First Nation wins water challenge

Ochiichagwe’babigo’ining Ojibway Nation (Dalles) recently won the Water Taste Challenge at the 57th Annual Northwestern Ontario Water and Wastewater Conference in Thunder Bay.
“This is the first time ever First Nations have been entered, and we won,” said Phil Tangie, technical services officer with Bimose Tribal Council. “Isn’t that amazing.”
Tangie said the Bimose Tribal Council community’s success in the Water Taste Challenge is significant because their source water comes from the Winnipeg River and was deemed as high risk in a recent national assessment of First Nations source water due to microbiological components.
“The Dalles First Nation water treatment plant took source water that was considered high risk, even though it came from a nice pristine environment,” Tangie said, “and they filtered it and ended up winning this contest.”
Wabauskang took third place in the Water Taste Challenge while Eagle Lake finished in fifth place.
Judging was based on the esthetics of the water, such as taste, smell, clarity and turbidity.
“This isn’t just a victory for Dalles First Nation, it’s not a victory for Bimose, it’s not a victory for Treaty #3,” said Paul Otis, technical services officer with Bimose Tribal Council.
“We feel it is a victory for First Nations coast to coast.”
Otis hopes the results of the Water Taste Challenge will encourage more First Nation communities from the region to attend next year’s conference and to enter into the water and operator challenges.
“Let’s keep breaking records and let’s show the government and let’s show the non-Natives and the people we live with here in the northwest that we’re not doing a bad job either,” Otis said.
While two other Bimose Tribal Council communities, Iskatewizagegaan (Shoal Lake #39) and Wabigoon Lake, also entered the competition, three other Bimose Tribal Council communities could not enter because their water was not safe to drink.
Representatives from two other First Nation communities also attended the conference, including the operator from Kingfisher Lake who also entered the Water Taste Challenge.
Past Water Taste Challenge winners included Vermilion Bay, Ear Falls, Marathon, Thunder Bay and Terrace Bay.