Drinking Water Quality

Did You Know?

The City performs watermain cleaning from January to May and then again from October to December. This maintenance work improves water quality; however, during this cleaning process some residents could experience water pressure drops and milky or dirty water. Please take the following steps to correct the problem:

Milky Water: Open tap slightly to bleed air from the water lines
Dirty Water: Turn an outside tap on until the water becomes clear

If you continue to experience an issue with your water, after you have completed the above steps, please contact Public Works at 604-463-9581.

​​Water System Supply

The Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD) supplies treated water to the City from Coquitlam Lake. Maple Ridge operates a water utility under permit by the Fraser Health Authority (FHA), distributing this water to approximately 80,000 residents.

The Province, GVWD and the City implement a multi-barrier approach in providing high quality drinking water. As stated by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, “these barriers act to block or control microbiological pathogens and chemical contaminants that may enter the water supply system, regardless of whether these substances have been identified as a concern.” These barriers ensure quality water in Maple Ridge, and include such processes as water quality regulations, source water protection, drinking water treatment, secondary disinfection, cross-connection controls, water quality sampling and reporting, flushing programs, emergency response planning and oversight.

The Province maintains a Drinking Water Protection Regulation which mandates drinking water quality objectives and testing frequencies. More information on water quality monitoring is available in GVWD and Maple Ridge Drinking Water Quality Report (PDF).

To protect source water, the GVWD limits access to local watersheds. In recent years, the GVWD has decommissioned unnecessary access roadways within these watersheds, returning them to a natural state.

The City employs a Cross Connection Control Officer to educate the public and inspect commercial, industrial and institutional buildings to ensure compliance with codes, bylaws and enactments. This helps guard against unauthorized and incorrect plumbing work that could otherwise allow contaminated water (swimming pools, auto washers, etc.) to be drawn from private properties into the municipal system. As well, the City employs an emergency response plan to guide staff in the event of an emergency such as water contamination or a natural disaster.

Finally, the Fraser Health Authority provides system oversight which includes reviewing proposed changes to the drinking water system; reviewing test results on a weekly basis; meeting with City staff to discuss and review system performance; and issuing an annual operating permit.