Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance – State of Drinking Water Page i State of Drinking Water in the Peace River Watershed Prepared for: Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance March 2012 Prepared by: Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. Suite 204, 7205 Roper Road NW Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6B 3J4 ©2012 Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance – State of Drinking Water Page ii ©2012 Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance – State of Drinking Water Page iii Contents Table of Contents Contents .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. v 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Peace River Watershed ................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 The Importance of Healthy Drinking Water .................................................................................. 2 1.3 Purpose of the Report ................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Scope of the Report ...................................................................................................................... 6 2 Available Information and Contacts ................................................................................ 6 2.1 Literature Review .......................................................................................................................... 6 Grimshaw Gravels Aquifer Technical Report, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (1998) .................... 6 Water Related Issues and Programs in Northwest Alberta, Northern Alberta Development Council (2003) .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Regional Groundwater Assessment, Hydrogeological Consultants Ltd. for the Northern Zone of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (2004) ........................................................... 7 Waterworks Facility Assessment Report, Associated Engineering for Alberta Environment (2004) .... 8 Municipal Wastewater Facility Assessment, AECOM for Alberta Environment (2009) ........................ 8 Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative ........................................................................................... 8 2.2 Contacts ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2.2.1 Governments ...................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.2 First Nations ........................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.3 Utilities ................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.4 Industry ............................................................................................................................... 13 3 Regulatory Requirements ............................................................................................. 13 3.1 Regulation and Legislation of Drinking Water in Alberta ........................................................... 13 3.2 Regulation and Legislation of Wastewater in Alberta ................................................................ 17 3.3 Regulation and Legislation of Drinking Water and Wastewater for First Nations ...................... 21 3.4 Testing Facilities and Compliance ............................................................................................... 22 3.4.1 Testing Facilities .................................................................................................................. 22 3.4.2 Compliance.......................................................................................................................... 22 4 Existing Drinking Water Sources and Delivery Systems .................................................. 24 ©2012 Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance – State of Drinking Water Page iv 4.1 First Nations Reserves and Métis Settlements in the Peace River Watershed .......................... 24 4.2 Upper Peace River Sub-Basin ...................................................................................................... 25 4.3 Smoky/Wapiti River Sub-Basin .................................................................................................... 28 4.4 Central Peace River Sub-Basin .................................................................................................... 28 4.5 Lower Peace River Sub-Basin ...................................................................................................... 29 4.6 Wabasca Sub-Basin ..................................................................................................................... 29 4.7 Slave River Sub-Basin .................................................................................................................. 30 5 Existing Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems ....................................... 30 5.1 First Nations Reserves and Métis Settlements in the Peace River Watershed .......................... 33 5.1.1 Drinking Water Treatment .................................................................................................. 33 5.1.2 Wastewater Treatment Systems......................................................................................... 33 5.2 Upper Peace River Sub-Basin ...................................................................................................... 34 5.3 Smoky/Wapiti River Sub-Basin .................................................................................................... 36 5.4 Central Peace River Sub-Basin .................................................................................................... 39 5.5 Lower Peace River Sub-Basin ...................................................................................................... 40 5.6 Wabasca Sub-Basin ..................................................................................................................... 41 5.7 Slave River Sub-Basin .................................................................................................................. 42 6 Private Drinking Water Systems .................................................................................... 42 7 Issues ........................................................................................................................... 43 7.1 Drinking Water ............................................................................................................................ 43 7.1.1 Surface Water ..................................................................................................................... 43 7.1.2 Groundwater ....................................................................................................................... 45 7.2 Wastewater ................................................................................................................................. 45 7.2.1 Effluent Quality ................................................................................................................... 45 7.3 Funding ....................................................................................................................................... 45 8 Information Gaps .......................................................................................................... 47 8.1 Drinking Water ............................................................................................................................ 47 8.2 Surface Water ............................................................................................................................. 48 8.3 Groundwater ............................................................................................................................... 49 8.4 Wastewater ................................................................................................................................. 49 9 Conclusions and Recommendations .............................................................................. 50 9.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 50 9.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 51 10 Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 54 ©2012 Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd. Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance – State