Something stinks with my drinking water

The Town of Newmarket announced today that we are switching water treatment disinfectant from chloramine to free chlorine (here:  http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1489399--newmarket-changing-water-disinfection-system).

As many residents are about to discover, free chlorine disinfectant can turn your water a different colour and give it more of a chemical-smell.  When you shower, your bathroom will reek of chlorine.  If you drink water from the tap, you will have to learn to tolerate its new taste, (although free chlorine is reportedly safe to drink).   

I expect that many residents will have no choice but to purchase non-refillable plastic containers of water in order to enjoy a glass of water.   It begs the question, when considering this change, did anyone at the Town of Newmarket think about the potential harm to the environment beforehand? 

The Town of Newmarket is telling us that free chlorine is safe, referring to it as approved by the Ministry of the Environment.  However, studies show that chlorine strips a person's skin of protective hair and natural oils which can make some people susceptible to rashes and other skin irritations.  Breathing in chlorine during a hot shower can cause breathing problems for some individuals too. 

Like everyone else, I am concerned about having safe drinking water from our taps and using chloramine disinfectant is a more expensive process.  Free chlorine is the cheaper disinfectant.  Yet, I contend that there is a marked difference in quality of taste and smell between the two systems and most residents have come to expect high quality drinking water.  This year our water bill increased exponentially and now we learn that the quality of water is being decreased. 

Readers should keep in mind this news (from July), http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1394117--conservation-methods-drive-up-water-costs-expert when the town announced it was increasing the amount of chlorine it uses, plus adding ammonia to make the chlorine last longer.  Factor in the fluoride that is also being added and you have to ask yourself, is this a glass of H2O or some kind of chemical soup that we are being forced to ingest?  Is this what we get in return for our higher water bills?