Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Tsiigehtchic (May 14/01) - Chief Peter Ross is sees red every time he turns on his water tap and he wants the government to do something about it.
Tsiigehtchic's tap water is tinted with a red haze and although government officials aren't saying it's unhealthy, the community may still be forced to find a cure.
Ross, chief of the Gwichya Gwich'in Band Council and mayor of Tsiigehtchic, said he is not convinced the water problem is just the colour or that the cost of fixing it should fall on the hamlet.
"If you put a jug of that water in front of them, they wouldn't drink it," he said. "This has been going on for too many years."
The water's reddish tint may be caused by inorganic particles, manganese or iron, according to the chief environmental officer in Inuvik, and is not necessarily a high-risk health concern.
"It is nothing to do with bacteria," said Bill Wrathall. "It's just tinted."
Wrathall said the problem has likely been there since Tso Lake became the town's drinking water source about 10 years ago.
Still, he recommended that the department of public works and services do something about it.
"The worst-case scenario is that people will go elsewhere to get their water and that has more of a health concern because it is not tested and not treated," he said.
Right now the water is treated at a pumphouse at the lake, chlorinated and trucked to each resident's water tank.
The department of public works has proposed a treatment option that would cost $80,000 a year.
It involves granular-activated charcoal filters that cost about $8,000 each. The community would require two that would need to be replaced five times per year.
"Changing filters when they wear out is an ongoing operation," said Brian Lemax, superintendent of public works, and therefore the community's responsibility.
Colum McCready, SAO for the Gwichya Gwich'in Band Council in Tsiigehtchic said that is just not feasible for the 190 people in the community.
"It is quite a punitive thing to do to a community like this," he said. "That is almost the price of champagne."
But the acting superintendent of MACA, Dan Carmichael, said it's too early to assume the community is responsible for costs or even if the water needs to be filtered.
"We are continuing to take samples and hoping to have some evaluations done," he said. "All the options haven't really been put out there yet."
The idea of installing filters in each household is one of those being considered, according to Lemax.
Those filters cost from about $20 to $100 and also need to be replaced on a regular basis.
