general Information
Usage
The average Canadian uses between 50-75 US Gallons (190-284 L) per day to drink, bath, clean, etc. Ensuring the water you consume is safe and clean should be a top priority for you and your family.
Water Sources
The Central Okanagan region has a variety of water sources. The predominant source of water in this area is from surface water, e.g. Lake Okanagan. Surface water is typically more exposed to the effects of agricultural sites and/or naturally occurring vegetation decay such as pine needles. As such, the water we use can be adversely affected by higher turbidity, acidity and tannins. Local municipalities will inject chlorine to disinfect the water, however, this may or may not leave you with the water quality you thought you were getting. Acidic water, yellowish/brown water and even water that is at higher risk to carry bacteria or parasites may be present in your home. On a positive note, surface water is typically much softer than ground water. When dealing with ground water, e.g. well water, you must test the water in order to determine the best course of action for treatment. xStream Water Solutions Inc will test your water and find the solution that fits your needs.
Where is my water from?
Do you know what your primary and back-up water sources are? Check your local municipal website to find out - links below.
Useful Links
Interior Health - Interactive Water Advisory Map
Interior Health - Drink Water Page
Interior Health Water Quality Advisory - Information Sheet
Interior Health - Reasons for Water Advisories
Health Canada on Trihalomethanes (THMs)
RDNO (Vernon Area) Water Quality Status
District of Lake Country - Water Information
District of Lake Country - Monthly Water Reports
City of Kelowna - Water Information
District of Peachland - Water Information
Glossary of Terms
Activated Carbon - Absorptive particles or granules of carbon that have a high capacity to selectively remove certain trace and soluble materials from water. The carbon is usually obtained by heating wood, bone or vegetable material to create charcoal.
Aesthetic - Qualities that are attractive to the senses (e.g., the pleasing appearance, taste, and smell of potable water).
Bacteria - Microscopic living organisms that usually consist of a single cell. Most bacteria use organic matter for their food and produce waste products as a result of their life processes.
Brine (Softening) – A strong solution of salt(s), such as sodium chloride, and water used in the regeneration of ion exchange water softeners but also applied to the mixed sodium, calcium and magnesium chloride waste solution from regeneration.
Chlorination - The application of chlorine to water, generally for the purpose of disinfection, but frequently for accomplishing other biological or chemical results (aiding coagulation and controlling tastes and odours).
Contact Time – The length of time water is in direct contact with activated carbon (R.O.) or chlorine (chlorination system). This is a major factor in determining how effectively impurities will be removed.
Cryptosporidium - A waterborne intestinal parasite that causes a disease called cryptosporidiosis in infected humans. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea, cramps, and weight loss. Cryptosporidium contamination is found in most surface waters and some groundwaters. Commonly referred to as "crypto."
Disinfection - The process designed to kill or inactivate most microorganisms in water, including essentially all pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria. There are several ways to disinfect, with chlorination being the most frequently used in water treatment.
Giardia - A waterborne intestinal parasite that causes a disease called giardiasis (GEE-are-DIE-uh-sis) in infected humans. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea, cramps, and weight loss. Giardia contamination is found in most surface waters and some ground waters.
Hardness - A characteristic of water caused mainly by the salts of calcium and magnesium, such as bicarbonate, carbonate, sulfate, chloride, and nitrate. Excessive hardness in water is undesirable because it causes the formation of soap curds, increased use of soap, deposition of scale in boilers, damage in some industrial processes, and sometimes objectionable tastes in drinking water. It is commonly measured in grains per gallon (gpg). To convert ppm or mg/L to gpg divide by 17.1. Hardness levels can be classified as follows: 0 - 1.0 is soft, 1.1 - 3.5 is slightly hard, 3.6 - 7.0 is moderately hard, 7.1 - 10.5 is hard and above this is very hard.
NTU - Nephelometric Turbidity Units: a measure of clarity of water. Health Canada recommends staying below 1.0 NTU in order to effectively disinfect water.
Nephelometric - A means of measuring turbidity in a sample by using an instrument called a nephelometer. A nephelometer passes light through a sample, and the amount of light deflected (usually at a 90-degree angle) is then measured.
PPM - Parts per million. The number of weight or volume units of a minor constituent present with each one million units of the major constituent of a solution or mixture. Used to express the results of most water and wastewater analyses, but presently milligrams per litre (mg/L) is the preferred term.
Pathogenic Organisms - Organisms, including bacteria, viruses, or cysts, capable of causing diseases (giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, typhoid, cholera, dysentery) in a host (such as a person). There are many types of organisms that do NOT cause disease. These organisms are called non-pathogenic.
pH – or the potential of hydrogen ion activity or concentration. pH is a measure of the intensity of the acidity or alkalinity of water on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. When acidity is increased, the hydrogen ion concentration increases, resulting in a lower pH value. Similarly, when alkalinity is increased, the hydrogen ion concentration decreases, resulting in higher pH. The pH value is an exponential function so that pH 10 is 10 times as alkaline as pH 9 and 100 times as alkaline as pH 8. Similarly, a pH 4 is 100 times as acid as pH 6 and 1000 times as acid as pH 7.
Regeneration – In general, includes the backwash, brine and fresh water rinse steps necessary to prepare a water softener exchange bed for service after exhaustion. Specifically, the term may be applied to the "brine" step in which the sodium chloride solution is passed through the exchanger bed. The term may also be used for similar operations relating to demineralizers, tannin or other filters.
Sediment - Solid material that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
Surface Water - All water naturally open to the atmosphere (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, streams, impoundments, seas, estuaries, etc.); also refers to springs, wells, or other collectors that are directly influenced by surface water.
Tannins - natural organic material found in decaying vegetation. They fall into two large primary categories: humic acids and fulvic acids.
TDS - Stands for Total Dissolved Solids, and represents the total concentration of dissolved substances in water and is measured in PPM.
TOC - Total Organic Carbon. TOC measures the amount of organic carbon in water.
Total Hardness – The sum of all hardness constituents in a water, expressed as their equivalent concentration of calcium carbonate. Primarily due to calcium and magnesium in solution but may include small amounts of metals, such as iron, which can act like calcium and magnesium in certain reactions (see Hardness).
Turbidity - A water quality term that refers to the relative clarity of water. Turbidity occurs when fine suspended particles of clay, silt, organic and inorganic matter, plankton, and other microscopic organisms are picked up by water as it passes through a watershed. Turbidity levels are typically much higher in water from surface water sources such as streams, rivers, and lakes than from groundwater sources. Some surface water sources exhibit high turbidity levels during periods of high rainfall or snow melt (e.g. spring runoff). Measured in NTU and ranges from <1 NTU to more than 1,000 NTU. At 5 NTU water is visibly cloudy; at 25 NTU it is murky.
Ultraviolet (UV) - Unlike traditional disinfection methods (i.e. Chlorination), ultraviolet disinfection sterilizers impart no residual chemicals into your drinking water. The most effective bacteria removal process available today is to use ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection to clean your water. In addition to bacteria removal - E.coli, coliform, virus, algae, mold and others - ultraviolet sterilizers are effective against protozoan such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia Lamblia. Ultraviolet effectively destroys these harmful elements. It is a proven fact that ultraviolet rays destroy the carcinogenic microorganisms in seconds, which prevents these harmful elements from further multiplying. The result is the most simple, cost effective way of treating your water!
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