Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

CBC News: Tiny Sask. village rejects order to chlorinate water

The villages of Keeler and Wood Mountain are still fighting the Saskatchewan Government in court over boil water advisories issued for those municipalities several years ago. Keeler’s case is set to be decided first, which might affect the outcome of the Wood Mountain case.

Wood Mountain conducts regular testing of the water to determine if there is a problem, chlorinates occasionally, and has never had someone get sick due to water bourne illness in the 20 years or so that I’ve kept track. Every rate payer has provided written testimony to the government that they do not want their water treated with chlorine. If the provincial government spends $500,000 on a treatment system, it’s likely that residents will drink bottled water instead, as there is a water bottling plant in the community, using a water source at a flowing spring outside of the village. If the government fines or forces 20 people [children included] to pay $500,000, it leaves me wondering just how they expect the village to pay? Maybe it’s because another part of the government charges the community double for policing because the last official census numbers used for per-capita billing are wrong at ~40, and don’t reflect the current headcount of ~20 people. Still, how would 40 people pay for a $500,000 treatment system they don’t want? And what would a proper system like reverse osmosis cost?