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Nathan Copenace, Internship Graduate, on Boil Water Advisories

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Nathan Copenace, Internship Graduate, on Boil Water Advisories

Nathan Copenace, Internship Graduate, on Boil Water Advisories

Drinking Water Internship Program

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What is it like to finally provide your community with clean drinking water after being on a boil water advisory for more than a decade? For Nathan Copenace from Washagamis Bay First Nation, it’s a big responsibility. “I remember not being able to drink water since I was a kid,” says Nathan. Nathan is a graduate of Water First’s Drinking Water Internship Program. After graduating, Nathan began working at the local water treatment plant. After years without clean water, Nathan is now providing clean drinking water to his community, supporting them in the long journey to trusting the water once again.

IRTC Environmental Water Week

Drinking water advisory statistics are for federally maintained systems on First Nations reserve lands only. These numbers do not include private systems or systems in Inuit communities.

Drinking water advisories include short-term (under 1 year) and long-term (more than 1 year) boil water advisories, do not consume advisories, and do not use advisories for First Nation communities in Canada.

Calculating the number of drinking water advisories is a complex process. Water First relies on information from several different sources. 

Sources: www.watertoday.ca, www.sac-isc.gc.ca, www.fnha.ca.

Last Updated: July 2026