City of Quesnel Water Quality Advisory - Manganese in Drinking Water

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

The City of Quesnel is issuing a Water Quality Advisory (WQA) due to the levels of manganese in its drinking water supply.

The City of Quesnel’s drinking water system has not deteriorated; only the Canadian Guidelines for drinking water have changed. The City received the new Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines released by Health Canada in 2019. In May 2019, following Northern Health’s recommendations, the City notified residents through the City’s social media pages, website, and email subscribers.

Health Canada’s Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) for Manganese is now classified as 0.12 mg/L and currently the City of Quesnel water system averages above at approximately 0.22 mg/L in its drinking water.

Manganese is an essential element in humans and animals; it occurs naturally in the environment and is widely distributed in air, water and soil. Manganese in appropriate doses is beneficial to human and animal health.

As a precautionary measure, Northern Health would like water users to be aware of the following:

• When preparing infant formula, use an alternate source of water that is below the Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.
• There are no concerns for other community members to consume City water.
• There are no concerns for community members, including infants, to use City water for showering, bathing and other household uses.

The City is actively working with Northern Health who administers the Drinking Water Protection Act and provides surveillance and monitoring of our water system. The City is also working with an engineering firm to provide water treatment options with cost estimates.

Updates will be released when more information is available.

More information

Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: http://bit.ly/2W4apzN
Provincial Government Drinking Water Quality: http://bit.ly/2vXG4Et
Northern Health Authority: https://www.northernhealth.ca/services/environmental-health/drinking-water/drinking-water-resources
City of Quesnel Water System: www.quesnel.ca/water