Some Casselman residents are taking their concerns over manganese in municipal drinking water to Facebook. However, the mayor says she is sticking to what the experts say and the measures the municipality is taking to resolve the problem.
“I don’t base my governance on Facebook,” said Mayor Geneviève Lajoie.
Stephanie LaMaina and her spouse Caroline Thompson created the Casselman Water Quality group on the social media platform as a way of raising awareness of the situation while challenging the approach being taken by the Municipality of Casselman and the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), the provincial agency which manages the water system for the municipality.
LaMaina contends that the water, which has been coloured brown or yellow due to high manganese levels in the South Nation River, is not safe for people, at recent levels. On July 7, the level was 0.35 milligrams per litre and 0.45 milligrams per litre. On July 21, the level was one milligram per litre.
“I believe the current levels of manganese are unsafe,” LaMaina said.
The issue has been recurring for several years but has been worse this year. Ontario does not have regulations for manganese in drinking water, but the federal government has non-binding guidelines and the water in Casselman exceeds those guidelines. The federal guideline states the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for total manganese in drinking water is 0.12 milligrams per litre.
LaMaina described the water as “toxic” and not ordinary rust that sometimes shows up in water.
“It’s not iron rust, it’s manganese rust,” she said.
LaMaina said it was once possible to obtain the daily manganese levels in Casselman by contacting OCWA. She alleges the information is no longer available. LaMaina said she was disappointed with Lajoie’s response to the situation. They both acknowledged they “agreed to disagree.”
In response to the situation, LaMaina and Thomspon started the Facebook group where residents are sharing their comments and photos of water in their bathtubs and sinks. LaMaina said she has also spoken with other municipal councillors in Casselman but would not disclose their names.
During the past week, OCWA and the municipality completed a thorough flushing of the water system. LaMaina said the appearance of the water has improved, but now has a different chemical odour than previously. She also admitted the problem has been worse in her neighbourhood, which is on the west side of the South Nation River, and not in the older part of town on the river’s east bank.
The Facebook group also became a launching point for a bottled water drive to supply residents who were not comfortable using the municipal water, or could not consume it due to an advisory against its use for babies and young children. The water is being collected at the food bank and then distributed to those needing it.
“People started saying “We can’t afford all this bottled water,” remarked LaMaina.
The municipality, OCWA, and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit insist the water is safe for most consumption and all bathing. However, residents have complained about the effect the brownish water has had on their laundry.
Lajoie said she does not want the public response to the water situation to be shaped by negativity or misinformation. She is firmly standing by the municipality’s plan to find a medium and long-term solution for the problem. Lajoie said no previous mayor made the effort to find those solutions as she is doing. While the mayor’s role in Casselman is not a full-time job, Lajoie said she has chosen to work full-time as mayor.
“I’m there full-time because I certainly do care,” she said.
Lajoie said she has had to stop following the Facebook group and had to block individuals associated with it. She would rather discuss the situation with citizens in person.
Lajoie said not all interactions with citizens have been civil and police had to be called to the municipal office on one occasion to remove an individual who was intimidating staff regarding the water issue.
A notice of motion to proceed with plans to permanently resolve the water and manganese problem will be introduced when Casselman council meets on Wednesday, August 2. The council meeting begins at 6 pm in Hall B1 at 750 rue Principale. Several citizens belonging to the Facebook group are planning to attend.
