Water Care Company receives funding for water pilot project in Stoney Nakoda First Nation
by CM Staff
Alberta Innovates has committed $328,089 to Water Care to focus on developing the pre-commercial prototype of its Clarification Technology at the Morley plant.
CALGARY — Steel River Group Ltd. announced that its new entity, Water Care Company, has received funding from the Alberta Innovates Water Innovation Program for its first water treatment project in Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
Water Care was created to ensure that these communities have access to first world water treatment infrastructure that can be owned, operated and maintained locally, empowering each community to solve their own water crisis.
Alberta Innovates has committed $328,089 to Water Care to focus on developing the pre-commercial prototype of its Clarification Technology at the Morley plant. This investment will help Water Care continue to develop its water treatment technology while supporting opportunities for education, employment, social sovereignty and economic sustainability.
“This is a gratifying moment on the journey to ending the water crisis in Canada, where access to simple and effective wastewater solutions continues to be a challenge, especially in remote and Indigenous communities,” said Trent Fequet, founder and CEO of Steel River. “This funding will be instrumental in driving this mission forward, and I want to thank the team at Alberta Innovates for understanding the importance of this project and for their support. This technology has the potential to be transformative for so many communities across the country. The team at Water Care will continue to innovate and push the boundaries of technology as Water Care looks to expands its offerings beyond wastewater treatment, with access to clean drinking water the top priority.”
Over the past year and a half, Steel River has been working with the Stoney Tribal Administration to explore potential solutions for the Morley Wastewater Treatment Plant, a facility that is frequently forced to turn away truckloads of wastewater due to capacity challenges. Upon successful testing and integration of this technology, Water Care plans to bring this technology to communities across Canada that share similar challenges with the Stoney Tribal Administration.
“The Stoney Nakoda Nation, like many Nations across this country, have experienced water issues for generations that impact the entire community,” said Chief Clifford Poucette of Wesley First Nation. “Whether it’s access to clean drinking water or disposing of wastewater, we need to restore, protect, and preserve our water, as water is sacred. As a First Nation, being given this opportunity to steward this new technology, understand how it works, and share the knowledge of its effectiveness with other Indigenous peoples is very powerful. We thank Steel River Group and Alberta Innovates for this opportunity to collaborate on such an important issue.”
