Less than 30% of Ontario’s drinking water from private wells was tested last year, auditor general finds [Video]

Less than one-third of the 1.3 million Ontario residents who rely on private wells for their drinking water had it tested within the last twelve months, says a report by the province’s auditor general.  

In her report released on Monday, Shelley Spence called the low testing rates “troubling” and found it’s partly due to a lack of awareness among private well owners about free water testing services available to them — along with owners not knowing risks of drinking untested water.

“It is very concerning because water is part of a flow, so there can be very different sources of water coming into those wells and things can change,” Spence told CBC’s Afternoon Drive on Monday. 

“It is really important for both the owners of small drinking water systems and private wells to get their water tested frequently.”

Small drinking water systems are non-municipal systems that serve public facilities like hotels, restaurants or churches, …