St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe says the city wants to help a Kilbride couple that's been dealing with tainted drinking water.

But he won't repeat an earlier promise to connect their house to the city's supply.

Ed and Elizabeth Power are senior citizens whose well water has been contaminated for 15 years.

The Powers say O'Keefe told them in late 2008 he was "99.9 per cent sure the water will get down to you in the spring."

But that has yet to happen.

On Tuesday, O'Keefe said he doesn't regret making that pledge to the Powers three years ago.

"I guess in my exuberance I figured, 'Wow, we were going to be able to do it,' " the mayor said.

O'Keefe said the city has since determined that the couple's home is on a steep incline, and it would be too expensive to run the pipes to one house. He said the city can deliver water to the Powers if they experience another shortage.

Elizabeth Power says that's no help to a couple of seniors who can't carry heavy buckets full of water.

"If you use the toilet, that means you need to get somebody to bring up that bucket of water to flush it. That's absolutely useless,” she said.

She's calling on the city to install a deeper well for their home.

O’Keefe poured cold water on that idea.

"We're not in the business of taking care of private wells on private property,” he said.

O'Keefe said he will ask city officials to look into what can be done for the Powers.