) count	cells/mL	5,988	86 to 16,590
Solids, Total	parts per million	97	71 to 129
Solids, Total Dissolved	parts per million	78	56 to 98
Solids, Total Suspended	parts per million	<3	<3 to 3
Temperature	degrees Celcius	11.1	1.0 to 24.0
Turbidity (clearness)	NTU	0.86	0.14 to 2.23
Anions and Nutrients
Alkalinity, Total	parts per million as calcium carbonate	74.2	68.5 to 87.0
Hardness, Total	parts per million as calcium carbonate	76.7	70.6 to 84.6
Chloride	parts per million	1.5	<0.4 to 2.3
Fluoride	parts per million	0.08	0.06 to 0.11
Nitrate Nitrogen	parts per million	0.093	<0.003 to 0.300
Perchlorate	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Phosphorus, Total Reactive	parts per million	0.0030	<0.0010 to 0.0062
Phosphorus, Total	parts per million	0.0260	0.0071 to 0.0920
Sulphate	parts per million	0.8	<0.4 to 2.0
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)	parts per million	0.494	0.340 to 0.680
Bacteria
Escherichia Coli	MPN per 100 mL	0	0 to 2
Total Coliforms	MPN per 100 mL	76	0 to >200
Disinfection By-Products
Aldehydes	parts per billion	3.4	<0.5 to 9.2
Bromodichloromethane	parts per billion	<0.4	<0.4 to <0.4
Haloacetic acids	parts per billion	<1.1	<1.1 to 3.2
Trihalomethanes	parts per billion	<2.7	<2.7 to <2.7
Enteric Protozoa
Cryptosporidium	oocysts per 100 L	0	0 to 0
Giardia	cysts per 100 L	0	0 to 0
Total Metals
Aluminum	parts per million	0.00499	0.00134 to 0.01499
Antimony	parts per million	<0.000025	<0.000025 to 0.000066
Arsenic	parts per million	0.001437	0.000578 to 0.008690
Cadmium	parts per million	<0.000007	<0.000007 to <0.000007
Calcium	parts per million	21.011	17.651 to 24.266
Chromium	parts per million	0.00004	<0.00004 to 0.00020
Chromium VI	parts per million	<0.010	<0.00050 to <0.010
Copper	parts per million	0.000944	0.000419 to 0.001824
Iron	parts per million	0.03156	0.00654 to 0.08650
Lead	parts per million	<0.000065	<0.000065 to <0.000065
Magnesium	parts per million	6.321	5.066 to 7.318
Manganese	parts per million	0.01262	0.00218 to 0.05007
Mercury	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.00050 to <0.50
Nickel	parts per million	0.000108	<0.000021 to 0.000216
Potassium	parts per million	1.268	0.959 to 1.510
Sodium	parts per million	2.349	1.855 to 2.781
Uranium	parts per million	<0.000032	<0.000032 to <0.000032
Zinc	parts per million	0.00115	0.00014 to 0.00373
Pesticides
Alachlor	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Aldrin	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
alpha-BHC	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
alpha-Chlordane	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
alpha-Endosulfan	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Atrazine	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Azinphos-methyl	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.010
beta-BHC	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
beta-Endosulfan	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Carbaryl	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Carbofuran	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Chlorothalonil	parts per billion	<0.050	<0.050 to <0.050
Chlorpyrifos	parts per billion	<0.0050	<0.0050 to <0.0050
delta-BHC	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Diazinon	parts per billion	<0.0050	<0.0050 to <0.0050
Diclofop-methyl	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Dieldrin	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Dimethoate	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Endrin	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Eptam	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
gamma-Chlordane	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Heptachlor	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Heptachlor Epoxide	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Lindane (gamma-BHC)	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
Malathion	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Methoxychlor	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.010
Methyl Parathion	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.20
Metribuzin	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Mirex	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
o,p-DDD	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
o,p-DDE	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
o,p-DDT	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.10
p,p-DDD	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
p,p-DDE	parts per billion	<0.010	<0.010 to <0.050
p,p-DDT	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.010 to <0.10
Parathion	parts per billion	<0.013	<0.013 to <0.013
Propaclor	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Propanil	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Propoxur	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.20
Simazine	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Terbufos	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Triallate	parts per billion	<0.10	<0.10 to <0.10
Trichlopyr	parts per billion	<50	<0.10 to <50
Trifluralin	parts per billion	<0.030	<0.030 to <0.030
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Arochlor 1016	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Arochlor 1221	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Arochlor 1232	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Arochlor 1242	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Arochlor 1248	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Arochlor 1254	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Arochlor 1260	parts per billion	<0.020	<0.020 to <0.020
Phenoxy Acid Herbicides
2,4,5-T	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.050 to <0.50
2,4,5-TP	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.050 to <0.50
2,4-D	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.050 to <0.50
2,4-DB	parts per billion	<0.050	<0.050 to <0.050
2,4-DP	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.050 to <0.50
Bromoxynil	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.020 to <0.50
Dicamba	parts per billion	0.016	<0.0060 to 0.084
Dinoseb	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.050 to <0.50
MCPA	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.025 to <0.50
MCPB	parts per billion	<0.050	<0.050 to <0.050
Mecoprop	parts per billion	<0.50	<0.050 to <0.50
Picloram	parts per billion	<0.20	<0.20 to <0.50

Note: Where value is expressed as less than (<), the value is halved and used in the calculations, where value is expressed as (>), the value is used in the calculations.

Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality do not apply to Shoal Lake