Well Water Testing Service Paused for Winter

Peterborough Public Health and the Municipality of Trent Lakes and Township of North Kawartha are pausing their joint well water sample drop-off program for the winter. The final date for county residents to drop off their samples to the Trent Lakes Administration office and the North Kawartha Administration office is Thursday, November 25, 2021.

Free well water drop-off service will return next year at both locations, early in April 2022 and will run until late November. Throughout the winter months, residents may drop off their samples at the following locations:

• Peterborough Public Health, 185 King Street, 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, 99 Hospital Drive, Peterborough between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
• Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township Office, 1 Ottawa Street, Havelock between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

It is important to test well water a number of times throughout the year. “Sampling water from your well is the best way to ensure that the water is free of pathogens, which can cause illness if consumed. Water quality can change over time, so we recommend that residents test private wells three to four times a year to prevent health risks,” said Julie Ingram, Manager of Environmental Health Programs at Peterborough Public Health. “We look forward to resuming our courier service with the municipalities in the spring so it’s easy for residents to submit well water tests.”

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.