Constance Lake forced to buy water

Constance Lake has been forced to purchase additional supplies of water for community members due to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s recent cut in supplied bottled water.
“The band is still giving that 4.5 (litres of bottled water per person) even though INAC indicated they will reduce it to 1.5 (litres),” said Constance Lake Chief Arthur Moore.
“I’m hoping that they will reimburse us the full amount for whatever we distribute.”
Moore said the bottled water shipment costs about $50,000 for a population of 900 on-reserve band members for a period of about four months.
A recently drilled well should be connected to the community’s water distribution system by the end of January or early February so bottled water would no longer be needed.
“I don’t think we’re asking anything astronomical at this time,” Moore said. “It’s something realistic that we need to deal with.”
Moore said INAC’s supply of 1.5 litres of drinking water per person is unrealistic when cooking and food preparation is considered.
“We all know that we need more than 1.5 (litres of water) as individuals,” Moore said.
“It’s basically telling us that we don’t have to eat or boil water for cooking.
“We need that water to clean salads and vegetables and the meat before we cook it.
“If we use the tap water, it is still not safe.”
To date, the community remains under a boil water advisory.
An INAC spokeswoman said the bottled water supply has been reduced from four litres to 1.5 litres per person per day.
She says it’s because the community now has access to a consistent water supply via a truck that meets the additional water requirements of residents on a daily basis.
“INAC has committed $203,000 to truck water from a local co-generation plant that filters and treats water drawn from the Kabina River,” said Susan E. Bertrand, manager of communications north for INAC.
“While the co-generation plant does not treat the water for drinking, once the water is delivered to Constance Lake’s water treatment plant, it is disinfected using a procedure developed by the plant operators and the Ontario Clean Water Agency.”
Bertrand said the disinfected water meets both Canadian and Ontario guidelines according to regular Health Canada analysis.
But because the water sometimes appears cloudy, a boil water advisory has been recommended to provide added protection.
“During the times of very high turbidity in the water obtained from the co-generation plant, the First Nation purchases and hauls water from the Town of Hearst,” Bertrand said.
Health Canada indicates guidelines for the amount of water required during an emergency are as follows: 1.5 litres per day for drinking water purposes for an adult, one litre per day for drinking water purposes for a child and 4.5 litres per day of additional water needed for personal hygiene.
Moore said doctors recommend healthy adults consume 2.2 litres of water per day.
“That doesn’t include those that are active, have poor health conditions and pregnant women,” Moore said.
“I continue to fear that the lack of clean water will lead to despair and ill health for the people of Constance Lake First Nation.”
The community has been without a viable source of water since early summer.
That’s when a thick layer of algae formed over the lake that was the main water supply for the community.
The water treatment plant was unable to filter the algae bloom.