What’s in the pipes?

Turn on the tap in Calgary or Edmonton and what pours into your glass is treated river water, fed by Rocky Mountain glaciers, snow melt and rain.

How clean is our drinking water?

Residents of Alberta’s two largest cities are drinking water of excellent quality, according to provincial reports. But downstream, the quality isn’t as good because of storm sewer run-off and wastewater pumped back into the rivers.

Calgary
Two rivers quench Calgary’s thirst.

The Bow River originates at the Bow Glacier in Banff National Park. Before it reaches the city, the water quality is listed as 100 or excellent, but downstream, it is only 89 or good.

The City of Calgary stores and treats water from the Bow River at the Bearspaw Reservoir. Water from the Elbow River, the second source of Calgary drinking water, is stored and treated at the Glenmore Reservoir.

Both treatment plants are undergoing a $300-million upgrade that will be complete in 2012.

Only five per cent of the water taken from the Bow River is consumed by Calgary and surrounding municipalities. (Irrigation accounts for 91 per cent of water use.)

Calgary treats sewage and wastewater — enough to fill 128 Olympic-sized swimming pools each day — at treatment plants at Bonnybrook and Fish Creek (a third plant will open in Pine Creek in 2008).

Most of the treated wastewater is pumped back into the Bow River. However, the sludge settles in a “lagoon” and is eventually used in farmers' fields.

Edmonton
The North Saskatchewan River fills up glasses in Edmonton.

The Saskatchewan Glacier in Banff National Park marks the start of the eastward-flowing river. Before the water reaches Edmonton, the quality is rated as 98 out of 100 or excellent, but downstream of the city, the water quality is listed as fair at 74.

Utility Epcor supplies water for Edmonton and 40 surrounding communities. However, municipalities only use 12 per cent of the water taken from the North Saskatchewan River. (About 70 per cent goes toward commercial and industrial purposes.)

Epcor has 12 reservoirs and two water treatment plants — Rossdale and E.L. Smith (E.L. Smith is undergoing a $140-million upgrade.)

Wastewater is treated at the City of Edmonton’s Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant before it’s sent back into the river. Sludge is treated and then sent to the Clover Bar Landfill.

The Edmonton plant treats enough wastewater to fill 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools each day.

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