Burgeo water woes to get boost with provincial investment

A boil water advisory has been on in Burgeo for 10 years now, but the Newfoundland and Labrador government is planning to invest money to help upgrade the town's chlorine treatment system.

Mayor Barbara Barter said the problem isn't with the state-of-the-art treatment plant; rather, chlorine is evaporating from the water supply as it makes its way to various homes.

"The chlorine readings, by the time they get to the last house in town, are not reading at a level that's suitable for government expectations," she said.

Barter said in order for the chlorination system to be effective, it needs to be moved closer to the town.

Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Kent said the province is investing cash to help the town pay to fix the problems.

"Just this year, we have allocated an additional $350,000 which will help with chlorination problems that the town is currently experiencing with its water system, and just over the last number of years we invested over $3million in the town of Burgeo's water system to try and address this challenge," said Kent.

Barter said it's going to take more than just money to get residents to drink the water once it's potable.

"There's going to need to be, I think, an education piece and some time to convince people that the boil water is off and the water is good for drinking," she said.

Work on the system is set to begin in August, and residents should be able to drink directly from their taps by December.