New Kehewin plant could mean clean water by 2020

Alberta’s only Indigenous community with a long-term drinking water advisory held a sod-turning ceremony Monday for construction of a new treatment facility.

The Kehewin Cree Nation, about 235 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, has been under a boil-water advisory since 2011, according to the Indigenous Services Canada website.

Although the federal organization has invested $13.9 million to support construction of a new water treatment system, the group says in a news release the water advisory isn’t expected to be lifted until March 2020.

“Our members have been patiently waiting for something as simple as clean water for too long. Our community has been on a boiled-water advisory for more than 11 years and the old treatment plant is no longer a viable option,” Chief Brenda Vanguard said in the release.

“So today marks the first step in a longer journey of partnership and a moment of renewed relationships.”

In July, a drinking water advisory was lifted at the Whitefish Lake First Nation, about 425 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, that had been in place since May 2011.

Clean water is being trucked to community cisterns while a new water treatment plant is under construction.

Kehewin, with more than 1,100 residents, is one of 73 First Nations across Canada that has had a drinking-water advisory in place for at least one year.

That’s down from 105 advisories three years ago. The federal government’s goal is to eliminate all advisories by March 2021.

The 2016 federal budget included $1.8 billion over five years for improved reserve water and wastewater infrastructure, ensuring proper operation and maintenance, and training operators.

This year’s budget provided another $172.6 million over three years to deal with First Nations water infrastructure.