Mayor of Casselman, Ont. looking for solutions to town's drinking water problems
Casselman, Ont. Mayor Genevieve Lajoie invited residents to talk about the town’s drinking water woes on Wednesday night. After weeks of water quality advisories in the summer of 2023, the mayor is determined to fix the problem once and for all.
The community currently gets its water from the South Nation River and when river levels go down in the summer the manganese level goes up, leaving the water smelly and discoloured. Manganese occurs naturally in the rocks and soil in the area.
The water tower in Casselman, Ont. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa)
Last summer, the local health unit told residents the drinking water met standards, but they still recommended residents use bottled water for preparing baby formula or food and drinks for young people. That concerns Melanie Belisle, after her family and pets were forced to use bottled water and she does not want a repeat of that.
"We want to be able to just go to the tap and grab a glass of water and drink it but when it smells and looks yellow we can’t," Belisle said. "There is no price on safe water."
Lajoie supports a plan to switch the community's water from the South Nation River to the Ottawa River, but that comes with a hefty price tag. Unless the provincial and federal governments step up, there is no way the town can afford the $100 million price tag for a new pipeline connecting them with Rockland.
"I need the public to be involved in this. This is going to be a big decision we are going to be making so I think it’s important to get their feedback and their thoughts," Lajoie said. "Write to your MPs and MPPs, tell the government that they need to align their funding and help Casselman."
Lajoie says there are some other options available but none of them will offer a permanent solution and give the growing community the volume and quality of drinking water it needs. Lajoie will hold another public meeting on the plans on Friday, April 19 at 10:30 a.m. in the Town Hall on St-Jean Street.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Wisconsin school district says active shooter 'neutralized' outside middle school
A Wisconsin school district said an active shooter was 'neutralized' outside a middle school in Mount Horeb on Wednesday, and no one inside the building was injured.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Lawyers for man accused of killing 4 women to argue he's not criminally responsible
Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women say they plan to argue that he is not criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.
B.C. tribunal decides first case involving non-consensual sharing of intimate images
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.