The Town of The Blue Mountains is joining a provincial pilot program that will test local water for PFAS (polyfluoroalkl substances).
At its meeting on March 10, The Blue Mountains council received a verbal report from staff about PFA testing of local water. Allison Kershaw, the town’s manager of water and wastewater services said town staff have been able to get the town involved with a provincial pilot program to test local water for PFAS.
At a meeting in Feb, Coun. Paula Hope raised the possibility of the town increasing its testing protocols to include PFAS. Hope expressed concerns about PFAS due to the proximity of Georgian Bay (the source of water for The Blue Mountains) to the military base located in the Municipality of Meaford.
PFAS are used in things like: fire retardant foams, non-stick cookware and water repellent clothing.
Kershaw explained that the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is conducting a pilot testing program through its drinking water standards branch.
“The Town of The Blue Mountains has been able to participate in this pilot,” said Kershaw. “We will be sampling this week. We will be sending raw and treated samples to (the Ministry) lab.”
The testing will not cost the town any money and will provide valuable data for council to consider in its deliberations about whether or not to begin testing for PFAS on a regular basis.
Kershaw also had done some research into PFAS testing. She said, should council decide to proceed with regular PFAS testing, each test would cost the town $500. The limit for PFAS in drinking water is 30 parts per billion. Kershaw noted that previous test results of Southern Georgian Bay water had shown five to seven parts per billion, which is well below the limit.
Kershaw said after the pilot program tests are completed and the data is available, she will bring a full report to council.
Coun. Paula Hope asked if the town’s water testing budget could handle the $500 per test cost, should council decide to proceed with a testing program.
Kershaw said the costs would depend on how often the town would need to conduct the tests.
“At this point, we don’t know what the testing regime would look like,” she said, noting that a permanent testing program might require annual or quarterly testing protocols.
Coun. June Porter praised town staff for getting involved with the pilot initiative.
“It’s nice to be at the front end,” said Porter. “It gives us a baseline, which is always more informative for making decisions.”