Three on-reserve drinking water advisories have been lifted this past October in Saskatchewan.
The long-term advisory in Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation was cancelled after 16 months. The remedy was a replaced filter and new training for the water plant’s operators. An advisory becomes long-term if it has been in place for over 12 months.
Two communities that were at risk of becoming long-term have also been lifted. The community of Deschambault Lake at Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation no longer has a ban after they received a new water treatment plant. Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation had their advisory cancelled last week, after operational issues were resolved following a power outage.
One advisory has been added for Nekaneet, which is about two hours west of Swift Current. It is expected to be resolved this month. There are eight ongoing advisories in Saskatchewan, the longest in Star Blanket, an hour south of Yorkton, which began in 2007.
In November of 2015, there were 105 long-term advisories on-reserve across Canada. To date, 74 of the long-term advisories have been lifted, and work is underway to end the remaining 67 advisories. The goal is to have all long-term advisories lifted by 2021.
(PHOTO: Water running in a sink. File photo.)