Lambton Public Health reminds residents to regularly test water wells
For those who live in the city, clean water is something you may take for granted.
But families who get their water from a well have to check the quality of the water several times a year.
“We try to educate our private well owners each year about the importance of testing their wells. You know, their wells, they're responsible for them. So if they're not testing them on a regular basis, they have no idea if there's any issues going on with them,” explained Lori Lucas, health protection supervisor for Lambton Public Health.
The month of April typically sees heavy rainfall and sometimes flooding, and those high water levels can be a problem if the structural integrity of the well has been compromised.
“So if the well pipe itself maybe isn't sealed properly, like if there is some cracks along the top, that sort of thing with the potential for that water runoff...it could be agricultural runoff,” said Lucas.
Health units across Ontario offer free water testing services for well owners, but a passage in the Auditor General’s report from 2023 suggests cutting the free service gradually in the coming years.
"I would disagree with the Auditor General, and I assume they probably live in an urban area that doesn't require water testing. If they were in the country, they'd have a different outlook,” said Crispin Colvin, a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for Lambton and Middlesex counties.
The cost of testing would then fall on the property owner, and according to Colvin could add up if multiple tests are required when a problem is found.
"It's not just the cost of $150 roughly, or whatever it may be at a private lab. But if people stop testing because they don't want to spend that extra $150, then families will get sick," he explained.
In 2023, more than 300 tests were done in Lambton County with 67 of them coming back adverse, multiple tests by the same owner are included in the results.
For the time being the process is quite simple, and according to Lucas kits are available at local health units.
“There's different sites that you can pick up your bottle locally and again with other public health units, take the sample, gives you instructions attached to the bottle itself on what to do,” she said.
Testing multiple times is necessary until a clean sample is repeated to avoid bacteria like E-coli from getting into the system.
Bacteria testing and water sampling kits are available for free. Pick-up and drop-off locations include:
- Lambton Public Health, 160 Exmouth St., Point Edward — Monday to Thursday: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Friday: 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. — phone: 519-383-8331 or 1-800-667-1839
- Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital, 450 Blanche St., Petrolia — Monday to Wednesday: 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. — phone: 519-882-4325
Rural residents may be closer to:
- London Public Health Lab, 1200 Commissioners Rd. E.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.