When Le Casa Familial in Ormstown has a busy day, owner Marc Hansen says he spends at least $80 on bottled water. It’s something he’s had to do at his restaurant for the last three months, because of an ongoing boil water advisory issued by the municipality.

His frustration is mounting not only because his costs have increased but also because of the extra work it means for his staff.

“I can't use the ice from the ice machine, the drivers have to buy me ice and bottled water,” he says. “I have to wash my salads with boiled water or bottled water to eliminate the bacteria.”

On October 3, water samples showed the presence of coliphage, a virus that infects e. coli bacteria, in the town’s drinking water. The municipality immediately issued a boil water advisory for all residents who use Ormstown’s drinking water supply. Nearly 1,700 people have been affected.

The town’s general manager, Philip Toone, says they need to install a new water chlorination system to meet tougher environmental standards.

“Ever since Walkerton, ministries of the environment across North America are being very particular for good reason,” he said. “They want to protect public health.”

An e. coli outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario, killed seven people in 2000.

“The system we're going to have in place will be able to measure precisely how much chlorine goes in the system, precisely how long it's mixing with the water, to make sure we can kill any bacteria that's in there,” he said.

Some residents, including Jacqueline Hainaut, are fed up with how long it has taken for the municipality to solve Ormstown’s water troubles. She says boiling water is not worth the time so her family often buys bottled water instead.

“We've heard of other cities who had to do it for one week, two weeks, but for us it's for months!” she said.

Toone says the public will need to be patient because the new system can’t be installed overnight. It will only be up and running in the spring.

Updates on the boil water advisory and installation of the new chlorination system can be found on the town’s website.