Water
Anoxic events are a common occurrence in Island estuaries and ponds during the summer months. Symptoms of an anoxic event include:
floating mats of dead or dying algae,
milky white or green discolouration of the water,
sulfur (H2S) or 'rotten...
Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae blooms, are not common in PEI but can be a concern as some strains can produce toxins that are harmful to human or animal health. In PEI cyanobacteria can be found in shallow, warm, and slow moving or still water (...
The Government of Prince Edward Island is funding research on environmental flows in the province over five years starting in 2016 that will inform decisions around water usage in the future. This is a significant piece of work that will determine the...
What kinds of wells need a permit?
The following types of wells require a Water Withdrawal Permit in order to use the well:
high-capacity wells;
low-capacity wells; or
wells used to supply a central water supply system
A low-capacity well...
In Prince Edward Island we use the “Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality” to assess the safety of drinking water and its suitability for domestic use. The most important values are the health-based guidelines expressed as “maximum acceptable...
Nitrate is a form of nitrogen. It can readily dissolve in water and can travel easily through soil to the water table. As a result, nitrate is common in our groundwater, ponds, streams, and estuaries.
Human activity is responsible for over 90% of...
The PEI Water Act strengthens the way we manage and protect our natural water resources and supporting ecosystems. The Act regulates how ground and surface water is extracted and used. It requires transparency for all activity pertaining to water...
As part of the development of an irrigation strategy for regulations under the Water Act, Islanders were invited to provide comments regarding an Irrigation Strategy Discussion Document. All on-line comments that were received on the Irrigation Strategy...
Each year people see things in streams, ponds and estuaries that cause concern, but this does not mean that the water is polluted. Often, there is a natural cause for these conditions.
If you are concerned about water quality because of something you...
The Sewage Disposal Systems Regulations will be moved to the Water Act from the Environmental Protection Act. As required by the Water Act, they have been submitted to the Standing Committee for Communities, Land and Environment. The change in the...
Irrigation Strategy
The Water Withdrawal Regulations have been amended to support the implementation of an Irrigation Strategy for Prince Edward Island. The Irrigation Strategy is designed to guide water usage both protecting a healthy aquatic...
The Water Extraction Permitting Policy is the prime instrument utilized by the Department to make decisions around the use of both surface water and groundwater. The policy provides for sustainable protection of the province’s water resources and...
Sample bottles for chemistry and bacterial analysis and the required forms are available at Access PEI sites (outside Charlottetown) or at the PEI Analytical Laboratories, 23 Innovation Way, Charlottetown.
There are two analysis bottles available:...
Licensed Well Contractors are required to submit all well logs of newly drilled wells to the Department of Communities, Land & Environment. In order to submit well logs, the drilling contractor must sign-in (below) and enter all information into the...
Learn more about PEI’s water resources, including how government is monitoring, managing and protecting watersheds.
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