Lac Seul First Nation – Kejick Bay Island Water Treatment Plant

SBA was retained by Lac Seul First Nation in 2016 to assist them in the development of a new water treatment plant in the Kejick Bay Island community located in Northwestern Ontario. Kejick Bay has a population of approximately 353 (Y. 2016) people on the island which is connected to the mainland by a 600-metre causeway for vehicles, including a walking lane. The previous pumphouse was constructed in 1989 and provided only basic disinfection which was non-compliant with current Federal or Provincial Water Treatment regulations. In addition, their system had met its design life and wasn’t capable of providing emergency protection during a fire or power failure.

Our objective for this project was to assist the Lac Seul First Nation in the selection process of a new technology for the treatment of their present and future water demand in order to meet current requirements. SBA finalized the feasibility study portion of the project including treatment selection and evaluation of all relevant background information including water quality, supply, fire protections and backwash as required to complete the design. Additionally, we completed the detailed design and construction oversight and successfully commissioned the new water treatment plant in December 2019, removing them from an 18-year long boil water advisory.

As of 2020, the Obishikokaang Water Treatment Plant now provides the necessary fire flows and the fire protection that was not available from the previous infrastructure. The completion of this project removed and addressed the critical health and safety risk that was being faced by all community members in terms of water supply, treatment, storage and distribution and this system now meets Provincial and Federal regulations that previously put residents as risk of illness caused by untreated drinking water. This facility opens up opportunities for the community to expand and address the shortage of homes within the First Nation as well as opening up economic opportunities.