Free Well Water Sample Drop-Off Service Resumes in Apsley for County Residents
Written by Communications, March 27, 2018
March 27, 2018 – Testing well water 3-4 times per year keeps you and your family safe
Peterborough Public Health and the Township of North Kawartha are partnering again this year to provide free water sample drop-offs for county residents starting Tuesday, April 3. County residents who draw drinking water from a well can conveniently pick up water sample testing kits and submit them at the Municipal Office located at 280 Burleigh Street, Apsley, ON.
Water samples from there are picked up Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and brought to the Peterborough Public Health Lab at 99 Hospital Drive for testing. In 2017, 173 samples were received and tested as part of this new service.
“We are delighted to resume this service for county residents to make it easier for them to monitor their water quality at home or at the cottage,” said Atul Jain, Manager of Environmental Health Programs at Peterborough Public Health. “Water quality changes over time, that’s why we recommend testing private wells three to four times a year to prevent health risks. We hope by making this testing service more accessible that residents will test their well water more regularly.”
Water sample kits are free and available at the Township of North Kawartha Administrative office located in Apsley. Samples are time sensitive, so residents are encouraged to read the instructions included with each kit carefully. Completed samples should be handed to Reception to be placed in the water sample fridge located in the office.
Water samples can also be dropped off at the following locations:
- Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township Office at 1 Ottawa St., Havelock from Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
- Municipality of Trent Lakes Administrative Office, 760 Peterborough County Road 36 in the upper floor main entrance lobby on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
- Peterborough Public Health, 185 King St., Peterborough, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Fridays.
- Public Health Ontario Laboratory at 99 Hospital Drive between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The well water testing service is available at no charge to all residents and cottagers in the Township of North Kawartha through a program with Peterborough Public Health.
Well water samples are tested for two types of bacterial contamination: total coliforms and E. coli. The presence of E. coli indicates the water has been contaminated with fecal material, which can contain disease-causing microbes. These organisms can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. Anyone can become ill if they consume contaminated water, but the young, elderly, and immuno-compromised are at a higher risk.
Residents will receive water quality results by mail or you can call Public Health Ontario’s Interactive Voice Response at 1-877-723-3426. If you have questions about water quality test results, you can call the Peterborough Public Health’s Safe Water Program at 705-743-1000, ext. 232, for a free consultation.
To find out how to test for contaminants other than total coliforms and E. coli, contact Peterborough Public Health at 705-743-1000, ext. 232 or visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Brittany Cadence, Communications Manager Kelly Picken, Receptionist
Peterborough Public Health Township of North Kawartha
705-743-1000, ext. 391 705-656-4445 ext. 0