Water testing now available

BADDECK — Residents with wells can now bring water samples to the Nova Scotia Health Authority for chemical and bacterial testing because of the authority’s new equipment.

“We’re pleased to be able to offer improved access to this important service,” said Shauna Thompson, the health authority’s pathology and laboratory medicine senior director. “It’s impossible to tell whether well water is safe to drink by looking at it, smelling it or tasting it. It has to be tested.”

Previous equipment lacked the capacity to process water samples for the whole province, meaning most Nova Scotians outside Halifax had limited access to testing or didn’t test their drinking water at all. Now with the new equipment, the laboratory is able to test a larger number of samples, which allows the health authority to offer this service to all Nova Scotians.

Nova Scotians can now pick up and drop off water testing bottles for chemical or bacterial testing at locations throughout the province.

Testing is available at Victoria County Memorial Hospital in Baddeck, Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital, Sacred Heart Community Health Centre in Cheticamp and Strait Richmond Hospital in Evanston.

View locations at www. nshealth.ca/yourwater. Fees vary based on tests requested.

Some commonly tested chemicals include, but are not limited to, arsenic, fluoride, lead, nitrate/ nitrite and uranium. View more details at www.nshealth.ca/yourwater.

Bacterial quality is usually assessed by a coliform test.