The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, announced over $4 million in funding for an expansion of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Safe Water Project in Northwestern Ontario First Nations communities. This expansion means that the Project will now help eliminate boil water advisories for 19 First Nations communities.
A.U.G. Signals Ltd. (AUG) is proud to support this project with its innovative technology- TRITON- Intelligent Water SurveillanceTM (TRITON). Early in 2017, TRITON will be installed in fourteen First Nations communities, including Bearskin Lake, Cat Lake, North Caribou Lake, Sachigo Lake, Slate Falls, Kingfisher Lake, Wapekeka, Wawakapewin, Wunnumin Lake, Kasabonika Lake, Lac Seul, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Muskrat Dam and Pikangikum.
Through this project, AUG’s intelligent online water quality monitoring system will enable these communities to detect and estimate the concentrations of target waterborne contaminants in their drinking water distribution networks in real-time.
By placing monitoring systems at strategic locations, such as water treatment plants, community centres and schools, local water operators can issue alerts and advisories within minutes to minimize the scale and public health consequences of waterborne outbreaks and facilitate the reduction of contaminants present in the drinking water distribution systems. AUG’s technology offers a way to enhance drinking water infrastructure while building capacity at both the individual and community levels.
In addition to this state-of-the-art hardware, the 14 First Nations communities involved in the KO Safe Water Project expansion will gain permanent, full‐time employment opportunities for local personnel for maintenance and support of the systems. Training and coordination for the expansion will be organized through four Tribal Councils: Windigo First Nations Council, Shibogama First Nations Council and Independent First Nations Alliance—all based in Sioux Lookout—as well as Keewaytinook Okimakanak Council in Balmertown.
Please visit the following link to listen to the full podcast of CBC’s “World at Six” on the Safe Water Project expansion: “Safe Water Project Featured on CBC World at Six”