Residents on Potlotek First Nation in Cape Breton say they’ve been dealing with discoloured drinking water for more than a year, and it only seems to be getting worse.
They say it’s yellow this week, and that it was brown last week, either way unfit to drink.
“I think it’s horrible,” says resident Savannah Johnson. “It needs to be fixed.”
Johnson says her biggest concern is bathing her 14-month-old son, who has sensitive skin and the water is making him irritable.
“It really bothers me because even when he’s sleeping, he’s scratching away,” she explains. “His forehead was all cut up one day because he was scratching so bad.”
Mary Paul says she caught an infection while taking a bath in water she says is unhealthy.
“It’s making us sick,” she adds. “When I do soak, I wound up itching. I did go to the doctor’s and now I’m taking pills.”
According to the band and council on the reserve, the water is not as bad as it looks; the problem is in an aging tower and the high amount of iron in the water, when treated with chlorine, turns colour.
“It’s safe because it’s tested for any contaminants, “explains Potlotek First Nation Chief Administrative Officer Lindsay Marshall. “What we are faced with is the turbidity. The colour is mother nature reminding us that we can’t control everything.”
Officials at a daycare in the area say their water turned black Thursday afternoon, forcing them to close and send the children home.
They say they’ll reopen when they feel the water is safe.
“I think it’s dangerous,” says parent Dawn Isaac. “If it has a smell to it, that shouldn’t be there.”
Residents say they’re concerned for their health, and hope there will be a permanent solution to the problem soon.
Marshall says there is a plan in place.
The band and council will receive half a million dollars from the federal government to help with upgrades, but he says the water plant needs to be replaced to fix the problem, which will take millions of dollars and years to complete.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
