17/09/2026
CHANTILLY NEWS & VIEWS
VOLUME 27 September 16, 2026
THE WATER WE DRINK: A COMMUNITY HEALTH ALERT
Truth • Unity • Progress • Community • Hope
COLUMN 1: COMMUNITY FOCUS
A Question We Cannot Afford to Ignore: What Is in Our Water?
This edition brings attention to an issue that concerns every household in Chantilly:
The condition of the water coming from the district tank.
Residents depend on this water every day—for bathing, washing, cooking, and, in some cases, drinking.
There are serious concerns about the chlorine level being unusually high. Those concerns should not simply be dismissed, but they also need to be handled responsibly: a water-quality concern should be confirmed by proper testing before anyone makes a definitive claim about whether the water is unsafe.
Chlorine itself is routinely used to disinfect drinking water. The World Health Organization notes that maintaining a small chlorine residual is normal practice because it helps protect water against microbial contamination.
The problem is therefore not simply that chlorine is present. The important question is:
How much chlorine is actually present in our water?
If the measured residual is substantially above the appropriate level, the community deserves to know.
What Can Excessive Chlorine Exposure Do?
High chlorine exposure can irritate the:
Eyes
Skin
Nose and throat
Respiratory system
Significant exposure can cause coughing, breathing difficulty, chest discomfort, and other respiratory symptoms. Chlorine gas at high concentrations is particularly dangerous.
Our Appeal
Until the water is properly tested and the results are known, residents who have an alternative safe water source may wish to use that source for drinking and cooking.
If collecting rainwater or another source, it should be collected hygienically and treated appropriately before drinking—rainwater should not automatically be assumed safe simply because it is rain
We are not trying to create panic.
We are asking for testing, transparency, and accountability.
If residents are concerned about the district supply, let the appropriate authorities test the water and publicly communicate the results.
Chantilly deserves to know what is in the water we depend upon.
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COLUMN 2: HEALTH & WELLNESS
Water Is Life — But Safe Water Matters
A Health Message from Dr. Duke Atkinson
Water is fundamental to life.
It supports circulation, digestion, temperature regulation, kidney function, and virtually every major process in the human body.
But clean water and safe water are not necessarily the same thing.
That is why communities need reliable water-quality monitoring.
Five Water-Safety Principles
1. Know your source.
Know where your household water comes from.
2. Pay attention to unusual changes.
A strong chemical smell, unusual taste, discoloration, or other sudden change should be reported and investigated.
3. The smell of chlorine will indicate its presence, but it cannot tell you whether the concentration is safe.
4. Protect stored water.
Keep drinking water in clean, covered containers away from contamination and direct sunlight.
5. Get the water tested.
A proper measurement is far more useful than speculation.
Health Jewel
"Don't guess when you can test."
That principle applies to water, blood pressure, blood sugar, nutrition, and many other areas of health.
As a health scientist, my appeal is simple:
Protect the people first. Get the facts. Then act.
COLUMN 3: VOICES OF CHANTILLY
THE PEOPLE'S VOICE: WE DESERVE SAFE WATER
A community cannot thrive without basic necessities.
Our children need functioning schools.
Our families need safe water.
Our elderly need protection.
Our workers need healthy environments.
And our young people need to believe that their community is moving forward.
The question surrounding the district water supply is therefore bigger than chlorine.
It is about community confidence.
When people turn on a pipe, they should have confidence that the water coming out is properly treated and monitored.
When parents prepare food, they should not have to wonder whether the water is appropriate for cooking.
This is not about blaming anyone.
It is about asking the right questions.
Was the water tested?
What was the chlorine residual?
When was it tested?
What are the results?
If the levels are outside the recommended range, what corrective action is being taken?
These are reasonable questions from a community that cares about its health.
COLUMN 4: UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Community Development Continues
While we raise important health concerns, Chantilly continues to move forward.
Our community has demonstrated repeatedly that when people work together, progress is possible.
Chantilly Choice Packaging Co. Ltd.
The development of Chantilly Choice Packaging Co. Ltd. continues as part of our vision for local economic growth.
From Chantilly to Jamaica
We continue to welcome investors, partners, and supporters who want to participate in building a productive business that can create employment and circulate economic activity within our community.
Support Local Development
We continue to encourage support for:
The restoration of Chantilly Primary School
Continued improvements to St. Stevenson Church
Local businesses
Youth activities
Community organizations
New employment and investment opportunities
A SPECIAL COMMUNITY APPEAL
LET US LIGHT UP OUR MINDS — AND PROTECT OUR WATER
We have celebrated the installation of new lights along Chantilly's residential roads.
We have talked about lighting up our minds.
Now we must also make sure that the basic necessities of life receive the same attention.
Water. Education. Health. Employment.
These are not luxuries.
They are foundations.
A community that wants to move forward must pay attention to all of them.
EDITORIAL CLOSE
WE ARE NOT ALARMISTS. WE ARE WATCHFUL.
Chantilly News & Views believes in asking difficult questions respectfully.
We should never create unnecessary fear.
But neither should we ignore something that could affect the health of hundreds of people.
The appropriate response to a water-quality concern is testing, evidence, transparency, and action.
So our message this month is simple:
Test the water.
Publish the results.
Correct any problem that is found.
Protect the people.
And let us continue building a Chantilly where our children can learn, our families can thrive, our businesses can grow, and our people can have confidence in the basic resources upon which their lives depend.
One Community. One Voice. One Future.
CHANTILLY NEWS & VIEWS
VOLUME 27
Truth • Unity • Progress • Community • Hope