HOLLIDAYSBURG — A Commonwealth Court panel said an elderly central Pennsylvania couple should not be fined for refusing to use township-supplied water because they say its chlorine makes the woman sick.

Donald and Janet Burket were forced by a Blair County judge to tap into Greenfield Township’s water system in 2008 to comply with a local ordinance, and the appeals court upheld that ruling.

So the Burkets complied by connecting township water to a basement sink and paying for the service, but continued to use well water elsewhere in their home. A township attorney wanted a Blair County judge to fine the couple for contempt of court, but the judge refused in October and the appeals court on Friday upheld that decision, saying the couple has abided by his order to connect to the township’s water, even if they rarely use it.