WABASEEMOONG INDEPENDENT NATIONS — Disruption to water service in Wabaseemoong Independent Nations that have displaced of about 350 residents.
The community first posted about the outage on its Facebook page on Christmas Eve, saying that engineers had advised community leaders that the disruption would last at least two weeks. At the time, the community said the situation was caused by petroliam with the pump house.
“We are doing absolutely everything in our power to work as fast as we can so our membership who are displaced can return home, but we also have to make sure the problem is fixed properly and the mandatory safety steps are taken," Chief Waylon Scott said.
“We have support from various partner organizations during this, so we can make sure our membership has safe places to stay during the repair, as well as having access to safe water and whatever other services are needed.”
Scott said the community is continuing to navigate the water situation and working towards full restoration, adding it could take another week for repairs to be complete.
“Repair work is being done on the clear well in the community, and once that is complete testing must take place on the water before it is able to be let back into the main water distribution system,” Scott said in a news release distributed on Friday.
Scott said leaders have taken steps to ensure their community has a safe place while work is being done at the water treatment plant.
“Our community members’ safety always comes first so we have taken steps of action to ensure safe spaces for our membership. A portion of membership from the community have been evacuated to Kenora, and are being supported in town while the situation is being worked out,” Scott said.
Kenora Fire Chief David Pratt has confirmed that 110 residents are being sheltered in local hotels in Kenora, while another 151 residents are in hotels in Dryden through the Red Cross and local charity groups.
