Lévis Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Lévis' drinking water is managed by Ville de Lévis, drawing from the St. Lawrence River at a south shore intake directly opposite Québec City, treated at the Lévis Water Treatment Plant. Water undergoes coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, UV disinfection, and chloramination, fully complying with the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ). Hardness measures 82 mg/L (4.8 gpg) — classified as moderately hard by Health Canada, consistent with the St. Lawrence River chemistry at the Québec City corridor influenced by upstream Shield tributary dilution.

Lévis occupies the south shore of the St. Lawrence across from the Cap Diamant cliff of Québec City. The St. Lawrence at this narrowing carries a blend of water from two contrasting upstream regions: the Precambrian Shield to the north and west (via the Ottawa and Saint-Maurice Rivers, contributing soft water) and the Appalachian terrane and Ordovician limestone plains to the south and east (contributing slightly harder runoff). The Rivière Chaudière — draining the Appalachian Highlands of the Eastern Townships — joins the St. Lawrence just upstream of Lévis, contributing water with moderate mineral load from Cambrian and Ordovician sedimentary formations.

At 82 mg/L, Lévis residents experience only modest scale deposits in kettles and around tap fittings — descaling every two to three months is generally sufficient. Hot water tanks operate reliably at this hardness without dedicated scale treatment, though annual inspection and flushing of electric tanks is advisable. Ville de Lévis provides annual water quality reports to residents and follows Ministère de l'Environnement provincial guidelines for all aspects of drinking water supply and distribution.