Chemical and microbial characteristics of municipal drinking water supply systems in the Canadian Arctic.
Kiley Daley, Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen, Rob C Jamieson, Jenny L Hayward, Greg S Piorkowski, Wendy Krkosek, Graham A Gagnon, Heather Castleden, Kristen MacNeil, Joanna Poltarowicz, Emmalina Corriveau, Amy Jackson, Justine Lywood, Yannan Huang
Author Information
Kiley Daley: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada. litr@food.dtu.dk. ORCID
Rob C Jamieson: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Jenny L Hayward: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Greg S Piorkowski: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Wendy Krkosek: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Graham A Gagnon: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Heather Castleden: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Kristen MacNeil: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Joanna Poltarowicz: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Emmalina Corriveau: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Amy Jackson: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Justine Lywood: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Yannan Huang: Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Drinking water in the vast Arctic Canadian territory of Nunavut is sourced from surface water lakes or rivers and transferred to man-made or natural reservoirs. The raw water is at a minimum treated by chlorination and distributed to customers either by trucks delivering to a water storage tank inside buildings or through a piped distribution system. The objective of this study was to characterize the chemical and microbial drinking water quality from source to tap in three hamlets (Coral Harbour, Pond Inlet and Pangnirtung-each has a population of <2000) on trucked service, and in Iqaluit (population ~6700), which uses a combination of trucked and piped water conveyance. Generally, the source and drinking water was of satisfactory microbial quality, containing Escherichia coli levels of <1 MPN/100 mL with a few exceptions, and selected pathogenic bacteria and parasites were below detection limits using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods. Tap water in households receiving trucked water contained less than the recommended 0.2 mg/L of free chlorine, while piped drinking water in Iqaluit complied with Health Canada guidelines for residual chlorine (i.e. >0.2 mg/L free chlorine). Some buildings in the four communities contained manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and/or lead (Pb) concentrations above Health Canada guideline values for the aesthetic (Mn, Cu and Fe) and health (Pb) objectives. Corrosion of components of the drinking water distribution system (household storage tanks, premise plumbing) could be contributing to Pb, Cu and Fe levels, as the source water in three of the four communities had low alkalinity. The results point to the need for robust disinfection, which may include secondary disinfection or point-of-use disinfection, to prevent microbial risks in drinking water tanks in buildings and ultimately at the tap.
