Mapleton children’s camp fined $11,000 for water testing failures
GUELPH – A children’s summer camp about 10km southwest Drayton has been fined $11,000 after failing to test its drinking water during two months in the summer of 2023.
Conestoga Bible Camp, a not-for-profit at 6791 Leslie Lane on the edge of Conestogo Lake, was convicted on Dec. 18 in Guelph court of four violations under the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to a June 24 news release from the province. The camp is also on the hook for a $2,750 victim fine surcharge.
The charges stem from July and August of 2023, when an Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigation found the camp did not carry out required monthly bacteria testing on its raw well water or on treated water running through its distribution system.
The camp draws its water from a well, treating it with ultraviolet light and chlorine. Children, adolescents and staff use the water during day camps and week-long overnight camps.
The property is also rented to groups throughout the year.
The lack of testing surfaced in February 2024, when the province reviewed a year of sampling records and found tests hadn’t been logged during the two months.
