Service clubs, shoreline residents, local public health and source water protection promote well water sampling at events
Only about three per cent of residential private wells in this area have had water tested recently. Do you know if your well water is safe?
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.
Shoreline 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.
“Working with a local group to champion the ‘Water Wise’ water sampling events is key,” said Matt Pearson, Chair of the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Committee. “I would like to thank all of the people and groups who are helping to make these events possible and encouraging people to sample their well water as one of the first actions in protecting private sources of water.”
The first event was held along the Lake Huron shoreline in August. It was hosted by Beth Ross and John Thompson. Beth Ross is the Mid-Huron Beach representative on the Ashfield-Colborne Lakefront Association. The commitment to the event, by these local event hosts, included delivering more than 90 water sampling bottles, several days before the event, directly to residents’ doors. They delivered the water sampling bottles to cottages on three lakeside communities: Cedar Grove, Maple Grove, and Mid-Huron Beach. There were 30 water samples brought to the first event. This represents about one third of the people who received bottles. Some of those tests were for communal wells shared by multiple people. The event organizers delivered the water samples to local public health for testing.
The Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh also took part in the first Water Wise event and provided information about maintenance of septic systems to protect well water.
At the Goderich Lions Club meeting in September members who were well owners were encouraged to take home sample bottles for themselves and their neighbours to be returned the following meeting.
The Dublin Lions Club will hold a ‘Water Wise’ sampling event on October 17, 2023 and the Monkton Lions will host one on October 25, 2023.
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).
A new video about the first ‘Water Wise’ event in August is on YouTube.
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 hashtags.
