The provision of safe drinking water is a key driver of public health and a pressing health issue facing First Nations communities in Canada. Contaminated water is a perennial issue for reserve communities across the country despite numerous government investments. Many First Nations communities rely heavily on cistern use for their drinking water supply; however, bacterial contamination within these systems is frequent and a common reason for household boil water advisories. The sources of contamination during the process of hauling water to cisterns in First Nations communities have received limited attention in academic research. The purpose of this research is to identify the risks to water quality through the truck-to-cistern water system. In partnership with a Saskatchewan First Nations community, drinking water quality was monitored in the treatment plant, in delivery trucks and at 142 household cisterns and taps from July to October, 2014. Risks to water supply were identified through monthly water sampling and laboratory analysis, key informant interviews, and observation. Coliform contamination in trucks, cisterns and taps was most common during August. Total coliforms were more likely to be found in cisterns compared to household taps and samples from trucks. Chlorine residuals were lower in household tap samples than in cisterns for August and September. Together with the community, investigators identified contamination and bacteriological growth in cisterns and household distribution systems, and variable levels of total chlorine concentrations depending on month and site of sampling. Recommendations are provided for advancing guidelines on management of truck-to-cistern drinking water supply chains in First Nations.

提供安全的饮用水是公共卫生的主要动力，也是加拿大原住民社区面临的紧迫健康问题。尽管政府进行了大量投资，但污染水仍然是全国储备社区的常年问题。许多原住民社区严重依赖水箱的饮用水供应。然而，这些系统中的细菌污染是常见的，也是家庭开水建议的常见原因。在向原住民社区的蓄水池运水过程中，污染源在学术研究中受到的关注很少。这项研究的目的是通过卡车到水箱水系统确定对水质的风险。与萨斯喀彻温第一民族社区合作，2014年7月至10月，在处理厂，运送卡车和142个家用水龙头中对饮用水水质进行了监测。通过每月的水采样和实验室分析，关键信息提供者访谈和观察，确定了供水风险。8月，卡车，水箱和水龙头中的大肠菌污染最为普遍。与家用水龙头和卡车样本相比，在大水箱中更容易发现大肠菌群。8月和9月，家庭自来水样品中的氯残留量低于储水池中的残留量。研究人员与社区一道，确定了水箱和家庭分配系统中的污染和细菌生长，并根据采样月份和地点确定了总氯浓度的变化水平。