{"id":222854,"date":"2026-05-15T11:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/?p=222854"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:09:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:09:04","slug":"make-well-water-testing-part-of-your-cottage-opening-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/make-well-water-testing-part-of-your-cottage-opening-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Make well water testing part of your cottage-opening plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Victoria Day long weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and the return to cottages for many Ontarians. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is reminding residents and seasonal property owners who use private water systems to test their drinking water as part of their spring routine.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"float: left; margin-right: 14px;\"><strong><broadstreet-zone zone-id=\"45658\" keywords=\"\" soft-keywords=\"true\" zone-alias=\"\"><\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Water quality in private systems, including wells, cisterns and lake water supplies, can change over time, particularly after the winter months. Weather, water use and environmental conditions can all affect water safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWater that looks, smells or tastes normal can still contain harmful bacteria, such as E. coli,\u201d said Karen Kivilahti, the health unit\u2019s manager, Safe Water. \u201cContaminated water can make people very sick and in some cases can be life-threatening. Regular testing is the only way to know if your water is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free drinking water testing is available through the health unit, with sample bottles and drop-off locations across Simcoe Muskoka. Residents can pick up bottles at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simcoemuskokahealth.org\/topics\/safewater\/drinkingwater.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">designated locations<\/a>&nbsp;Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Samples should be collected just before drop-off and must be tested within 48 hours. It may take 24 hours for the sample to reach the lab.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each sample requires a separate form. Paper forms are available at the health unit or forms can be completed online through the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/laboratory-services\/well-water-testing\/portal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Public Health Ontario portal<\/a>. Samples must be submitted between Monday and Thursday before 4:30 p.m. Submissions are not accepted on Fridays. Testing is conducted by Public Health Ontario, with results typically available within a few days. Results can be accessed online or received by phone, mail, email or in person when a paper form is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Residents are encouraged to test their drinking water when opening their cottage for the season and to continue testing regularly throughout the summer. \u201cA safe summer begins with safe water,\u201d said Kivilahti. \u201cRegular testing can help protect you, your family and your guests and provide peace of mind all season long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about free drinking water testing, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simcoemuskokahealth.org\/topics\/safewater\/drinkingwater.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">smdhu.org\/WaterTesting<\/a>&nbsp;or call 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>From the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Don\u2019t miss out on Doppler!<\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/dont-miss-out-on-doppler\/\"><u>here<\/u><\/a> to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.<br \/>\nLocal news in your inbox so you don&#8217;t miss anything!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a style=\"background: #5cb85c url('https:\/\/d1iczxrky3cnb2.cloudfront.net\/red_logo.png') no-repeat 37px; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; display: inline-block; font-size: 16px; padding: 15px 38px; padding-left: 75px; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0 #1f5a89; text-shadow: 0 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);\" href=\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/support-huntsville-doppler\">Click here to support local news<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><broadstreet-zone zone-id=\"45657\" keywords=\"\" soft-keywords=\"true\" zone-alias=\"\"><\/broadstreet-zone>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Victoria Day long weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and the return to cottages for many Ontarians. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is reminding residents and [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1904,"featured_media":222855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Make well water testing part of your cottage-opening plan - Huntsville Doppler<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Victoria Day long weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and the return to cottages for many Ontarians.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/make-well-water-testing-part-of-your-cottage-opening-plan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Make well water testing part of your cottage-opening plan - 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