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THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS 50 cents (+GST) Friday, February 29, 2008 64 Pages www.independentfreepress.com Recipe of the week: Crock pot beef Page 22 Georgetown man climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro Page 7 Police seek thief spotted on store video Page 5 Readers Choice votes are in! 24-Page section Editorial 6 Calendar 10, 15, 22 Sports 13, 14 Classifieds 18-21 INSIDE The Halton District School Board has adjust- ed its walking distance criteria for busing for the 2008-09 school year. For details see Wednes- days edition. WEDNESDAY... Too many residential wells in Halton have high levels of bacteria in them, according to a recent health department study. The results, which were presented to the Regions health and social services committee last week, revealed that of the 261 wells randomly tested by the Halton Region Health Department in 2007 largely in Halton Hills and Milton 37 per cent had unacceptable water quality in terms of bacteria. The number is on par with the 2006 results of 38 per cent. It is disconcerting to see the results, said Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal. These percent- ages are still much too high. He highlighted one particularly worrisome discovery of the 37 per cent with bacte- riologically unsafe water, 13 per cent had developed the problem since the 2006 study. But, he said the good news is that the health department isnt receiving reports of any ill- nesses caused by the bacteria. The study also found that a high proportion of the sur- veyed wells up to one third have deficiencies that could lead to water supplies being contaminated by surface and rain water runoff. Many of these deficiencies, such as cracks in well cas- ing or poor drainage around the well head allow bacteria to contaminate the well, making it an unsafe water source, Nosal reported. Proper well construction and maintenance is the first line of defence to safeguard drinking water from contami- nation. During the 2006 study, health department staff found that up to 34 per cent of the wells they inspected had defi- ciencies. While they advised the homeowners of the prob- lems, the most recent results show the majority of survey participants didnt make structural improvements to their wells. The health department advises that even when water treatment devices are used, wells should be inspected at least once a year and the necessary repairs completed. GEORGETOWN VOTED #1 FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 2008 KIA SEDONA FINANCE1.9% CALL THE GEORGETOWN HEADQUARTERS 1-866-364-0697 or 905-877-7818 Up to 60 mos (905) 873-1655 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown APPLE Auto Glass Truck Accessories Upholstery Heavy Equipment Glass Window Tinting GEORGETOWN CHRYSLER We handle all insurance work. Autobahn for all. New prices start now. The spirit of Autobahn has been at the heart of every Volkswagen since the very beginning. With the launch of the City, we made Autobahn available to a whole new generation. Now weve lowered the MSRPs of every other new 2008 Volkswagen by as much as $200 to $5,800. With our new lower prices, special lease offers, and finance rates as low as 0.9%, were busy making Autobahn available to everyone. Georgetown Volkswagen 203 Guelph Street 9 0 5 . 8 7 7 . 5 2 8 5 georgetownvw.com For breaking news go to: www.independentfreepress.com Halton Hills award-winning newspaper Georgetown grandmother Elva Preston got a headstart on her 20th birthday cele- bration Wednesday by blowing out the candles on her cake. Preston, who was born February 29, 1928, is a leap year baby who says shes happy to no longer be a teenager. See story page 9. Photo by Ted Brown Birthday girl turns 20 Study reveals high bacteria levels in wells MELANIE HENNESSEY Special to The IFP See WELL-USERS, pg. 3 Its dis- concerting to see these results. Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal