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Region‘s wells minimize use of chlorine Very little â€" less than 10 per cent â€" of the reâ€" gion‘s water is chlorinâ€" ated, according to reâ€" gional water supply coâ€" ordinator John Michaâ€" lofsky . Chlorination is used mainly to kill harmful bacteria but also to fight unpleasant taste, color and odor. In most parts, it‘s a virtual necessity for controlling bacteria that cause typhoid and diptheria. By Philip Jailsevac If there is any danger, Residents of Waterloo most Waterloo region region cities concermned residents . would be about recent U.S. re among the luckiest in forts linking chlorinaâ€" the country, as about 98 ion to cancer can, for per cent of Canadians the most part, rest easy. drink chlorinated water Very little â€" less than What puts region resiâ€" 10 per cent â€" of the reâ€" dents in the roughly two gion‘s water is chlorinâ€" per cent minority? , Most of the chlorinaâ€" tion in the region occurs in the small towns and villages of Elmira, St. Jacob‘s, Ayr, Baden and New Hamburg. But only a fraction of the water is chlorinated in Kitchener and Camâ€" bridge, and none is treated in Waterloo. Last week, the Presiâ€" dent‘s Council on Enâ€" vironmental Quality in the U.S. reported new evidence that people who drink chlorinated water run smalk but inâ€" creased risks of developâ€" ing certain types of cancer over a long period. The council said the risks of rectal, bladder and colon cancer are ‘‘large enough to be of concern."‘ But it said there is no conclusive evidence that chlorinated water causes cancer, _ or whether statistics also relate to a variety of liâ€" festyle item ranging from coffeeâ€"breaks to air pollution. If Kitchener trustee Barbara Fraser has her way, suggestion boxes may soon be installed in all Waterloo County pubâ€" lic schools. Trustee seeks input The trustee brought the matter before the reâ€" gular meeting of the board of education, Thursday night, during the question period. Chairman of the board Lynne Woolstencroft said that it had not been board policy to go to the employees for suggesâ€" Except for a small amount ingested into the system from the Grand River, all of the regional water supply comes from underground wells The water from these is generally more pure than water from lakes and rivers and is cleaned naturally by gravel and other elements in the earth. Waterloo region may be one of the largest municipalities in Onâ€" tario relying primarily upon well water for its supply of H20. ‘‘We‘re in the minâ€" ority," _ says Michaâ€" lofsky. ‘"We‘re very forâ€" tunate with the water we‘ve got. We don‘t have to chlorinate on a conâ€" tinuous basis.‘"‘ Out of 90 wells in the region, he reported, only 15 are chlorinated â€" two in Cambridge, three in Kitchener, all five in Elâ€" mira and the rest in St. Jacob‘s,. Baden, New Hamburg and Ayr. The Elmira water is actually chlorinated to eliminate bad taste and odour connected with an iron bacteria, not strictâ€" ly for health purposes. The water in the other rural towns and villages is chlorinated for disinâ€" fectant purposes, but also out of an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment, which orâ€" iginally controlled the water supplies in those areas. ‘Why not pick the brains of board emâ€" ployees for ways of savâ€" ing the board time and money."‘ Fraser said, ‘‘There are probably some people out there who have some good ideas, but they just haâ€" ven‘t been asked." Following the brief discussion of the quesâ€" tion the Kitchener trusâ€" tee asked that the subâ€" ject be added to the agenda early in the new year. In a second question to the board Fraser asked Unlike the rest, it at the same time is the only municipality that has its water treated with fluoride, a chemiâ€" cal compound used to prevent tooth decay Waterloo is the only place where none of the water is chlorinated A _ small _ amount of sodium silcaâ€" te is used sparsely in two regional locations to fight problems associatâ€" ed with large amounts of iron. Apart from _ the fluoride in Waterioo, the sodium silicate used to treat about four per cent of the region‘s water and the chlorine for treatâ€" ment of about ten per cent of the water, there are no other chemicals or additives put into the region‘s water supply. For the most part, it‘s nature‘s.pure product that regional residents drink. One sobering note though for Kitchener reâ€" sidents â€" they are the only regional residents who get water from the Grand River in their drinking supply, from three different locations in the city, all chlorinatâ€" Most of the water in the region is from deep gravel and artesian wells, except in the case of Cambridge, which mainly has rockâ€"limesâ€" tone wells Even then, the river water is used in small amounts and mixed with the well water, using a system called ‘‘induced infiltration,"‘ _ where water is drawn from the river, down through the gravel and up again through the well. why the new words for O‘Canada had not been posted in the classrooms of _ Waterloo _ region schools. . Superintendent _ of Operations, _ Stewart Whitney was quick to answer Fraser‘s quesâ€" tion by saying the board had recently received the official new wording of O‘Canada in the past few weeks from the Minâ€" istry of Education. The schools under board jurisdiction received the word changes that same week. FIRE GUTS HOME _ Citizens respond to homeless family‘s plight by Stewart Sutherland A Kitchener family . left homeless when fire swept their Queens Blvd. home last Friday night, will have a happy Christmas thanks to the generosity of nuâ€" merous Twin City church groups. residents and orâ€" ganizations. In the meantime, the family is hoping to resettle in Waterloo. Irene O ‘Toole, 34, and her two children â€" Judith, 10. and sixâ€"yearâ€"old Michael â€" were visiting a friend when the house they rented was gutted by fire leavâ€" ing them homeless and with only the clothes they were wearing. All their possessions, none of which were insured,. were lost in the blaze. Their friend,. Doreen Warner, made a public apâ€" peal over the weekend for donations of furniture. clothing and kitchen utensils to help the O‘toole‘s rebuild their lives and Warner says the response has been "unreal." ‘‘One really heartening thing that has been hapâ€" pening is that people have been coming in with preâ€" sents their children picked out from under their own Christmas trees." Warner said People have been donating furniture, toys and games, food, small appliances and books, she said ‘‘*The response from the public has been beauâ€" tiful,"" Warner said. "The spirit of the community is incredible and donations have been flooding in. But the main emphasis of the emergency drive is now being placed on cash donations rather than furâ€" nishings to enable the O‘Toole‘s to find new rental accommodations and buy a stove, refrigerator and other large appliances. _ **We‘ve raised about $400 so far and a representaâ€" tive from the United Brethren Church (in Kitchener ) stopped by with a cheque for $1,000,"" she said. ‘‘They have more than enough donations now. In fact we‘re beginning to get some duplication in some of the items so we‘re asking for the public to donate money,"" Warner said Meanwhile in Waterloo, Charlotte Granskou has set up an emergency committee to find rental acâ€" commodation for the family in the area of Alexâ€" andra Public School where the two O ‘Toole children attend school. ‘‘*Our main interest is in finding a roof for the O‘Tooles." Granskou said. ‘"Once we get them a new home we‘ll concentrate our efforts on getting them some large appliances and other things that people may not think of donating but are needed by the family." The blaze broke out at about 10:30 p.m. Friday and O‘Toole first learned of it while watching the late evening news at Warner‘s home. . â€" â€" Besides losing their home, the biggest loss to the O‘Toole family was a valuable collection of chilâ€" dren‘s books which cannot be replaced. _Anyone who wants to rent a home in the area of Alexandra Public School to the O ‘Tooles should call Granskou at 579â€"3011. The fire, which caused an estimated $40,000 daâ€" mage to the rented house, started in the basement laundryroom and spread throughout the rest of the building, Kitchener fire department investigators said last week. Firemen were unable to salvage any of the famiâ€" ly‘s possessions and Warner says the family has been forced to rebuild their lives "from the ground up. â€" â€" â€" Those wishing to make cash donations can call Warner at 744â€"4269 or stop by her home at 41 Leonâ€" ard St. in Kitchener. There is also an Irene O ‘Toole Emergency Fund at the Belmont Plaza location of Canada Trust. In the meantime, the O‘Tooles will be spending a somewhat brighter Christmas with friends in Camâ€" bridge thanks to Twin City residents who have given in the true spirit of the season.