“We want to start the journey of building trust in the water source. Years of no violations will help build trust," says William "Billy" Longfellow, water quality technician and program manager with the Sipayik Environmental Department, about the drinking water supplied to the community. He adds, "That's what I want to see during my time on this earth -- that the water is trusted by the community."
      Both the Passamaquoddy Water District (PWD) and the tribal government have been taking steps recently to improve the water quality and instill confidence in the drinking water supplied to residences at Sipayik and Eastport. One of the most important measures has been the addition of a granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration system, which has been making significant improvements in the water from Boyden's Lake since it began operating at the PWD treatment plant in Perry at the end of August 2022. Testing by both the PWD and the Sipayik Environmental Department has shown that the GAC system not only has significantly lowered the levels of possible cancer-causing compounds in the water but also has improved the color, odor and taste of the drinking water.
      Concerns about the water quality at Sipayik, where many people do not drink the PWD water, had led to the enactment of legislation in the spring of 2022 that would allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe, without needing state approval, to tap into a groundwater aquifer in Perry to provide drinking water. However, whether a groundwater source should be explored again has not yet been determined.
      Along with aesthetic issues, the main health concern has been related to the levels of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) in the drinking water. Trihalomethanes are formed when organic compounds in the water come in contact with chlorine, which is added as a disinfectant at the treatment plant. Different trihalomethanes that can be formed are classified as either possible or probable human carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While the water district had struggled for years with the issue of high TTHM levels, the last time that the PWD water exceeded the maximum allowable limit set by the EPA was in November 2020, when it was 81.6 parts per billion (ppb), just over the 80 ppb limit.
      "I would be very surprised if we have any exceedances of the TTHM levels in the future with the use of the GAC system," says Mark McCluskey of A.E. Hodsdon in Waterville, a consulting engineering firm for the PWD, who is the licensed operator for the water treatment plant. The new GAC system has reduced the level of TTHMs in the water by approximately 36% of the highest reading in 2022, which was 73 ppb. The system also is removing the organic carbon levels in the water by as much as 98%, while before the August 2022 installation of the GAC system the removal by the existing pressure filters was 50% to 60%. "The removal of organics helps to reduce the amount of chlorine that we have to add to maintain good disinfection of the water," and thus lowers TTHM levels, McCluskey notes. In addition, he adds, "We believe that the GAC does help with color, taste and odor, as the water leaving the plant is extremely clear and does not have any odd taste or odor. The GAC is removing organics in the water that cause these water quality issues." Those results are also being seen in the testing that the Sipayik Environmental Department has been having done, separately from the PWD testing. Longfellow says the GAC system "has helped a lot" with improving the water quality, at least according to initial data. Testing of water samples collected on October 18 from 12 sites around Sipayik found that the TTHM levels at all of the sites were well below the 80 ppb allowable limit, ranging from a low of 16 ppb to the highest of 56.5 ppb. More testing, at 25 sites, is planned in January. Along with TTHM levels, the tests conducted by Katahdin Analytical Services checked for chlorine, pH, coliform bacteria, color and lead, copper, iron and manganese. "It does appear that the GAC is removing TTHMs as it's supposed to, and I hope that trend continues into the future," says Longfellow, who is now a member of the PWD board.
      The Environmental Department has been having its own testing conducted because high TTHM levels previously were found at certain times at Sipayik when the PWD's tests, which are done from water samples taken at the meter pit where the water lines go into Sipayik, showed they were below the allowable limit. McCluskey has noted that if water becomes stagnant in the water lines, particularly dead end lines, then trihalomethanes can form.
      Along with improvements at the PWD treatment plant, several steps are being taken to improve the water system infrastructure at Sipayik, which is maintained by the tribal government. Gene Wayne Francis, who was the superintendent of the Passamaquoddy Wastewater Facility until he retired and is now working as a consultant for Water Quality and Compliance Services of Wiscasset, reports that a mixer, which blends the water and improves water quality, was placed in the standpipe about a month ago, with the tribe funding the work that was done through the PWD. Funding also has been obtained for adding bleeder valves this spring on dead-end lines where the water stagnates, which should reduce TTHM issues. The PWD does have bleeder valves in some lines in Eastport.
      In addition, a water line replacement project was completed in 2021 along Passamaquoddy Road and Ballfield Road, which was expected to help eliminate some taste and odor issues that had been generated by the old cast-iron lines.
      As for water quality issues besides TTHMs, there were a few reports of discolored water at Sipayik following a storm early this fall, but Longfellow says the issues have not been like they were in the past.
      However, a different water quality issue developed recently when the GAC filters were replaced and some homeowners at Sipayik complained that the water during a week in early November had seemed to be "slimy and slippery," says Francis. According to McCluskey, when the media were changed out on October 26, it caused higher than normal pH readings of between 8 and 10. Subsequent testing showed the pH levels returning to normal. The pipes along Passamaquoddy Road then were flushed out, which helped turn the water over in the standpipe at Sipayik. McCluskey noted in a letter that the higher pH levels do not make the water unsafe to drink, although it can seem slippery. Francis and Chuck Applebee, the new superintendent of the wastewater treatment facility at Sipayik, asked in a letter that the PWD notify the tribe of any potential water quality changes before they are experienced at Sipayik.

Building trust
      Concerning attitudes among tribal members toward the PWD water, Longfellow says, "I believe there still is mistrust, even with the GAC."
      He notes some tribal members also distrust the water from the tribe's well station, which the tribal government opened in October 2022 because of concerns about the PWD water, with some noting the scalding on cooking pots that occurs because of minerals in the water. The well station is tested once a month for coliform bacteria and annually for metals and arsenic. Longfellow notes that an arsenic removal tank is located at the well station and that the Samaqannihkuk well is approved by the Maine Drinking Water Program as a source for public drinking water. "I'm hoping the community will choose to trust that water," he says.
      The well station has been shut down in the past, after someone field dressed a deer nearby. The well was only reopened after the site was disinfected and results were obtained from coliform bacteria testing. "We're trying to build trust," says Longfellow, noting that the Environmental Department and others are trying to communicate clearly with the community about what they are doing. Data reports on the well station will be posted on the tribal government's website.
      Communication with the PWD also is better than in the past, Longfellow says. "We're working together to figure out any issues." If an issue arises with PWD water in the future, with a water quality standard violation, "we're trying to figure out the best way to communicate" that information to those who use the water.
      Ann Bellefleur, the PWD business manager, says the relaying of information between the water district and the tribe has improved, in both directions, and Francis also believes that communication has gotten better.
      In addition to drinking water testing, the Environmental Department has been testing surface water quality at the Little River that leads to the treatment plant and Boyden's Lake, checking pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, salinity and some nutrient levels. Longfellow says he would be able to provide that information to the PWD.
      A community meeting is being planned at Sipayik this winter to talk about the water quality, Longfellow says. "We'll ask: What would bring trust in the drinking water?" Noting that it might be "a tough meeting," he says, "I hope vocal people do show up."

Planning for the future
      While the GAC system and infrastructure work at Sipayik appear to be resolving the water quality issues, the long-term future for the drinking water source is still being debated. To help answer that question, the tribe has been awarded funding by the EPA for the second phase of a study of water sources. The first phase had included the 2013 pump test of wells on land the tribe owns by the former Humphries farm in Perry to see if a groundwater source is feasible.
      Bellefleur says the PWD is being involved with the study as options are considered. She understands that it will look to see if it would be beneficial to upgrade the treatment plant.
      Francis feels "it's not wise to even consider" groundwater wells, since the location that was previously tested in Perry is farmland with high levels of arsenic and radon. He believes that an upgrade of the treatment plant's roughing filter to handle periods of heavy run-off during rain storms and high winds is needed, while McCluskey points out that the roughing filter has been "a great improvement to the treatment system, taking out as much as 60% of the organics" before the water goes through the pressure filter system.
      Of the PWD water, Francis states, "I feel that the drinking water is safer than any other water." He notes that some other sources of water, like local springs, may not even be tested for their water quality. Coliform bacteria were detected in some private well water locations at Sipayik, and Longfellow says the tribe is looking at obtaining funding to conduct a survey to test water from wells in the tribe's service area.
      Francis, who favors upgrades to the treatment plant over a new groundwater source, comments, "I drink the [PWD] water. Since the carbon filters were installed, I've seen a change."
      Bellefleur understands there would not be enough water from the groundwater source in Perry to supply all of the PWD customers. While mixing groundwater with the Boyden's Lake water could be an option, she says other issues would then be created.
      However, finding a groundwater source may be needed at some point in the future. Marvin Cling, director of the Sipayik Environmental Department, comments, "Overall, I hope one day the source of the drinking water eventually is from the identified production wells that are located on lands owned by the tribe in Perry. This would help the communities that rely on the water supplied by PWD to be more resilient to the effects of climate change. Boyden's Lake will eventually experience algal blooms that would make the water undrinkable. Switching to the groundwater will help mitigate any impacts from climate change as well as provide water that does not need to be excessively chlorinated due to high microscopic organics in the surface water after filtration."
      McCluskey agrees, stating, "The ideal situation for the water district would be to have a new groundwater source. Regulations are changing continuously, and there could be a need for some alternate type of treatment in the future. For now, the system is meeting the requirements and providing good quality water to the customers."