Discovering Common Ground
CHALLENGE: Two First Nations reserves in British Columbia (IR3 Spintlum and IR11 Yawaucht in the Lytton First Nation) were living under Boil Water Advisories (BWA).
As their water systems served fewer than five homes each, they were considered “individual systems” and were therefore not included in the national assessment conducted by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), then INAC, between 2009 and 2011.
SOLUTION: The long-standing BWAs were lifted in January 2017 thanks to a cross- institutional, collaborative problem-solving approach. The project united the efforts of several partnering organizations, including the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), Indigenous Services Canada, the First Nations’ Operators Water Net for British Columbia & Yukon Territories and private manufacturing, consulting and contracting firms. They worked closely throughout the fourth quarter of 2016 with the Lytton First Nation leadership, dedicated water operators and residents to assess the feasibility of point-of entry (POE) systems to meet site-specific needs of individual systems.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS: The partners sought to determine the circumstances under which a POE approach would be cost effective compared with other alternative treatment options. Partners identified site-specific considerations that could impact the system’s effectiveness, such as water quality variations, water demand, test protocols, public education, technology selection, installation, operations, monitoring plans, liabilities, capital and operating and maintenance costs and logistic and administration strategies.
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Additional Case Studiess
Discovering Common Ground
Shifting from Sequential to Simultaneous
Breaking with Conventions
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