Duncan’s First Nation in northern Alberta has unveiled its new water treatment plant, made possible through a $13-million investment from Indigenous Services Canada.
Duncan’s First Nation Chief, Virginia Gladue, said the new plant will not only provide clean, filtered drinking water, but also enable the development of firefighting services, as well as planned trout pond facilities and vertical farming practices.
“We will now have the water pressure necessary to supply all our current and future housing and community buildings,” Chief Gladue announced in a statement.
According to a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada, the water treatment plant’s design began in 2019. The 3,500 square-foot facility has a water treatment capacity of 240 m³ of water per day. The plant is also equipped with a solar panel array and uses a nanofiltration system, followed by a free chlorine disinfection process to treat the water.
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The design-bid-build procurement and contract administration for the project was provided by Associated Engineering, while general contracting was provided by AGS Mechanical Contractors Ltd.
Duncan’s First Nation is located within the Municipal District of Peace No. 135, about 39 kilometres southwest of the Peace River.
“Air, food, and water are the three necessities of life. We are a nation of people who were on this land when the water could be drank right out of the rivers and lakes,” Chief Gladue added. “Today, with the overpopulation and pollution of our lands and waterways, we are no longer able to eat the fish in most rivers or drink the water without filtration.”
