The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Region is looking for a new source protection committee (SPC) member to represent the environmental sector. Interested candidates can apply by submitting their cover letter and résumé by 4 p.m. local time on Friday, December 13, 2024.

For full details please visit the local source protection website and download the PDF file (Notice of call for applications for SPC member to represent environment sector).

Applicants must reside in, own or rent land in, be employed in, operate a business in, or be employed by a municipality within the source protection region.

The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Committee oversees a science-based planning process, to protect municipal sources of drinking water, that is governed by the Ontario Clean Water Act, 2006. The SPC reduces risk to local municipal drinking water sources through implementation of locally developed, provincially approved source protection plans.

In addition to the SPC Chair, there are 12 members of the source protection committee. Four SPC members are from municipalities. There are four reps from the economic sector: two from agriculture; one from industry; and one from commerce. There are four SPC members from other interests: two from the environment sector; one property owner representative; and one public-at-large member. There are also non-voting liaison members from local public health; source protection authorities; and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).

For a summary of member obligations and full job description please visit the Source Protection Committee web page. 

Almost 50 private well owners attended a well testing event, hosted by Londesboro and District Lions Club, in January 2024. The Lions Club distributed more than 270 water sampling bottles before that event and almost 70 bottles were returned to Huron Perth Public Health for testing.

After the success of that event, the Lions Club is hosting another well testing event tonight (Thursday, November 14, 2024). Owners of private wells can return their well water samples between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. to the Lions Hall, 282 Kings Road, Londesborough.

The November 14 event encourages well owners to ‘test, protect and maintain’:

Lions members are distributing sample bottles to homes in Londesborough prior to the event. Water testing sample bottles are also available for pickup, in advance of the event, at Nature’s Nest and Hensall District Co-op’s Londesborough locations. Sample bottles are available at the event as well.

The November event is the tenth Water Wise well testing and public information event held in the region since 2023. More than 420 well owners have attended the events and organizers have delivered more than 440 water sample bottles to local public health. Service clubs and volunteers have helped to distribute more than 1,500 bottles as part of the initiative.

The Lions Club volunteers and drinking water source protection staff ensure samples are kept chilled and delivered to Huron Perth Public Health for testing the morning after the event. Information on well protection and septic maintenance is available at the event.

The Londesboro and District Lions Club encourages well owners to take advantage of this convenient way to check on the safety of their well water. When water sampling of private wells is made easier, more people will do it. That’s the idea behind the ‘Water Wise’ events that have been happening in some villages, hamlets and shoreline communities in the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region.

Well owners may know having well water tested is important to ensure their family, friends and neighbours are safe but it isn’t always as convenient as they would like. Getting a sample bottle locally, and having someone deliver it to Huron Perth Public Health for them, makes it easier.

The November event has been made possible thanks to funding from the County of Huron’s Huron Clean Water Project.

If you are not able to attend this event, you can find out more about dropping off your well water sample, directly to local public health, by visiting our best practices web page.

The event is posted on social media with #TestProtectMaintain and #WaterWise and #WellWise and #BestPractices hashtags.