New water treatment plant 'definitely coming' for Potlotek First Nation after years of brown water

The Mi'kmaq community of Potlotek in Nova Scotiahas signed documents to begin construction on a new water treatment facility after decades of dealing with brown, smelly water, unfit for drinking.

Since December 2013, Health Canadaissued boil water advisories for Potlotek for a total of 539days, and do-not-consume orders for 79 days,a spokesperson forIndigenous and Northern Affairs Canadatold CBCNews.

INACadded that the boil water notices were "precautionaryand not as a result of unsafe drinking water."

Butmost in the community rarely use the water anyway, says Potlotekmember Bernadette Marshall, and it's been like that for a long time.

"We're so used to it now," she said.

"When they say 'boil order,'we stop using it, but my family never drinks it anyway. We purchase our own water. The hardest thing is washing the clothes, bathing in it. It's very frustrating for us."

Water discoloration and staininghas been such a commonissue that somecommunity members say they only buy dark-coloured clothing light items tend to stain brown in the washing machine.

Like so many otherFirst Nationcommunities in Canada, someMi'kmaq in Potloteksee their lack of access to fresh water as normal.

"It's something that we hate to live with, but we live with it," saidMarshall.

New plant being designed

The new water treatment plant, which is slated to be builtnext to the currentone, is based around technology and a filteringmethod that is new to the community.

Potlotek'sdirector of public works, Quentin Doucette, says it'snow in the design stage and after consultation meetings with the community and its Elders, it's basically a done deal.

"It means we're going tohavea nice source of water," saidDoucette.

"It's taken us along time to get to a point where everyone will be happy."

Figures from INACput the facility's estimated cost at$6 million.

Doucette said he and engineers plan to find a contractor to build the new plant by June or July of this year. If all goes according to plan, he said it will be finished in thesummer of 2019.

For at least the first year of operation of the new system, Doucette said the band'sengineering firm, CBCLLtd., will be trainingPotlotek staff and working with themto ensure the system lasts.

Doucettesaid measures are being put in place to ensure limited disruption of water services throughout the construction process.

As the community will use the existing facilities during that time, he said the band will continue to provide enough bottled water for every individual in the community if more boil water orders should come about.

A fixcoming

The announcementis not the first time there's been hopeful developments on the water system.

Since the community rallied to protest the conditions in 2016, Potlotekcouncil soughtconsultation from a European water filtration company, andINAChas poured more than $840,000 into the existing facilities for repair ultimately promising a new system.

Some community members say they've been left in the dark, and are frustrated with the lack of progress.

"The paperwork has been signed," saidPotlotek Chief Wilbert Marshall, adding that hiscommunity members can be assured the work is finally going ahead.

"We've been waiting for this for 40 years. The new plant is definitely coming."

Marshall said hehad "lost all faith" that the federal government was going to help them decades ago. Environmental factors have caused elevated levels of iron and manganesefor "as long as he can remember."

He said anew water system was installed when he was a councillor in 1999, but it wasn't long before band managementrealized it was faulty. He saidhis communitywasgiven only "band-aid fixes"from politicians when they asked for assistance.

That is,until he had a colourful phoneconversation with Minister of Indigenous Services and Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau last year.

"I told them we were f--king tired of this shit," Marshall said with a laugh.

He said heexplained the lengthy history of the community's water woes and that they were "respectful" ofhis frustration.

"A few weeks later, the money came in to fix it," he said.

"And now, we've got a whole new system coming. It's exciting."

MORE FROM CBCINDIGENOUS: MMIWGinquiry has lost its latest executive director

MORE FROM CBCINDIGENOUS:Status First Nations to remain tax exempt on marijuana sales on reserve land