A water treatment system comprises an electrolytic cell comprising: a first electrode; a second electrode comprising a coating of polymer comprising structural units of formula I and a power source for powering the first and the second electrodes; wherein R1 is independently at each occurrence a C1-C6 alkyl radical or —SO3H; R2 is independently at each occurrence a C1-C6 alkyl radical; a is independently at each occurrence an integer ranging from 0 to 4; and b is independently at each occurrence an integer ranging from 0 to 3. An associated method is also described.