A staff report by Belleville’s Engineering & Development Services department reported that Belleville sites on heavily fractured limestone which makes private wells highly susceptible to contamination:
There are pre-existing constructed residences and developed non-residential properties within Belleville’s Urban Service Area that are currently on private wells and septic systems. According to Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) data, there are approximately 664 properties within the urban boundary on private or shared wells and 569 properties on private septic systems.
City of Belleville sits on heavily fractured limestone which makes private wells utilizing the bedrock aquifer prone to low water levels during drought periods and highly susceptible to contamination. A failed private septic system can contaminate local water resources including drinking water sources and the water quality of watercourses.
The City of Belleville is located within a unique smaller geological area that is defined as heavily fractured limestone. Quinte Conservation’s Quinte Regional Groundwater Study, 2004, identified that the heavily fractured limestone in Belleville is highly susceptible to contamination. Further, the report states that since the bedrock aquifer is sensitive to precipitation events, water levels are prone to drop during periods of drought.
Municipal drinking water systems operate under the Safe Drinking Water Act which provides a consistent set of provincewide standards and rules to help ensure access to safe, high quality, reliable drinking water.
Municipal wastewater systems must ensure proper collection, treatment and disposal of sewage wastewater to protect the natural environment and public health. Property owners with private septic systems are responsible for their proper operation to protect the environment and their health.
Private wells (groundwater) and intakes (surface water) are the responsibility of the owner
Private wells and intakes that serve 5 or fewer homes are the least regulated drinking water supply and have no testing requirements. Water quality is the owner’s responsibility. You can see if there is a well on a property using the map of wells in Ontario.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health recommends property owners undertake bacteriological testing of wells at least seasonally and any time a weather event occurs, such as flooding, drought, or spring run-off.
Regular and annual maintenance of private septic systems is critical in the protection of groundwater and surface water resources. A failed system can contaminate local water resources including drinking water sources and the water quality of watercourses.
About 1.3 million Ontarians rely on private wells for drinking water, but less than 33% tested their water within the last year.
Public Health Ontario provides free private well water testing for the level of bacterial organisms E. coli and total coliforms, but does not test for other contaminants such as chemicals. You can get a well water sample kit available from Public Health Ontario or your local public health unit.
To test for chemicals or other contaminants, contact a licensed laboratory.
You can determine if your water supply is suitable for potable use (there is no significant evidence of bacterial contamination) by submitting well water samples to Public Health Ontario or to your local public health unit.
Well water quality is not constant and can change over time. Testing frequently, together with inspecting and maintaining the well, will help ensure the quality of your drinking water.
How to check if there is a contaminate site nearby
Canada’s Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory identifies sites under federal custodianship or that the Government of Canada has accepted some financial responsibility for, that are known or suspected to be contaminated, which means:
one at which substances occur at concentrations that:
(1) are above background levels and pose, or are likely to pose, an immediate or long-term hazard to human health or the environment; or
(2) exceed the levels specified in policies and regulations. A real property may have more than one contaminated site.
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
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