Kym Gouchie lives just 20 kilometers away from downtown Prince George, northern B.C.'s largest city and one that has been rated as having one of the best water systems in the country — but because she is on reserve land, she has been unable to drink from her taps for more than a year.
Gouchie lives with her mother on the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation reserve, which was established after its members were removed from the Lheidli T'enneh village near present-day downtown Prince George in 1913.
In 2019, the First Nation announced the installation of water filtration systems, which have since failed.
As a result, more than 100 on-reserve members of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation are without drinkable tap water.
Gouchie says she has to constantly monitor her young grandchildren when they visit to make sure they remember to use bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, and bathing safely.
"[It's] anxiety-building," she said.
She says water from the tap sometimes comes out purple, or with black specks.
Half of the community have been under a water advisory since November 2020, before the notice was expanded in July to include all households on the reserve.
Residents have been told not to drink, cook, or brush their teeth with tap water after concerning levels of manganese were found in the water supply.
According to Health Canada, manganese can cause neurological and behavioural effects and deficits in memory, attention, and motor skills. Infants are particularly at risk.
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