MARTEN FALLS — A perennial boil-water advisory for Marten Falls First Nation has escalated to a state of emergency.
An "operational failure" in the wastewater system has created "immediate and high risk to the health of community members who consume any water from the water system in Marten Falls," a notice on Facebook stated.
Drinking water in the reserve, approximately 400 miles northeast of Thunder Bay, has been contaminated by sewage dumped upstream from intake, Chief Bruce Achneepineskum said Monday.
About 300 members live on-reserve while another 600 or so live off-reserve, the chief said.
“Right now we’re looking at possible contamination of our water source with the raw sewage spilling into into the river system” upstream from water treatment, he said.
“That's a possible source of contamination for our water intake and the water distribution system in the community.”
The community has been under a boil-water advisory for approximately 18 years, he said.
“And you know, Indigenous Services Canada has constructed the water treatment plant but that’s it.
“They failed to look at the wastewater system even though there was a report already done on it. So, you know, that has caused a failure of the whole system.”
The first indications of dangerous contamination came to the First Nation’s attention on Friday, he said.
Past wastewater report recommendations “weren’t acted upon,” he says, “and now we’re seeing the total breakdown of that system.
“It's come to a head now but it’s operational failure of the system.”
Martin Falls leaders “don’t want to see another Walkerton happening,” he said, referencing a May 2000 crisis in southern Ontario in which seven died.
