Government has announced a pilot project that will provide free chemical testing kits to private well owners across the province.

The pilot is aimed at collecting baseline groundwater data for the province, and provide well owners with detailed information about their drinking water in hopes of lowering the health risk from consuming groundwater containing naturally occurring contaminants—like arsenic.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Bernard Davis says it’s a program that’s been in the works for several months.

Approximately 2,000 chemical test kits are being distributed to various Digital Government and Service NL regional offices and are available for pick-up at no cost to well owners.

Participants will be asked to fill out a sample record form, collect water in the bottle provided, and return the completed kit to the nearest regional office.

Free bacteriological testing is also available for well owners.