OpenStats
openstats.ca
Drinking Water Quality and Supply

Ponoka Drinking Water Quality

By OpenStats · Built from official Canadian sources

Direct municipal data
A

Water quality grade

Excellent

Graded against Health Canada drinking water guidelines

Lead within guidelinepH in range
Hardness vs provincial average88 mg/L · prov. avg 176 mg/L
Lead vs provincial average0 μg/L · prov. avg 0.3 μg/L
Hardness
88 mg/L
Lead
0 μg/L
≤ 5 μg/L
pH
7.6
6.5–8.5 range
Hardness
88 mg/L
Moderate
Lead
0 μg/L
Max: 5 μg/L
pH
7.6
6.5–8.5
Chlorine
0.5 mg/L
Max: 4 mg/L

As an Amazon Associate, OpenStats earns from qualifying purchases.

Partner

Lab water test for Ponoka taps

Municipal reports cover the plant. A Tap Score kit tests the water at a Ponoka tap for a broader contaminant panel.

Order a lab water test →

Lab kit partner link. We may earn a commission when tracking is active.

Partner

Waterdrop filtration systems

Under-sink and RO systems from Waterdrop Canada — a direct brand alternative to marketplace filters.

Shop Waterdrop filters →

Waterdrop affiliate link. We may earn a commission.

Compare filters · Water test kits · Hardness guide

Reading this page

Ponoka's drinking water earns Grade A (Excellent). Hardness is 88 mg/L (moderate), and pH is 7.6 against Health Canada's 6.5–8.5 guideline.

Lead at 0 μg/L is below the 5 μg/L maximum, and fluoride is 0.7 mg/L against a guideline of ≤ 1.5 mg/L.

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

Supply and treatment

How Ponoka 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.

Source type

Surface water

Research confidence: high

Source waters

  • Red Deer River

Treatment plants

  • City of Red Deer Water Treatment Plant — wholesale via North Red Deer River Water Services Commission

    Ponoka does not treat raw river water locally; purchases treated Red Deer River water via ~50 km regional pipeline shared with Lacombe and Blackfalds.

Distribution

Town operates local distribution mains; NRDRWSC holds the regional transmission licence.

All monitored parameters meet Health Canada guidelines.

All health parameters meet Health Canada guidelines with comfortable pH, hardness, and turbidity.

Figure 1 · Supply chain

From watershed to tap

Compared to provincial average

Alberta · 51 cities in sample

Hardness (city vs Alberta avg)88 mg/L
pH (city vs Alberta avg)7.6
Lead (city vs Alberta avg)0 μg/L
Fluoride (city vs Alberta avg)0.7 mg/L

Provincial average: hardness 176 mg/L · pH 7.5 · lead 0.3 μg/L · fluoride 0.6 mg/L

Full parameters

ParameterReadingHealth Canada guidelineStatus
Hardness88 mg/LNo health limit (aesthetic)Compliant
pH7.66.5–8.5Compliant
Lead0 μg/L≤ 5 μg/LCompliant
Fluoride0.7 mg/L≤ 1.5 mg/LCompliant
Chlorine (free)0.5 mg/L≤ 4 mg/LCompliant
Turbidity0.9 NTU≤ 1 NTU (typical target)Compliant
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.

As an Amazon Associate, OpenStats earns from qualifying purchases.

· Compare options

Source · ECCC / municipal open data (seed). Last updated 2026-09-01. Refreshed on the site's automated schedule.