ST..JOHNS (CBC) - The Newfoundland and Labrador government said Friday it will spend millions of dollars over the next three years to improve drinking water in scores of small communities.

"We will take care, in the next three years, [of] 70 to 80 per cent of all the drinking water quality issues in the province, which is quite significant," Environment Minister Charlene Johnson said.

Safe tap water is not available in many Newfoundland towns, with more than 150 currently under some sort of boil-order.

However, the Drinking Water Safety Initiative, unveiled at a news conference in Gander, will not mean all residents will have drinkable tap water when the program is completed.

Instead, some small towns, with fewer than 500 residents, will get small water-treatment plants that will allow them to obtain drinking water from one location in each town. Each unit costs about $75,000, and the government will cover 90 per cent of the cost.

The plan will cost $2.9 million to implement, while $6 million will be spent during each of six years for upgrades in municipal infrastructure.

"We will also invest in other types of infrastructure to support purification such as ultra violet systems, ozonation systems, improved chlorination and better filtration systems," Municipal Affairs Minister Dave Denine said.

In larger centres, engineering studies will be launched to identify options.

"I see this as a good first step," said Graham Letto, president of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It's more of an interim fix to the problem. It's not a long-term thing."

The government plans to start the program with small water-treatment plants in 50 communities that have been identified as having long-term drinking water problems. The province is hoping to have half the work done over the next year.

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