There were nine adverse drinking water quality incidents (AWQI) reported last year in the City of Stratford, though most of them were due to mandatory sampling.
That is just one of the findings in the 2023 annual water summary report, provided to Stratford city council on Monday evening.
Every year such a report is made available, per provincial regulation. The whole report can be found on the city's website.
In the report, prepared by Johnny Bowes, manager of environmental services, eight of the nine AWQIs were part of the city’s mandated sodium and fluoride sampling that is required every 57 months.
“Groundwater sources in Stratford contain naturally occurring sodium and fluoride,” the report stated. “Municipalities that have elevated levels of naturally occurring sodium and fluoride must take and report samples every 57 months.”
Notices of the elevated levels are provided on property owners’ water bills, as well as listed on the Huron Perth Public Health website.
The report found that total pumpage from all wells was about eight per cent lower in 2023 compared with 2022.
The Romeo Street well field accounted for most of the pumpage, approximately 42 per cent of the total well production in 2023. The well at Lorne Avenue accounted for 20 per cent, O'Loane for 15 per cent, Dunn for 11 per cent, Chestnut Street for seven per cent, and Mornington Street for four per cent.
Additionally, there is some evidence that water levels were lower between 2020 to 2023, compared to 2018 and 2019.
There is no evidence found in the report to indicate that water taking by the city in 2023 had an adverse effect on other private wells or the natural environment.
The water division is recommending some changes to the methodology of monitoring wells moving forward, including a shift to automated monitoring using dataloggers and transducers.
Additionally, it recommends there be reviews of the relationship between pumping at individual supply wells and water level response, and into the monitoring and reporting requirements for the city supply wells in the permit to take water program (PTTW).
The PTTW is a provincial program to ensure the conservation, protection, and wise use management of the waters of the province.
The objective of the latter review would be to update and improve on the effectiveness of the monitoring and reporting program required under the PTTW.
Stratford city council accepted the report at Monday evening’s meeting.
“I just want to thank staff for their work – their good work – in keeping our water safe,” Coun. Bonnie Henderson said, prior to voting on it.
