The cause of the fire that destroyed the water treatment facility on Carry The Kettle Nakoda Nation has been ruled undetermined by Saskatchewan First Nation Emergency Management.
The facility was destroyed in February, leaving roughly 1,500 people without water.
According to Kimbal Ironstar, the First Nation’s projects manager, within three days of the fire they were able to hook up untreated well water and restore running water.
Now, the community is receiving potable water from the towns of Grenfell, Wolseley and Indian Head, which is placed in reservoirs and hooked up to the homes.
The First Nation remains under a boil water advisory as a safety precaution.
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is working with Carry The Kettle Nakoda Nation and Piapot First Nation, who also lost its water treatment plant, to rebuild.
Piapot’s facility was completely destroyed in October 2018, affecting around 230 homes.
ISC has provided about $3 million to Piapot and $2 million to Carry The Kettle to cover costs of bottled water, interim plant funding and other costs related to the design phase for new facilities
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According to a statement, Piapot finished construction of a temporary water treatment plant and has been supplying potable water since mid-February. A pre-design for a permanent plant is close to being complete.
As for Carry The Kettle, a temporary water treatment system is expected to be on site by mid-May.
Planning for a new plant is underway and Ironstar is hopeful it will be complete by October 2020.
ISC said they are committed to fund and support both the community’s water plant, but cannot provide how much it will cost until the projects are fully designed and tendered.
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