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A Day in the Life of a Water Resources Officer

There’s no doubt about it, there is a lot of water in Nunavut and taking care of it all is a big job! Many different organizations or governments have jurisdiction over different aspects of water management within the territory. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is one of those departments who have a part in responsible water resource management in Nunavut. Here’s the role that our Inspectors play:

• Inspect water licences for mines, industries and communities in the territory;
• Ensure compliance of the terms and conditions of water licences and take action if the licensee is not in compliance, and;
• Provide advice and education on water legislation within the territory that could potentially affect the operations of communities, mines and other industry sites.

INAC only has jurisdiction over fresh water, such as lakes and river. Drinking water and other water issues are the responsibility of other agencies.

INAC employs people who usually have a science background or a strong interest in science, to be Water Resource Officers. In Nunavut, there are two Water Resource Officers, one who handles activities in the Baffin Region and another for the Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions. The role of a Water Resource Officer is to ensure that industrial and municipal operators are practicing responsible water resource management and following the conditions of the water licence. They also help communities with understanding the requirements of their licences and may assist them with the collection of water samples or preparation of annual reports. Their task can change from site to site, as quickly as a river flows. Lets follow a Water Resource Officer around on his day.

When first arriving at work, the Water Resources Officer may have letters or phone calls from communities or companies who have questions about water licence requirements and interpretations. It is their job to answer these regulatory questions. Because the Water Resources Officer works directly with many different clients, he may be asked questions that concern other parts of INAC or even other government departments. These questions will be directed to the appropriate department. The Water Resource Officer may also provide comments on water licence applications or on reports prepared in accordance with licence requirements.

After taking care of this administrative work, the Water Resource Officer could then head out to a site for an inspection. This could be a planned inspection or a surprise inspection.

An inspection is a very detailed process! Every part of the operation has to be inspected to ensure the licensee is complying with the water licence. The Water Resource Officer has to ensure the samples are gathered in a uncontaminated manner so that they will not become tainted in any way. The Officer will also inspect any fuel or chemical spill clean-up activities while on the site and take lots of pictures and notes. These pictures and notes will be used for reminders during the report writing stage or as evidence in court if necessary.

The Water Resource Officer then sends the samples to a laboratory in Yellowknife, with details on what analysis must be made.

Once the lab samples come back, an inspection report will be prepared which will determine whether or not the site is following their water licence. The results of the water samples will also be given to the licensee. If the site is not in compliance with their water licence, it is the Water Resource Officer’s job to take the appropriate actions to ensure the company or community comes into compliance.

What Can A Water Resource Officer Do If A Site or Community Is Out Of Compliance With Their Water Licence?

Water Resource Officers can do three things if there is a violation in the terms and conditions of a water licence. They can:

• Write a warning letter which suggests ways to improve the situation; or
• Write a letter of direction which clearly outlines what the problems are at the site and how to rectify them. This letter would also give a time period for improvement; or
• The final and most severe course of action a Water Resource Officer can take is to press charges against the company or community that is not in compliance. This means the case would go to court. However, Water Resource Officers try to avoid taking communities and industrial licensees to court and would rather work with the licensee to bring them back into compliance.

What Else Does A Water Resource Officer Do?

Although the field season for a Water Resource Officer is very short (May - October) a great deal of work must be done. They have to conduct inspections in communities, mines and exploration activities and any other activities for which a water licence is required, such as bridge construction. Inspection reports are then prepared that detail all aspects of the inspection. They try to educate as many people as they can about INAC’s role in water resource management in Nunavut. Often times they will go to the communities and meet with Senior Administrative Officers to explain the requirements of the legislation and provisions of the water licence. In addition to the Licensee, the results of water analysis and other studies will be shared with departments such as the Department of Community Government and Transportation, Public Health and the Nunavut Water Board.

How Often Are Sites Inspected by INAC Water Resource Officers?

A short field season, long distances, difficult logistics and high costs all influence how many inspections a Water Resource Officers can conduct in a year. At a minimum, Inspectors try to conduct inspections at these levels:

Operating Mines: two times per year
Exploration Sites: one time per year
Other Industrial Sites: one time per year
Licenced Communities (with water licences from the Nunavut Water Board): one time per year
Unlicenced communities (without a licence from the Nunavut Water Board) one time every two years

What Gives INAC the Authority to Inspect Water Licences?

By regulation, the Inspectors are given their authority by the Minister to carry out their duties through appropriate legislation.

I Still Have Questions About Water Resource Management In Nunavut. Who Can I Ask?

The INAC Field Operations Division in Iqaluit would be happy to answer questions about water resource management in Nunavut.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Nunavut Field Operations Division
PO Box 100, Building 918
Iqaluit, Nunavut
X0A 0H0
Ph: (867) 975-4297
e-mail: nuinfo@ainc-inac.gc.ca

A Day in the Life of a Water Resources Officer (PDF 413 Kb) in PDF format.

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