Highway 6 Well Water Odour Complaint Update

The MECP (Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks) will be providing all updates to the Township which will be shared on this webpage. If you have new information to provide to the MECP please send it to [email protected].

July 12, 2023 Update

• The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (ministry) takes citizens’ concerns seriously and follows up on all complaints to ensure human health and the environment are protected.
• The ministry is looking into potential sources that may be causing the private well water odours in the Puslinch area. Ministry staff attended the area on July 11, 2023, to inspect for a source of the odours and did not note any spills in the area.
• Samples were taken from four private water wells and have been sent to the ministry lab for analysis. The samples are being analyzed for taste and odour compounds. The ministry has prioritized the sampling and expects to have results by early next week.
  • Results will be reviewed and shared with the property owners as soon as they are available.
• In addition, a ministry Hydrogeologist has reviewed the geology of the area and has advised that the cause of the odour is unlikely to be from a spill in the immediate area due to the impermeable nature and thickness of ground covering the water table (the depth that the wells are drawing water from). Odours in water can be naturally occurring, however the ministry has not made any conclusions about the cause at this time. 
• The ministry will continue to communicate with the Township and impacted residents and share information as soon as it becomes available regarding the source of the odour.
• Residents can contact Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health at (519) 822-2715 if they have questions relating to whether water from their private well should be consumed until a cause has been identified.