Sampling private well water is an important part of ensuring your family, friends and neighbours are safe.
The Monkton Lions is hosting a water sampling event at the Monkton Community Centre on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
You may pick up a water sample bottle at these locations: T & J Variety; Wietersen’s Country Store; New Monkton Diner; and the Monkton Library.
Take your water sample the night of the event on October 25. Return your sample bottle (with sampled water from your well), and your filled-out form, to the Monkton Community Centre at the event date and time. Organizers will deliver your well water sample bottle, the next morning, to Huron Perth Public Health. This is a free service.
The Monkton Lions encourage everyone to take advantage of this convenient way to check on the safety of your well water. At the event you can also find out about protecting and maintaining your well and septic systems. Information is available on Facebook on the Monkton Lions Club page.
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. Residents and service clubs are distributing water sample bottles directly to residents’ doors, giving bottles to neighbours, providing local pickup locations or having the sampling bottles available at their meetings.
When residents drop off their water samples at the ‘Water Wise’ events, their water samples are kept chilled overnight and delivered to Huron Perth Public Health the next morning for delivery to the lab in London. It’s very convenient, according to event organizers. People attending the events also learn how to protect their private wells and maintain their septic systems.
Other community groups who might be interested in partnering or 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.
The region is sharing about the events on social media with #BestPractices and #WellWise and #WaterWise and #TestProtectMaintain hashtags.
A poster for Monkton Lions’ Water Wise well sampling and well protection event.
