Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper remains unconvinced his council has to comply with national drinking water standards.
''I just always thought we could push back against this thing, but am I the only one that thinks this?'' he asked at yesterday's council meeting.
The subject was raised during discussion on spending $14.5 million to upgrade Alexandra's town water supply.
The council has spent more than six years investigating various options to improve water quality and more than 250 people made submissions on the topic last month, in response to a call for feedback on the proposed options.
As well as seeking a water source with less lime, the project included treating the water so it met national drinking water standards.
Mr Lepper said he had never been convinced the council had to do ''a lot of expensive stuff'' to meet the standards.
Councillors Shirley Calvert and Martin McPherson said postponing that part of the project would be ''delaying the inevitable''.
Council water services manager Russell Bond said the council had to decide what level of risk it was prepared to live with, as well as what was affordable, in terms of upgrading the supply.
Ultraviolet treatment of the water dealt with protozoa but chlorination did not deal with bacteria.
Mr Lepper said Clyde water would also come under the spotlight and Clyde people believed their town water was ''perfect'' so why should they have to spend money on it ''because someone in Wellington tells us to''.
The council agreed to set aside $14.5 million in the long-term plan to find a new water source with less lime and to ''ultimately'' provide treatment to meet national drinking water standards.