Residents allege well water contamination from Carlow Mayo salt shed

Two residential properties in the Town of Boulter in Carlow Mayo Township owned by Dawson and Sharon White and Colleen Hudson and Jason Chamberlain are alleging that the township’s salt shed has contaminated their property’s well water with salt and it has been an ongoing issue. While the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ investigation is ongoing and no definitive source of the contamination has been identified yet, the families have letters from the MECP that show sodium concentrations above the 20 mg/L desired limit in their water well results. White, Hudson, Chamberlain, family friend Greg Koch, Jenny Snider, the CAO/clerk, and Jon Morrish, environmental compliance officer, Belleville area office of the MECP all comment on this salt contamination at these two properties in Boulter.

The owners of these residential properties in Boulter contacted The Bancroft Times about the elevated sodium concentrations in their well water, alleging that the township salt shed, which lies uphill from both their properties, had contaminated their property’s well water with salt and this has been an ongoing issue. The results obtained from the MECP for Hudson and Chamberlain’s property show sodium levels at 31.9 mg/L, while White’s results showed levels at 102 mg/L. However, the MECP’s investigation is ongoing and no definitive source of the contamination to these wells has been identified yet.

The higher levels of salt in White’s well water may be due to his well being a dug well versus Hudson and Chamberlain’s well being a drilled well. According to the Government of Canada website on water wells, a drilled well draws water from deep underground aquifiers, is more than 15 metres deep and has a diameter of 10 to 20 centimetres. A dug well draws water from shallow groundwater aquifiers, is three to nine metres deep and has a diameter of 60 to 120 centimetres. As a dug well is shallower, it is more susceptible to contamination. Morrish confirmed that this sodium disparity was possible, telling The Bancroft Times that “it is possible that the varying depths of wells would encounter different water quality.”

Hudson and Chamberlain approached council last May regarding the salt contamination that was damaging their basement and foundation, but council told them they needed proof before they could take any action. Greg Koch, a friend of both families, who says he is an expert with years of experience in health and safety and environmental issues, says he got involved after White’s presentation to council last December and says the salt contamination has been an ongoing issue for these families. He says when there’s a possibility of soil contamination, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act says it should be reported and he alleges the township didn’t do that. “So why these folks are having to do soil and water samples is beyond me. The council is responsible for it. I directed [the families] to contact the MECP who came and did the water samples,” he says.

Heeding Koch’s advice, Hudson and Chamberlain and White approached the MECP and had their well water tested in February, 2024. On April 18, Morrish told The Bancroft Times that the ministry had no record of a salt spill being reported by the township. He said White, Hudson and Chamberlain brought their concerns to the ministry’s attention on Feb. 14, that on Feb. 21 ministry staff attended the properties in question and collected well water samples and that soil samples have not been collected by the ministry to date. He said that well water sample results were being reviewed by Ministry technical staff and next steps would be determined and communicated to the involved parties at that time. Morrish confirmed on April 18 that the ministry had received the well water results and the results were provided to the owners of the two residential properties on March 13. He reveals that the aesthetic objective for sodium in drinking water is 200 mg/L at which it can be detected by a salty taste. He says there is no maximum allowable concentration of sodium. 20 mg/L is a reportable sodium concentration for drinking water systems regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act and does not apply to private wells. “This is intended for people who require a sodium restricted diet. Any health-related concerns should be directed to a health care provider or the local health unit,” he says.

At Carlow Mayo’s April 9 council meeting, after a delegation from White, Hudson and Chamberlain on the salt contamination in their water wells, council expressed concern for their health, advising them to keep receipts for any bottled water they need to bring in or other expenses due to the well water contamination and to get legal representation going forward. They also stressed they weren’t ignoring them or the problem, but needed to see all relevant documentation, including water and soil samples, before they could come up with a workable solution. However, they declined to say more, saying that the township’s legal counsel and their insurance company had advised them not to comment further.

Snider told The Bancroft Times on April 15 that as stated during previous meetings, council asked residents to bring forth some proof of said contamination. “As of the time of the last meeting on April 9, council had not received anything nor had they seen any test results from them. I really have no further comment at this time,” she says.

However, on April 24, Snider confirmed to The Bancroft Times that she’d received the well water results from Colleen Hudson on April 9 and Dawson White on April 15, although the township still had no further comment.

Morrish reiterated to The Bancroft Times on April 23 that ministry staff are currently reviewing the well water sample results and that once the review is complete, next steps, if any, will be determined and communicated with the involved parties. “We have not yet determined whether we will be collecting soil samples. Further investigation may or may not be necessary. As you note, sodium in well water could be from a number of potential sources including salt storage, salt application on roads or private property, natural sources or other sources such as water softener discharges, for example. Sodium concentrations exceeding 20 mg/L are not uncommon in well water,” he says.

Hudson and Chamberlain and White told The Bancroft Times that the salt contamination to their well water has had myriad effects on them; financial, psychological and health-related. Upon receiving the well water results from the MECP, Hudson says they contacted a health care professional, as the ministry advised, and she says that Chamberlain was now taking blood pressure pills due to the elevated salt in his system. They have also not been able to properly fix their house foundation, as no company will certify the work due to the salt contamination. White says that his son who lived at his house for years suffered negative health effects and he alleges a realtor told him that the house and property couldn’t be sold due to the salt contamination. He says that this has affected his retirement plans and his plan to leave the property to his kids.

This is a developing story and The Bancroft Times will continue to follow it and will bring you any updates as they become available over the coming weeks.

Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Bancroft Times