A Traditional Approach to Address Water Issues in Anisininew Red Sucker Lake

Red Sucker Lake is a fly-in, fly-out reserve that is home to 1,200 Anisininew individuals and 300 families. [1]. Aside from the nursing station, schools, and teacherage, water is transported to the residences by truck. Daily, I observe on our community Facebook page that households request water delivery. Five images are attached here. Due to these challenges, households are unable to utilize the bathroom and maintain a clean-living environment. The situation deteriorates further for children and the elderly. I encounter this problem almost every day, which prevents me from using the bathroom for essential needs and hinders my ability to keep a tidy home. Additionally, I work at my local clinic and witness numerous cases of waterborne illnesses. Considering this on-going issue, I felt compelled to take action to address the water challenges facing my community. I have heard of many Indigenous communities experiencing similar water issues that could also benefit from this research. Also, I did a survey on my community as included here which encouraged me to work on this project.

In discussions with the community elders, I discovered that our ancestors utilized water that was naturally filtered by muskegs. Notably, through extensive observation of the drinking habits of animals in wetland areas rich in muskeg, they found that these animals preferred this water over river water. This preference led to the realization that consuming muskeg water resulted in a reduction of waterborne diseases among the population. Drawing from our comprehensive knowledge and literature review, I opted to implement muskeg as a filtration medium. During winter, we experience nearly seven months of snow cover, while the remaining months allow for lake water to serve as a source of raw water. In this initiative, melted snow water was processed as illustrated in the flow diagram. It was noted that the second layer functioned more effectively as a water filtration bed for the elimination of suspended particles and pollutants. Following the filtration process, the water is boiled until it reaches a bubbling state to eradicate pathogens.

Figure: 1 Flow Chart for Producing Water from Lake Water and Melted Snow

The final water product underwent testing for various parameters as detailed in Tables 1. Laboratory analyses suggest that this water closely matches the quality produced by the water treatment facility. All essential parameters, such as hardness, alkalinity, and chlorine content, meet the standards set by the Canadian health guidelines for drinking water. Furthermore, no microorganisms were observed under the microscope.

This traditional way of treating water could potentially be used as a source of clean water to help the community when in need. However, I learned from our results that only the second layer alone of the excavated muskeg bogs is not as effective as all three layers are used as the filter bed.

The muskeg is slightly acidic in nature as tested with litmus paper. The muskeg was not treated with alkali, which may destroy its the structure of the mass. Rather, it was washed with tap water several times to adject the pH in the range 6.5 to 8.5 as accepted for drinking water by health Canada. The traditional and holistic approach gained from our elders combined with our laboratory analysis yields a good quality water. This might response nicely as a potential solution to our on-going water issues. Although, the results of melted and purified water complies with the tap and dispensed water, still it is not a conclusive approach, which needs to be analysed by accredited methods of laboratory testing such as ISO 17025 protocols.

Additionally, in this first project we were only able to cut the top 12 to 18 inches of the muskeg, while muskeg bogs can be as deep as 30 feet. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the lower levels may be more effective in removing chemicals and pathogens. That is why traditionally the water people drank had percolated 'up' through the layers.

Producing drinkable water from melted snow has shown some encouraging results. Looking ahead, I plan to incorporate a sustainable circular economy (CE) model into this project, resonates deeply with Indigenous culture and spiritual practices. [6,7] Wastewater from showers and kitchens can be treated and reused, while toilet waste can be directed to the treatment plant. Moreover, there is a need for a thorough investigation into the workings of the muskeg bed. Production of indigenous activated charcoal [7] by blending traditional knowledge on wood selection and stacking in kiln burning process, as passed down by our elders can be considered.

I would like to thank my Science Teacher, Shahidur Rahman (Sentu), for helping me along the way with my project. Without him, I would not be here at this event. My sincere gratitude goes to my Computer Science Teacher, Kyle Little, for showing me the location of muskegs; to Tony Harper for explaining the process and quality of the water treatment plant; to our Principal, Roy Drover for his help; to our Chief and Council; to Dr. Pierce and elders whom I interviewed, as well as to the people who participated in my surveys.

Speech of Chief in Council, Red Sucker Lake; March 9, 2026

Shahidur Molla. Mavrick Wood. water quality testing, St. Theresa Point, Manitoba; 2025

Red Sucker Lake Events, Community Facebook

Drinking water quality in Indigenous communities in Canada and health outcomes: a scoping review Lori E. A. Bradford et.al. Article: 32336 | Received 20 May 2016, Accepted 06 Jul 2016, Published online; 29 Jul 2016

Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality Summery Table, Health Canada; 2019

Martin Geissdoerfer. Paulo Savaget. Nancy M.P. Bocken . Erik Jan Hultink. The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm?

Walter Emrich. Handbook of Charcoal Making, The Traditional and Industrial Methods Vol. 7 ISBN 978-90-481-8411-8

Interview of Red Sucker Lake elders