Well water testing

Your well water can affect the health of anyone who uses it. The best way to protect your drinking water is to test often. Public Health Ontario tests for bacterial contamination free of charge.

 Coliforms

Coliform bacteria are found in animal waste, sewage, as well as soil and vegetation. If they are in your drinking water, surface water may be entering your well.

 E. coli (Escherichia coli)
E. coli bacteria are found in the digestive systems of people and animals. If they are in your drinking water, it usually means that animal or human waste is entering your well from a nearby source.

water in glass beaker with eyedropper in labWater testing kits

You can pick up free well water testing kits at Town Hall located at 318 Canborough St in Smithville. Visit Niagara Region's website to find more pick up locations and where you can drop off samples.

They do not test for other contaminants such as chemicals. This means that even if your results show there is no bacterial contamination in your drinking water, it still may be unsafe to drink. For other environmental testing, including chemical contaminants, please visit Niagara Region Public Health or call them at 1-800-263-7248.

Water quality reports and information

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks created the Safe Drinking Water Act. This Act defines the roles of owners, operators, and other persons who are involved in the delivery of drinking water.

Ontario Regulation 170/03 is the main guideline under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This controls how we operate our drinking water system and provides requirements that we must meet. The Township of West Lincoln operates the Smithville Water Distribution System that falls under this regulation.

Review the Township's Quality Management System or Annual Drinking Water Reports to see how we monitor our drinking water quality. 

Quality management system

We have created a quality management system (QMS) for the Smithville Water Distribution System that conforms to the Ministry's Drinking Water Quality Management Standard. This system allows us to identify, measure, control and improve our performance.

As part of the licensing program, we must use a QMS that conforms to the Ministry's Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS). Our Drinking Water QMS is in our Operational Plan and approved by Council. We are qualified by the Ministry and take part in regular inspections to make sure we are meeting standards.

  The Township of West Lincoln’s Drinking Water Quality Management System Policy. The Township of West Lincoln owns, operates and maintains the Smithville Drinking Water Distribution System, which is supplied with treated water from the Region of Niagara. The Township of West Lincoln is committed to: Providing safe drinking water to our consumers; Complying with applicable legislation, as related to the provision of safe drinking water; Maintaining and continually improving the effectiveness of our Quality Management System. The Township of West Lincoln, including its managers and employees, is dedicated to promoting owner and consumer confidence in the safety of the drinking water supply. TOWNSHIP OF WEST LINCOLN WW-POL-01 Revision 01

Operational plan

The Township's Quality Management System can be found in our Operational Plan. You can view our Operational Plan at:

  • Town Hall - 318 Canborough Street, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0
  • Public Works - 6218 London Road, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Our requirements

We have a Municipal Drinking Water Licence (MDWL) and Drinking Water Works Permit (DWWP). These are required by Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to operate our drinking water distribution system.

You can review our MDWL and DWWP at the office of the Public Works department located at 6218 London Road in Smithville.

The Smithville Water Distribution System Legislative Overview document communicates these requirements to all parties, including:

  • Developers and/or property owners constructing and servicing water mains/services
  • Consultants overseeing the design, constructing and servicing water mains/services
  • Contractors constructing or servicing water mains/services

As part of the five submission requirements for the purposes of obtaining a Municipal Drinking Water License as per the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002,  The Township of West Lincoln retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. to prepare a water financial plan. You can view a copy of the Water Ontario Regulation 453/07 Financial Plan as it was completed on November 10, 2020.