[EDGE]

Water Quality & Testing

Metro Vancouver is a federation of 21 municipalities, one Electoral Area and one Treaty First Nation that collaboratively plans for and delivers regional-scale services. Its core services are drinking water, wastewater treatment and solid waste management. Metro Vancouver also regulates air...

www.metrovancouver.org

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/water/WaterPublications/2021_Water_Quality_Annual_Report-Volume_1.pdf

Page 18 has the method they use for pH buffering
Page 30-32 has the breakdown in the water

 

[martym]

I have never seem the Ph as high as they report. Usually 7.4

 

[EDGE]

I have never seem the Ph as high as they report. Usually 7.4

Do you test the pH straight from the tap or after the water sat overnight?
Highest I saw was 7.8 back in 2021

The range from the water report is quite large at 7.1 to 8.7 depending on reservoir.

 

[martym]

Sat over night, I will test straight from the tap. I Also get very low 1 DkH

 

[EDGE]

tested an hour ago with a new combo meter - pH 8 right out of tap. seem like the 3 reservoir get distributed all over the GVRD. not sure how they get allocated. Our Water Supply | Coquitlam, BC

 

[TomC]

Does anyone have some practical tips on how to deal with Vancouver water now not it's no longer supersoft?

 

[EDGE]

acid will lower the kH in the water column. i.e. phosphoric acid (pH down), citric acid, white vinegar. Organic acids can cause cloudy water when the organic breakdown and start feeding beneficial bacteria

More natural method - catappa leaves (almond leaves), acorn caps, alder cones. peat.
Beech leaves should work. That is what people use in leaf litter for growing blackwater plants, not sure if the acid nature is species specific

The TDS in the water is quite low. around 25 to 29 ppm.

disclaimer: if people use nitrate as a plant fertilizer, the pH will climb overtime even after reducing the kH with acid. Fertilizers and Soil Acidity