By OpenStats · Built from official Canadian sources
Direct municipal dataWater quality grade
Fair
Graded against Health Canada drinking water guidelines
Calgary’s 191 mg/L hardness (Grade C on our scale) is softener country — pitchers only polish taste. OpenStats sizes a metered Aquasure Harmony softener for southern Alberta minerals, pairs Waterdrop under-sink carbon for 1.2 mg/L chlorine, and a top-selling shower filter for pool-smell showers.
OpenStats pick for Calgary — 1.2 mg/L chlorine taste on 191 mg/L water
Calgary’s 1.2 mg/L chlorine — bestselling shower filter on Amazon.ca
NSF 53 lead reduction for Calgary older plumbing
Six-month Elite cartridges for Calgary
As an Amazon Associate, OpenStats earns from qualifying purchases.
Municipal reports cover the plant. A Tap Score kit tests the water at a Calgary tap for a broader contaminant panel.
Lab kit partner link. We may earn a commission when tracking is active.
Under-sink and RO systems from Waterdrop Canada — a direct brand alternative to marketplace filters.
Waterdrop affiliate link. We may earn a commission.
Calgary water hardness is 191 mg/L with pH 7.7.
How to use this page: read the headline metric and provincial comparison first, then supply and treatment notes, then the source footer for the underlying dataset.
Watershed to tap
How Calgary draws, treats, and distributes drinking water, from municipal and utility publications. Chemistry grades above come from separate parameter records; this section does not invent plant lab figures.
Surface water
Research confidence: high
Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant
Draws from Bearspaw Reservoir on the Bow River; supplies roughly 60% of Calgary’s treated water, primarily serving the north via an interconnected grid.
Glenmore Water Treatment Plant
Draws from Glenmore Reservoir fed by the Elbow River; supplies roughly 40% of the city’s water, primarily serving the south.
High-lift pumps send treated water into transmission mains that feed storage reservoirs and pump stations across the city. Bearspaw and Glenmore systems are cross-connected so either plant can support demand citywide. Calgary also sells bulk treated water to regional customers including Airdrie.
Health parameters meet Health Canada limits; turbidity above the 1 NTU typical target and very hard water.
One or more parameters exceed a Health Canada drinking water guideline or turbidity target.
Figure 1 · Supply chain
From watershed to tap
Alberta · 51 cities in sample
Provincial average: hardness 178 mg/L · pH 7.5 · lead 0.3 μg/L · fluoride 0.6 mg/L
| Parameter | Reading | Health Canada guideline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 191 mg/L | No health limit (aesthetic) | Compliant |
| pH | 7.7 | 6.5–8.5 | Compliant |
| Lead | 0.7 μg/L | ≤ 5 μg/L | Compliant |
| Fluoride | 0.6 mg/L | ≤ 1.5 mg/L | Compliant |
| Chlorine (free) | 1.2 mg/L | ≤ 4 mg/L | Compliant |
| Turbidity | 4 NTU | ≤ 1 NTU (typical target) | Exceeds guideline |
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 →OpenStats pick
Calgary’s 191 mg/L hardness (Grade C on our scale) is softener country — pitchers only polish taste. OpenStats sizes a metered Aquasure Harmony softener for southern Alberta minerals, pairs Waterdrop under-sink carbon for 1.2 mg/L chlorine, and a top-selling shower filter for pool-smell showers.
As an Amazon Associate, OpenStats earns from qualifying purchases.
· Compare options