An independent consultant has been hired and a testing plan has been developed to test private water supplies on Lee's Road starting this Thursday.
Testing will include sampling of water supply systems from nearby residences says a news release from the Department of National Defence.
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DND announced in February that sampling found Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in a base water supply well, and three monitoring wells in the bedrock on the south side of 22 Wing North Bay.
"While detectable levels of PFAS were found, samples were all within Health Canada screening values for drinking water," says the release.
Now, DND says it will be conducting sampling of off-site water supplies near its property to determine how these results compare with the results from the base, and whether levels remain within acceptable Health Canada screening values. The local health unit visited residents in the testing area on February 21 and 22 to advise them of upcoming testing activities.
"There is nothing at this point that indicates the presence of elevated levels of PFAS in drinking water, but precautionary sampling is important as the health and safety of Canadians and members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is a priority. DND has been working closely with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (Ontario) and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit to ensure water at 22 Wing North Bay and nearby is safe."
Questions about testing activities should be directed to DND’s Media Relations. Affected residents are also invited to contact the Health Unit’s Environmental Health Program at 705-474-1400 ext. 2400.
From the early 1970s to the mid-1990s, DND used extinguishing substances containing Perfluoroalkylated substances at former firefighting training areas at the North Bay Airport. These activities were conducted in accordance with the accepted practices and regulations of the time.