Should homeowners served by the HRWC use home filtration devices?

No.  Filters may change the taste, smell or appearance of tap water, but will not necessarily make the water safer to drink.  All home treatment devices require regular maintenance or water quality problems may result.

Beware of Free Water Testing Offer

We wish to advise our customers that we continue to receive inquiries from residents with regard to companies offering to conduct free water tests to evaluate water supplied by the Halifax Regional Water Commission (HRWC).  First and foremost, companies offering this water testing service are in no way affiliated with the HRWC and we do not condone this service.  With no clear indication of what companies are testing for, and the procedures for sampling and testing, test results may not be meaningful. Although the test is being offered “free”, these companies are selling water treatment equipment which is unnecessary for customers served by HRWC. In many cases the company does not leave a contact phone number or contact person to reach if there are any questions or concerns to be addressed.  If you have any questions with regard to companies offering to conduct water testing, we suggest you call the Better Business Bureau at 422-6581.

A recent study conducted by UC Berkeley, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggests that there is no apparent protection to be gained from using an in-home water treatment device as long as the tap water comes from a well-run municipal water utility where the water exceeds federal quality guidelines.  Such is the case with HRWC.

The Halifax Regional Water Commission also wishes to state that it is not necessary for individual homeowners served by HRWC to have their water tested, as we test it for you on a regular basis.  Water testing is carried out as an integral part of the treatment process, and the distribution systems served by the Pockwock and Lake Major treatment plants are tested twice a week for bacteriological safety at forty designated locations.  As a matter of fact, in terms of safety of the water supply, the test results for the last three years were the best on record since HRWC’s inception in 1945.  Quarterly samples are also taken from the distribution systems and a complete analysis is carried out to verify conformance to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ), as published by Health Canada.  These tests indicate that the water consistently meets or is often better than the requirements in the GCDWQ. Tests are carried out by an independent laboratory with results sent directly to the Nova Scotia Environment and Labour to ensure due diligence.