First Nations water systems in peril

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This article was published 15/07/2011 (5207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — More than one-quarter of Manitoba First Nations have water systems considered to be a high risk to human health, the federal government reported Thursday.

That number doesn’t take into account the risk to communities that have no running water, however.

The findings are contained in the National Assessment of First Nation Water and Waste-water Systems report released by Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan Thursday.

The assessment, conducted in 2009 and 2010 by an independent engineering firm, looked at the status of water systems on more than 570 reserves nationwide, including all 62 in Manitoba.

Nationally, 39 per cent of the water systems and 14 per cent of the waste-water systems are considered high-risk. A further 34 per cent of water systems and more than 51 per cent of waste-water systems are medium-risk.

The report estimates it will cost the federal government more than $1.2 billion to bring the systems up to standard, including developing better management practices, improving training of system operators, increasing system capacity and building new infrastructure. Over the next 10 years, a further $4.7 billion is needed to keep the systems up to standard as communities grow.

Duncan called the assessment, which cost about $10 million, the most comprehensive look Canada has ever taken at the water quality on First Nations: “The report gives us a more comprehensive picture of the challenges and it also shows us more needs to be done.”

The picture painted in Manitoba shows 28 per cent of water systems and 10 per cent of waste-water systems on the 62 reserves in the province have major deficiencies that pose a high risk to water quality. Immediate repairs and upgrades are recommended.

A further 43 per cent of water systems and 62 per cent of waste-water systems on Manitoba reserves pose a medium risk, meaning immediate repairs may not be necessary but upgrades are eventually required to avoid future problems.

The report acknowledges the risk assessment used was not equipped to assess the risk of water quality to First Nations homes that don’t have running water. Manitoba has the highest proportion of homes without indoor plumbing, accounting for nearly half the homes in that situation nationwide.

The report notes some homes have water pipes that bring water almost to the front door but they can’t be used because the house has no indoor plumbing.

A Free Press investigation last fall found serious health implications were caused by a lack of running water in the Island Lake region. Many residents have less access to clean drinking water than do people in refugee camps under United Nation standards.

Garry Best, director of engineering and technical service for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, said the lack of running water may not be a system risk but it is considered a community risk. He said the issue was accounted for in projections of the cost to bring water systems up to par in Manitoba.

However, he said that cost does not include the retrofitting of homes to add toilets and kitchen sinks.

Last fall, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief David Harper estimated it would cost upwards of $33 million to retrofit the houses with indoor plumbing.

The province and Ottawa agreed to work on a program to train residents in Island Lake to do the work. However, there was no money set aside for the program in either the federal or the provincial budgets this year.

The report suggests it would cost $82 million to bring the systems in Manitoba up to meet Canada’s protocols for water and waste-water systems. A further $690 million is needed over the next decade for new servicing.

British Columbia had the highest proportion of high-risk water systems at 53 per cent. Saskatchewan, at 26 per cent, had the lowest.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Risk assessment:

Total number of water systems on First Nations

Canada 807

Manitoba 74

 

High-risk water systems

Canada 314 (39%)

Manitoba 21 (28%)

 

Medium-risk water systems

Canada 278 (34%)

Manitoba 32 (43%)

 

Number of waste-water systems on First Nations

Canada 532

Manitoba 61

 

Number of high-risk waste-water systems

Canada 72 (14%)

Manitoba 6 (10%)

 

Number of medium-risk waste-water systems

Canada 272 (51%)

Manitoba 38 (62%)

 

Of 15,661 homes on First Nations in Manitoba:

51 per cent have water piped right into them

31 per cent have water delivered by truck

13 per cent have individual wells

5 per cent have no water service

45 per cent have waste-water pipes

28 per cent have waste-water hauled away by trucks

22 per cent have individual septic systems

5 per cent have no waste-water service.

 

— National Assessment of First Nation Water and Waste-water Systems, July 2011