CBC Investigates: This First Nation produces clean water. So why are so many residents afraid to drink it? – CBC

In Garden Hill First Nation, many residents don’t trust their tap water, while others have no taps at all

Jan 09, 2019

As the assistant operator at the water treatment plant in Garden Hill First Nation in northern Manitoba, it was Andrew Flett’s job to ensure there was clean drinking water for the community’s 4,000 residents. Although he was still an apprentice, he was second-in-command and approached his work with meticulous care.

“There’s no breaks, no holidays when it comes to this job,” he said in November, as he carefully filled a tiny glass vial with tap water, the first step in his daily routine of testing chlorine levels. “It’s 24/7, Monday to Friday, also on the weekends, 365 days of the year. People need clean drinking water.”

Flett was confident that when the water left the plant it was as clean and drinkable as any you can find in Canada. Garden Hill has never had a long-term boil water advisory and even short-term advisories are rare.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/garden-hill-first-nations-drinking-water-1.4907864