Experts say there are contamination risks with the transport of water as well. “You could have contamination with the hose at the treatment plant, if it’s not properly guarded and disinfected. You could have contamination because the truck is dirty,” said Zagozewski. According to the 2018 First Nations Regional Health Survey, people were less likely to consider their water safe for drinking if it was trucked in. The survey, conducted by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) and its regional partners, is the only First Nations-governed national health survey of First Nations reserve and Northern communities.

Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director with the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, says cisterns can pose health risks to those who rely on them. She says the structures can have cracked lids, which allows all sorts of debris to get into them — including rats, mice, drowned puppies and garbage — and they’re often not cleaned properly. On top of that, she says the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association is concerned that there is no certification program for water truck drivers. The group wants to create such a program where drivers would have to be trained in how to keep the water safe and be held accountable if things go wrong. “Because right now there’s no accountability,” she says.