01/11/2026
💦Sebringville Test Well Update and the November 5 Public Meeting: The GOOD news
Most recent photos appear to show that the material applied around the base of the well last month to prevent contamination - as required by regulation, is cracked and disintegrating. Does this provde the seal necessary to protect groundwater from agricultural products and potential contamination in an active agricultural field?
At the September 15, 2026 Perth South Public Meeting, residents expressed concerns about risks to their wells, including the construction of the test well and the potential risks it introduced. The well is owned by the developer/land owner and their team was also present at the meeting.
To protect the groundwater existing Sebringville residents rely on from both private and the Boyce Street municipal well, the request was made for an independent hydrogeological evaluation and to:
1) Isolate the Dundee formation (shallow layer) to protect the integrity of the "layer" the community relies on.
2) Test the water to ensure it is safe to drink.
3) Monitor other wells in the community to understand impacts of the test well on resident wells.
NO ACTION HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED.
❓Has the matter appeared on an agenda since September 15? No.
❓Have residents been notified of any mitigation efforts? No.
❓Does the construction and maintenance of the test well reflect a commitment to protect the interests of current and future residents of Sebringville? No.
Why?
💧The test well effectively connects five water-bearing formations including the shallow Dundee formation relied on by local private wells and the municipal one Private wells are demonstrated to be "hydraulically connected" to the test well meaning the wells draw from the same source, and contaminants in one can impact others.
💧The water quality between formations can differ and the test well allows for all 5 to mix. These findings have not resulted in any mitigation measures to date as far as we are aware.
💧And the presence of the test well in an active corn field with no obvious surface protection is alarming. Pesticides, fertilizers, contaminants may have a pathway to our groundwater source with no back-up plan for the people living there.
There is a plan during the "design phase" to isolate the layers to prevent interference with the layer most people rely on, but the Ministry Hydrogeologists said this is not "field tested" and that claims of no negative impacts are "overreaching."
In the meantime residents risk potential impacts to their source water, and safe drinking water protections won’t be enforceable until it is converted to a municipal well.
💥Can the developer's team claim that the concerns of the May 9, 2026 hydrogeologist memo been resolved? That would require:
🔎Field testing to show whether sealing off the upper water layers works safely, and a camera can't do that.
🔎Running a proper, long-term pump test on the final wells to prove they won't run dry or interfere with the water supply.
🔎Collecting data on how much water can safely be pumped long-term, instead of estimates from modelling.
🔎Directly testing and measuring the impact on existing wells (like the Boyce Street well) rather than relying on math formulas from wells far away.
Have these been done? No, but Perth County Planning and the developer's team are asking Perth County Council to approve the proposal Thursday November 5, 2026 anyway - despite not being able to confirm the proposal is viable and that existing wells won't be impacted - and they will get to the testing later.
The community is, however asking that the questions be answered BEFORE permanent approvals are granted.
👍THE GOOD NEWS:
While pushing technical studies to the detailed design phase under Class EA guidelines may technically be acceptable practice, the Perth County Official Plan's mandatory language ("SHALL") doesn't allow approving subdivisions or land divisions if water supplies and servicing capacity are unproven, premature, or risk impairing existing community wells:
📕Mandatory Servicing Proof Before Approval: Section 4.7.8.1 (C) states that prior to approving development applications, the municipality must confirm the provision of required servicing capacity and ensure that an appropriate servicing agreement is in place.
📘Prohibition on Premature Subdivision Approval: Section 5.2 (B) dictates that proposed plans of subdivision must be reviewed to ensure they are not premature, explicitly instructing that consideration shall be given to the availability and capacity of required servicing.
📗Strict Prohibition if Water Disposal Fails: Section 5.2 (G) states unequivocally: "Where the proposed water supply and sewage disposal are not deemed acceptable, the proposed plan of subdivision SHALL not be approved."
📙Protection of Existing Water Supplies: Section 4.7.8 (E) requires that where new water sources are proposed, the proponent is required to demonstrate that there is sufficient water quality and quantity to serve the development without impairing the supply to any existing development.
What will Perth County Council decide Thursday? Will they grant the approvals requested to advance planning approvals, for a proponent who has left the test well in this state, or will they apply the policies intended to protect from premature approvals?
We encourage you to attend the Public Meeting Thursday morning at 9:00 in Mitchell.
Details here: https://perthcounty.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=706