Pesticide Monitoring
The Pesticide Monitoring Program samples groundwater (drinking water wells), stream water and stream sediment.
Drinking Water Well Sampling
Over 100 groundwater drinking wells are monitored annually, including those that provide drinking water to private homes, schools, municipalities, and seniors’ housing facilities. Sampling of the wells is conducted each late fall/winter by departmental staff. The collected samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis. The purpose of the program is to monitor the environment for the presence of pesticide residues. To create a long-term record, the same sites are sampled each year.
Individual site locations are not listed to respect the privacy of the individuals involved, as this is a voluntary program for all participants. The locations of public buildings (e.g., schools and seniors’ housing) are identified.
Stream Water and Stream Sediment Sampling
Surface water from nine rivers is sampled under the program. At least three of the nine rivers are sampled each year for a selected number of pesticides.
Stream water samples and sediment samples are collected once in July, twice in August (once during a normal/dry weather and once during wet weather), and once in September. The two samples in July and September are collected during dry weather. Department staff collect the samples, which are then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
What resources are available?
The PEI Water Registry includes a variety of information regarding the pesticide sampling, including maps, dashboards, graphs and charts.
How do I access the data?
There are two ways to access the data: