Contractors work on the Te Mato Vai water project in Rarotonga, Cook Islands Photo: Phillipa Webb / Cook Islands News
The company that will run the new Cook Islands water system says it is vital the water is disinfected to kill the impurities in it.
A decision is still to be made on what will be used to disinfect the water in Rarotonga's Te Mato Vai system - the government wants to use chlorine, which environmentalists strongly oppose.
They have been campaigning for the government to be more open and to consider using more environmentally benign processes.
Brent Manning, who is the chief executive of the company managing the system, To Tatou Vai, said the decision was not for his company to make but he said some form of disinfection was absolutely vital.
"There are many, many bacteria in this water supply here.
"In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that if this was in any other developed nation the water supply here would be condemned, because it is, based on the testing and results we have seen todate, it's completely unsafe," he said.