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Vancouver Drinking Water Quality
By OpenStats · Built from official Canadian sources
Direct municipal dataC
Water quality grade
Fair
Graded against Health Canada drinking water guidelines
Lead within guidelinepH in range
Hardness vs provincial average22 mg/L · prov. avg 139 mg/L
Lead vs provincial average0.1 μg/L · prov. avg 0.3 μg/L
Hardness
22 mg/L
Lead
0.1 μg/L
≤ 5 μg/L
pH
7.6
6.5–8.5 range
Hardness
22 mg/L
Soft
Lead
0.1 μg/L
Max: 5 μg/L
pH
7.6
6.5–8.5
Chlorine
0.6 mg/L
Max: 4 mg/L
From source to sink
Where Vancouver water comes from
Lakes, rivers, wells, and treatment plants behind the kitchen tap, in plain language. Chemistry grades above are a separate lab snapshot; this section is the route the water travels.
Open the full tap storyOn the map
Where Vancouver water lives
Source waters and treatment plants pinned from published utility names. Open a pin below for the full OpenStreetMap view.
- CityVancouver
Municipal service area
- Source waterCapilano Reservoir
Capilano
- Source waterSeymour Reservoir
Seymour
- Treatment plantSeymour Capilano Filtration Plant
Approximate pin near Vancouver (exact plant coordinates pending)
- Treatment plantCoquitlam Water Treatment Plant
Approximate pin near Vancouver (exact plant coordinates pending)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins are approximate for orientation, not legal survey points.
Where it starts
Surface water
Research confidence: high
Named source waters
- Capilano Reservoir
- Seymour Reservoir
- Coquitlam Reservoir
Treatment plants
Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant
Metro Vancouver plant treating Capilano and Seymour source water (filtration and UV); Canada’s largest drinking-water filtration plant.
Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant
Metro Vancouver plant treating Coquitlam source water with ozone, UV, and chlorine; typically unfiltered because of historically low turbidity.
How it reaches your street
City of Vancouver purchases wholesale treated water from Metro Vancouver (Greater Vancouver Water District) and operates the local distribution system of mains, reservoirs, and services within city limits.
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Reading this page
Vancouver's most recent drinking water sample (2026-07-22) reports hardness of 22 mg/L, classified as soft, and pH 7.6, drawn from a mixed water source and treated at Vancouver Water Treatment Plant. Lead measured 0.1 μg/L and fluoride 0.7 mg/L.
Free chlorine measured 0.6 mg/L in this sample. No E. coli was detected in this sample.
Vancouver's hardness of 22 mg/L is below the British Columbia average of 139 mg/L across 31 tracked municipalities, with a provincial average pH of 7.5.
These readings summarize a single compliance snapshot, not a certification of the water reaching your tap. Test your own water periodically, especially on a private well, and consider a softener if hardness is classified hard or very hard.
How to use this page: read the headline metrics first, then where the water comes from (map and tap story), then the parameter table and source footer.
Health parameters meet Health Canada limits; turbidity above the 1 NTU typical target.
One or more parameters exceed a Health Canada drinking water guideline or turbidity target.
Figure 1 · From source to sink
How drinking water reaches your tap
Compared to provincial average
British Columbia · 31 cities in sample
Hardness (city vs British Columbia avg)22 mg/L
pH (city vs British Columbia avg)7.6
Lead (city vs British Columbia avg)0.1 μg/L
Fluoride (city vs British Columbia avg)0.7 mg/L
Provincial average: hardness 139 mg/L · pH 7.5 · lead 0.3 μg/L · fluoride 0.6 mg/L
Full parameters
| Parameter | Reading | Health Canada guideline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 22 mg/L | No health limit (aesthetic) | Compliant |
| pH | 7.6 | 6.5–8.5 | Compliant |
| Lead | 0.1 μg/L | ≤ 5 μg/L | Compliant |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/L | ≤ 1.5 mg/L | Compliant |
| Chlorine (free) | 0.6 mg/L | ≤ 4 mg/L | Compliant |
| Turbidity | 3.4 NTU | ≤ 1 NTU (typical target) | Exceeds guideline |
Alberta water licences
WaterRegister.ca
On a private well or holding an Alberta water allocation licence? Water Register maps EPA licence records, transfer comparables, and watershed context across the province.
Explore WaterRegister.ca →Drinking water filters and test kits
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- Shop on Amazon.caShower filterChlorine at the showerhead
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Source · Metro Vancouver GVWD water quality annual report. Last updated 2026-07-22. Refreshed on the site's automated schedule.