Well

The Province is urging people who have wells and live in the areas that were evacuated because of wildfires to take steps to make sure their drinking water is safe.

Wildfires can damage wells and impact drinking water.

Starting Tuesday, June 6, people can pick up well-water testing kits in Halifax Regional Municipality at the fire station at 2050 Hammonds Plains Rd. and at provincial Environment and Climate Change regional offices in Yarmouth and Bridgewater. More locations will be listed at: https://novascotia.ca/alerts/

The Province will cover testing costs for evacuees.

"As people return to their homes after being evacuated, we know wildfires can impact well water and drinking water," said Premier Tim Houston. "Our government is working now to get well-water test kits into the hands of the people who need them, and the Province will pay all testing fees. We want this testing to be easy, convenient and with no added financial stress."

People must flush and disinfect well water before testing it. Information on how to do this will be posted at https://novascotia.ca/alerts today, June 5.

People can get help interpreting their test results using the online tool at the Test Your Well Water web page – https://novascotia.ca/well-water-testing/ – or by calling their local Environment and Climate Change office or 1-877-9ENVIRO.

If there are any unusual smells or colours in well water after flushing and disinfection, or potential contamination nearby, additional testing will be needed to make sure the water is safe. People should contact Environment and Climate Change for more information at 902-424-2547 or 1-877-9ENVIRO. In the meantime, people should use bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and for pets.

Information on using a well after a wildfire: https://novascotia.ca/alerts

Information on flushing and disinfesting a well is at: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a1cf639fda644d65978648d4ff7833bb

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