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O. Reg. 169/03: ONTARIO DRINKING-WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
under Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 32
Skip to contentSafe Drinking Water Act, 2002
Loi de 2002 sur la salubrité de l’eau potable
ONTARIO REGULATION 169/03
Amended to O. Reg. 268/03
ONTARIO DRINKING-WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
Historical version for the period June 30, 2003 to February 9, 2004.
This Regulation is made in English only.
Standards
1. The standards set out in Schedules 1, 2 and 3 are prescribed as drinking-water quality standards for the purposes of the Act. O. Reg. 169/03, s. 1.
Deemed compliance
2. (1) A person who, pursuant to section 10 of the Act or otherwise, has an obligation to ensure that water meets a standard set out in Schedule 1, 2 or 3 shall be deemed not to have contravened the obligation if, in circumstances where the water does not meet the standard, the person immediately contacts the medical officer of health and takes such other steps as are directed by the medical officer of health. O. Reg. 169/03, s. 2 (1).
(2) Despite subsection (1), the owner or operating authority of a drinking-water system that provides water that does not meet a standard set out in Schedule 1, 2 or 3 shall be deemed not to have contravened paragraph 1 of subsection 11 (1) of the Act only if the owner or operating authority ensures that the appropriate corrective action is taken under Schedule 17 or 18 to Ontario Regulation 170/03 (Drinking-Water Systems). O. Reg. 169/03, s. 2 (2).
3. Omitted (provides for coming into force of provisions of this Regulation). O. Reg. 169/03, s. 3.
SCHEDULE 1
MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARDS
Item |
Microbiological Parameter |
Standard (expressed as a maximum) |
1. |
Escherichia coli (E. coli) |
Not detectable |
2. |
Fecal coliforms |
Not detectable |
3. |
Total coliforms |
Not detectable |
4. |
General bacteria population expressed as background colony counts on the total coliform membrane filter |
200 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 millilitres |
5. |
General bacteria population expressed as colony counts on a heterotrophic plate count |
500 colony forming units (CFU) per millilitre |
O. Reg. 169/03, Sched. 1.
SCHEDULE 2
CHEMICAL STANDARDS
Item |
Chemical Parameter |
Standard (expressed as a maximum concentration in milligrams per litre) |
1. |
Alachlor |
0.005 |
2. |
Aldicarb |
0.009 |
3. |
Aldrin + Dieldrin |
0.0007 |
4. |
Antimony |
0.006 |
5. |
Arsenic |
0.025 |
6. |
Atrazine + N-dealkylated metabolites |
0.005 |
7. |
Azinphos-methyl |
0.02 |
8. |
Barium |
1.0 |
9. |
Bendiocarb |
0.04 |
10. |
Benzene |
0.005 |
11. |
Benzo(a)pyrene |
0.00001 |
12. |
Boron |
5.0 |
13. |
Bromate |
0.01 |
14. |
Bromoxynil |
0.005 |
15. |
Cadmium |
0.005 |
16. |
Carbaryl |
0.09 |
17. |
Carbofuran |
0.09 |
18. |
Carbon Tetrachloride |
0.005 |
19. |
Chloramines |
3.0 |
20. |
Chlordane (Total) |
0.007 |
21. |
Chlorpyrifos |
0.09 |
22. |
Chromium |
0.05 |
23. |
Cyanazine |
0.01 |
24. |
Cyanide |
0.2 |
25. |
Diazinon |
0.02 |
26. |
Dicamba |
0.12 |
27. |
1,2-Dichlorobenzene |
0.2 |
28. |
1,4-Dichlorobenzene |
0.005 |
29. |
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) + metabolites |
0.03 |
30. |
1,2-dichloroethane |
0.005 |
31. |
1,1-Dichloroethylene (vinylidene chloride) |
0.014 |
32. |
Dichloromethane |
0.05 |
33. |
2,4-Dichlorophenol |
0.9 |
34. |
2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) |
0.1 |
35. |
Diclofop-methyl |
0.009 |
36. |
Dimethoate |
0.02 |
37. |
Dinoseb |
0.01 |
38. |
Dioxin and Furan |
0.000000015 a |
39. |
Diquat |
0.07 |
40. |
Diuron |
0.15 |
41. |
Fluoride |
1.5 |
42. |
Glyphosate |
0.28 |
43. |
Heptachlor + Heptachlor Epoxide |
0.003 |
44. |
Lead |
0.01 |
45. |
Lindane (Total) |
0.004 |
46. |
Malathion |
0.19 |
47. |
Mercury |
0.001 |
48. |
Methoxychlor |
0.9 |
49. |
Metolachlor |
0.05 |
50. |
Metribuzin |
0.08 |
51. |
Microcystin LR |
0.0015 |
52. |
Monochlorobenzene |
0.08 |
53. |
Nitrate (as nitrogen) |
10.0 |
54. |
Nitrite (as nitrogen) |
1.0 |
55. |
Nitrate + Nitrite (as nitrogen) |
10.0 |
56. |
Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA) |
0.4 |
57. |
N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) |
0.000009 |
58. |
Paraquat |
0.01 |
59. |
Parathion |
0.05 |
60. |
Pentachlorophenol |
0.06 |
61. |
Phorate |
0.002 |
62. |
Picloram |
0.19 |
63. |
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) |
0.003 |
64. |
Prometryne |
0.001 |
65. |
Selenium |
0.01 |
66. |
Simazine |
0.01 |
67. |
Temephos |
0.28 |
68. |
Terbufos |
0.001 |
69. |
Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) |
0.03 |
70. |
2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol |
0.1 |
71. |
Triallate |
0.23 |
72. |
Trichloroethylene |
0.05 |
73. |
2,4,6-Trichlorophenol |
0.005 |
74. |
2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4,5-T) |
0.28 |
75. |
Trifluralin |
0.045 |
76. |
Trihalomethanes |
0.100 b |
77. |
Uranium |
0.02 |
78. |
Vinyl Chloride |
0.002 |
Footnotes:
a Total toxic equivalents when compared with 2,3,7,8-TCDD (tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin).
b This standard is expressed as a running annual average.
O. Reg. 169/03, Sched. 2; O. Reg. 268/03, s. 1.
SCHEDULE 3
RADIOLOGICAL STANDARDS
Item |
Radiological Parameter |
Standard (expressed as a maximum in becquerels per litre) |
Natural Radionuclides |
||
1. |
Beryllium-7 |
4000.0 |
2. |
Bismuth -210 |
70.0 |
3. |
Lead-210 |
0.1 |
4. |
Polonium-210 |
0.2 |
5. |
Radium-224 |
2.0 |
6. |
Radium-226 |
0.6 |
7. |
Radium-228 |
0.5 |
8. |
Thorium-228 |
2.0 |
9. |
Thorium-230 |
0.4 |
10. |
Thorium-232 |
0.1 |
11. |
Thorium-234 |
20.0 |
12. |
Uranium-234 |
4.0 |
13. |
Uranium-235 |
4.0 |
14. |
Uranium-238 |
4.0 |
Artificial Radionuclides |
||
15. |
Americium-241 |
0.2 |
16. |
Antimony-122 |
50.0 |
17. |
Antimony-124 |
40.0 |
18. |
Antimony-125 |
100.0 |
19. |
Barium-140 |
40.0 |
20. |
Bromine-82 |
300.0 |
21. |
Calcium-45 |
200.0 |
22. |
Calcium-47 |
60.0 |
23. |
Carbon-14 |
200.0 |
24. |
Cerium-141 |
100.0 |
25. |
Cerium-144 |
20.0 |
26. |
Cesium-131 |
2000.0 |
27. |
Cesium-134 |
7.0 |
28. |
Cesium-136 |
50.0 |
29. |
Cesium-137 |
10.0 |
30. |
Chromium-51 |
3000.0 |
31. |
Cobalt-57 |
40.0 |
32. |
Cobalt-58 |
20.0 |
33. |
Cobalt-60 |
2.0 |
34. |
Gallium-67 |
500.0 |
35. |
Gold-198 |
90.0 |
36. |
Indium-111 |
400.0 |
37. |
Iodine-125 |
10.0 |
38. |
Iodine-129 |
1.0 |
39. |
Iodine-131 |
6.0 |
40. |
Iron-55 |
300.0 |
41. |
Iron-59 |
40.0 |
42. |
Manganese-54 |
200.0 |
43. |
Mercury-197 |
400.0 |
44. |
Mercury-203 |
80.0 |
45. |
Molybdenum-99 |
70.0 |
46. |
Neptunium-239 |
100.0 |
47. |
Niobium-95 |
200.0 |
48. |
Phosphorus-32 |
50.0 |
49. |
Plutonium-238 |
0.3 |
50. |
Plutonium-239 |
0.2 |
51. |
Plutonium-240 |
0.2 |
52. |
Plutonium-241 |
10.0 |
53. |
Rhodium-105 |
300.0 |
54. |
Rubidium-81 |
3000.0 |
55. |
Rubidium-86 |
50.0 |
56. |
Ruthenium-103 |
100.0 |
57. |
Ruthenium-106 |
10.0 |
58. |
Selenium-75 |
70.0 |
59. |
Silver-108m |
70.0 |
60. |
Silver-110m |
50.0 |
61. |
Silver-111 |
70.0 |
62. |
Sodium-22 |
50.0 |
63. |
Strontium-85 |
300.0 |
64. |
Strontium-89 |
40.0 |
65. |
Strontium-90 |
5.0 |
66. |
Sulphur-35 |
500.0 |
67. |
Technetium-99 |
200.0 |
68. |
Technetium-99m |
7000.0 |
69. |
Tellurium-129m |
40.0 |
70. |
Tellurium-131m |
40.0 |
71. |
Tellurium-132 |
40.0 |
72. |
Thallium-201 |
2000.0 |
73. |
Tritium |
7000.0 |
74. |
Ytterbium-169 |
100.0 |
75. |
Yttrium-90 |
30.0 |
76. |
Yttrium-91 |
30.0 |
77. |
Zinc-65 |
40.0 |
78. |
Zirconium-95 |
100.0 |
Notes:
Radionuclide concentrations that exceed the standard may be tolerated for a short period, as long as the annual average concentrations remain below the standard and the restriction (see immediately below) for multiple radionuclides is met.
Restrictions for multiple radionuclides: If two or more radionuclides are present, the following relationship, based on International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 26, must be satisfied and, if not satisfied, the standard shall be considered to have been exceeded:
where
c1, c2 and ci are the observed concentrations, and C1, C2 and Ci are the maximum acceptable concentrations for each contributing radionuclide.
O. Reg. 169/03, Sched. 3.