Tall Cree First Nation and The Water Treatment Plant
Tall Cree First Nation is in Northwestern Alberta, 5 hours north of Edmonton and with a new state-of-the-art water treatment plant, it provides its community members with safe drinking water. As a result, the community members have significantly improved their quality of life. This new water treatment plant will supply safe, clean drinking water for the First Nation for generations to come.
Tall Cree First Nation and the first water treatment plant was completed and in use in 1989. The plant, built in 1989, provided the community with clean, safe drinking water for decades. The plant had lived through its life expectancy and became costly to operate and repair. The plant needed to provide more water quality and quantity to meet the standards and guidelines stated by Health Canada and Alberta Environment, and the construction of the new water treatment plant began in 2011-12 and was completed in 2014.
“Before the construction of this new Plant, the water was undrinkable. In good conscience, we could not provide safe drinking water because there were mainly ‘Boil water advisories’. We needed a new water treatment plant because the other plant outlived its life expectancy and had become costly.” – Mike Cardinal, Band Manager, Tall Cree Tribal Government
"Our government continues to support improvements to water and wastewater systems on-reserve across Canada, and the remote residents at Tall Cree South Reserve will also benefit from a facility that provides their community with the same access to safe and clean water that other Canadians enjoy. Through these types of investments, Canada continues in its commitment to improve the health and quality of life in First Nation communities." - Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
The Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act was enacted on November 1, 2013. The act developed regulations to provide access to clean and safe water for the Tall Cree First Nation community. The government of Canada worked with first nations to ensure safe drinking water and wastewater treatment and to protect safe drinking water with the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act.
"We are proud to be able to provide safe drinking water to our people of South Tall Cree. We are grateful for the co-operation of the government of Canada, who were able to provide the funding and expertise for this project. It demonstrates AANDC's commitment to the safety and well-being of my nation and its people. This project offered economic opportunities and employment for our workforce and has provided other opportunities for the nation to improve conditions for our band members. We look forward to a continuing partnership with AANDC and the government of Canada in our shared commitment to improving conditions and services in Tall Cree." - Chief Rupert Meneen, Tall Cree First Nation
“Everything is automatic in the new plant and it just makes my job so much easier from the old one. First thing I do every day, I’d walk around taking all the numbers down, taking numbers off all pumps that we use, we’re making approximately 136 cubes overnight, in a 24-hour period. We also have an office where you can see the PLC, basically it’s a computer that controls the water plant, and everything is controlled off this PLC. There are 5 water samples that I do each day and basically what I’m looking for is water quality, colour, turbidity, temperature, PH, and chlorine, how much chlorine is in the water and manganese. After I’m done my water samples, I make sure all the pumps are still running and making sure all the chemicals are topped up.”
- Hubert Alook, Water Plant Operator South Tall Cree First Nation
South Tall Cree had to build a new reservoir for the new water treatment plant to hold more water. With state-of-the-art technology, the water is treated by filtering and cleaning the water, which is tested daily to ensure the water is always safe for the community without having ‘Boil water advisories’ notices anymore. The community now has safe, clean drinking water and is expected to have a 25-year lifespan since its completion in 2014.
Approximately $10 million has been invested in this project thus far in Tall Cree First Nation, and to support First Nation communities in Canada. The Canadian government has invested around $3 billion to improve the drinking water and wastewater systems. The $3 billion funds a long-term plan between the government of Canada and first nation communities to secure safe drinking water. These plans were based on four pillars:
- Enhanced capacity building and operator training
- Enforceable standards and protocols
- Infrastructure investments
- The protection of public health
For the First Nation Water and Wastewater Action Plan between 2006 and 2016. While the population of Tall Cree First Nation grows, the need for potable (safe drinking water) water has been met.
While First Nations, the government of Canada, engineers, and contractors all work together and plan carefully, this shows us that we all can achieve the goal of having clean drinking water. The Tall Cree water treatment plant is not only bringing safe drinking water to its community but is also providing a model for other First Nation communities in Canada.
By: Tricia Cook, Content Navigator