The owner of an Eganville, Ont., trailer park ordered by Ontario's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to restore running water to his tenants claims it's the residents themselves who have sabotaged it in retaliation for their pending evictions.

The year-round residents of Cedar Beach Camp have been under a boil water advisory for two years and water delivery to the taps of the homes has been sporadic since last summer.

In March, the Ministry of Environment ordered the owner of the park to restore drinking water to the homes by May 6.

Water is available from residential taps for a couple of hours in the early morning but then it disappears for the day and returns again in the evening for about two hours.

The live-in managers of Cedar Beach, Norm and Lorraine Clost, say they have to control the pump so it isn't damaged by running the well dry.

Retribution for eviction notices

The 56-year-old Peterborough owner, Frank Ye, contradicted that version Thursday saying the well can meet the normal demands of residents and calling those complaining about low supply "cheating cheaters."

"Water is there, you go now, the water is there, you go last night, the water is there," said Ye, who agreed to be interviewed in the interest of a "fair story for the public."

Ye said residents were turning off the electrical breaker, in effect sabotaging the pump and the well, in order to make his life difficult as retribution for the eviction.

Ye sent out eviction notices in December 2015 telling the residents they had one year to move out, informing them he intends to turn the trailer park into a seasonal camp ground.

"I have no water, I have no water!" said Ye, in a mocking voice. "Bullshit! They make trouble for themselves, they want to play with me? Go ahead."

Ye claims water shortages last summer were caused by a resident with a malfunctioning toilet.

Ye said after neighbours helped the man to install a new toilet in July the water problem disappeared until December, when he issued eviction notices and he says tenants retaliated by leaving taps on and running the well low.

Residents say water problems go back further than last summer

Most of the residents of Cedar Beach are retired, and those whom CBC spoke to say the water problems go back further than last summer.

Resident Donna Mead holds up the newest of her signs protesting water conditions at Cedar Beach trailer park. (Stu Mills/CBC) Donna Mead has created a series of slogans on cardboard, affixed to her front porch. She says she wants to warn the seasonal visitors of what she says is untrustworthy management and unsafe drinking water.

"You get to the point where you're frustrated and you don't know what to do," she said. "So I thought, 'What the heck, Why not?'"

"I feel the people going in and out of here need to know," said Mead, who has preserved a cup full of water containing rust-coloured particles since it spat out of her tap on Feb. 8.

Won't be making repairs to the well

Ontario's Ministry of Environment said the water system at Cedar Beach went untested for months, is at risk of contamination from spring flooding and is unable to meet the demand of residents.

But Ye denies there are any real problems with the water in his park and said he wouldn't be making any repairs to the well as none are needed.

"You talk to the cheaters, you get a cheating answer," he said.

Residents said the owner did visit the well site on Wednesday, but the situation with the water didn't improve.

Inspectors from the Renfrew County Heath Unit posted a boil-water advisory on Friday about the second well on Ye's property serving the seasonal users of the trailer park.

Inspectors said water samples for that well haven't been regularly submitted for testing.

Ministry fined Ye in the past

The Ministry made a similar judgment against Frank Ye relating to Crystal Beach Camp Resort, a trailer park also owned by Ye in Madoc.

In April 2014, Ye was fined $12,000 for failing to comply with an environment ministry order related to the regular testing of drinking water there and was ordered him to pay a victim fine surcharge of $3,000 in that case.

But Ye denied he has a poor record with the Ministry of Environment.

"Never heard of that. I'm not even aware of what you're talking about."

It appears the deadline will pass without Ye making any repairs to the well at Cedar Beach.

"If they say I'm breaking the law, bring me to court — that's fine."