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Quebec City Drinking Water Quality
By OpenStats · Built from official Canadian sources
Regional estimateB
Water quality grade
Good
Graded against Health Canada drinking water guidelines
Lead within guidelinepH in range
Hardness vs provincial average250 mg/L · prov. avg 183 mg/L
Lead vs provincial average0.2 μg/L · prov. avg 0.3 μg/L
Hardness
250 mg/L
Lead
0.2 μg/L
≤ 5 μg/L
pH
7.3
6.5–8.5 range
Hardness
250 mg/L
Very hard
Lead
0.2 μg/L
Max: 5 μg/L
pH
7.3
6.5–8.5
Chlorine
0.7 mg/L
Max: 4 mg/L
From source to sink
Where Quebec City 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 storyOn the map
Where Quebec City water lives
Source waters and treatment plants pinned from published utility names. Open a pin below for the full OpenStreetMap view.
- CityQuebec City
Municipal service area
- Source waterLac Saint-Charles
Source water
- Source waterRivière Saint-Charles
Source water
- Source waterRivière Montmorency
Source water
- Source waterLac des Roches
Source water
- Source waterSt. Lawrence River
St. Lawrence at Quebec
- Source waterRivière des Sept Ponts
Source water
- Treatment plantUTE de Québec
Approximate pin near Quebec City (exact plant coordinates pending)
- Treatment plantUTE de Sainte-Foy
Approximate pin near Quebec City (exact plant coordinates pending)
- Treatment plantUTE de Beauport
Approximate pin near Quebec City (exact plant coordinates pending)
- Treatment plantUTE de Charlesbourg
Approximate pin near Quebec City (exact plant coordinates pending)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins are approximate for orientation, not legal survey points.
Where it starts
Surface water
Research confidence: high
Named source waters
- Lac Saint-Charles
- Rivière Saint-Charles
- Rivière Montmorency
- Lac des Roches
- St. Lawrence River
- Source du Bon Pasteur
- Rivière des Sept Ponts
Treatment plants
UTE de Québec
Serves centre / Val-Bélair network; source is rivière and lac Saint-Charles.
UTE de Sainte-Foy
West network (Sainte-Foy, Cap-Rouge, Saint-Augustin); St. Lawrence River intake.
UTE de Beauport
Beauport network; Rivière Montmorency intake.
UTE de Charlesbourg
Charlesbourg network; Rivière Montmorency, lac des Roches, source du Bon Pasteur, and rivière des Sept Ponts; includes under-river intake works on Montmorency.
How it reaches your street
Four treatment plants and about 2,800 km of potable distribution mains feed sector networks that can support each other when needed. City also operates 23 drinking-water reservoirs.
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Partner
Lab water test for Quebec City taps
Municipal reports cover the plant. A Tap Score kit tests the water at a Quebec City tap for a broader contaminant panel.
Lab kit partner link. We may earn a commission when tracking is active.
Reading this page
Quebec City's most recent drinking water sample (2026-07-22) reports hardness of 250 mg/L, classified as very hard, and pH 7.3, drawn from a mixed water source and treated at Quebec City Water Treatment Plant. Lead measured 0.2 μg/L and fluoride 0.7 mg/L.
Free chlorine measured 0.7 mg/L in this sample. No E. coli was detected in this sample.
Quebec City's hardness of 250 mg/L is above the Quebec average of 183 mg/L across 34 tracked municipalities, with a provincial average pH of 7.5.
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 and very hard water.
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
Quebec · 34 cities in sample
Hardness (city vs Quebec avg)250 mg/L
pH (city vs Quebec avg)7.3
Lead (city vs Quebec avg)0.2 μg/L
Fluoride (city vs Quebec avg)0.7 mg/L
Provincial average: hardness 183 mg/L · pH 7.5 · lead 0.3 μg/L · fluoride 0.6 mg/L
Full parameters
| Parameter | Reading | Health Canada guideline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 250 mg/L | No health limit (aesthetic) | Compliant |
| pH | 7.3 | 6.5–8.5 | Compliant |
| Lead | 0.2 μg/L | ≤ 5 μg/L | Compliant |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/L | ≤ 1.5 mg/L | Compliant |
| Chlorine (free) | 0.7 mg/L | ≤ 4 mg/L | Compliant |
| Turbidity | 1.1 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 →Water softeners for hard water
Very hard water. Whole-house softeners are the high-ticket fit; salt and test kits support the install.
As an Amazon Associate, OpenStats earns from qualifying purchases.
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- Shop on Amazon.caWater hardness test stripsConfirm mg/L before sizing a unit
- Shop on Amazon.caTDS meterQuick dissolved-solids check
Source · ECCC / municipal open data (seed). Last updated 2026-07-22. Refreshed on the site's automated schedule.