What's With the Water in Waterloo?

I'm trying to figure out why the water is so hard here. It was not that long ago in Southern Ontario that the Walkerton crisis occured, and to the residents in this area it is hard to discuss the water quality without alluding to that e.coli outbreak. The first thing anyone does when they move here, according to some sources, is to buy a water filtration device or water softener. I figure private water businesses make a killing here because there is probably one of these depots at every corner selling their coolers or installation and services. (There is at least one down the street, so I don't think I'm exaggerating.)

We bought an electric water boiler the second day we arrived, and I had thought to boil some of the tap water (still potable, mind you) for tea. And after boiling once, to our great dismay, it left a thick (!!!) film of mineral deposit everywhere inside the container, and I had to wash it out with vinegar to get off all the white stuff. :(

One cannot actually leave dishes or glasses out to air dry, or to leave any spots of water of any size, as everything will be left with water spots as frustrating as being stuck behind an old granny driving down a country road with double yellow lines for the next 50 km.

Jorgh lived here by himself for about two months; while he is not a terrible housekeeper, the bathroom sink and cups were left with a mess of deposit that doesn't come off easily with regular household cleaner (and by that I mean "fantastik" and "blue stuff"). So I dropped a bucket of vinegar on everything and it sparkled like new... for about a day or so. Everything smelled of vinegar for longer than that! >:(

So, what is with the water in Waterloo?

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And in other news, brem makes me a bit sad that I left QC at this time. :(