The Thunder Bay District Health Unit offers free bacterial water testing for home and cottage owners. Just visit our 999 Balmoral Street office for a free water sample bottle. The sample can then be dropped off at the Public Health Laboratory for testing. 

Routine testing provides an early warning signal of potential problems. Water testing is recommended three times per year – spring, summer and fall for a drilled well, and four times a year for a dug well.

If you have not sampled your well for over a year, it is recommended that you begin your sampling program by taking three water samples each taken one week apart. This will allow you to determine the bacteriological water quality of your well.

A well water test begins by obtaining the appropriate water-sampling bottle. This bottle contains a preservative and must not be rinsed.

Water samples taken in mason jars, jam jars, plastic containers are not acceptable sampling bottles as the container itself may contaminate the water. The form that is attached to the water-sampling bottle must be fully and accurately completed. Once taken, the water sample should be kept refrigerated and be dropped off as soon as possible to the Public Health Laboratory for analysis. The form will be mailed to you with your results directly from the Public Health Laboratory.

Public Health Inspectors are available to help you interpret your water results; discuss common water quality problems; possible causes; and, corrective action.