Hantsport’s CAO Jeff Lawrence is asking the provincial government to fund half of a $40,000 study that will determine if coagulation is the best solution for the town’s drinking water dilemma.
Lawrence submitted an application for $20,000 in capital assistance funding for a pilot coagulation study to Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations on April 3.
The study will determine if coagulation will effectively reduce the level of trihalomethanes (THMs) in the drinking water processed at the Bishopville-based treatment facility, which serves Hantsport, portions of Kings County and the Glooscap First Nation reserve.
Engineers with CBCL Limited will be conducting the coagulation testing. The capital cost of installing a permanent coagulation system at the facility is estimated to cost between $900,000 and $1.3 million.
The pilot testing can begin as early as mid-April and continue for up to 12 months, until a solution is found that will get Hantsport’s drinking water on par with standards set by Nova Scotia Environment.
THMs form when chlorine reacts with organic matter. Information posted on Nova Scotia Environment’s website says some experts believe high levels of THMs in drinking water may “pose a risk in the development of cancer.”
News of the town’s THM issues broke in the fall of 2010.
