Grey Bruce health unit to expand access to well water testing

Grey Bruce Public Health is working on a new program to expand access to private well water testing for residents in the two counties.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra provided Grey County council with an update on the progress of the program at council’s meeting on June 8. The health unit is currently working on a program that would see water sample drop-off sites established at various locations around the counties to ensure they are within a 20-30 minute drive of all local residents.

Historically, those on private wells have been able to get their water test for free through a Public Health Ontario program. However, during COVID the number of drop-off sites was reduced and Public Health Ontario is not planning to expand from the five currently operating. This has led to long drives for many residents to drop off their samples for testing, which led to concerns that fewer tests would be conducted.

As a result, the health unit has stepped into the void and is working with local municipalities to expand the number of drop-off sites.

“I see this as turning a challenge into an opportunity,” Arra told county council. “We decided to take ownership of this issue and provide a solution.”

Arra said the plan has received the blessing of the Ministry of Health and would roll out with public communications once it has been finalized.

“Anybody in Grey and Bruce who needs to test water from a private well, and many of us use private wells, can do so by accessing a location within a 20-minute drive,” said Arra.

Once the program is in place, the health unit will engage a courier service to deliver water samples to the lab in London.

Arra praised the response the health unit has received from local municipalities.

“We have been very well served by municipal staff who have been very responsive in all municipalities,” he said.

The Blue Mountains Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon said he was pleased to see the health unit stepped up to provide the services.

“I’m encouraged to see we’ll be doing further tests. We do have a significant population on wells,” said Bordignon. “That will be a great help.”

The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs asked that the health unit make sure the 20-30 minute drive time is a realistic number for local residents. Matrosovs noted that the actual driving time on the ground for local residents can be different from what “circles on a map” might suggest.

In response, Arra said the goal was to have a drop-off site within a 30-minute drive of all local residents. He said based on the feedback so far that number was trending towards 20-30 minutes.

More information about the test program can be found here.