Frustrations growing over Indian Brook boil water order

Frustrations continue to grow on the Indian Brook First Nation.

A two-month long boil water order is still in effect and when it will end, no one knows.

One thing is clear, people are simply fed up.

"If you brush your teeth, it's with bottled water," said Michael Paul. "If you wash the dishes, you have to use bottled water and then you have to use the other part of the sink and use bleach in there."

Now there's hope an election will end the problem.

The water at Indian Brook is unsafe to drink because of problems with the community's treatment plant and water tower, and it's been that way for a while. It's been the same way now for more than two months and the problem isn't going away.

Even in the middle of an election for a new chief and council, people on the reserve don't know when drinkable tap water will return.

"It could be a couple of months," said Simon Nevin. "Or it could be a year."

Water trucks continue to drop off hundreds of litres of clean bottled water at least a couple of times a week. With reluctance and some embarrassment, Indian Brook residents come and pick it up.

"It's what Day 65 and still we have no water," said Sharon Maloney. "And the person responsible for who is taking care of our water takes off to Europe, I mean how concerned is he."

Michael Paul believes he can solve the water problem quickly.

"The current candidate for councillor, he also used to run the water treatment plant," said Paul. "Do an acid clean, get a well wash. It takes two or three days."

Paul and others feel politics are causing people to pay the price at their taps.