In Nova Scotia, roughly 46% of people use groundwater supplied by private wells for drinking and other household use.Well owners are responsible for maintaining their wells and the quality of the water drawn from them. Well owners should keep their well water fit for human consumption, and free from impurities.
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Many well owners face challenges maintaining their wells and their well water quality. Rural Water Watch is dedicated to finding creative ways for rural well owners to overcome these challenges. Our focus is on removing barriers to water testing, and helping vulnerable communities sample, maintain, and protect their private water wells.
Committed to empowering Nova Scotians
WHAT WE DO
Our mandate is to create awareness in rural areas, especially marginalized communities, about the need to regularly test their well water quality, to understand the link between contaminated water and illness and disease, and to learn about ways to protect and manage their water supplies.
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Our main objectives at Rural Water Watch are
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To educate rural homeowners about drinking water quality, the health risks associated with water contamination, and how to prevent further contamination.
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To help rural communities to undertake water sampling, become knowledgeable about water testing, and learn how to identify potential contaminants.
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To further these goals, we work to build capacity in rural Nova Scotian communities through a resource sharing and events such as our annual Healthy Wells Day, Healthy Wells Workshops, and community-based water samplings programs.
OUR TEAM
Executive Director
Fred Bonner
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Members of the Board
Courtney Bonner, President
Lauchie MacLean, Secretary/Treasurer
Juliet Egbulefu
Dave Redden
Kyle Rauch
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PARTNERS
The ENRICH Project
The Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project is a collaborative community-based research and engagement project on environmental racism in Mi'kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. Rural Water Watch works with the ENRICH project on community outreach and social programming.
South End Environmental Injustice Society (SEED)
SEED is a nonprofit community initiative that represents a direct grassroots response to the siting of the landfill near the African Nova Scotian community in Shelburne.