Some homes, schools, churches and halls don’t have a municipal drinking water source.
The people who drink that water still need protection.
Best Practices for Private Wells
Is your drinking water supply a private well or a private well system?
Private wells should be monitored regularly. Watch for changes in water taste, odour and colour.
Have a sample of your well water tested through your local public health for indicator bacteria
Learn more in this fact sheet:
- Private Wells Fact Sheet (100 KB medium-sized PDF file)
Test, Protect, and Maintain
- Test Your Well Water
- Protect Your Well Water
- Maintain Your Well and Septic System
Learn some tips about protecting your well water in this video:
Local service organizations are making it easier for you to sample your well water
Sampling private well water is an important part of ensuring your family, friends and neighbours are safe.
Only a small percentage of residential private wells in this area have had water tested recently. Do you know if your well water is safe?
About Water Wise events to Test-Protect-Maintain
Well owners may know that having well water tested is an important part of ensuring their family, friends and neighbours are safe but they may find it isn’t always as convenient as they would like.
Getting a sample bottle locally and having someone deliver it to Huron Perth Public Health for them, makes it much easier, according to organizers of water wise well testing events.
Huron Perth provides seven locations where you can pick up your water sampling bottle and return it, with 48 hours, for testing:
- Clinton (Huron Perth Public Health, Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 77722B London Road)
- Exeter (South Huron Hospital, 24 Huron Street West, Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.)
- Listowel (Huron Perth Public Health, 161 Inkerman Street West, Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
- Milverton (50 William Street, Community Outreach entrance, Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Seaforth (Seaforth Community Hospital Lab, 24 Centennial Drive, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.)
- Stratford (Huron Perth Public Health, 653 West Gore Street, Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.)
- Wingham (Wingham and District Hospital Lab, 270 Carling Terrace, Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
You may also get a water sampling bottle from your municipal office.
Best Practices for Source Water Protection in Ontario
The Province of Ontario and Conservation Ontario are reaching out to Ontarians, throughout the province, with best practices to further protect our drinking water sources:
Best Practices for Source Water Protection Story Map
To find out more about best practices to keep water sources clean throughout Ontario check out this story map:
Best Practices for Salt Storage and Application
For best practices for salt storage and application visit:
Best Practices for Industrial and Commercial Businesses
For industrial and commercial business best practices visit:
Industry and commerce best management practices (BMPs) for business
Best Practices for Home Heating Oil
Prevent fuel oil from contaminating a private well, private well system, or municipal well supply.
For fuel oil best practices visit:
Best Practices for Septic Systems
Test your drinking water supply often to protect you and your loved ones.
For septic system best practices, visit:
Keep fertilizers out of drinking water whether the source is municipal or a private well or system.
Look for alternatives to pesticides. Help to keep pesticides out of private wells, private well systems, and municipal wells.
Best Practices for Agriculture
If you use manure, keep it away from the water source. Use 4Rs (Right source, right rate, right time, right place)
If you farm, learn about managing drinking water threats on agricultural properties:
Best Practices for Shoreline Residents and Cottagers
Are you a shoreline resident or cottager?
Protect water for your family and neighbours with these simple steps for opening your cottage:
- Test your water for E. coli and total coliforms.
- Talk to local public health about tests (which may be free in your area).
- Check when your septic tank was last pumped out. Get it pumped out.
- Avoid spilling gasoline when filling boat tanks. Use extended spouts or funnels.
Ensure you have a spill kit on your boat in case of a spill. - Plant native species on your shoreline to help protect water sources.
More Best Practices
For policies in our source protection plans, visit:
Well owners bring in 39 well water samples to event hosted by Londesboro and District Lions Club on November 14, 2024 to promote well water protection
The Londesboro and District Lions Club hosted its second Water Wise event of 2024 and local well owners brought in 39 well water samples, on November 14, for testing by local public health. More than 40 people attended the Water Wise event where they learned about well water testing and water protection. The event took place at Lions Hall.
Volunteers from the Lions Club, along with participating local businesses, have distributed hundreds of water sampling bottles in the community. The Lions Club volunteers and drinking water source protection staff ensured samples were kept chilled and delivered to Huron Perth Public Health for testing the morning after the event. Information on well protection and septic maintenance was available at the event.
The November event was made possible thanks to funding from the County of Huron’s Huron Clean Water Project.
The November 14 event encouraged well owners to ‘test, protect and maintain’: Test your well water; protect your well; and maintain your well and septic system.
Having well water tested is important to a well owner to ensure their family, friends and neighbours are safe.
Getting a sample bottle locally, and having someone deliver it to Huron Perth Public Health for them, made it easier and more convenient for well owners.
The November event was the tenth Water Wise well testing and public information event held in the region since 2023. More than 460 well owners have attended the events and organizers have delivered more than 440 water sample bottles to local public health. Service clubs and volunteers have helped to distribute more than 1,500 bottles as part of the initiative.
If you missed the well water sampling and testing event, you can still pick up a water sample bottle and get your well water tested. Huron Perth Public Health provides seven locations where you can pick up your water sampling bottle and return it, within 48 hours, for testing.
Thanks, Londesboro and District Lions Club, for having hosted two Water Wise well testing and well protection information events in 2024.
Water Wise well water sampling and testing event held in Atwood
Thanks go to Atwood Lions Club; Municipality of North Perth; and Huron Perth Public Health for having partnered on a well and septic maintenance and well water testing event on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
Thanks to the 33 private well owners who brought in 43 private well water samples for testing by local public health.
Water Wise well water sampling and testing event held on February 27, 2024 in Kirkton
The Kirkton-Woodham Optimist Club has made it easier for private well owners to get their well water tested.
They hosted a Water Wise well and septic information event at Kirkton-Woodham Community Centre on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
Water samples were then taken to Huron Perth Public Health for testing.
Local well owners brought in more than 100 well water samples to the Water Wise event hosted by Kirkton-Woodham Optimists:
Thanks go to Kirkton-Woodham Optimist Club and all the property owners and service organizations hosting Water Wise events in partnership with local public health and this source protection region.
#BestPractices #TestProtectMaintain #WaterWise #WellWise
Londesboro and District Lions Club hosted Water Wise well water sampling and testing event on January 25, 2024
The Londesboro and District Lions Club hosted a water sampling event on Thursday, January 25, 2024 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Lions Hall.
Lions members distributed sample bottles to homes in Londesborough prior to the event.
Water testing sample bottles were also available for pickup, in advance of the event, at Nature’s Nest and Hensall District Co-op’s Londesborough locations.
Sample bottles were available at the event as well.
The Londesboro and District Lions Club, Huron Perth Public Health, and the Ausable Bayfield Matiland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Region would like to thank the Londesborough and area community for sampling their well water for testing and for having attended the January 25, 2024 Water Wise and Well Wise best practices water sampling event.
Local residents brought 68 well water samples to the event, at the Lions Hall, to be taken to Huron Perth Public Health for testing.
There were 46 community members who attended the event.
The Londesboro and District Lions Club worked with drinking water source protection to host the event.
The Lions Club volunteers and source protection staff ensured samples were kept chilled and delivered to Huron Perth Public Health for testing the next morning.
Experts on well protection and septic maintenance were available to provide information and answer questions at the event.
When water sampling of private wells is made easier, more people will do it. That’s the idea behind the ‘Water Wise’ events happening in some villages, hamlets and shoreline communities in the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region.
The Londesboro and District Lions Club, Huron Perth Public Health, and the Ausable Bayfield Matiland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Region would like to thank the Londesborough and area community for sampling their well water for testing and for having attended the January 25, 2024 Water Wise and Well Wise best practices water sampling event.
Local residents brought 68 well water samples to the event, at the Lions Hall, to be taken to Huron Perth Public Health for testing.
There were 46 community members who attended the event.
Find out more:
Volunteers from the Londesboro and District Lions Club, as well as staff from the source protection region, helped residents with the water sample forms and ensured the samples were kept cool and taken promptly to Huron Perth Public Health for testing.
Jennette Zimmer, Building Inspector with the Municipality of Central Huron, provided information on maintaining septic systems. Doug Hocking, Property Owner Representative on the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee (SPC), provided information on protecting your well water.
The event encouraged people to “… be water wise.” The volunteers and staff also encouraged people to “test, protect and maintain.” (1. Test your well water; 2. Protect your well and source of water; and 3. Maintain your well and septic system).
The organizers would also like to thank Hullett Central Public School and the students and parents and guardians for distributing water sampling bottles.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s Conservation Education Coordinator, Cassie Greidanus, on January 19, 2024, provided 250 students, at Hullett Central Public School, with the Enviroscape conservation education program, focusing on water and drinking water source protection. There were 144 water sampling bottles distributed to families, of the students at the school, so they could sample their own well water (or pass along to a family member with a well) and have it tested by local public health.
If you missed the well water sampling and testing event on January 25, you can still pick up a water sample bottle and get your well water tested.
Doug Hocking, property owner representative on the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee, was at the Water Wise event speaking with people about how they can protect their well water.
For those who missed the event, they can get tips on keeping their well water safe by watching the video ‘Your Well, Your Responsibility’ – Tips to keep your well water safe and clean, with Doug Hocking.
You can also find the video on the videos web page of the local source protection website.
If you have a private well, you must maintain it to ensure the drinking water is clean for your family, neighbours and guests (and, in the case of a shared of communal system, other well users).
In this video, Doug Hocking, property owner representative on the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee, gives you some helpful tips on how to keep your well water clean.
Contact us about hosting a Water Wise well water sampling and testing event
Other community groups who might be interested in partnering or hosting a ‘Water Wise’ water sampling event can contact Elizabeth Balfour, Program Co-Supervisor, 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610, extension 240, or email ebalfour@abca.ca
To learn more, visit the local drinking water source protection best practices web page. The region is sharing information about the events on social media with #BestPractices and #WellWise and #WaterWise and #TestProtectMaintain hashtags.
Thanks to Water Wise event hosts
We would like to thank all the individuals, property owner associations, and service clubs that have hosted Water Wise well water sampling and testing and public information events including.
- Atwood Lions Club and Municipality of North Perth
- Cottage owners Beth Ross and John Thompson and Ashfield-Colborne Lakefront Association and Township of Ashfield-Colborne Wawanosh
- Dublin Lions
- Goderich Lions
- Kirkton-Woodham Optimist Club
- Londesboro and District Lions Club
- Monkton Lions
We also thank Huron Perth Public Health for doing the water testing and being an active partner in this public health initiative.
We thank the Dublin Lions for having hosted a water sampling event at their Pavilion at the Dublin Community Centre on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. At the event local residents picked up a sample bottle, went home, took a sample of their well water, and then returned it back to the pavilion.
Event organizers delivered the sample bottles to Huron Perth Public Health, the next morning, for testing. This was a free service.
Thanks as well to the Monkton Lions for having hosted a water sampling event at the Monkton Community Centre on Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
Residents were able to pick up a water sample bottle at these locations: T & J Variety; Wietersen’s Country Store; New Monkton Diner; and the Monkton Library.
They took their water samples the night of the event on October 25. They returned their sample bottles (with sampled water from their well), and their filled-out form, to the Monkton Community Centre at the event date and time.
Organizers delivered their well water sample bottle, the next morning, to Huron Perth Public Health. This was a free service.
The Monkton Lions thank everyone who took advantage of this convenient way to check on the safety of your well water. At the event people also found out about protecting and maintaining their well and septic systems. Information was available on Facebook on the Monkton Lions Club page.
Thanks as well to Goderich Lions Club for hosting a water wise public well water testing public information event.
New video provides tips on how to keep your well water safe and clean
Whether you have a drilled, shallow or shared well, a new video offers “practical and easy-to-implement” ideas to protect your well water.
Owners of private wells are responsible for protecting their drinking water source to keep their families, friends, guests, and neighbours safe.
Watch the video now:
Find out more:
The new Your Well, Your Responsibility video includes the idea of creating a protection zone, around your well, of at least 15 metres. (Municipal wells have a 100-metre wellhead protection area around them). Well owners are encouraged to look at anything in that area that could contaminate their water if located too close to the well.
This could include animal waste, composters, faulty septic systems, or brush piles – among others. The video also discusses “simple and economical” ideas for containing fuel, chemicals or paint so that they don’t accidentally spill and leak into the ground. There is information on water sampling and testing, where to get well records, and well and septic system maintenance.
