Saint John water system needs upgrade, higher rates

Saint John Mayor Ivan Court said people will soon have to pay more for their water, after the commissioner of municipal operations warned that the city'saged public water systemfails to meet themost currenthealth standards.

"Everyone in this city is going to have to pay more for water, whether we like it or not," Court said.

Paul Groody, the city's commissioner of municipal operations, presented his plan for safe, clean drinking water in Saint John at Monday night's council meeting, calling for wholesale changes in the way the city gets its water.

"The system that we have in place today does not meet World Health Organization standards, when it comes to safety and risk to the public," Groody said.

The city is using 75-year-old water-treatment facilities and some underground pipes that are even older.

Health Canada will soon set a standard for them that Saint John can't meet. Groody is proposing a $229-million multi-government project for treatment facilities that wouldbe operational by 2014.

Groodysaid he is hoping for $63 million from both the federal and provincial governments. But local ratepayers will also have to pay more, as Groody said there must be an increase in water rates.

"We think that's important, if you expect to get these other amounts from other levels of government, you need to demonstrate that you're willing to make a huge commitment yourselves," he said.

Some of the other ideas in Groody's report include switching to a metered systemand establishing a city-owned water utility company. He said the reason for these sweeping proposals should be evident to Saint John residents each time they turn on the tap.

"It shouldn't have a yellowish tinge or brownish tinge. It should be absolutely clear. It should be free of disinfection byproducts, it shouldn't have any contaminants in it whatsoever. With our current system, we can't assure that," Groody said.