The British Columbia Water Quality Index

Water Quality

British Columbia Approved Water Quality Guidelines
2006 Edition

Prepared pursuant to Section 2(e) of the
Environment Management Act, 1981

Original signed by Don Fast
Assistant Deputy Minister
Environment and Lands HQ Division
September 11, 1998

Updated: August 2006

Table of Contents

Tables of Recommended Guidelines

Table 1 Water Quality Guidelines for Drinking and Recreational Water Uses

Table 2 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Turbidity, Suspended and Benthic Sediments

Table 3 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Nutrients and Algae

Table 4 Average 30-day Concentrations of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for Protection of Aquatic Life (mg/L of Nitrogen)

Table 5 Maximum Concentrations of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for Protection of Aquatic Life

Table 6 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Aluminum

Table 7 Examples of Freshwater Aluminum Guidelines Specified by the Regression Equations

Table 8 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Microbiological Indicators

Table 9 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Copper

Table 10 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Cyanide

Table 11 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Lead

Table 12 Details of Freshwater Aquatic Life Guidelines for Lead

Table 13 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Mercury

Table 14 Variations in Aquatic Life Guidelines for Fish/Shellfish When the Diet is Based Primarily on Fish

Table 15 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Molybdenum

Table 16 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Nitrogen

Table 17 Guidelines for Nitrite for Protection of Freshwater Aquatic Life

Table 18 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Dissolved Oxygen for the Protection of Fresh, Marine and Estuarine Life

Table 19 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Chlorine

Table 20 Summary Table of Recommended Guidelines for Fluoride

Table 21 Maximum Concentration of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for Protection of Saltwater Aquatic Life (mg/L of Nitrogen)

Table 22 Average 5 to 30-day Concentration of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for Protection of Saltwater Aquatic Life (mg/L of Nitrogen)

Table 23 Summary of Guidelines for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Table 24 Summary of Guidelines for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Table 25 Summary of Aquatic Life and Sediment Guidelines for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Table 26 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Chlorophenols

Table 27 Summary of Interim Aquatic Life and Tissue Residue Guidelines for Chlorophenols

Table 27a Aquatic Life Toxicity Guidelines

Table 27b Interim Fish Muscle Tissue Flavour Impairment Guidelines

Table 28 Summary of the pH Guidelines

Table 29 Recommended Guidelines for the Protection of Marine and Freshwater Life for Silver

Table 30 Summary of Guidelines for Total Gas Pressure (TGP)

Table 31 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Colour

Table 32 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Organic Carbon

Table 33 Recommended Guidelines for Zinc

Table 34 Recommended Guidelines for Ethylbenzene

Table 35 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Toluene

Table 36 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Sulphate

Table 37 Examples of the Recommended Acute Guidelines to Protect Freshwater Aquatic Life from the Toxic Effects of Manganese

Table 38 Examples of the Recommended Chronic Guidelines to Protect Freshwater Aquatic Life from the Toxic Effects of Manganese

Table 39 Recommended Guidelines for Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE)

Table 40 Recommended Guideline for Selenium

Table 41 Recommended Guidelines for Temperature

Table 42 Optimum Temperature Ranges of Specific Life History Stages of Salmonids and Other Cold water Species for Guideline Application.

Table 43 Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Arsenic

Table 44 Summary of Chlorate Guidelines

Table 45 Summary of Recommended Water Quality Guidelines for Diisopropanolamine (DIPA)

Table 46 Summary of Recommended Guidelines for Sulpholane

Table 47 Recommended Guidelines for Chloride

Table 48 Recommended Guidelines for Cobalt

Table 49 Recommended Guidelines for Boron

Table 50 Recommended Irrigation Water Guidelines for Boron

References

Introduction

Welcome to British Columbia's Approved Guidelines Report for 2006.

The following questions and answers will introduce you to the British Columbia Water Quality Guidelines Report — 2006. They will explain what the report is and guide you through its use. This report is revised periodically to incorporate new information. The authors invite your comments and suggestion on any errors and omissions in the guidelines cited here.

Why do we have an Approved Water Quality Guidelines Report — 2006?

Water quality guidelines are developed in order that water quality data can be assessed and site-specific water quality objectives can be prepared. They provide the benchmarks for the assessment of water quality and setting water quality objectives. In general, water quality problems are non-existent if the substance concentration is lower than the guideline(s). However, if the substance concentration exceeds its guideline, an assessment of the water quality is desirable.

Why are some values for drinking water and recreation different between the Ministry publications and the approved guidelines listed in Table 1?

When the Ministry prepares guideline reports, it does so for the six potential designated water uses. For drinking water and recreation uses, there are also parallel processes for guideline development under Health Canada mandate. Sometimes, the approved B.C. guidelines have not been accepted by Health Canada or there are time lags between the different processes. In such cases, the policy of the Ministry is that the Health Canada guidelines will be the official Ministry guidelines for drinking water and recreation, even if other values were approved independently by the Ministry.

Why are some tables listed as 'Criteria' and how are they related to 'Guidelines'?

The term 'Criterion' was originally used for the 'Guideline' in B.C. but this nomenclature was changed in the late 1980s.

Who can use this report?

Traditionally, water quality professionals such as consultants have used this report. We are hoping that members of the public, especially those associated with local stewardship groups, will use this new "user-friendly" edition of the report to evaluate water quality data that they collect.

What are the Approved Water Quality Guidelines and what do they protect?

Tables 2 through 50 list guidelines that have been developed by the Ministry of Environment. They have been approved by the province and, as noted above, will be used to assess water quality in B.C.. Approved guidelines are given to protect up to seven major water uses: Drinking Water, Aquatic Life (freshwater and marine), Wildlife, Recreation and Aesthetics, Agriculture (Irrigation and Livestock Watering), and Industrial (e.g., Food Processing Industry).

Why does Table 1 look different from the other tables in the report?

Table 1 lists guidelines for drinking water (at the point of consumption) and recreational waters. These guidelines, designed to protect human health, are the responsibility of Health and Welfare Canada. The list of substances considered by Health Canada is broader than that considered by the Province (Tables 2 through 50) and reflects a Canadian perspective.

Drinking water guidelines as stated in Tables 2 through 50 are, in some cases, for raw waters before treatment and should not be confused with those in Table 1.

How do you define water quality guidelines?

Water quality guidelines apply province-wide and are safe levels of substances for the protection of a given water use, including drinking water, aquatic life, recreation and agricultural uses. In aquatic environments, water quality includes the physical, chemical and biological quality of the water, sediment and biota. These guidelines are being developed by the province substance by substance, starting with those most urgently needed for water quality assessments and objectives.

Are there other (than water column) guidelines recommended by the province?

The province has recommended a limited number of sediment quality and tissue guidelines to protect aquatic environments. These guidelines are specified for contaminants such as mercury, PCBs, and PAHs.

What are site-specific water quality guidelines or objectives?

Water quality objectives or site-specific guidelines are a refinement of the province-wide guidelines that are adapted to protect the most sensitive water use at a specific location, taking local circumstances into account. As suggested above, they have their basis in the water quality guidelines plus the site characteristics that may influence the toxic action of the substance of concern. The Ministry recognizes that site-specific factors may necessitate modification of the Approved or the Working guidelines and suggests means to do this in a 1997 publication: Methods for Deriving Site-specific Water Quality Objectives in British Columbia and Yukon.

I have seen other references to similar reports issued by the Ministry in the past. Are those reports still valid?

As indicated above, this report is revised periodically to incorporate new information. Sections from the earlier versions that are still useful have been included in this 2006 report. The 2006 version supersedes the following documents:

Preliminary Working Criteria for Water Quality, October 1982.
Working Criteria for Water Quality, April 1985.
Approved and Working Criteria for Water Quality, April 1987, March 1989, May 1991, February 1994, and April 1995.
British Columbia Approved Water Quality Guidelines (Criteria) 1998 Edition, September 11, 1998 and updated August 24, 2001.

A second report, A Compendium of Working Water Quality Guidelines for British Columbia, which contains guidelines from other jurisdictions, has been published separately.

Which water quality guidelines have been developed by the Ministry?

Water quality guidelines for the following substances have been approved*.

Substance	Table Number	Substance	Table Number
Algae	3	Nitrate	16
Aluminum	6, 7	Nitrite	16, 17
Arsenic	43	Nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite and ammonia)	4, 5, 16, 21, 22
Benthic sedimentation	2	Nutrients (phosphorus) and algae	3
Boron	49, 50	Organic carbon	33
Chlorate	44	Oxygen (dissolved)	18
Chloride	47	PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)	24, 25
Chlorine	19	Particulate matter (suspended solids and turbidity)	2
Chlorophenols	26, 27	PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)	23
Cobalt	48	pH	28
Coliforms	8	Phosphorus	3
Colour	32	Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)	23
Copper	9	Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)	24, 25
Cyanide	10	Selenium	41
Diisopropanolamine (DIPA)	45	Silver	29
Ethylbenzene	35	Sulphate	37
Fluoride	20	Sulpholane	46
Lead	11, 12	Suspended Solids	2
Manganese	38	Temperature	42, 43
Mercury	13, 14	Toluene	36
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)	40	Total gas pressure	30
Microbiological indicators	8	Turbidity	2
Molybdenum	15	Zinc	34

* Caution: The guidelines as specified in the guideline Overviews and Technical Appendices take precedence over the guidelines in this summary document, and should be consulted when using the guidelines to ensure accuracy and a full understanding of the guidelines.

What guidelines have changed since the 1998 (updated in 2001) editions?

Approved guidelines have been added for:

Arsenic (Table 43)

Boron (Tables 49 and 50)

Chlorate (Table 44)

Chloride (Table 47)

Cobalt (Table 48)

Diisopropanolamine - DIPA (Table 45)

Sulpholane (Table 46)

Approved guidelines have been revised for:

Total gas pressure (Table 30)

Mercury (aquatic life; Tables 13 and 13a)

Which water quality guidelines are currently being developed by the Ministry?

Guidelines for the following substances are being reviewed:

Substance

Barium
Benzene
Berylium
Chromium
Dioxins and furans
Iron
Toluene
Xylene

Which other tools does the Ministry have to help one assess water quality?

In addition to this report and the Compendium report, the Ministry has developed several tools that can be used to assess water quality. For instance, the Principles document, the User's Guide, and the Deriving Site-Specific Objectives reports (see below) outline the process that can be used to develop site-specific water quality objectives. The Status Report indicates the state of water quality for waterbodies in B.C. based on available data. The Ministry has also developed manuals that will help in designing and implementing monitoring programs, and interpreting water quality data. Titles of the completed reports are listed below:

Tables of Recommended Guidelines

Table 1. Water Quality Guidelines for Drinking and Recreational Water Uses

(For more up-to-date information for these guidelines use the web link:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/guide/index_e.html)

Substance	Water Use	Guidelines
Aldicarb (total) -aldicarb, aldicarb sulfoxide, aldicarb sulfone	Drinking	9 µg/L (maximum)
Aldrin + Dieldrin (total)	Drinking	0.7 µg/L (maximum)
Aluminum	Drinking	0.1 (conventional treatment) 0.2 (other treatment) also see Tables 6 and 7 for approved guidelines
Aluminum	Recreation	see Tables 6 and 7 for approved guidelines
Antimony	Drinking	6 µg/L (proposed interim maximum)
Arsenic	Drinking	25 µg/L (interim maximum) 5 µg/L (proposed maximum)
Atrazine and its metabolites	Drinking	5 µg/L (interim maximum)
Azinphos-methyl	Drinking	20 µg/L (maximum)
Barium	Drinking	1 mg/L (maximum)
Bendiocarp	Drinking	40 µg/L (maximum)
Benzene	Drinking	5 µg/L (maximum)
Benzo[a]pyrene	Drinking	0.01 µg/L (maximum)
Boron	Drinking	5 mg/L (maximum)
Bromate	Drinking	10 µg/L (maximum)
Bromodichloromethane (BDCM)	Drinking	16 µg/L (maximum)
Bromoxnyil	Drinking	5 µg/L (interim maximum)
Cadmium (total)	Drinking	5 µg/L (maximum)
Carbaryl	Drinking	90 µg/L (maximum)
Carbofuran	Drinking	90 µg/L (maximum)
Carbon tetrachloride	Drinking	5 µg/L (maximum)
Chloramines	Drinking	3 mg/L (maximum)
Chlorate	Drinking	1 mg/L (proposed maximum) also see Table 44 for approved guidelines
Chloride (dissolved)	Drinking	less than or equal to 250 mg/L (aesthetic objective)
Chlorite	Drinking	1 mg/L (proposed maximum)
Chlorophyll a (approved B.C. guideline)	Drinking	2 to 2.5 µg/L (lakes, summer average)
Chlorpyrifos	Drinking	90 µg/L (maximum)
Chromium (total)	Drinking	50 µg/L (maximum)
Clarity (as Secchi disc visibility)	Recreation	1.2 m (minimum)
Colour (true)	Drinking	less than or equal to 15 TCU (aesthetic objective)
Colour (true)	Recreation	should not impede visibility in swimming areas
Conductivity (specific)	Drinking	700 µS/cm(maximum) approximate equivalent of 500 mg/L total dissolved solids
Copper	Drinking	less than or equal to 1 mg/L (aesthetic objective)
Cyanazine	Drinking	10 µg/L (interim maximum)
Cyanide	Drinking	200 µg/L (maximum)
Cyanobacterial toxins (as Microystin-LR)	Drinking	1.5 µg/L (maximum)

1,2-Dichlorobenzene	Drinking	200 µg/L (maximum) less than or equal to 3 µg/L (aesthetics objective)
1,2-Dichlorobenzene	Drinking	less than or equal to 3 µg/L (aesthetics objective)
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT+ metabolites)	Drinking	30 µg/L (interim maximum)
2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D)	Drinking	100 µg/L (interim maximum)
Diazinon	Drinking	20 µg/L (maximum)
Dicamba	Drinking	120 µg/L (interim maximum)
1,4-Dichlorobenzene	Drinking	5 µg/L (maximum) less than or equal to 1µg/L (aesthetics objective)
1,2-Dichloroethane	Drinking	5 µg/L (interim maximum)
1,1-Dichloroethylene	Drinking	14 µg/L (maximum)
Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)	Drinking	50 µg/L (maximum)
2,4-Dichlorophenol	Drinking	900 µg/L (maximum) 0.3 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Diclofop-methyl	Drinking	9 µg/L (maximum)
Dimethoate	Drinking	20 µg/L (maximum)
Dinoseb	Drinking	10 µg/L (maximum)
Diquat	Drinking	70 µg/L (maximum)
Diuron	Drinking	150 µg/L (maximum)
Ethylbenzene	Drinking	2.4 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Ethylbenzene	Recreation	2.4 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Fluoride (total)	Drinking	1.5 mg/L (maximum)
Glyphosate	Drinking	280 µg/L (maximum)
Hardness (total dissolved)	Drinking	80 to 100 mg/L as CaCO3 is acceptable over 200 mg/L as CaCO3 is poor but can be tolerated over 500 mg/L as CaCO3 is normally unacceptable
Iron	Drinking	less than or equal to 0.3 mg/L (aesthetic objective)
Lead	Drinking	10 µg/L (maximum)

Magnesium (dissolved)	Drinking	100 mg/L, taste threshold for sensitive people 500 mg/L, taste threshold for average people over 700 mg/L, laxative effects for everyone
Malathion	Drinking	190 µg/L (maximum)
Manganese	Drinking	less than or equal to 50 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Mercury	Drinking	1 µg/L (maximum)
Methoxychlor	Drinking	900 µg/L (maximum)
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)	Drinking	0.02 mg/L (maximum) 0.015 mg/L (proposed maximum)
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)	Recreation	0.02 mg/L (maximum)
Metolachlor	Drinking	50 µg/L (maximum)
Metribuzin	Drinking	80 µg/L (maximum)
Microbiological indicators	Drinking	0 total coliforms/100 mL 0 E. coli per 100 mL
Microbiological indicators	Recreation	2000 E. coli/L (geometric mean, fresh water) 350 enterococci/L (geometric mean, marine water) (resample at 4000 E. coli or 700 enterococci)
Monochlorobenzene	Drinking	80 µg/L (maximum) less than or equal to 30 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
MTBE (Methyl tertiary-butyl ether)	Drinking	0.02 mg/L (maximum) 0.015 mg/L (proposed maximum)
MTBE (Methyl tertiary-butyl ether)	Recreation	0.02 mg/L (maximum)
Nitrate	Drinking	45 mg/L as NO₃ (maximum) 10 mg/L as N
Nitrite	Drinking	3.2 mg/L as NO₃ 1.0 mg/L as N
Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)	Drinking	400 µg/L (maximum)
Odour	Drinking	inoffensive (aesthetic objective)
Oil and grease	Recreation	not detectable by sight or smell

Paraquat dichloride	Drinking	10 µg/L (maximum) (7 µg/L for the paraquat ion)
Parathon	Drinking	50 µg/L (maximum)
Pentachlorophenol	Drinking	60 µg/L (maximum) 30 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
pH	Drinking	6.5 to 8.5 (aesthetic objective
pH	Recreation	6.5 to 8.5 (aesthetic objective
pH	Recreation	5.0 to 9.0 (buffering capacity)
Phorate	Drinking	2 µg/L (maximum)
Picloram	Drinking	190 µg/L (interim maximum)
Selenium	Drinking	10 µg/L (maximum)
Simazine	Drinking	10 µg/L (interim maximum)
Sodium	Drinking	less than or equal to 200 mg/L (aesthetic objective) 20 mg/L alert level for people on sodium restricted diets
Solids (floatable or settleable)	Recreation	none
Sulphate	Drinking	less than or equal to 500 mg/L (aesthetic objective)
Sulphide (as H₂S)	Drinking	50 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Taste	Drinking	inoffensive (aesthetic objective)
Temperature	Drinking	15 degrees Celsius maximum (aesthetic objective)
Temperature	Recreation	30 degrees Celsius maximum
Terbufos	Drinking	1 µg/L (maximum)
Tetrachoroethylene	Drinking	30 µg/L (maximum)
2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol	Drinking	100 µg/L (maximum) less than or equal to 1 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Toluene	Drinking	less than or equal to 24 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Total dissolved solids	Drinking	less than or equal to 500 mg/L (aesthetic objective)
Trichloroethylene	Drinking	5 µg/L (maximum)
2,4,6-Trichlorophenol	Drinking	5 µg/L (maximum) less than or equal to 2 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Trifluralin	Drinking	45 µg/L (maximum)
Triralomethanes	Drinking	100 µg/L (annual average) 100 µg/L (proposed maximum)
Turbidity	Drinking	<0.1 NTU (target at all times) 0.3 NTU 95th percentile, 1.0 NTU maximum for chemically assisted filtration 1.0 NTU 95th percentile, 3.0 NTU maximum for slow sand or diatomaceous earth filtration 0.1 NTU 99th percentile, 0.3 NTU maximum for membrane filtration
Turbidity	Recreation	50 NTU (maximum)
Uranium	Drinking	20µg/L (maximum)
Vinyl chloride	Drinking	2 µg/L (maximum)
Xylenes (total)	Drinking	less than or equal to 300 µg/L (aesthetic objective)
Zinc	Drinking	less than or equal to 5 mg/L (aesthetic objective)

1. From Health and Welfare Canada, References 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25.

Updated to 5-May-2006 from www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/

Table 2: Summary of water quality guidelines for turbidity, suspended and benthic sediments. For complete details (including definitions for background, clear flow, and turbid flow) see Caux et al. (1997)
(http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/BCguidelines/turbidity/turbiditytech.pdf)

Water Use	Turbidity	Non-filterable residue (total suspended solids)	Streambed Substrate Composition
Raw drinking water with treatment to remove particulates	Change from background of 5 NTU at any time when background is <50 NTU	No Guideline	No Guideline
	Change from background of 10% when background >50 NTU
Raw drinking water without treatment to remove particulates	Change from background of 1 NTU at any time when background is <5 NTU	No Guideline	No Guideline
	Change from background of 5 NTU at any time
Aquatic life (fresh, marine, estuarine)	Change from background of 8 NTU at any one time for a duration of 24 h in all waters during clear flows or in clear waters	Change from background of 25 mg/L at any one time for a duration of 24 h in all waters during clear flows or in clear waters	% fines not to exceed: • 10% <2 mm • 19% <3 mm • 28% <6.35 mm at salmonid spawning sites
	Change from background of 2 NTU at any one time for a duration of 30 d in all waters during clear flows or in clear waters	Change from background of 5 mg/L at any one time for a duration of 30 d in all waters during clear flows or in clear waters	Geometric mean diameter not less than 12 mm (minimum 30-d intragravel DO of 6 mg/L)
	Change from background of 5 NTU at any time when background is 8 - 50 NTU during high flows or in turbid waters	Change from background of 10 mg/L at any time when background is 25 - 100 mg/L during high flows or in turbid waters	Fredle number not less than 5 mm (minimum 30-d intragravel DO of 8 mg/L)
	Change from background of 10% when background is >50 NTU at any time during high flows or in turbid waters	Change from background of 10% when background is >100 mg/L at any time during high flows or in turbid waters
Recreation and aesthetics	Change from background of 5 NTU when background is <50 NTU	No guideline	No guideline
	Change from background of 10% when background >50 NTU
Wildlife irrigation	Change from background of 10 NTU when background is <50 NTU	Change from background of 20 mg/L when background is <100 mg/L	No Guideline
	Change from background of 20% when background >50 NTU	Change from background of 20% when background >100 mg/L
Livestock watering	Change from background of 5 NTU when background is <50 NTU	Change from background of 10 mg/L when background is <100 mg/L	No Guideline
	Change from background of 10% when background is >50 NTU	Change from background of 10% when background is >100 mg/L
Industrial water supplies Narrative:	Change from background of 10 NTU when background is <50 NTU	Change from background of 20 mg/L when background is <100 mg/L	No Guideline
	Change from background of 20% when background >50 NTU	Change from background of 20% when background >100 mg/L
	No induced increase in turbidity or NFR that will interfere with established industrial water supplies

References 1, 32

Table 3. Summary of Water Quality Guidelines for Nutrients and Algae

Water Use	Phosphorus µg/L (total)	Chlorophyll a mg/m²
Drinking Water - lakes	10 µg/L (maximum)	None proposed
Aquatic Life - streams	None proposed	100 mg/m² (maximum)
Aquatic Life - lakes (salmonids are the predominant fish species)	5 to 15 µg/L (inclusive)	None proposed
Recreation - streams	None proposed	50 mg/m²
Recreation - lakes	10 µg/L (maximum)	None proposed

1. Total phosphorus in lakes is either the spring overturn concentration, if the residence time of the epilimnetic water is greater than 6 months, or the mean epilimnetic growing season concentration, if the residence time of the epilimnetic water is less than 6 months

2. Chlorophyll a guidelines in streams apply to naturally growing periphytic algae.

Reference 2

Table 4. Average 30-day Concentration of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for Protection of Aquatic Life (mg/L of Nitrogen)

Temperature (T) in degrees Celsius

pH	T=0.0	T=1.0	T=2.0	T=3.0	T=4.0	T=5.0	T=6.0
6.5	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
6.6	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
6.7	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
6.8	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
6.9	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
7.0	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
7.1	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.94	1.92
7.2	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.95	1.92
7.3	2.08	2.05	2.02	1.99	1.97	1.95	1.92
7.4	2.08	2.05	2.02	2.00	1.97	1.95	1.92
7.5	2.08	2.05	2.02	2.00	1.97	1.95	1.93
7.6	2.09	2.05	2.03	2.00	1.97	1.95	1.93
7.7	2.09	2.05	2.03	2.00	1.98	1.95	1.93
7.8	1.78	1.75	1.73	1.71	1.69	1.67	1.65
7.9	1.50	1.48	1.46	1.44	1.43	1.41	1.39
8.0	1.26	1.24	1.23	1.21	1.20	1.18	1.17
8.1	1.00	0.989	0.976	0.963	0.952	0.942	0.932
8.2	0.799	0.788	0.777	0.768	0.759	0.751	0.743
8.3	0.636	0.628	0.620	0.613	0.606	0.599	0.594
8.4	0.508	0.501	0.495	0.489	0.484	0.479	0.475
8.5	0.405	0.400	0.396	0.381	0.387	0.384	0.380
8.6	0.324	0.320	0.317	0.313	0.310	0.308	0.305
8.7	0.260	0.257	0.254	0.251	0.249	0.247	0.246
8.8	0.208	0.206	0.204	0.202	0.201	0.200	0.198
8.9	0.168	0.166	0.165	0.163	0.162	0.161	0.161
9.0	0.135	0.134	0.133	0.132	0.132	0.131	0.131

Temperature (T) in degrees Celsius

pH	T=7.0	T=8.0	T=9.0	T=10.0	T=11.0	T=12.0	T=13.0
6.5	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.82	1.81	1.80
6.6	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.82	1.81	1.80
6.7	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.83	1.81	1.80
6.8	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.83	1.81	1.80
6.9	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.83	1.81	1.80
7.0	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.83	1.81	1.80
7.1	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.84	1.83	1.81	1.80
7.2	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.85	1.83	1.81	1.80
7.3	1.90	1.88	1.86	1.85	1.83	1.82	1.80
7.4	1.90	1.88	1.87	1.85	1.83	1.82	1.80
7.5	1.91	1.88	1.87	1.85	1.83	1.82	1.81
7.6	1.91	1.89	1.87	1.85	1.84	1.82	1.81
7.7	1.91	1.89	1.87	1.86	1.84	1.83	1.81
7.8	1.63	1.62	1.60	1.59	1.57	1.56	1.55
7.9	1.38	1.36	1.35	1.34	1.33	1.32	1.31
8.0	1.16	1.15	1.14	1.13	1.12	1.11	1.10
8.1	0.922	0.914	0.906	0.899	0.893	0.887	0.882
8.2	0.736	0.730	0.724	0.718	0.714	0.709	0.706
8.3	0.588	0.583	0.579	0.575	0.571	0.568	0.566
8.4	0.471	0.467	0.464	0.461	0.458	0.456	0.455
8.5	0.377	0.375	0.372	0.370	0.369	0.367	0.366
8.6	0.303	0.301	0.300	0.298	0.297	0.297	0.296
8.7	0.244	0.243	0.242	0.241	0.241	0.240	0.240
8.8	0.197	0.197	0.196	0.196	0.196	0.196	0.196
8.9	0.160	0.160	0.160	0.160	0.160	0.161	0.161
9.0	0.131	0.131	0.131	0.131	0.132	0.132	0.133

Temperature (T) in degrees Celsius

pH	T=14.0	T=15.0	T=16.0	T=17.0	T=18.0	T=19.0	T=20.0
6.5	1.78	1.77	1.64	1.52	1.41	1.31	1.22
6.6	1.78	1.77	1.64	1.52	1.41	1.31	1.22
6.7	1.78	1.77	1.64	1.52	1.41	1.31	1.22
6.8	1.78	1.77	1.64	1.52	1.42	1.32	1.22
6.9	1.78	1.77	1.64	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.22
7.0	1.79	1.77	1.64	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.22
7.1	1.79	1.77	1.65	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.23
7.2	1.79	1.78	1.65	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.23
7.3	1.79	1.78	1.65	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.23
7.4	1.79	1.78	1.65	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.23
7.5	1.80	1.78	1.66	1.54	1.43	1.33	1.23
7.6	1.80	1.79	1.66	1.54	1.43	1.33	1.24
7.7	1.80	1.79	1.66	1.54	1.44	1.34	1.24
7.8	1.54	1.53	1.42	1.32	1.23	1.14	1.07
7.9	1.31	1.30	1.21	1.12	1.04	0.970	0.904
8.0	1.10	1.09	1.02	0.944	0.878	0.818	0.762
8.1	0.878	0.874	0.812	0.756	0.704	0.655	0.611
8.2	0.703	0.700	0.651	0.606	0.565	0.527	0.491
8.3	0.564	0.562	0.523	0.487	0.455	0.424	0.396
8.4	0.453	0.452	0.421	0.393	0.367	0.343	0.321
8.5	0.366	0.365	0.341	0.318	0.298	0.278	0.261
8.6	0.296	0.296	0.277	0.259	0.242	0.227	0.213
8.7	0.241	0.241	0.226	0.212	0.198	0.186	0.175
8.8	0.197	0.198	0.185	0.174	0.164	0.154	0.145
8.9	0.162	0.163	0.153	0.144	0.136	0.128	0.121
9.0	0.134	0.135	0.128	0.121	0.114	0.108	0.102

1. The average of the measured values must be less than the average of the corresponding individual values.

2. Each measured value is compared to the corresponding individual values.

3. No more than one in five of the measured values can be greater than 1.5 x the corresponding guidelines values.

Reference 3

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Water Quality

British Columbia Approved Water Quality Guidelines 2006 Edition

British Columbia Approved Water Quality Guidelines
2006 Edition