Microbially and chemically poor quality surface and ground water sources are frequently used for the production of drinking water by rural communities across Canada and indeed internationally.

The ill effects of human exposure to arsenic (As) have recently been reevaluated by government agencies around the world.

Groundwater supplies on the Canadian prairies are often contaminated with arsenic, high levels of sulphate, ammonium or nitrate, iron and manganese as well as organic material.

The role of water as a carrier of microbes that are disease-causing in humans is often overlooked with diseases being vastly under-reported.