Latest well testing raises toxicity concerns

By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com

Concerns that water wells in Chatham-Kent may be toxic to human health continue for residents in Dover and North Kent.

That’s according to Christine Burke of the Wallaceburg Area Wind Concerns group and geologist Keith Benn who recently obtained test results from nine area wells.

The analyses were performed by an independent laboratory in Livonia, Mich, known for its role in the Flint Michigan water crisis. The lab personnel examined levels of heavy metals in the fine sediment suspended in the well water. The sediment is likely to be partially comprised of a formation known as Kettle Point black shale that underlies the aquifer in North Kent.

The tests found levels of several heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, nickel and lead that may potentially be bio-accessible – carcinogens that could cause a host of health problems for those drinking the water.

Burke said people with fouled wells are discouraged and disillusioned.

“My tears have run dry,” Burke told The Voice in a recent interview. “I’m hoping and praying that the government takes care of us. This has turned our lives upside down and it’s been going on for a long time.”

Burke and her husband Terry – who have been living with dark, murky well water for more than a decade – say they want to see the Ontario government and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent step up to help.

She said she’s worried – not only about the results from her own well but for other residents who may be affected.

Earlier this year, Burke led a GoFundMe drive to raise money for independent well testing, a process that isn’t cheap. It raised $12,000 in short order which covered the cost of testing for nine wells.

Benn, a local geologist who served on the expert panel that advised the recent Ministry of Health all-haz- ard study of well water in the area of the North Kent 1 wind complex, agrees the results are concerning.

“What we found is potentially toxic,” Benn explained, adding the level of toxicity may depend on the concentration of metals and also the grain size of the sediment.

Upon reviewing the results of the independent tests, Benn said he considers the testing results to be “fairly homogenous” in the nine wells, but noted they’re not all the same.

“I can identify several metals that could potentially be dangerous or amongst the most dangerous,” Benn explained.

The Burke well was the first to be tested, Benn said, and the results from the other wells experiencing turbidity are similar – meaning possible contamination appears to be widespread.

Benn added it’s currently unknown if the heavy metals might enter human cells and the bloodstream instead of being excreted by the body.

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