Jennifer Chen

Clean water is tied to many activities we do throughout the day. As I was counting how much I used when I started a day, every morning, by the time I sat down in front of the computer to start my zooming during COVID time, I’ve already used 14 gallons of water: flushing toilet, showering, breakfast oatmeal, and coffee in less than 2 hours.

I use all that without thinking much, but I shall challenge you to ask yourself: what is your definition of clean water, good water, and contaminated water? And I will take you further on the issues and options in the Indigenous households in communities near Grand Cache, Alberta.

For those who are geographically challenged like me, the centre for this study is not that far from Calgary. Grande Cache is in the northern part of the Rockies, northwest of Jasper, just over a 6-hour drive from Calgary, along Highway 40 in the river valley of Smoky River. The indigenous Metis communities spread out in small areas near Grande Cache, as far as ~40 km from the town. Many households in these communities don’t have clean drinking water and drive to town to buy it regularly.

To understand the community better, I looked for community data, drilling reports, and past water quality testing data in public sources, such as municipal district’s online record, Alberta government database and water analysis database under Alberta Health Services. On the other hand, I also scheduled interviews with the household members in the community in order to assess the current state and understand the issues.

What’s in this area?

In the Grande Cache area, prospecting for coal had started in the 1920’s, but it wasn’t until late 1960’s the coal mine was opened near Grande Cache that led to the town’s establishment in 1969. Infrastructure and roads were built to support the town’s growth that relies heavily on the coal industry. Grande Cache Coal Company operated the coal development in the area until 2018, when it was sold to CST Canada Coal Limited. The mine was later shut down due to low demand triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other than coal and forestry, the area also has oil and gas exploration. Talisman’s Lynx gas pipeline also feeds the nearby electricity generation plant that was once only powered by coal.  

Where does the water come from?

When we think about how water gets to individual houses, it all starts from the raw water sources. In Grande Cache, the town’s water treatment plant takes raw water from the Victor Lake that’s connected to Grande Cache Lake, and the treatment plant is managed by the Environmental Services Department of the Municipal District of Greenview. It is not economically feasible to pipe the treated water out to the nearby small communities located kilometers away. Those nearby communities take water from the wells drilled on the land, underground streams and lakes without much treatment. For these indigenous households, it gets a little more complicated when asked about the ownership of these water wells. Some of the wells were drilled back in the early 1970’s, right in the middle of the community and shared by many households. In early 2000’s, another water well program was put in place, but the water from the wells was rarely tested since then.

Who are these Indigenous families?

Before 1900’s there were many Metis families living in the mountainous areas near Jasper. When Jasper national park was established in 1907, the families had to leave the park boundaries and settled in areas near Grande Cache. These land settlements later became 5 co-operatives and 2 enterprises. The communities stay together. Unfortunately, when Treaty 8 was signed, they were not included, and up to today, they are still fighting for their assertion of Indigenous rights and claimed land.

With the loss of the traditional way of life and the culture shock, the group has had a fair share of socioeconomic issues that arose from systemic discrimination, lack of education and economic opportunities.

Findings

Based on the public data, one can only find limited water testing reports available, and most of them were done in the mid 2000’s. This points to the lack of water quality testing and monitoring for those private wells. The water quality numbers also showed high hardness and high iron level – magnitudes exceeding the Aesthetic Objective level of 0.3 mg/L under the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.  

From interviews with the elders and the residents in the Co-operatives and Enterprises, the common findings are that the residents do not have much knowledge support for their water systems and monitoring. They can see the water contains high iron, but the cost of installing filtering systems and routinely buying filters is a financial burden. In addition, 5 out of 11 (or 45%) interviewees indicate that the water well they use serves multiple households, so the ownership and the responsibility of the upkeep is also not clear.

Even within the same land of the Co-operatives and Enterprises, the geological differences may require the wells to have different drilling depths and water treatment methods. The existing water wells were drilled without pre-testing or area survey. There is little trust by the residents that these wells would yield good and abundant water. Very few wells were drilled in the past decade, so the ageing equipment for the existing wells is also a concern. With coal, forestry, oil and gas development in the area, many residents believe the quality of the water wells on the land has been negatively impacted and continues to be affected.

Victor Lake Co-operative

Victor Lake Co-operative is the largest community among the 7 Co-operatives and Enterprises, with 19 houses, 22 trailers on the land. There are 19 active wells, and 90% of those were drilled before 2006. Some of the quotes from the residents:

“I take water from the lake everyday when I need it. The house is not connected to running water.” – Resident.

“We use the creek water. We go twice a week, fill 6 bottles.” – Resident.

“Before putting in the softener, I have to use the toilet bowl cleaner to get rid of the orange rust in the bathtub.” – Resident.

Susa Creek Co-operative

Susa Creek Co-operative consists of 15 houses, 19 trailers and 1 cabin. There are 23 active wells, with 95% of those drilled before 2007.

“We use the well water for cleaning, but buy water for drinking & cooking” – Resident.

“We share (the well) with our neighbour(ing household)… The old one used to give money, but the new one doesn’t. But if there is (any) problem, the neighbour comes to you!” – Elder.

Wanyandie West Co-operative

Wanyandie West Co-operative, north of Grande Cache, along the Smoky River, consists of 4 houses and 4 trailers. There are 5 active wells, and all of there were drilled before 2005. The elder we interviewed takes his water from the well that is being shared by 5 households. He told us if one leaves the water out for a little, it forms a layer of oily film on it. Wanyandie West is located close to the coal mine (then Grande Cache Coal, now CST Coal). The water well and the pump house was put in by the coal company as part of coal dust mitigation in the valley.  

“The water from the well used to be better, but not as good now… don’t know why… The railway was built in the 1965, and the coal mine started in 1969.” – Elder.

Clean and Safe Water for all Canadians

Every time I open the tap now, I think of the residents near Grande Cache. They have treated water with great respect and have lived a life with much less water. Many of them still live in the condition where there is no clean running water in the house, and the water wells they do use are deteriorating. It is a group of resilient people who have fallen into the gap of the current water governance system, with very limited access to funding and ways for others to listen to their voices.

The recommendation for the next steps is first to establish a good database of the wells and survey water quality and quantity from those wells. The status of the infrastructure, including the pumps, power, and line connection, should also be investigated. This will allow future management and solution-seeking on a case-by-case basis. It would be valuable to engage the community to have a water strategist to drive water projects and provide knowledge sharing among the Co-operatives and Enterprises. The community members seek self-determination, and it is more achievable when they are well informed and have the supporting resources in their hands. Lastly, it is also important to document the elders’ water stories and understand the changes through time.