Frustrations are growing among local residents who are dealing with contaminated wells.
Water Wells First spokesman Kevin Jakubec says they’ll keep trying new avenues to prove that sediment found in local wells is a danger to human health.
“Under the Health Prevention and Promotion Act, a health hazard is defined as a condition of a premise; or a substance, thing, plant or animal other than man; or a solid, liquid, gas, or any combination thereof that causes or is likely to cause an adverse affect on a human being,” Jakubec explains. “Right there we have the ability to focus on the solids.
Jakubec says to date, no tests done through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change have tested the solids found in local well water.
“There’s strong community support,” Jakubec says. “We’ve raised over a quarter million dollars just in lab tests alone, but that shouldn’t be always on us to keep raising that money and asking people to spend money on a very expensive test.”
Jakubec says since local health officials won’t support their claims, he plans to go directly to the Ministry of Health and Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer for help.
However, until help can be found Jakubec says it’s up to local residents to keep up the pressure and protect themselves.
Water Wells First is encouraging rural residents to install a sediment trap to capture any undissolved sediment in their water and take time-stamped photos of any signs of solid materials that may appear.
