Drinking water

Water from private wells

It is important to monitor the condition of your well and the water quality inside the well.  Contamination of water by bacteria often does not change its taste, odour or colour. Yet the presence of bacteria in the water can make you sick. Well water may also contain metals and minerals as well as nitrates and nitrites.  This can change the taste, odour and colour of the water and cause health problems.  

To check the water quality of your well, it must be tested by an approved laboratory. 

For information on how to collect water from your well, where to analyze it and when, see:

• Mon eau, mon puits, ma santé (In French only)

To learn more about maintaining your well, see:

• Well maintenance leaflet (In French only)

To learn more about well water, see: 

• Contamination of a well’s drinking water (In French only)

Water from water supply systems 

In Québec, water in water supply systems is usually of very good quality. However, there may be exceptional situations where a water supply system manager may issue a boil water advisory or a drinking water avoidance advisory. 

To learn more about drinking water in water supply systems, see:  

• E. coli, fecal coliforms or enterococci – Contamination of drinking water in distribution systems
• Main drinking water contaminants in distribution systems (In French only)

Lead in water supply systems

In Québec, lead concentrations in distributed drinking water are generally very low. Lead in drinking water comes mainly from the dissolving of lead present in pipes, particularly connection pipes (service lines) between certain houses and the water supply system. 

To learn more about lead in drinking water, see:  

• Lead and drinking water (In French only)