York Region Celebrates World Water Day

The Regional Municipality of York
Canada, 22 Mar 05

York Region Celebrates World Water

York Region celebrates World Water Day

NEWMARKET – York Region joins others around the globe in celebrating World Water Day on Tuesday March 22nd. To promote this event, York Region Health Services and the Transportation and Works Departments, with participation of the Water for Tomorrow initiative, have invited two local elementary schools to the Georgina Water Treatment Plant to learn about drinking water from local, regional and international perspectives.

Where: Georgina Water Treatment Plant
27135 Kennedy Road, Willow Beach

When: Tuesday March 22, 2005
8:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Who: Students of St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School (Sutton West) and
Deer Park Public School (Keswick)

Sixty elementary school children will have the opportunity to tour the Georgina Water Treatment Plant and see where their water comes from and how it is treated before it arrives at their homes.

The children will continue through the morning with two additional sessions on Water in a Developing Nation, where the children will see how a lack of protected water sources and poor sanitary facilities contribute to illness in these countries. The final session with Water for Tomorrow will concentrate on how we can conserve water in our daily lives, in order to protect this natural resource.

The children will each be sent home with a bag of resources and products promoting water conservation and protection.

For more information on water or other health-related questions, contact York Region Health Services Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 or visit www.york.ca.

For more information on world water day visit the website at www.worldwaterday.org.
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Put your well to the test … three times each year

NEWMARKET - Have you tested your well lately? As spring approaches and home owners prepare for the warm sunny weather, York Region Health Services reminds home and cottage owners of private wells not to forget to test their well water.

Private well owners should test their well water three times each year, in the spring, summer and fall. Well water should also be tested after any repairs, after the well has been dormant, after flooding, or if there is a change in water appearance, colour or odour.

In celebration of World Water Day 2005 and to encourage private well owners to bring in their well water samples for testing, public health inspectors will be staffing displays, providing promotional items and will be available to answer questions concerning private wells at the following locations:

WHEN: Tuesday March 22nd
8:30am-12:00noon
WHERE:

Georgina Civic Centre (26557 Civic Centre Road, Keswick)

York Region Health Services offices:
• Richmond Hill (50 High Tech Road, 2nd floor)
• Markham (4261 Hwy #7 East)
• Newmarket (The Tannery, 465 Davis Dr. 2nd Floor)

Private well owners who drop off their water samples on Tuesday March 22nd will receive a free well information kit and special promotional items while quantities last.

Free well information kits will continue to be available while quantities last at each of the Health Services offices.

Private well water testing is available free of charge to owners of private wells. Results from private water tests are sent to the well owner and the local public health office. York Region Health Services public health inspectors are available to assist in the interpretation of the well water results and offer advice on well disinfection, treatment and maintenance through the Health Connection information line.

For more information on well water safety or other health-related questions, contact York Region Health Services Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 or visit www.york.ca.

Contact: Amanda Sturgeon <amanda.sturgeon@york.ca>