PUSLINCH – The stench in the water may have dissipated, but something still smells rotten, says Puslinch resident Jason Ganning.
He is among many homeowners in the township who began experiencing smelly water coming from their taps last summer.
About 25 homes in the neighbourhood of Highway 6 and Leslie Road West began complaining about foul-smelling water last July.
They are all on individual wells and described the smell as akin to rotting vegetables.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) were both notified, and they both investigated.
The MTO investigated a roadside ditch on the east side of Highway 6 south of Leslie Road West adjacent to a private dwelling.
The same putrid stench was detected in the ditch but the MTO determined soil in the ditch was typical of roadside fill material and was considered acceptable.
It says it did not clean up any spill or remove hazardous soil. But it did clear vegetation from the ditch, stating it was to improve sightlines for drivers.
The MECP completed a well interference investigation and did find compounds known to emit odours but concluded the odour was likely the result of bacteria in the well reacting with sulphur compounds naturally found in the water.
The MECP also determined there is a thick, impermeable layer of ground above the bedrock aquifer making it unlikely that a chemical spill could migrate to the aquifer.
Puslinch does not provide municipal water or wastewater services, so this is not a township responsibility.
Still, the township directed its consultant, Harden Environmental Services, to look into the matter last fall and that report was delivered to affected residents last week.
It states the odour-causing compounds found in the water are not naturally occurring and that with a strong drawdown, chemicals could make their way into the bedrock aquifer.
“Dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide and methional are also used in various industrial and commercial applications including as a sulfiding agent for metal refineries, in the agricultural industry as a pesticide, and in feed and consumer products as a flavour/fragrance enhancer,” states the Harden report.
“It is our professional opinion that the source of groundwater odour issues … was a result of the spill(s) in the ditch where the MTO cleanup occurred in July 2023 or from unknown release of similar materials in the area.”
It goes on to say, “safe concentrations of the identified odour-causing sulfur compounds in drinking water have not been established.”
Ganning is trying not to let his anger get the better of him. He said the smell left his water sometime in November, but his family only recently started showering in it. They are still drinking bottled water.
“Nothing surprises me in this report,” Ganning said. “It was everything I knew to be true. Surface water can move through the soil to the aquifer.
“This report contradicts what the Ministry of Environment told us. And it proves my point, what I suspected back in July.”
Ganning also wonders if the MTO did in fact remove some toxic soil last summer.
Ganning said he was surprised Puslinch council authorized the Harden report when it did nothing last summer except wish all the affected residents well.
“Why are they concerned now? Why not last summer? Why the change in attitude?” Ganning asked.
No one has said what was in the water and whether it’s safe to drink now. For Ganning that’s the kicker.
But he’s saving his questions for a meeting the township is organizing for affected property owners on May 23 at 7pm at the township office.
“I hope the MTO and MECP will be there. I’m super-disappointed in them,” Ganning said. “They should have to explain their side.”
The Advertiser reached out to the MTO and MECP but did not receive a response by press time.
