The City of Chilliwack is moving to install a full time water chlorination system after a positive e-coli test in February.
Acting Mayor Chuck Stam says no one is happy about the Fraser Health edict to chlorinate Chilliwack's water, "The City is proceeding with putting out an RFP (request for proposal) for a design built system to put in the full time chlorination. Right now we are working on a temporary chlorination system module. We had hoped that saner minds would reign but at this point, not a whole lot of hope. We are just obeying their order."
Stam says the city will have to foot the million and a half dollar cost of the new system.
The cost will be covered by a three percent hike in utility rates.
Stam says the order from fraser health to chlorinate the water has been widely criticized.
"There is many factions in the community that are terribly upset with this and I get that and I am with them. It is something that was forced through very quickly."
The order came after a positive E-coli test in February.
The province's top health officer says he has not yet been asked to review the Fraser Health order for Chilliwack to chlorinate its water.
However Dr. Perry Kendall didn't seem to think Chilliwack's water system would be up to snuff without chlorine.
"It is actually at risk from intrusions, from other sources, the E-coli sample and the bacteriological sampling that has been done over the years clearly shows it is at risk."
Then Kendall tempered his comments "I shouldn't be prejudging this because as you say I am potentially, under the Drinking Water Protection act, I could be asked to reconsider the decision. So I shouldn't making specific comments about the particulars. I would just say it is not an atypical situation where public health is engaged in trying to provide safer drinking water and there is opposition from the population."
Under the Drinking Water Protection Act Kendall can be petitioned to review the decision made by Fraser Health's Chief Medical Health officer Dr. Paul Van Buynder