After 17 years of advisory, a $10.5 million water treatment plant brings clean water to Sask Reserve
On July 25, the Star Blanket Cree Nation, an indigenous reserve located approximately 90 kilometers northeast of Regina, lifted a boil-water advisory in effect since 2007, according to a press release. The move follows the opening of a $10.5 million water treatment plant on the reserve earlier this month.
“The completion and opening of our new water treatment plant brings great pride as we announce the lifting of the boil water advisory,” said Michael Starr, Star Blanket Cree Nation chief. “We can now use the water feeling comfort knowing the water is clean and safe to consume.”
The water facility was officially opened on July 4, and it now provides ready-to-drink water, using methods such as biological filtration and membrane treatment, officials said.
Since 2015, a total of 145 drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve have been lifted across Canada, with 31 still remaining active, according to government estimates. In Saskatchewan, there are only five left.