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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Water already treated: city By Michael Potestio THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
BUBBLE BOY The fun at Friday’s Easter Eggstravaganza at Rotary Park included music, food, and activities such as face painting, soccer, a bounce house, bubble blowing, and of course, a high-energy egg hunt. For more photos from the Easter Eggstravaganza, turn to page 7. Michael Potestio/Herald
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The City of Merritt’s Public Works Department is warning residents not to believe their water needs to be tested. On April 9, the city received a complaint from a resident saying a company called Eaglewater Treatment Systems was coming to test their water on behalf of the City of Merritt, superintendent of public works Darrell Finnigan stated in an email. The public works department does all testing of water on its own and would not contract out water sampling to anyone, he stated. The email went on to say that the public works department has weekly test sites, and only conducts water tests at a residence if there has been a complaint from the homeowner. Finnigan also stated that Merritt’s water is clean and safe. It is monitored around the clock and tested weekly for total coliforms, CL2 levels and a comprehensive test is done twice annually for all elements in the water. At the time the complaint was made, Eaglewater Treatment Systems did not have a
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business licence to operate in Merritt. The company has since acquired one, Finnigan told the Herald. City bylaw officer Bob Davis told the Herald the company wouldn’t be denied a business licence so long as they didn’t misrepresent themselves by saying they are affiliated with the city. A few days after the complaint, Finnigan met with a salesman for the company at the public works yard and was shown a demonstration of what the company does. Finnigan said the tests the salesman showed him are all factual tests that show different traits of the water. “I made him do exactly what he’d do for a homeowner, put him through the ringer, and what he shows is exactly what we know. The City of Merritt has hard water,” Finnigan said. “He never showed anything besides the hardness of the water.” The salesman told him they are telling residents they can help reduce the hardness of their water, Finnigan said, but they are not stressing health risks of the water. Finnigan said in the past, he’s confronted other companies in the
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same way he confronted this one only to have them dodge him. “This is the only company that I’ve confronted and they’ve actually got back to me and gave me their presentation,” Finnigan said. For those living in Merritt, the equipment is unnecessary as the water is clean and treated, Finnigan said. However, people living outside the city limits, who draw water from personal water systems, such as ranchers and farmers, may benefit from personal water filtration products. For Merrittonians, the filter equipment can soften the water and take away some of the chlorine taste and smell in it, which is a matter of personal preference, Finnigan said. Finnigan said he only received one complaint stating the company claimed to be affiliated with the City of Merritt. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to make people aware that they have to understand what these salesmen are trying to do or sell them. And if they don’t understand, phone us. We can explain exactly what’s in the water and how it could help them or not,” Finnigan said.
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