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Operability for the Cranbrook TSA (dcbop2003)

1,4-Dioxane is a synthetic chemical that is not found naturally in the environment. It is produced in Canada and imported from other countries, primarily to be used as an industrial and commercial solvent. It can also be present as a contaminant in cosmetics, food additives, and food packaging materials, or on food crops treated with pesticides containing 1,4-dioxane. Its release to the environment is mainly from chemical waste disposal practices, leaks from landfills, or wastewater discharges.

The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for chlorite in drinking water is 1 mg/L. The MAC for chlorate in drinking water is 1 mg/L. A guideline for chlorine dioxide is not required because of its rapid reduction to chlorite in drinking water. Utilities should make every effort to meet the guidelines, however, any method of control employed must not compromise the effectiveness of water disinfection.

Mercury is a toxic element and serves no beneficial physiological function in man; a maximum acceptable concentration of 0.001 mg/L (1 µg/L) in drinking water has therefore been established.

Low levels of fluoride occur naturally in most sources of drinking water in Canada. Fluoride can occur naturally in surface waters from the deposition of particulates from the atmosphere and the weathering of fluoride-containing rocks and soils, and in groundwater from leaching from rock formations. The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for fluoride in drinking water is 1.5 mg/L.

Although benzene is naturally occurring at low concentrations, its presence in the environment is mostly related to human activities. Gasoline contains low concentrations of benzene (below 1%), and emissions from vehicles are the main source of benzene in the environment. Benzene can be introduced into water by industrial effluents and atmospheric pollution. This Guideline Technical Document reviews and assesses all identified health risks associated with benzene in drinking water.

Guideline Technical Document - Enteric Viruses equation-1

Under the right environmental conditions, microcystins and other cyanobacterial toxins are naturally formed in water in the environment. They are produced and stored in the cells of cyanobacteria, and released when the cells rupture or die. Most scientific studies on cyanobacterial toxins focus on microcystins, which are generally regarded as the most important of the freshwater cyanotoxins. A seasonal maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 0.0015 mg/L (1.5 µg/L) is established for total microcystins in drinking water.

Guideline Technical Document - Enteric Viruses equation-4

Nitrate and nitrite are widespread in the environment. They are naturally produced by the oxidation of nitrogen by microorganisms and, to a lesser extent, by lightning. The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for nitrate in drinking water is 45 mg/L. This is equivalent to 10 mg/L measured as nitrate-nitrogen.