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First Nations Canada WATER Across Canada, two-thirds of all First Nation communities in Canada have been under at least one drinking water advisory at some time in the last decade, a CBC News investigation has revealed. The numbers show that 400 out of 617 First Nations in the country had some kind of water problem between 2004 and 2014. The longest running water advisory is in the Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario, where residents have been boiling their water for 20 years. Nazko First Nation, Alexis Creek First Nation and Lake Babine, all in British Columbia, are next on the list with water problems spanning 16 years. The Nazko First Nation has been under a “arsenic in the water” advisory for 16 years. There are 133 advisories in place in 89 First Nations communities warning that the water is not safe to drink. In 2015, 36% of unsafe water advisories have been in place for more than 10 years. Human Rights Watch found that the water crisis on reserves decreases the quality and quantity of water available for drinking and hygiene. Many households reported problems related to skin infections, eczema, psoriasis, and other issues that are believed were related to or exacerbated by the poor water conditions in their homes. Authorities have alerted communities of the contaminants in their water which include coliform, Ecoli, cancer-causing trihalomethanes, and uranium. There are additional contaminants that leach into the water ways from mining operations such as arsenic and cyanide. There are multiply gold mining operation’s contaminated tailing ponds in Northern Ontario that effect the water systems used by indigenous people. Furthermore, their water supplies are increasingly being degraded by industrial activities, agricultural run-off, and waste-disposal practices. And most notable drinking water that is highly contaminated is the Athabaska First Nations in Alberta. They live downstream from the Athabaska Tar Sand operation. Over the years, successive governments have vowed to improve water quality and access on reserves in the wake of embarrassing crises such as the 2005 E. coli outbreak in Kashechewan. The outbreak caused more than 1,000 residents to be airlifted out of the northern Ontario reserve after they became sick. People became sick due to high levels of the bacteria in their drinking water and they developed skin problems from the excessive amount of chlorine used to treat it. Between 2004 and 2014, 93% of all First Nations in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick reported at least one water advisory in their communities. Alberta is close behind at 87%. The lowest provincial rate is 51% in Manitoba. The new Prime Minister of Canada promised to end all “boil-water” advisories within the first five years when in office. But, has been over 10 years of policies developed to the matter and it’s clearly shown that the approaches have not yet made a difference within the communities. There is no realistic way that within the next 5 years it will make a difference. Practically in every community on the reserve the entire infrastructure has to be update to standards to achieve this goal. Approximately 73% of the First Nation water systems are at high or medium risk of contamination. Around 120 communities are on “Boil-Water Advisories. The Canadian Federal Government funding has been inadequate in addressing the communities’ urgent, immediate drinking water and wastewater treatment needs. At the same time, First Nations communities are in desperate need of more adequate infrastructure to deal with ongoing, long-term problems. There are 617 First Nation communities recognized in Canada. Native Americans United States WATER A large percentage of Native Americans living on reservations lack access to clean drinking water, and in many cases, lacking access to running water all together. Information from the Federal Government of the United States stipulates there is an overwhelming lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities at a rate of more than 20 times the national average. Approximately 40% of the Navajo Nation, which is located in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, lack access to running water. Politicians continue to take advantage of Native Americans, making deals with mining companies that would continue polluting their water supplies. One senator sneaked a resolution into the last defense bill providing a portion of Reservation land to a copper mining company. Their planned copper mining would poison waters that Apaches rely on and would desecrate the ceremonial grounds in Arizona. In 2015, a gold mine tailing pond spilled toxic wastewater in southwestern Colorado into the Animas River the runs through the Navajo Nation and Ute Indian Reservation. Three million gallons of toxic wastewater containing concentrated heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, iron, lead and other metals. The significance of this disaster is that some of the concentrated metals in the Anmias River following the spill were found to be higher than historical mine leaks in the region. Lead was at 3,500 times the normal level and arsenic was 300 times higher than normal toxic levels. Who can drink that? The spill prevented over 2,000 Navajo farmers to use the water stream for crop growing due to the volume of contaminants in the Anamis River aftermath. It is now unusable for people living on both reservations. The Navajo Nation is already water-strapped and have to truck in safe drinking water for people. Aside from this disaster, there are over 1,100 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo and Hopi Nations causing long term damage to people’s health. The Navajo Nation is already water-strapped and have to truck in safe drinking water for people. The Navajo Nation is not the only reservation with contaminated water that is badly needed to be remediated. There are over 160,000 abandoned hard rock mines throughout the western states that have created a legacy of chronic exposures to metal mixtures in the Native American communities. Tribes have spent years lobbying the government for adequate funds to improve impoverished living conditions and to recover from crises such as exposure to water poisoned by uranium and arsenic. But they often have difficulty competing for aid compared with places like Flint, Michigan – which has received extensive media attention and ultimately acquiring aid to solve its lead crisis. Yet, very little help is provided to improve the substandared conditions on the reservations. Why? Accordingly, there are 566 tribes and communities recognized in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska.

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