A water testing program is up and running in Wainfleet.
The expanded water testing program allows both pick-up and dropoff of water samples for testing within the Township.
The first water sample bottles were retrieved by Wainfleet residents within minutes of opening the display at Town Hall.
“There has been a lot of excitement and public interest in this kind of service,” said Mayor Kevin Gibson, about the long-awaited program. “In a small rural setting with no municipal water services, the ability to test water quality is essential.
Mayor Gibson advocated to re-activate the existing ‘pick-up only’ program and expand it to allow sample drop-offs.
Some water testing programs were paused over the pandemic.
The testing program is the first of its kind in Wainfleet, as residents used to have to drop water off at locations outside Wainfleet or pay a private company.
“Wainfleet’s new partnership with the Niagara Region is a great value-added service for Wainfleet that increases both convenience and public safety,” said Gibson.
Bottles can be picked up in the front vestibule at Town hall and full samples can be dropped off to the same place.
When dropping off, residents simply put their bottle back on the top shelf and either knock or ring the bell to alert staff to retrieve the bottle for refrigeration until the courier arrives to deliver it to the Public Health Lab.
Bottles can be dropped off Monday through Thursday, 8:30-4:30, and no later than 9:00 am on Friday.
The Wainfleet Town Hall site will operate year round in addition to the seasonal Long Beach site and the Port Colborne site.