Indigenous Services Canada has announced multi-million dollar funding for the expansion of a water treatment plant at the Six Nations of the Grand River.
The new infrastructure will move clean drinking water to two elementary schools and also benefit 2,000 homeowners.
"It has been quite a journey to get to this point but we’re here and it took a lot of everyone’s time and effort to get here."
He said the existing water distribution system services 1 in 11 residents, which works out to so about nine percent of the population.
The community opened a water treatment plant outside Ohsweken in 2013 that could treat water for more than 13,000 living on the reserve but as of last year only nine percent of the population had access to treated water.
And the project was still running a deficit.
Montour said this expansion will at least double that figure.
The contract for the job has already gone to tender and closes next week.
Montour said work will begin in late February or early March.
The exact figure of the funding is not being released at this time because the amount could influence those bidding on the project, officials said.

The latest permutation of the Act was adopted in 2015 to replace a controversial standard dating back to the late 1970s that often left lawsmakers scratching their heads over which specific U.S. bodies of water must be regulated to control pollution and contamination of drinking water.
After years of state challenges to the rule, the 2015 revisions to the Clean Water Act were set to go into effect this month, but on Jan. 31. the Environmental Protect Agency preempted the rule’s enforcement based on a U.S. Supreme Court determination that a federal district court is the most appropriate venue to hear a previously filed challenge to the Obama-era rules In that underlying lawsuit, more than a dozen attorneys general claim the President Obama’s EPA wrongly applied protections to lands far from traditionally “navigable waters.” In the complaint filed Tuesday, New York Attorney General Eric Scheiderman and his counterparts from California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington claim the Trump administration is violating federal law by delaying the rule for another two years.
“The Trump Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated federal law by taking action with inadequate public notice, insufficient record support and outside their statutory authority,” Attorney General Schneiderman said in a statement Tuesday.
Calling it “clearly illegal,” the attorneys general argue the move threatens decades of progress made, in each of their states, to ensure access to safe water.
According to the 31-page complaint, when the EPA suspended the rule through February 2020 “without consideration of the extensive scientific record that supported it or the environmental and public health consequences of doing so,” the agency was “acting under the guise of merely preserving the status quo.” When reached for comment Tuesday, a spokesperson for the EPA said only: “It’s worth noting that these lawsuits are over an embattled regulation that’s been put on hold by the courts to prevent it from taking effect.
Accordingly, the EPA’s decision now forces all of the plaintiffs to seek a declaration deeming Pruitt’s suspension unlawful and injunctive relief vacating it.
The comment period was “too short for an important and complex rule” and allowed agencies to act “arbitrarily and capriciously and without a rational basis because they failed to consider whether or how the [suspended rule] would meet the [Clean Water Act’s] objective of restoring and maintaining the integrity of the nation’s waters,” the complaint states.
New York alone is downstream from 13 states.
The attorneys general move was welcome by Pat Gallagher, director of the Sierra Club’s environmental law program.
“We will follow their efforts closely.”

Water Wells First and a local MPP are demanding that public health opens up an investigation now that families near the North Kent Wind project must go back to drinking from their “visibly polluted” wells.
These reports were sent after Water Wells First sent laboratory tests to the ministry that revealed a 14,000 fold increase in black shale particles since construction started on the wind farm north of Chatham, which is a joint venture between North-Kent Wind, Samsung, and Pattern Energy.
“They cited unknown factors to be the cause and yet offered no explanation to the area effect that was seen,” says Jakubec.
He says families have now been told by the MOE that they can start drinking their well water again.
“If they take the filters out and let that water go through their house, they would have all this black shale going into their washing machine to do laundry, it’d be clogging their shower…it’d be coming out into the sink… you’d have bedrock in your food.” Jakubec says families like the Brooks have no idea what to do.
“It’s alarming to see the ministry has simply dropped it’s responsibility,” he says.
Jakubec says it is now up to public health to determine whether the water is safe to drink.
The NDP sent a news release to BlackburnNewsCK.com on Monday stating that Essex MPP Taras Natyshak sent a letter to the MOE and the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care calling on them to take these community concerns seriously and conduct an intensive health hazard investigation alongside the local medical officer of health.
“The Ontario NDP believes that water is a public trust,” says Natyshak.
“Ministry staff are finalizing their review of the information that will be provided to each complainant regarding the outcome of the ministry’s assessment of their complaint, including groundwater and vibration monitoring results,” says Wheeler.

After Technical.ly published the results of Tern Water’s Know your Water campaign, the Philadelphia Water Department raised some concerns around the info on the startup’s report, which said 90 percent of samples contained some level of risky contaminants.
“All results that relate to Environmental Protection Agency must come from accredited lab.
They seem to not to understand EPA guidelines and take a lot of license.” PWD customers, Dahme said, have called in with concerns after using the company’s test kits, to later find out that, per PWD’s test results, the water is safe to drink.
The contaminants Tern Water reports having spotted on its mail-in sampling offering don’t match up with PWD’s latest yearly report on water quality in Philly.
O’Connor also raised a concern with Tern Water’s methods: samples are not refrigerated in shipping, which might affect the accuracy of results.
The EPA established the maximum level at 100 PPB.
There’s no online reporting tool, but O’Connor said customers with concerns about the quality of their water can obtain a test free of charge through its 24-hour hotline by calling 215-685-6300.
We reached out to Tern Water founder Mo Zerban who responded to the comments about Tern Water’s lab accreditation.
“All Know Your Water tests are done with lab certified equipment, and fully trained engineers,” the founder said in an email.
“Our mission is to make sure that people are empowered to control their health and wellness through access to safe water,” the founder said.

Lincoln, Neb.
— A newly redesigned water website from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln offers quick access to information from the university’s water experts.
Water experts plan to add information to the website regularly on agricultural water, manure management, residential water and water resources.
At the conclusion of each month, a water newsletter will be published, delivering the latest articles directly into the email inboxes of its subscribers.
To subscribe to the free newsletter, visit https://water.unl.edu/newsletter.
Residential water experts target issues such as lawns and landscapes, homeowner wastewater treatment, water wells and drinking water, and stormwater management.
The water resources team addresses groundwater, stormwater, surface water quality, and water shed issues, while agricultural professionals focus on irrigation management, animal manure management and the Nebraska Ag Water Management Network.
The team involved in the website redesign included Becky Aiken, Troy Ingram, Leslie Johnson, Rick Koelsch, Katie Pekarek, Meghan Sittler and Nicole Stoner.
To view the site and access the latest water research, visit http://water.unl.edu.
Rick Koelsch Professor Biological Systems Engineering & Animal Science 402-472-3935 rkoelsch1@unl.edu

CARENCRO, La.
– The City of Carencro was awarded a $5.5 million loan to improve its water system.
The low-interest loan was issued through the State’s Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund from the Louisiana Office of Public Health.
In addition to the loan, the city also received a grant from the Drinking Water Capitalization Grant that pays for the first $500,000 of the loan (known principal forgiveness).
LDH and City of Carencro officials closed the loan on January 23, 2018.
"The City of Carencro has experienced a tremendous amount of growth, both residential and commercial over the last five years.
To keep up with the demand on water, this loan will allow us to make improvements that will increase our volume and quality of water," said Carencro Mayor Glenn Brasseaux.
"Once these improvements are completed, the facility will handle the water demands for Carencro well into the future," added Brasseaux.
Dr. Parham Jaberi, assistant secretary for the Office of Public Health said it is imperative that all Louisiana residents have access to safe drinking water.
"This drinking water loan program gives local communities a source of dependable and affordable financing to bring their water treatment facilities up to the latest and most modern technology that keeps their residents safe and healthy," said Jaberi.

"The construction and operation of energy infrastructure in North America requires respect for rigorous standards of environmental review and the human rights of Indigenous Peoples," the resolution says.
They cite the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a measure of the expectations for considering the rights of indigenous people to "free, prior and informed consent prior to the approval of any projects affecting their traditional territory."
So, they are asking Marathon to prepare a report that describes the review process used to identify and address environmental and social risks in reviewing potential acquisitions.
Human Rights Risks Are Investment Risks The resolution by Marathon shareholders is one of more than two dozen resolutions on environmental matters filed with oil and gas companies.
Marathon shareholders filed a similar resolution last year that met resistance from the company but still earned approval by 35 percent of the company’s stockholders who voted.
Although the office declined to discuss the resolution in detail, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said a year ago that investors had a right to know how Marathon considered the rights of indigenous peoples.
"Risks to the environment and to human rights create risks for our pension fund’s investments and should be addressed as part of a sustainable business plan."
Why Marathon Says It Opposed the Resolution The company, in its proxy statement last year, said it "respects the human, cultural and legal rights of individuals and communities" but still urged shareholders to reject the resolution.
Preparing the kind of reports sought through the resolution would require a highly customized study of projects under consideration, the company’s 2017 proxy statement said.
The Dakota Access pipeline is part of Marathon’s 8,300 mile pipeline system.

Everyone in Canada deserves access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER FIRST NATION – The Minister of Indigenous Services, the Honourable Jane Philpott, and Chief Ava Hill of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation announced a water main extension project which will expand the distribution of treated drinking water to two federally-operated schools on reserve.
The tendering process is already underway.
This project will allow for a direct connection from the water treatment plant to I.L.
Thomas School, which treats well water on site, and O.M.
The project will also provide an opportunity for future connections to the water distribution system to more 400 homes currently on wells.
Our government is proud to work with Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation and to support their efforts to expand their water distribution system.
I commend Chief Hill and council for their efforts in improving water distribution and the future vision for their community,” says Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services “The vision of the Six Nations Elected Council is to one day expand the water distribution system throughout the entire community.
Thankfully we were able to construct the new Water Treatment Plant and upgrade a critical piece of infrastructure over the past four years, to put us in the position where we can begin to extend the water main.
Quick Facts Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation is located approximately 25 kilometres southwest of Hamilton.
The Government of Canada provided more than $26 million to its design and construction, and Six Nations of the Grand River provided approximately $15.4 million.

One can see this from the National Drinking Water Policy of Pakistan which says, “Access to safe drinking water is the basic human right of every citizen and it is responsibility of the state to ensure its provision to all citizens.” One can also imagine the seriousness of the government in implementation of the policy by looking at the fact that currently Pakistan’s major cities are facing worsening water shortage because of the rapid depletion of ground water.
The situation of water shortage is not any different even in Islamabad — the federal capital and the only planned city with a population of more than two million.
Islamabad has long been facing a challenge of water shortage every year.
Consequently, citizens bear an additional financial pressure on their monthly expenses due to an inadequate water supply.
Islamabad is managed by two key offices, ie, the CDA and the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI).
Regarding water issues, the debate of jurisdiction and mandate of these two authorities can be circumvented due to the reason that the mayor of MCI is also chairing the CDA.
In the first month of 2018, the CDA circulated a public notice to prevent waste of water to ensure continued water supply for necessary use till monsoon.
To solve the issue, the MCI and the CDA should establish a long-term ‘Water Master Plan’ to ensure sufficient water supply for the projected demand.
To achieve the objectives, multi-stakeholder engagement and capacity-building of the relevant institutions at the local level is also required.
Awareness campaigns aimed at increasing behavioural change should be based on the national water policy.

It is important to point out that when US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Mr Jason Greenblatt, was looking for an early success in the new administration’s peace efforts, he found it – in water.
For Palestinians who suffer water shortages, an agreement to increase water sales from Israel to the Palestinian Authority by 50 per cent annually will improve lives without creating shortages on the Israeli side.
To ensure the US does not undercut its own efforts, the Trump administration must re-evaluate some of its policies from a water security perspective – any further reduction in Palestinian access to water could destabilise the region.
The Israeli government recognises water as a security issue as well, and that is a potential game-changer in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For the Palestinian government, the priority is to increase water provision to meet basic needs, supporting economic growth and its aspirations for a state with the right to access and develop its own resources.
Meanwhile, Israel is proud of its leading role in advancing technologies that can produce large quantities of drinking water from the salty Mediterranean.
A logical next step, beyond water sales, would be to negotiate a fair allocation of the natural water resources that Israelis and Palestinians share, thus solving one of the core issues plaguing the peace process.
But both sides have shortsightedly refused to negotiate over natural water reallocation, wanting any water deal to remain part of a negotiation on other final-status issues, such as borders and refugees.
Israeli politicians insist a better water deal for the Palestinians must be matched by compromises on refugees, while Palestinian politicians argue that a fair water agreement would make the Israeli side look good.
These arguments ring hollow and, for both sides, the costs of holding water hostage are simply too high.