Cisterns in Manitoba First Nations communities found to contain E. coli

Cisterns set up next to or underneath homes provide a kind of running water in some Manitoba First Nations communities where the installation of modern plumbing infrastructure has stalled - but is it safe?

Research done by University of Manitoba professor Annemieke Farenhorst indicates E. coli contamination is a problem in reserve cisterns.

On CBC Radio's Up to Speed this afternoon, Farenhorst said, "If we compare the cistern quality with the pipe water quality, the cisterns were 40 times more likely to contain live bacteria. And there are also particular bacteria that are called E. coli - and they're measured separately - and we found that cisterns are 60 times more likely to contain E. coli than piped water. So there's a real clear difference between the water quality in homes that receive water from pipes versus those that rely on cisterns."

Farenhorst's research looked at water samples from cisterns and pipes in three Manitoba First Nations communities - but she does not have permission from the communities to reveal which ones she did the research in.

In 119 samples from these communities, she found an average of 57 E.coli colonies per 100 millimetres of water in cisterns - which is 63 times higher than amounts found in pipes on these reserves.

"Our samples are relatively small, so we focused typically on 10 cisterns and then we sample at various times in the year," said Farenhorst. "But if you're looking at communities such as Wasagamack - 73 percent of the time that they sampled the cisterns throughout 2014 - that water contained bacteria."

In terms of quick fixes, Farenhorst is most concerned with underground cisterns - especially those made of cement, because they crack and let in ground water. 

But Farenhorst says the ultimate fix will require more investment.

"Hooking up more people to the water treatment plants with pipes is the real solution," said Farenhorst.