Working Together: How On-Site Assessments are Supporting First - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Working Together: How On-Site Assessments are Supporting First Nations in Planning for Long-Term Sustainability

Aaron Genereux, P.Eng OgemawahjTribal Council Karen Machado Indigenous Drinking Water Projects Office

Working Together – Supporting First Nations

• Partnership like ‘no other’ in Ontario

New Relationship: Union of Ontario Indians (UOI) and the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) Indigenous Drinking Water Project Office.

Anishinabek Nation (Union of Ontario Indians)

• Union of Ontario Indians (UOI) is responsible for political advocacy for the Nation’s

40 member First Nations.

• Organization is a continuation of the Confederacy of Three Fires, which pre-dates

European contact.

• Algonquin – Ojibwe – Chippewa – Delaware – Mississauga –Odawa - Pottawatomi
• Represents a combined 60,000 citizens.
• Grand Chief supported by 4 Regional Grand Chiefs

Anishinabek Nation (AN) Water Needs Assessment Technical Working Group

• Established by Chief’s Resolution

Key Objectives:

1) Establish Position under the Federal “ Safe Drinking Water Act for First Nations’ and now to include Ontario Drinking Water Regulations.

• Information and data collected from Water Treatment Plant Assessments will provide additional data,

findings and credence to the Anishinabek Nation’s position

2) AN Water Needs Assessment will identify the ‘level of investment’ to ensure residents have access to safe water systems. 3) The KPMG Water and Wastewater report substantiate the immediate front end investment from the Federal Government as part of their fiduciary responsibilities to First Nation Communities.

Anishinabek Nation Water System Needs Working Group

Committee representation

• 7 Tribal Council Technical Advisors
• 1 Large First Nation
• 6 Unaffiliated First Nations
• 1 Ontario First Nation Technical Services Corp
• 2 Ministry of Ontario Conservation and Parks staff
• 1 Union of Ontario staff
• 1 Union of Ontario Chief

Anishinabek Nation Water Needs Assessment Timeline…..

7 April 2016 CHIEFS RESOLUTION Lake Huron Chiefs passed a resolution for the Anishinabek Nation (AN) to develop overall Water Needs Assessment for 2016-17 June 2016 NATION TO NATION MEETINGS UOI provided this data to the Federal Government – encouraging immediate investment for the Water/Wastewater Systems August 2016

Technical Working Group Formed

information from Tribal Councils/First Nations to support the AN Water Needs Assessment

February 2017

In partnership with the AN, the Ministry

• f Environment

Conservation and Parks agreed to provide Water Treatment Plant Assessments September 2017 3rd Party REPORT Finalized

KPMG Final Report “Water and Wastewater Investment Requirements for the AN” was received

2017/2018 MECP completed assessments for ALL Water Treatment Facilities

2018/2019 ALL Wastewater Facilities are being assessed by the MECP.

Technical Data Inspections

KPM KPMG Repo port – In Inves estmen ment Need eeds

>>Technical Data provided by Wor

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g gr grou

• up<<

UOI Water Needs Assessment Inspection by Provincial Inspectors

• Resolution #2017-04 from June 2017 Grand Council Assembly, in part,

stating clearly that a partnership had evolved: The Anishinabek Nation Water Need Technical Working Group and the Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) have been developing the plan to complete the “Community Water Treatment Plant Assessments”

On-Site Assessments

• The focus is to identify gaps between the current treatment processes and plant
• perations on reserve and Ontario’s regulatory framework for municipal systems
• On-site assessments of treatment plants and distribution systems include a review
• f existing information as well as a visual/physical inspection to assess conformance

with the SDWA, O. Reg. 170/03 & O. Reg. 128/04

• Prior to the site visits, the treatment plant operators are asked to complete a

questionnaire that we developed based on the Ministry’s municipal inspection protocols which was slightly modified to reflect drinking water in First Nation Communities

• Summary Reports for the Assessments of our findings and recommendations are

provided to the Tribal Council Technical Representatives and the Communities

Water System Assessments

• Assessments were completed

in 27 communities.

• IDWPO reached out to the

MECP Drinking Water Staff in the Province to help out.

• Overwhelming response with
• ver 30 volunteers which were

mainly water inspectors.

• IDWPO team consists of

Technical Operations Advisor, Water Engineer and Engineering Intern.

• Feedback from the volunteers

was very positive and many have requested to participate in additional site visits.

Waste Water System Assessments

Summary of Common Findings

• The majority of the systems do not conform to the Provincial requirements including

primary disinfection

• However, these systems had low risk ratings from the Federal Annual Performance

Inspections

• Systems identified as being potentially groundwater under the influence of surface water

(GUDI) have not undertaken a hydrogeological study to determine GUDI status

• Monitoring equipment has not been installed or designed to conform with Provincial

requirements i.e. effluent turbidity meters, back up chemical pumps, online analyzers, data loggers/paperless recorders and SCADA systems have either not been installed and/or are

• ut of service
• Community Lead Sampling is not being conducted in any of the systems
• All operators need training and support with operating systems under O. Regulation 170

requirements

• Site Specific Standard Operating Procedures have not been developed
• Owners and Operators were not provided with As built drawings and Comprehensive

Operations Manuals

• Well head and source water protection plans have not been developed

Municipal vs Findings on Assessments

• The 2017-18 annual drinking water report shows 99.8% of the 659

municipal residential drinking water systems received an inspection rating indicating compliance of over 80% with Ontario's regulations.

• The results from the AN assessments showed approximately 1-2

communities of the 27 assessed that could potentially meet the regulations with minor adjustments.

• A majority of the systems that were identified as higher risk by the

technical working group were in pre-Walkerton status.

• One community from the assessments went on the Long Term

Drinking Water Advisory List.

Next Steps

• Working with Union of Ontario Indians to support efforts to secure

sustainable funding from the Federal Government – Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)

• Working with IDWPO on a possible trial with a couple communities

to achieve full compliance with Provincial Regulations and Standards.

• Operations and Maintenance Business Plan – resolution for the

Technical Working Group to develop a plan for the AN communities.

For further information, please contact:

Union of Ontario Indians (Anishinabek Nation) Rhonda Gagnon Policy Analyst Lands and Resources Department Anishinabek Nation rhonda.gagnon@anishinabek.ca 705 497-9127 ext. 2318 UOI Technical Working Group Members: Aaron Genereux, P.Eng Tribal Council Engineer OgemawahjTribal Council agenereux@ogemawahj.on.ca Office: 705-329-2511 ext 207 Karen Machado Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks Technical Operations Advisor, Indigenous Drinking Water Projects Office karen.machado2@ontario.ca London Office : 519-873-5140