Interior Health is advising all homeowners with private wells to take appropriate steps to safeguard their drinking water.
Ivor Nolin is the manager of infrastructure programs.
“At this time of year with the freshet-kind of fancy word for spring melt, and certainly with all of this rain that we’ve been getting lately, it’s very common to see changes in water quality. Not just in the surface water, but also can happen in groundwater and particularly in wells that are not well protected.”
Nolin says vulnerable wells that are not constructed properly can get a mixing of the surface water which can contaminate drinking water with bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
He says the most common thing he hears when he gets the opportunity to speak with private well owners, is that they don’t remember the last time they got their water tested.
He says bacterial testing should be a key focus and recommends taking a chemical sample as well.
He says if there is a change in water quality, often it’s taste and odor.
Further information related to well water testing is available:
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/well-water-testing
The list of laboratories approved by the B.C. Provincial Health Officer for drinking water microbiology testing is available here:
http://lmlabs.phsa.ca/Documents/PHO%20Approved%20Laboratory%20List.pdf