Local well owners bring more than 100 well water samples to Water Wise event hosted by Kirkton-Woodham Optimists
Eighty-nine local people brought 111 well water samples to a Water Wise well water sampling event hosted by Kirkton-Woodham Optimist Club. The event was held on February 27, 2024 at Kirkton-Woodham Community Centre.
The Optimists hosted the event in partnership with Huron Perth Public Health and Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley and Thames-Sydenham source protection regions. Event organizers made it easier for well owners to get their well water tested by providing bottles ahead of time and delivering the collected samples for testing.
The Kirkton-Woodham Optimists distributed 370 sample bottle kits to local well owners, with the help of Kirkton Market, Kirkton Library, Woodham Post Office, and Exeter Library. They also distributed the sample bottles at the recent Family Day breakfast and with delivery to rural mailboxes. Well and septic experts were available, at the Water Wise event, to answer questions and provide information on maintaining well and septic systems.
The Optimists hosted the event to make it easier for local people to get their well water tested. Water sampling and testing is a key step in ensuring water is safe for you, your family, guests, your neighbours, and your community, according to source protection region staff. Anyone who picked up a bottle or had one delivered but missed the event can still take it to one of several public health locations for testing.
The source protection regions initiated these events because only a small percentage of people with residential private wells in this area test their wells. The idea behind these events is that people know water testing is important but they might find it inconvenient. Region staff say that, if water sampling of private wells is made easier, more people will do it.
The local Water Wise events began in August of 2023, partnering with lakeshore residents and resident associations and Lions clubs in Dublin, Monkton, Goderich, and Londesborough and now partnering with Kirkton-Woodham Optimists.
The six Water Wise events have been attended by almost 300 people with more than 870 water sampling bottles distributed and 325 water sampling bottles returned to Huron Perth Public Health for testing.
Other community groups who might be interested in partnering and hosting a ‘Water Wise’ water sampling event can contact Mary Lynn MacDonald, Source Water Protection Program Co-Supervisor, by email (mmacdonald@abca.ca) or by phone (519-235-2610, or toll-free 1-888-286-2610, extension 247).
To learn more, visit the local drinking water source protection best practices web page.
You may also watch the Your Well, Your Responsibility video featuring Doug Hocking, Source Protection Committee member, with tips on protecting the water in your well.
The region is sharing information about the Water Wise events on social media with #BestPractices and #WellWise and #WaterWise and #TestProtectMaintain hashtags.
PHOTO INFORMATION: MAKING IT EASIER FOR LOCAL WELL OWNERS TO SAMPLE THEIR WELL WATER – Shown at the February 27, 2024 Water Wise well water sampling event at the Kirkton-Woodham Community Centre, are (from left to right in photo) Doug Hocking, Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley (ABMV) Drinking Water Source Protection (DWSP) committee member; Donna Clarkson, ABMV DWSP Program Co-Supervisor; Julie Welker, Source Protection Coordinator, Thames-Sydenham Source Protection Region (SPR); Joy Rutherford, hydrogeologist; Mary Lynn MacDonald, ABMV DWSP Program Co-Supervisor; Larry Fulton, septic expert; Brian Hardeman (Kirkton-Woodham Optimist Club); Rowland Howe, ABMV SPC member; Roland Weber, President of Kirkton-Woodham Optimists; Daniel Cipriano (Kirkton-Woodham Optimists); Paul Anderson (Kirkton-Woodham Optimists); and Jim Hodgins (Kirkton-Woodham Optimists).