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Is Lake Ontario drinkable?

Today, Lake Ontario is home - and a source of drinking water - to 9-million people living in Ontario, Canada and New York State, USA.



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Millions of people rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, which is considered safe if filtered properly. The city of Toronto treats over 1 billion litres of drinking water every day. That water is collected from Lake Ontario through intake pipes deep below the surface and at least 1 km from the shore.

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The opposite of Lake Superior in almost every way, Lake Ontario is the easternmost, lowest in elevation, smallest in surface area and perhaps the most polluted Great Lake.

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The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is about 8 metres or 27 feet, making it the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes.

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ALBANY, N.Y. (June 21, 2021)- The New York State Department of Health today issued new advice about eating fish caught in New York waters that allows the entire family to eat fish from Lake Ontario, Niagara River, and most of the St. Lawrence River.

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For those of you wondering if it is safe to swim in Lake Ontario, Waterkeeper's answer is, Yes! It just depends where and when you want to swim.

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While that is true, it's not as simple as turning on a tap at home or dipping your bottle below the water's surface to fill it. Untreated water found in lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. isn't safe to drink. It can contain waterborne parasites and diseases like Giardiasis (also known as beaver fever) or E.

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Sediment runoff such as clay or sand can also change the colour of the water to beige or light brown, especially after heavy rains.

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The tap water in Paris is safe for drinking and meets all EU regulations for potable water quality standards. The word 'potable' means drinkable in both English and French.

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Drinking laws are provincial matters. Say you're 19 and you're from the USA so you're not able to drink there legally but you go to Canada, would you legally be able to be drinking there? Surprise, surprise, little-travelled American young person. Yes, at age 19 you can legally drink alcohol in any province in Canada.

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While there have been past “sightings,” most have turned out to be pranks or misidentifications. The reality is that the largest of the Great Lakes (Lake Superior and Michigan) are extremely deep lakes that are too cold for sharks.

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The waves hit you every three to five seconds in the Great Lakes, where in the ocean it might be 10 to 12 seconds between waves,” said Guy Meadows, a Michigan senior research scientist.

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However, similarly to other lakes, the most deadly current is the rip current, accounting for 6 of the 19 deaths at Lake Ontario, which means that knowing the signs and strategies to escape rip currents is key when enjoying time at the lake.

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