The gate, which has only been accessible using a swipe-card entry system installed by the Hamilton Conservation Authority, was "altered" Friday so anyone could get to the water, said Scott Peck, deputy chief administrative officer.

The conservation authority is working to get the gate fixed at the Sulphur Springs Road well as soon as possible so it can re-open, Peck said late Friday afternoon.

The authority put up a 1.8-metre gated fence around the well's two taps in late November in anticipation of a new provincial arsenic limit of 10 parts per billion, down from 25 parts per billion, that took effect Jan. 1.

The HCA previously said the Ancaster well consistently tested at 17 parts per billion.

To gain access to the well, people must pay a one-time $10 fee for the key card and sign a waiver, acknowledging the water isn't for drinking.

The changes were meant to satisfy the province that the well doesn't serve as a public source of drinking water.