Drinking Water in Lac-Mégantic
Source
The City of Lac-Mégantic’s drinking water is sourced from an artesian groundwater of high quality and is greatly protected from surface waters (DRASTIC indicator of 80). The water is very limpid and lightly mineralized. The taste is appreciated by users.
Treatment
The water first undergoes a biological filtration to remove manganese and arsenic.
After filtration, the water goes through a second step of disinfection with gaseous chlorine, according to the minimum required by law for distribution via the city’s water system.
| Indicator | Average | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Total alkalinity | 130 mg/l | |
| Langelier Index | -0.1 to 0.4 | Not aggressive, not scaling |
| Total hardness | 110 mg/l | Low to average |
| Turbidity | <0.05 UTN | Very low |
| Real color indicator | <1 UCV | Very low |
| Total Organic Carbon (TOC) | 0.4 mg/l | Very low |
| Chlorine Demand | 0.08 mg/l | Very low |
| Iron | 0.10 mg/l | Low |
| Manganese | <0.001 mg/l | Very low |
| Arsenic | <0.008 mg/l | Low |
Agrofood Production: The Importance of Water
Most people recognize the benefit of having clean drinking water to consume. Be it for personal consumption or industrial use, the water quality is often a challenge in certain manufacturing sectors such as the agrofood industry.
The agrofood industry can often demand drinking water of a particular quality. This water is also indispensable to give food products a certain texture and to allow for specific biochemical reactions on which the transformation process rests.
Here in Lac-Mégantic, the water used by the municipality is sourced from an artesian aquifer. A rigorous control enables the City to offer drinking water of a superior quality.
Québec by-law on the quality of drinking water establishes norms and obligations for all the water supply systems destined for human consumption, including individual wells.
This by-law obliges the municipalities or private networks responsible for water supply distribution to respect these controls. They are also responsible to verify the quality of the water supplied regularly.
Consult here the “Bilan 2014” (in French) on the quality of the drinking water in Lac-Mégantic.