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Document ID ca-doppscdwtc-2023-02-10 Title Draft objective for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Canadian drinking water: Treatment considerations URL https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/consultation-draft-objective-per-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-canadian-drinking-water/treatment-considerations.html Jurisdiction /ca Subdomain(s) Drinking water, Water treatment Language en Status completed Analyzed at 2026-03-19 09:38:21.212469+00:00 Relevance Provides technical guidance on municipal and residential PFAS treatment methods.
10 Qualitative 6 Quantitative 0 Definitions

Q Qualitative Requirements (10)

Req ID Category Intent Legal Status Name Subdomain(s) Context Conditions Confidence
#Q001operationaloperationalrecommendedSource Water Vulnerability Assessmentdrinking waterA vulnerability assessment should be undertaken to identify hazards, including potential sources of contamination and susceptibility of the source water to PFAS contamination (Health Canada, 2021b).high
#Q002monitoringoperationalmandatorySource Water Characterizationdrinking waterThorough characterization of the source water is necessary to evaluate the presence, identity and concentration of any PFAS; this information is required to establish operational conditions and to estimate how long treatment media will last before breakthrough occurs.high
#Q003operationaltreatmentrecommendedEstablishment of Operational Conditionsdrinking waterTo ensure continued and effective removal, each facility should establish operational conditions and parameters based on the selected treatment technology/ies and the characteristics of the raw water, including PFAS type, concentration and treatment goals.high
#Q004treatmentoperationalmandatorySpecialized Disposal of Spent Filtration Mediadrinking waterFor example, spent filtration (such as GAC) and ion-exchange media will require specialized disposal (for example, high-temperature regeneration/destruction) to avoid release of PFAS back into the environment.high
#Q005operationaltreatmentmandatoryTreatment System Configuration and Operationdrinking waterHowever, to achieve these concentrations, the treatment systems need to be configured and operated properly.high
#Q006designhealthrecommendedCertification of Residential Treatment Chemicals and Componentsdrinking waterWhen certified drinking water treatment systems are not available (such as point of entry systems), Health Canada strongly recommends that chemicals used in treatment systems (such as ion exchange softeners) be certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 60 (additives) and that materials and components be certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 (for leaching) and NSF/ANSI Standard 372 (for lead content) (NSF International, 2021c; 2022a, b).When certified drinking water treatment systems are not available (such as point of entry systems)high
#Q007monitoringtreatmentrecommendedPeriodic Testing for Residential Treatment Systemsdrinking waterIn addition, periodic testing by an accredited laboratory should be conducted on both the water entering the treatment system and the treated water to verify that the treatment system is effective in removing PFAS.high
#Q008administrativeoperationalrecommendedConsultation for Disposal of Residential Treatment Mediadrinking waterHomeowners should consult with local authorities to determine available options for the disposal of treatment media and/or residuals that may contain elevated PFAS concentrations.high
#Q009treatmentoperationalmandatoryMembrane Residuals Treatment and Disposaldrinking waterSimilarly, membrane technologies will require treatment and disposal of the concentrate, wash water or residual stream (U.S. EPA, 2022c).When using membrane technologies (RO or NF) for PFAS removalhigh
#Q010treatmentoperationalmandatoryPAC Sludge Disposal Considerationdrinking waterAlso, how the settled sludge containing the PFAS-laden PAC will be disposed of needs to be considered.When using PAC as part of the treatment processhigh

P Quantitative Requirements (6)

Req ID Category Intent Legal Status Name Subdomain(s) Limit Type Limit Value Context Conditions Confidence
#P001operationaltreatmentguidanceRemoval efficiencies for certain PFASdrinking watertreatment_goal> 90 %The most effective treatment technologies (granular activated carbon [GAC], membrane filtration [reverse osmosis [RO] and nanofiltration [NF]] and anion exchange [AIX])When using the most effective treatment technologieshigh
#P002operationaltreatmentmandatoryRemoval rate for individual PFAS using PACdrinking waterrequirement>= 90 %Due to inefficiencies, PAC needs to be combined with other treatment technologies to achieve a removal rate of 90% or more.When using powdered activated carbon (PAC)high
#P003operationaltreatmentguidanceConcentrations of individual shorter chain PFCA and PFSAdrinking watertreatment_goal< 1 to 2 ng/LStudies assessing pilot- and full-scale PFAS treatment achievability have demonstrated that GAC, AIX and RO can each effectively reduce concentrations to below detection limitsTreatment systems need to be configured and operated properlymedium
#P004chemicaltreatmentguidanceCarbon chain length for GAC affinitydrinking waterrequirement> 6 carbonsGAC has demonstrated greater affinity for PFAS with chain lengths greater than 6 carbons compared with shorter chain PFASWhen evaluating GAC treatment affinityhigh
#P005operationaltreatmentguidanceMedian removal efficiency for individual PFAS by PACdrinking watertreatment_goal64.5 %Based on those study results, median removal efficiency for individual PFAS by PAC was 64.5%Based on bench-scale studieshigh
#P006chemicalhealthguidanceNumber of PFAS for NSF certification reductiondrinking waterrequirement7 PFAS speciesTreatment devices can be certified to NSF Standard 53 (GAC) and NSF Standard 58 (RO) (NSF International, 2021a, b) for the reduction of "total PFAS" in drinking water for the following 7 PFASNSF Standard 53 and 58 certification scopehigh

D Definitions (0)

No definitions.