What factors lead to First Nations boil water advisories? Recent study mines the data

A recent study offers insight into the range of factors that must be considered as the federal government pursues its goal of eliminating long-term boil water advisories on First Nations by 2021.

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"It's going to be difficult. There's no one solution," said Ed McBean, a professor of water resources and university research leadership chair at the University of Guelph, and one of the authors of the report.

But the research indicates that infrastructure investments alone won't do the trick.

McBean said that after analyzing a slew of historical data,it's evidentthat operator certification and training are key to preventing advisories and limiting the duration when they do happen.

"It came out loud and long that well-trained operators would be helpful," he said.

Certifying and retaining operators, especially in remote First Nations, can be a huge challenge, McBeanacknowledged. Some promising programs are being created, but there's more to be done.

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One thing he'd like to see is more ongoing support foroperators after they are certified.

In many communities, there may only be one person with the expertise to run a water treatment plant. Anonline network where they could consult with other experts might be one way to help, he said.

In addition to operator training, the report also highlights the importance of protecting source water quality, McBeansaid, noting that smalltreatment plants inIndigenous communities won't have the same number of barriers to contamination as those in larger centres.

The report found that drinking water advisories were more frequent in systems drawing from surface water.

The report, titled "A decade of drinking water advisories: Historical evidence of frequency, duration and causes," was published in the Canadian Water Resources Journal.