Casselman residents disgusted by latest bout of 'horrifying' brown water

Residents of Casselman, Ont., have vivid metaphors for what comes out of the tap these days.

For Caroline Thompson, it looks like strong tea that's been left in a pot for six hours. It emits an odour like "that old swampy smell when you're out on a marsh."

For Cheryl-Ann McConnell, it's just "brown sludge."

But whatever the imagery, all agree that their water is disgusting — and more disgusting this year than ever before.

Casselman residents are dealing with water quality issues that have recurred again and again, with similar episodes in 2016 and 2019. The municipality says the water is safe to drink, even though manganese levels exceed Health Canada guidelines.

"This isn't a new problem," said McConnell. "It seems to be getting worse."

Historic highs

Manganese levels were at a historic high earlier this week, reaching 0.45 mg/L, according to Mayor Geneviève Lajoie. 

They subsequently decreased to 0.35 mg/L on Thursday, still well above Health Canada's "maximum acceptable concentration" of 0.12 mg/L. That guideline is based on the possible risks for infants, who may be particularly sensitive to neurological effects.

In a news release, the town said the issue stems from lower water levels in the Nation River following hot and dry weather. But it assured residents they can drink, shower or wash their clothes "without danger."

Lajoie said she trusts in the expertise of the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), which have both been working with the municipality.

The news release quoted Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, EOHU's medical officer of health, who said short-term exposure to manganese above Health Canada guidelines is unlikely to cause health problems.

"Some studies suggest that drinking water with high levels of manganese may be harmful to infants and young children, but the level of exposure that could cause this is not clear," said Roumeliotis in the release.

Lajoie said she has no reason to doubt him. 

"I drink the water. [So do] my husband, my kids, my dogs," she said.

Fix could cost millions

But McConnell said her Bernese mountain dog turns up its nose at the "horrifying" water and will only drink bottled water, like the rest of the household.

McConnell won't take baths, and doing white laundry seems pointless, since the sheets come out browner than they go in.

"Anything white has a stain," she said. "So why am I doing it?" 

Thompson said she's spent thousands on a water softener and has to change filters far more often than she should on her reverse-osmosis filter.

Even then, the water remains discoloured and unappetizing, and she's seen signs of sediment building up in her pipes. She fears it could damage her appliances.

"It's an astronomical amount of money," said Thompson.

Both fault the municipality for what they call poor communication, and they want more frequent updates on specific manganese levels. 

"I don't understand why we can't be getting the manganese numbers," said Thompson. "They say it's likely fine. That doesn't comfort me at all."

Not hiding anything

Lajoie said the municipality isn't hiding information, and residents have been able to obtain that data from OCWA.

When asked why the levels aren't proactively posted, she pointed to the risk of people misinterpreting the data.

"We don't want to alert people if they see the numbers rise or decrease. We feel that right now everything is under control. The water is safe to drink."

Lajoie said efforts are underway to treat the water with chemicals. She hopes that the immediate problem will be solved within a week, but a long-term fix will cost millions and require lobbying the provincial and federal governments for funding.

"At the end of the day, the water source here is not a viable option for us, and we need to move our water source elsewhere," she said. "That's going to be a $54-million endeavour."

Lajoie said she's optimistic any talks will yield a solution and is committed to pushing for one.

"I am dedicated to this," she said.