WATER QUALITY MATTERS
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WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES
It is important that water be suitable for its intended use. That means that the concentration of substances in the water need to be below scientifically establish guideline limits. This requires two things: laboratory analysis of a water sample that has been taken using proper sampling techniques and a guideline table to provide information on the allowable concentrations of the substances found in the water sample.
DRINKING WATER
Most countries have a government agency responsible for developing guidelines for the water quality of drinking water. These guidelines are developed based on scientific research on the impact an individual water contaminant can have on human health. Below are links to the water quality guidelines of various countries or agencies. You will see that most of them have the same guideline values for many of the contaminants. Note: There are contaminants that have limits that are based on their effect on human health. There are also contaminants that have aesthetic objectives. This means they don't pose a risk to health but in quantities greater than the guideline may cause problems with water supply systems operation.
CANADA			Health Canada
UNITED STATES			US Environmental Protection Agency
UNITED KINGDOM			Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
AUSTRALIA			National Health and Medical Research Council
EUROPEAN UNION			Environment Directorate, European Commission
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION			Water Sanitation and Health
AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT
RECREATION
AGRICULTURE
Water quality is important for the production of livestock and crops and soil health. Nutrients required for optimal production and growth are found in the soil and water for plants and in the water and feed for livestock. A good knowledge of the nutrients provided by these sources for agricultural production is important in order to achieve the best concentrations for maximum production. There are a variety of sources of information on the tolerance of plants and animals to substances in the water used for watering livestock and irrigating crops. Below are just a few of these sources. Note that there may not be agreement on the exact concentration of a particular substance for livestock production as the impact of some of these substances have had very little research. In some jurisdictions the guideline for human drinking water may be used.
LIVESTOCK
Livestock Water Quality: A Field Guide for Cattle, Horses, Poultry and Swine; Olkowski, Andrew A., Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2009
Water Quality Impacts on Livestock; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, October 2015
Water Analysis Interpretation for Livestock; Alberta Agriculture, April 2007
Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Agricultural Water Uses; Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
Water Quality for Dairy Cattle; Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, July 2012
Drinking Water Quality Guidelines for Cattle; Stephen F. Higgins, Carmen T. Agouridis, Amanda A. Gumbert, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, 2008
Water Quality for Livestock, Roy Butler, Gerard Smith, Department of Agriculture and Food, Government of Western Australia, February 2016
IRRIGATION
Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Agricultural Water Uses; Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
Water Quality for Agriculture; R.S. Ayers, D.W. Westcot; FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 29 Rev 1, 1985, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Agricultural Use: Irrigation, Volume 4, South African Water Quality Guidelines, 1996
Water Quality for Irrigation and General Uses, Stock Water Drinking, Aquaculture and human consumers of aquatic foods, Volume 3, Chapter 9, Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality, October 2000