Local activists are continuing to question the Ministry of the Environment.
That’s according to Water Wells First spokesperson Kevin Jakubec.
“Before, what we heard from the MOE hydrogeologist six weeks ago was ‘we can only test what’s in the REA (Renewable Energy Approvals) permit’ and that was unacceptable,” Jakubec says. “Now we’re seeing this flip flop, now they’re going outside the REA permit conditions…so if you’ve gone this far out for testing heavy metals dissolved in water, why don’t you do it properly?”
Jakubec maintains the heavy metals in question are bound to the black shale particles, and it’s these sediments specifically that should be tested.
Local health officials have said there’s no need to test for undissolved particles because they don’t affect human health.