Water Quality Advisory – Manganese in Drinking Water (Bottle-fed Infants and Young Children)

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

The City of Williams Lake is issuing a Water Quality Advisory about the levels of manganese in its drinking water supply.  While the quality of the City’s drinking water has not changed, the Canadian Guideline for drinking water has.

In May 2019, Health Canada established a new maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for manganese in drinking water of 0.12 mg/L.  The City of Williams Lake draws its water from five deep wells. Test results show that the City’s ground water wells have between 0.13 to 0.25 mg/L of manganese; the level depends on which wells are pumping and for how long.  Full water reports are available on the City’s website at http://www.williamslake.ca/376/Environmental-Reports.

Manganese (Mn) is an element found in air, food, soil and drinking water. While a small amount of Mn is essential for human health, new Health Canada research has shown drinking water with too much Mn can be a risk to health for infants and young children.

 In response to this new information, the City of Williams Lake recommends people use another source of water, such as bottled water, for preparing baby formula for infants and food or drinks for young children.

The City of Williams Lake tests each well as part of its Water Quality Monitoring Program. A Water Management Strategy was prepared for Williams Lake in March 2019, which provides treatment options and costs. The City has started upgrading its water infrastructure and will be applying for Provincial and Federal grants to help offset the cost of the needed treatment plant. The City expects to meet the new guidelines in the near future. 

 For those who would like more information please follow the following resource links to learn more about manganese in drinking water and the City’s Water Management Strategy:

Health Canada 

Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – Manganese (FAQ) https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/guidelines-canadian-drinkingwater-quality-guideline-technical-document-manganese/guidance-document.html  

 BC Ministry of Health 

HealthLinkBC Health File Number 49g: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/manganese-drinkingwater  

Interior Health Authority https://www.interiorhealth.ca/YourEnvironment/DrinkingWater/Pages/default.aspx 

First Nations Health Authority  http://www.fnha.ca/  

City of Williams Lake 

Water Management Strategy: https://www.williamslake.ca/DocumentCenter/View/2539/WaterManagement-Strategy---Exec-Report 

For more information please contact: 

Gary Muraca, Director of Municipal Services City of Williams Lake

gmuraca@williamslake.ca / 250.392.1783

For more information regarding the water quality advisory: www.drinkingwaterforeveryone.ca