To the Editor.

We all drink tap water without worrying if it's safe to do so. We all flush our toilets knowing the waste is being properly treated. We all rely on our public water system.

If council goes ahead with plans to hand our water system to a private corporation, we lose that security. Council says it's about saving money and keeping costs off the books, But corporations don't take over public services as a gesture of goodwill. They do it to make a profit.

So where's that profit going to come from? I have a few educated guesses, First they'll cut staff and lower standards. That will in turn increase the risk of sewage spills and contaminated drinking water: Once corporations have a monopoly on the system, they'll raise the prices for their captive customers,

Sewage spill clean ups, health hazards, new user fees and unemployed workers don't add up to savings in my books. Let's keep our water public.

Sincerely,

To the Editor,

Hepatitis A and dysentery aren't what you expect when you turn on your kitchen faucet, But we should all be concerned that these and other serious health risks could be on tap if municipal council surrenders control of our water services.

It's exactly what British people faced after private corporations took over the country's water,

Our council is being courted by water mega-corporations eager to turn a profit by running our water system. If council hands our water treatment facilities to private operators and owners, we're all in trouble.

Privatization of water services has failed around the world. Prices shot up in Britain, as did the number of people cut off because they couldn't pay their water bills, Water- borne diseases increased. Sewage spills and other contamination increased as quality and safety plummeted.

There is no good reason to privatize our water, and every good reason to keep it public. I urge council to listen to the community.

Sincerely

Source: Water Watch campaign