Orthophosphate in water

Areas of your business that may be impacted include: production and water treatment, cooling towers, boilers and other areas. Please see the information for commercial customers section above for more information or contact a process consultant for more details.

We recommend contacting a process consultant, equipment consultant or your industry association before orthophosphate is added.

We will start by adding 1.0 mg/L as P (phosphorous) to our water treatment process in March 2023. Concentrations may change slightly throughout the first year as we adjust for optimization. After levels are optimized, levels should remain stable, with some slight seasonal adjustments as needed.

Lead pipes and service lines are not the only source of lead; our sampling research has shown that lead present in in-home plumbing, old solder and brass fixtures also have the potential to exceed Health Canada’s proposed guideline of 5 ug/L.

If your home was built before 1960, there is a good chance you have lead water service lines for either your public, private or both portions of the lines. EPCOR also sends yearly notifications to Edmonton customers who had public water lines made of lead. While we don’t have records for private water service lines, if the public service line was made from lead, there’s a good chance the private portion of your line is, too. If you aren’t sure what material your water service line is made of, we have provided detailed instructions on how to test for lead pipes.

Phosphates are found naturally in foods such as bread, cheese, fruit and nuts. The amount of orthophosphate added during the water treatment process is approximately 3.1 mg/L. In fact, you would have to drink 104 glasses of water to match the amount of phosphorous found in one banana!

Orthophosphate has no negative effects on health. It is commonly used by water utilities across North America and the United Kingdom to prevent lead from entering into drinking water.

Phosphate is naturally present in food and is a common additive to beverages. In fact, you would have to drink 104 glasses of tap water to match the phosphorus in one banana.

Customers undergoing dialysis or who have other kidney concerns can be impacted by phosphorous levels. You may wish to contact your doctor to discuss the orthophosphate addition and if it will have an affect on any health concerns.

Lead is harmful to health, especially in children and pregnant women. Adding orthophosphate to water treatment is an important step to mitigate other health problems from exposure to lead.

Orthophosphate is a member of the phosphate family. Orthophosphates are small molecules, formed from the smallest and most basic form of phosphorus and are added to processed foods and naturally present in many foods.

The impact on backyard water features and aquariums is minimal. Adding orthophosphate may slightly increase algae growth, meaning water and aquarium gravel and glass may need to be cleaned more frequently. Adding live plants to water features and aquariums may also help with nutrient uptake in aquariums.

We are taking a number of steps to ensure we’re protecting the environment. Orthophosphate is effectively removed at our wastewater treatment plants during the treatment process. We’ve also consulted with our regional customers as well to ensure they are prepared to remove orthophosphate during their wastewater treatment processes as well.

We will continue to monitor our progress in removing orthophosphate at our wastewater treatment plants.

No, once a lead inhibitor like orthophosphate is added to the water treatment process, it must be used continuously to ensure that lead pipes and fixtures do not release lead.

Using a reverse osmosis system is an option for residents who wish to remove orthophosphate from drinking water.