Water quality questions continue for Saskatchewan

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With the recent water contamination problems in North Battleford, many people have been getting an uneasy feeling every time they turn on their taps.

The latest Saskatchewan community to run into water quality problems is Meadow Lake. On May 25 Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management (SERM) issued a precautionary drinking water advisory, suggesting residents of Meadow Lake, the Flying Dust First Nation, and anyone else using water from the Meadow Lake municipal system, boil the water for at least three minutes before using it for drinking, cooking, preparing food, washing dishes or brushing their teeth.

The advisory was issued after an organism called cyclopoida was found in water samples taken from the town's distribution system. While the organism is killed during the water chlorination process, the advisory is in effect until the health district and SERM can determine whether the organism's presence means there are problems with the water treatment system.

Last year, SERM and the Department of Health issued 69 precautionary drinking water advisories, and 10 emergency boil water orders to communities across the province.

On May 11, the provincial and federal government announced more than $19.4 million in funding for 74 infrastructure programs in Saskatchewan. Among the projects slated for funding are upgrades to water services in 33 communities, and 15 wastewater projects. Many of the communities on the receiving end of the funding were among those that received advisories last year.

This funding announcement was in addition to the $1.2 million committed by the province on March 22 to improve the quality of drinking water. The money was earmarked for, among other things, improvements in water testing and monitoring, and development of water quality guidelines and standards.

As far as First Nations communities are concerned, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) maintains the situation there is no worse than for the rest of the province.

"Out of the 70 First Nations in Saskatchewan, 62 have water treatment plants, fully equipped water treatment plants. Eight other First Nations purchase water from municipal water supplies, or provide chlorinated water from private or community wells. So all 70 First Nations in Saskatchewan are pretty much covered in terms of having secure water supplies," said Trevor Sutter, communications manager with INAC in Saskatchewan.

One First Nations community where there have been problems, Sutter added, is Yellow Quill.

"In the Yellow Quill situation, they have an intermittent creek that's used to fill up the reservoir. And it's very high in organic matter, although the water's generally good quality. It's high in organic matter, and it requires fairly intensive treatment of the water," he said.

"We just agreed last week with Yellow Quill to look for an alternative source, and we are going to look at a ground water source, which is basically well water. It's just a matter of determining which aquifer the water will come from. So yes, these problems, in Saskatchewan at least, are being addressed," he said.