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Brown: Objective advice needed on water woes

After leaving the town meeting on Monday I started to think about what I wished I had said.

Everyone from the town and Koers Engineering (the company that has done water system master planning for the town of Ucluelet) constantly said our water was safe to drink and that the discolouration was strictly aesthetics.

One of my neighbours sitting beside me had a bottle of black water that had come from her tap.

Now I wish I had asked one of these people to have a taste of it in front of all the spectators at the meeting. There is no doubt in my mind they would have refused We recognize that this black water doesn't happen all the time but there are times when the water flowing from our taps is not just yellow or brown but actually black. Although I am not an engineer I am convinced that the water isn't the problem but the infrastructure and the pipes somewhere in the town is causing the problem If the water is being tested and it is acceptable by all the testing standards then perhaps the problem is just the pipes that the water is flowing through!

When is this town going to do something to investigate the aging infrastructure and the pipes carrying the water?

From what I have heard from others in town, there has always been a problem with the yellow/brown water that is attributed to iron and manganese but this black water has only been a problem within the last 6 years.

What I got out of this meeting is that the "experts" they have chosen seem to be focused on creating water filtration systems and less on fixing the problem of the pipes in the town.

Why is the town even considering ultra expensive filtration plants or even changing our water supply to Kennedy Lake if it will run through the same old pipes.

Perhaps the town should consider seeking more advice...... not from a company that was involved with any of the master plan but perhaps from a company that is a little more objective.

Sue Brown A Snug Harbour Inn Ucluelet