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Drinking Water Quality and Supply

Halifax Drinking Water Quality

By OpenStats · Built from official Canadian sources

Direct municipal data
See where Halifax water comes from
B

Water quality grade

Good

Graded against Health Canada drinking water guidelines

Lead within guidelinepH in range
Hardness vs provincial average20 mg/L · prov. avg 179 mg/L
Lead vs provincial average0.5 μg/L · prov. avg 0.4 μg/L
Hardness
20 mg/L
Lead
0.5 μg/L
≤ 5 μg/L
pH
7.6
6.5–8.5 range
Hardness
20 mg/L
Soft
Lead
0.5 μg/L
Max: 5 μg/L
pH
7.6
6.5–8.5
Chlorine
1 mg/L
Max: 4 mg/L

From source to sink

Where Halifax 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 story

On the map

Where Halifax water lives

Source waters and treatment plants pinned from published utility names. Open a pin below for the full OpenStreetMap view.

Map showing drinking-water locations for Halifax

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins are approximate for orientation, not legal survey points.

Where it starts

Mixed surface and groundwater

Research confidence: high

Named source waters

  • Pockwock Lake
  • Lake Major
  • Bennery Lake
  • Smaller community lakes / well supplies
  • Chain Lake and Lake Lamont/Topsail (emergency backup)

Treatment plants

  • J. Douglas Kline Water Supply Plant (Pockwock)

    Largest Atlantic Canada plant; treats Pockwock Lake for Halifax, Bedford, Sackville, Beaverbank, Timberlea and related areas; ISO 14001 registered.

  • Lake Major Water Supply Plant

    Treats Lake Major for Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage, Westphal, North Preston and related areas; ISO 14001 registered.

  • Bennery Lake Water Supply Plant

    Serves Halifax Stanfield International Airport area; ISO 14001 registered.

How it reaches your street

Halifax Water (Halifax Regional Water Commission) supplies Halifax Regional Municipality customers from nine surface watersheds and two groundwater wellhead areas. Three large plants plus six smaller community plants distribute to ~360,000 customers; interactive 'Where Does My Water Come From' map identifies plant by address.

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Partner

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Compare filters · Water test kits · Hardness guide

Reading this page

Halifax's most recent drinking water sample (2026-07-22) reports hardness of 20 mg/L, classified as soft, and pH 7.6, drawn from a surface water source and treated at Halifax Water Treatment Plant. Lead measured 0.5 μg/L and fluoride 0.5 mg/L.

Free chlorine measured 1 mg/L in this sample. No E. coli was detected in this sample.

Halifax's hardness of 20 mg/L is below the Nova Scotia average of 179 mg/L across 5 tracked municipalities, with a provincial average pH of 7.3.

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.

Health parameters meet Health Canada limits; turbidity exceeds the typical 1 NTU aesthetic target.

Figure 1 · From source to sink

How drinking water reaches your tap

Compared to provincial average

Nova Scotia · 5 cities in sample

Hardness (city vs Nova Scotia avg)20 mg/L
pH (city vs Nova Scotia avg)7.6
Lead (city vs Nova Scotia avg)0.5 μg/L
Fluoride (city vs Nova Scotia avg)0.5 mg/L

Provincial average: hardness 179 mg/L · pH 7.3 · lead 0.4 μg/L · fluoride 0.5 mg/L

Full parameters

ParameterReadingHealth Canada guidelineStatus
Hardness20 mg/LNo health limit (aesthetic)Compliant
pH7.66.5–8.5Compliant
Lead0.5 μg/L≤ 5 μg/LCompliant
Fluoride0.5 mg/L≤ 1.5 mg/LCompliant
Chlorine (free)1 mg/L≤ 4 mg/LCompliant
Turbidity1.4 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

Pitcher and under-sink filters, plus hardness strips and TDS meters for tap checks.

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Source · Halifax Water annual report typical analysis. Last updated 2026-07-22. Refreshed on the site's automated schedule.