Capacity Gap & Initiatives on First Nations Water & Wastewater March 10, 2010 Hilton Hotel & Suites, Niagara Falls, Ontario Wesley Bova, P.Eng. Matawa First Nations Management

The Walkerton Inquiry Part 2 (2002) “water provided to First Nations reserves is some of the poorest quality water in the province.” It went on to indicate that water quality is not provided at the standards that prevail throughout the province.

Walkerton Inquiry Part 2 First Nations Issues were summarized as follows: infrastructure is either obsolete, entirely absent, inappropriate, or of low quality; not enough operators are adequately trained or certified; testing and inspection are inadequate; microbial contamination is frequent; and distribution systems, especially on reserves, are sized to deliver about half the water available per capita to other Ontarians. The report stated that “This is not acceptable”.

Report of the Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Indicated the need for a comprehensive approach to reduce the risk of unsafe drinking water to negligible level by: putting in place multiple barriers aimed at preventing contaminants from reaching consumers; adopting a cautious approach to making decisions that affect drinking water safety; ensuring that water providers apply sound quality management and operating systems; and providing effective provincial government regulation and oversight.

Report of the Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations The multi barrier approach source water protection; effective drinking water treatment; and secure distribution of treated water to consumers. “These steps rely on effective monitoring of drinking water quality, as well as enlightened management of the various systems involved in producing, protecting and delivering drinking water.”

2005 Engineers Reports on Water Systems Community Estimated Cost of Mitigation Measures Estimated Cost of Treatment Upgrades Total Cost of Mitigation and Treatment Upgrades Constance Lake First Nation $1,400,000$4,000,000$5,400,000 Eabametoong First Nation $703,350$4,000,000$4,703,350 Marten Falls First Nation $699,975$4,000,000$4,699,975 Neskantaga First Nation $791,100$4,000,000$4,791,100 Nibinamik First Nation $707,400$4,000,000$4,707,400 Totals$4,301,825$20,000,000$24,301,825

2005 Engineering Assessment Waste Water Systems Community Estimated Cost to Implement Recommended Operations and Maintenance Requirements Estimated Cost to Address Deficiencies Total Estimated Cost of O&M and Deficiencies Constance Lake First Nation $14,000$497,000$511,000 Eabametoong First Nation $14,000$6,323,200$6,337,200 Marten Falls First Nation $12,000$2,351,800$2,363,800 Nibinamik First Nation $33,000$1,849,200$1,882,200 Totals$73,000$11,021,200$11,094,200

Questions