Residents in Ganges are raising questions about the water treatment process as the North Salt Spring Waterworks District moves forward with a long-awaited facility upgrade. While construction has finally begun on a new treatment plant at Maxwell Lake, ongoing concerns about the use of chlorine and rising project costs have sparked a conversation about how water is managed on Salt Spring Island.
The district serves approximately 5,500 people through two primary sources. While the St. Mary Lake system uses a Dissolved Air Flotation process to treat water before it is chlorinated, the Maxwell Lake source currently relies only on chlorine disinfection. This practice has been a point of contention for years, particularly because the water contains organic matter that reacts with chlorine to form byproducts known as trihalomethanes.
According to data from 2018, the Maxwell Lake system recorded average trihalomethane levels of 135.13 micrograms per litre, which is above the 100 microgram per litre maximum guideline set by Health Canada. In response, Island Health mandated that the water district build a new treatment plant to remove the organic matter before the chlorination stage. Although this requirement dates back to 2011, site work did not begin until March 2026.
The project, which is now expected to be operational in 2027, has also faced scrutiny over its budget. Voters approved borrowing based on a $14.6 million estimate in May 2025, but the projected cost had risen to $16.6 million by January 2026. Trustee David Courtney has publicly challenged these increases, calling for a re-evaluation of the project and its financial management.
Beyond the budget and construction delays, some community members are questioning the broader policy of chlorinating all household water. Because only a small fraction of water delivered to homes is used for drinking or cooking, some residents are asking whether it is necessary to treat water used for non-potable tasks like watering gardens or flushing toilets with such high levels of chlorine.
