NIBINAMIK PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM - BACKGROUND ASSESSMENT Information for the Ontario Regional Director General
DATE: 31 January 2018
SUMMARY
• The Nibinamik First Nation has been under Boil Water Advisory since 2013 due to “equipment malfunction during treatment or distribution”.
• Lack of road access and consequentially higher transportation costs, in addition to a lack of recent data, impose further challenges on providing clean and safe drinking water to the Nibinamik First Nation.
• The Nibinamik Public Water System is currently undergoing a feasibility study, which is expected to be completed by February 2018 and will then proceed to the design stage.
• The Nibinamik First Nation Community is hopeful that the boil water advisory will be lifted by 2020.
BACKGROUND
The Nibinamik First Nation community, also known as Summer Beaver, was originally part of Lansdowne house, but religious tensions and violence incited many people to leave Lansdowne House in the 1970s and settle on Nibinamik Lake. The Nibinamik First Nation was established in 1975.
The Nibinamik First Nation has been under Boil Water Advisory since 2013 due to “equipment malfunction during treatment or distribution”. The existing public water system has no treatment chemicals added to the water treatment process, therefore filtration does not meet the requirements of a chemically assisted filtration plant as required by the Ontario provincial regulations. Ontario Provincial Drinking Water Standards recommend against recommend the use of pressure filters for treating surface water sources. Piped water is “yellow-ish” and bottled water is flown in from Sioux Lookout to provide the community with drinking water. Most First Nation members get their drinking water by taking a boat to a nearby lake, and boiling the water before drinking it.
Records have not been kept or submitted to Health Canada. Water samples were not being collected and submitted for lab analysis to help ensure the plant is operated in a manner to produce clean and safe drinking water. A fuel spill occurred following repairs in 2013, and no water samples have been collected since. The absence of data is resulting in the need to maintain the advisory.
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CONSIDERATIONS
Lack of data on the current situation imposes further assessment challenges. The Nibinamik First Nation requires a feasibility study to identify the required water treatment process. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change completed winter raw water sampling to support the feasibility study and compress its schedule. The feasibility study is expected to be completed by February 2018 and the expected date of resolution of the water advisory is February 2018.
The Nibinamik First Nation is a remote community that is only accessible by a winter road or air. There is no road access and this has resulted in higher transportation costs for the community. Road access depends on the season, and last year the Matawa First Nations Tribal Council estimated that the winter road was accessible for only five days. Water treatment plants depend on capital equipment to function properly and mobilization of materials is tied to the winter road. Wesley Bova, manager of technical services at Matawa First Nations Management, believes that this year’s conditions will allow full mobilization of equipment.
There needs to be a focus on human capital investments concurrent with investments in physical capital. Funding for operations and management continues to be an issue for the Nibinamik First Nation’s drinking water systems. The Circuit Rider Training Program launched by the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada provides First Nation operators with hands- on training on how to operate, service and maintain the water and wastewater systems in their community, but only funds 80 per cent of the program’s management costs. The total budgeted estimate for operations and management is insufficient to properly retain qualified water treatment operators.
NEXT STEPS
The results from the feasibility study are expected in February 2018. The project can then proceed to design stage. Procurement for a consulting contract is underway. The Matawa First Nations Management is hoping for a similar expedited process as the Eabametoong First Nation.
Ontario’s plan to build a year-round road to Webequie, Nibinamik and Marten Falls could have a large impact on project delivery by reducing costs and seasonal delays.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and the Nibinamik First Nation have conducted numerous meetings during the development of this project and these meetings will continue through to project. The Nibinamik First Nation however will have no capacity to implement its own infrastructure projects in the future unless it is able raise their own source of revenue.
PREPARED BY Sanya Ramnauth, SPPG student in PPG1007 Section I
SPPG PPG1007 Section I Briefing Note Exercise Page 2 ANNEX INFORMATION – Nibinamik First Nation
General Information First Nations Band: Location: Nibinamik First Nation Kenora district: 390 km north of Sioux Lookout, 530 km north of Thunder Bay, 370 km northeast of Red Lake and 655 km northeast of Winnipeg
Population: Average Income: Employment Level:
440 (2017 estimates) $16,157 (2006 estimates) 47.7% (2006 estimates)
Remoteness: Additional Information:
Community only accessible by air or Originally part of Lansdowne House but in 1975 a group winter/ice road branching off the left community due to violence to set up own reserve on Northern Ontario Resource Trail Nibinamik Lake heading N from Pickle Lake
Shoal Lake Water Information Boil Water Advisories to date Start of current BWA Population served by water system
3 (+1 precautionary) 02/05/2013 354
Water Source: Main Cause of BWA: j Surface water Malfunction during treatment or distribution j
Source Risk: 4 (2001) Design Risk: 8 (2001) Most recent risk assessment: Overall Risk Level: Operations Risk: 6 (2001)
Report Risk: 6 (2001) Winter 2017-2018 7 (2001)
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ANNEX INFORMATION – Nibinamik First Nation
Total upgrade cost estimate: Per lot upgrade estimate:
Awaiting results from feasibility Awaiting results from feasibility
study (Winter 2017-2018) study (Winter 2017-2018)
Total servicing cost estimate: Per lot servicing estimate:
Awaiting results from feasibility Awaiting results from feasibility study (Winter 2017-2018) study (Winter 2017-2018)
Total operation and Per lot operation and Key Operation and maintenance estimate: maintenance estimate: Maintenance Needs
Awaiting results from feasibility Awaiting results from feasibility Road to Ring of Fire mining study (Winter 2017-2018) study (Winter 2017-2018) development connecting Nibinamik to rest of Ontario will need to be in place for lower costs for infrastructure. Other comments:
Fuel spill occurred following repairs to an advisory in 2013. No
samples have been taken since, and the absence of data is
resulting in the need to maintain the advisory.
A report by the David Suzuki Foundation and The Council of
Canadians reported the situation in Nibinamik as “glass empty”,
meaning that unless current processes and procedures are
formed, it is unlikely that the DWA will be lifted within the five year commitment.
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