Sask. village says it won't have enough fresh water to last the winter

The northern village of Cumberland House has declared a state of emergency over a looming water shortage.

In a statement to the media on Thursday, the community said there is not enough water available to fill its reservoir for the coming winter, and that it only has enough to last the next four weeks.

“The reservoir is the only source of clean drinking water for the Cumberland House community. Losing this resource will jeopardize the health and safety of the community and people,” said the joint news release issued by the Village of Cumberland House, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) and the Cumberland House Cree Nation.

The group says low water levels in the region are a result of hydroelectric development, irrigation and poor water management policies in the province.

“This ongoing situation we are facing is a result of complete negligence from SaskPower, Water Security Agency and the Saskatchewan government,” said Cumberland House Mayor Veronica Favel.

“Along with the municipality not having access to freshwater, wildlife and our traditional medicines are at risk of being lost. Continuously we have felt this impact.”

A spokesperson for the provincial government’s executive council told CTV News a number of ministries and agencies are working with the northern village to implement short and long-term solutions to the community’s water problems.

“A short-term solution has been implemented, with additional pumping capacity currently operating,” the spokesperson said.

“It is expected the reservoir will be full by this weekend, providing approximately three months of water storage.”

Agencies are currently looking for additional sources to supply the community beyond spring 2024, the province says.

Cumberland House serves as a delta for the Saskatchewan Rivers, wetlands formed as the river system empties into Cumberland Lake.

Cumberland House Cree Nation Chief Rene Chaboyer said it’s the largest freshwater inland delta in North America.

“The health of the Cumberland House area is critically important to local and global ecosystems,” Chaboyer said.

MN-S regional director Ryan Carriere says low water levels also mean community members can’t navigate the delta to hunt, fish, trap or gather medicines.

“Our traditional way of life and our cultural identity and teachings are being lost by not being able to access our ancestral homelands,” Carriere said.

The group says the Big Stone River, which feeds water from the Saskatchewan river system into the delta, has stopped flowing entirely.

They say water diversions across the entire river system are to blame, but the nearest culprit is the E.B. Campbell Dam, a hydroelectric power station built in 1963 that created Tobin Lake.

“E.B. Campbell dam operations interrupt the natural water cycles of the delta, starving the flora and fauna of essential nutrients and moisture.”

In its statement to CTV News, the province says 2023 saw “historically low water levels” from lack of precipitation and low mountain run-off.

The province denies the E.B. Campbell Dam is a cause of low water flows into the delta.