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MP mixes chloride and chlorine

Posted December 4, 2008 15:29:00
Updated December 4, 2008 15:56:00

Liberal Mitch Williams: mixed up chloride and chlorine (ABC News)

• Map: Ceduna 5690

A political row over water in South Australia's far west has brought a call for an Opposition MP to go back to school.

Liberal water security spokesman Mitch Williams said Ceduna's water was so off-putting that residents were unable to make themselves a cup of tea.

In a news release, Mr Williams stated that testing had found chloride levels at 41 times the World Health Organisation's recommended level.

"If this was happening in metropolitan Adelaide there would be a public outcry," he also told ABC radio.

But SA Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald said Mr Williams was scaremongering - and wrong with his facts.

"Mitch Williams needs to go back to school and learn a bit about chemistry. He's referred to chlorides - we don't actually dose water with chlorides, we dose it with chlorine," the Minister said.

Mrs Maywald says chlorides in water were actually good for people's health.

Tags: drought, states-and-territories, offbeat, water, sa, adelaide-5000, ceduna-5690, port-augusta-5700, port-lincoln-5606, port-pirie-5540, whyalla-5600