Public Health Offers Convenient Well Water Testing Courier Service in Havelock for County Residents
Written by admin, May 30, 2016
May 30, 2016 – Testing well water regularly keeps you and your family safe
The Peterborough Public Health in conjunction with the Peterborough Public Health Ontario Lab is pleased to announce a free new courier service starting Monday, June 6, 2016 that will allow county residents to conveniently submit well water samples for testing in Havelock at no charge.
“We are delighted to make it easier for county residents to pick up water testing kits and drop off their samples in Havelock thanks to a new courier service partnership with the public health lab in Peterborough,” said Atul Jain, Manager of Environmental Health Programs at Peterborough County City 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.”
Previously water testing kits were only available at Public Health’s Peterborough location and then residents had to bring their samples to the lab on Hospital Drive in Peterborough. Now this can all happen out of the Township Office in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, and county residents can call the public health lab’s IVR (Interactive Voice Retrieval) system for their results. A new refrigerator has been installed at the Township Office, located on 1 Ottawa St., Havelock, where residents can store water samples until the courier service picks them up the next day. The new courier service runs Mondays through Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
This service is available to all residents and cottagers at no charge in Peterborough County, and was made possible thanks to a joint initiative of the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Peterborough Public Health Ontario Laboratory and Public Health.
County residents will receive their water quality results through mail or by calling the public health lab at
1-877-723-3426. Residents with questions about their water quality results can call Public Health’s Safe Water Program at 705-743-1000, ext. 232 for free consultation.
The well water sample is tested for bacterial contaminations such as coliforms and E.coli. This is important especially if E.coli is found in the water and is ingested by the young, elderly or immunocompromised people can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. To find out how to test for other contaminants, please contact Public Health at 705-743-1000, ext. 232 or visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca, click on “My Home & Environment”, then “My Home”, then “Water”.
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For further information, please contact:
Brittany Cadence
Communications Manager
705-743-1000, ext. 391