Water Quality Objectives and Guidelines

There is no single measure that constitutes good water quality. For instance, water suitable for drinking can be used for irrigation, but water used for irrigation may not meet drinking water guidelines.

In Canada, governments use various measures to protect water quality, among them guidelines and objectives. The two measures are similar in that both describe how much of a substance we, as a society, will tolerate in water. But guidelines and objectives are arrived at and applied differently.

Guidelines

Water quality guidelines are scientifically determined and indicate the maximum allowable concentration of substances for a particular water use such as livestock watering or swimming. These national guidelines serve as the targets for environmental protection.

Objectives

Water quality objectives, on the other hand, specify the concentrations of substances permissible for all intended water uses at a specific location on a lake, river, or estuary. The objectives are based on the water quality guidelines for the uses at that location, as well as on public input and socio-economic considerations.

Map: Water quality objectives in Canada

Water quality objectives have been established or are under development at the following specific locations:

  1. FraserRiver estuary, British Columbia
  2. Similkameen River, British Columbia
  3. Columbia River, British Columbia
  4. Flathead River, British Columbia
  5. MackenzieRiver basin, Northwest Territories
  6. Slave River, Alberta and Northwest Territories
  7. Beaver River, Alberta and Saskatchewan
  8. North Saskatchewan River, Alberta and Saskatchewan
  9. Lake Superior
  10. Battle River, Alberta and Saskatchewan
  11. Red Deer River, Alberta and Saskatchewan
  12. Milk River, Alberta
  13. South Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewan
  14. East Poplar River, Saskatchewan
  15. Churchill River, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  16. Northern Flood Agreement Area, Manitoba
  17. Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  18. Carrot Rive, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  19. Red Deer River, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  20. Assiniboine River, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  21. Qu'Appelle River, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  22. Souris River, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  23. Red River, Manitoba
  24. Nelson River, Manitoba
  25. Rainy River, Ontario
  26. Lake Huron
  27. Lake Erie
  28. LakeOntario
  29. Ottawa River, Ontario and Quebec
  30. St. Lawrence River, Quebec
  31. Saint John River, New Brunswick
  32. St. Croix River, New Brunswick

Information on drinking water guidelines and recreational water quality is available on Health Canada's Web site.