The Town of Virden is committed to providing high-quality drinking water that is both safe and pleasant to consume. We continually monitor the water supply and take proactive steps to enhance its quality, including addressing concerns related to compliance with Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Recently, there have been concerns about arsenic levels in the treated water supply and a health advisory has been put in place in line and in partnership with provincial regulation. This is due to an emergent situation in late 2025 where the Town's primary groundwater well supply (Leask aquifer) was running low and a switch back to the former supplies was necessary. This source, while secure in terms of supply, has higher than recommended levels of arsenic that the Town, its consulting engineers and the province, are working to try and address in the months ahead.
| Current official advisories | December 2025 Updated ODW Advisory |
Background
Buried sand and gravel aquifers in south-central and southwestern Manitoba, including areas near Russell, Birtle, Virden, and others, have shown arsenic concentrations exceeding the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline of 0.01 mg/L. This is not unusual for our region, but such aquifers can pose challenges in terms of water treatment. Elevated arsenic levels are typically found in the groundwater itself, not as a result of water treatment, and are considered natural, not from human industrial or other activity. The Province of Manitoba advises that well water in these areas should be tested annually for arsenic to ensure treatment systems (if used) are working.
At this point in time, treated Virden water arsenic concentration, regularly sampled, ranges around 0.02-0.03 mg/L, therefore a health advisory must remain in place until these levels fall further. The source (raw) water levels are approximately 0.05 mg/L, so our water treatment plant is successfully reducing arsenic levels by about 40% at present. We are making every effort to improve upon this.
It is widely expected that the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline of 0.01 mg/L will be reduced to 0.005 mg/L in future, so the Town will need to make significant continued investments and process changes to reach, not only current guidelines levels, but future expected levels. The goal is to get to zero arsenic in time.
Government of Manitoba factsheet Arsenic in Drinking Water - Canada.ca
The precautionary water quality advisory has been issued so that water users are aware of potential health risks and can take action to reduce these risks. The arsenic guideline is based on lifetime exposure (70 years). Health Canada recommends that to minimize health risks, every effort should be made to keep arsenic levels in drinking water as low as possible. Recommendations for consumers include reducing the amount of water that you consume from this source. Options include using an alternative water source such as bottled water for drinking, preparing food or beverages, including ice and infant formula. Reverse osmosis end point systems are also known to help with this, but the user must test regularly.
Town of Virden Council, Staff and the Project Team remain committed to supplying our residents with water that meets all Canadian Drinking Water Standards, but we also acknowledge that much work lies ahead to reach 0.01mg/L compliance.
If you are a resident, you should contact the Manitoba Office of Drinking Water at 204-945-5762 for specific information about your area's water quality and any related health concerns (odw@gov.mb.ca).
Mayor Tina Williams at t.williams@virden.ca
CAO Neil Smith at cao@virden.ca
We have also provided the form below for you to convey any questions, comments or complaints concerning the water quality advisory to the Town. We will make every effort to give you a satisfactory response.