Today, the Provincial Government is announcing that it is providing free chemical testing kits to private well owners throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

The purpose of this pilot program is to collect baseline groundwater data for the province, while providing well owners with detailed information about their drinking water, in hopes of lowering the health risk to the public related to consuming groundwater with naturally occurring contaminants.

The Water Resources Management Division, with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, have collaborated with the Departments of Digital Government and Service NL, Health and Community Services and the Geological Survey, with the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology to distribute approximately 2,000 chemical test kits at various Digital Government and Service NL regional offices, and are available for pick up at no cost to well owners.  Participants will be asked to fill out a sample record form, collect water in the bottle provided and return the completed kit to the nearest regional office. A listing of Government Service Centres can be found here: www.gov.nl.ca/dgsnl/department/contact/#locations

In addition, a free bacteriological testing service is currently available in the province for all well owners. The service provides results of either the presence or absence for total coliform bacteria or E. coli. For more information, visit: publichealthlab.ca/water-testing/

Quotes
“We are pleased to see the launch of this pilot program as it will help private well owners with testing chemical levels in their well water, to assess the overall quality of their drinking water. Collecting this baseline data will help evaluate any risk to the public and protect human health.”
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“We work alongside other government departments so residents can easily access testing kits to ensure their well water is safe to drink. Residents are encouraged to visit any one of our Government Service Centres to obtain a kit.”
Honourable Sarah Stoodley
Minister of Digital Government and Service NL

“Drinking water safety is extremely important from a public health perspective and testing should be completed regularly. Private wells should be tested not only for short-term biological safety through the Public Health Lab, but residents should also test for chemical safety to protect the health of families from long-term exposure to naturally occurring elements such as lead or arsenic. We can only address potential hazards when they are known.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services

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