Efforts continue to build trust in drinking water at Sipayik

Efforts to build trust in the drinking water quality among community members at Sipayik are continuing, with the Passamaquoddy tribal government now funding the monitoring of the water quality, community meetings to discuss concerns being held and an early-warning detection system planned for alerting residents when there may be issues with the tap water.

Despite significant steps having been taken to ensure that residents have safe drinking water, "distrust is still strong" in the community about the water supplied by the Passamaquoddy Water District (PWD), says William "Billy" Longfellow, water quality technician and program manager with the Sipayik Environmental Department. "A lot still won't use the tap water," even though the data show that it is safe to drink. "But when they see the discoloration, people in the community still distrust the water."

The progress to improve the drinking water includes the enactment in 2022 of legislation that authorizes two tribally-owned parcels to move forward through the federal process to pursue alternative groundwater sources without state approval and that enables federal regulatory authority over drinking water within Passamaquoddy territory. That same year, a granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration system was installed at the PWD's plant in Perry to reduce disinfection byproducts during the treatment of the water that comes from Boyden's Lake. Testing by both the PWD and the Sipayik Environmental Department has shown that the GAC system not only has significantly lowered the levels of trihalomethanes (THMs), a possible cancer‑causing compound, but also has improved the color, odor and taste of the drinking water. Also, Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness and the tribe have coordinated bottled-water access, and the tribe has developed the Samaqannihkuk well site, which is approved by the Maine Drinking Water Program as a source for public drinking water.

However, a community monitoring program for tribal wells and household tap water needed funding in order to continue. From 2023 through 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had provided monies for the program, but that funding has ended.  Longfellow then gave a presentation about the issue at the February 24 Sipayik tribal council meeting, and the tribal government agreed to provide $20,000 for the drinking water monitoring program, with four sample runs to be conducted this year at a dozen or more household sites.

"I'm happy to see the tribal government and the community use tribal funds," says Longfellow. "We want to keep active in monitoring the water. I'd like to see the tribal sampling continue indefinitely, to keep trust within the community."

In the summary of his presentation to the tribal council, Longfellow noted, "Water quality is not the same in every home, and both public system users and private well households depend on accurate, up-to-date information to ensure their drinking water is safe." He notes that the monitoring will look specifically at problems on dead-end water lines, where THMs may be at higher levels.

THMs 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 EPA. In years past, the PWD water had exceeded the maximum THM levels on occasion, which, along with color, odor and taste issues, built distrust among tribal members and is "why the community is hypercritical of the water," says Longfellow.

THM levels drop with GAC system

Since the GAC filters were installed, the water has "gotten much better," he says. For instance, data from September 2021, before the GAC system was installed, showed 10 sites at Sipayik that exceeded the EPA's 80 parts per billion (ppb) maximum contaminant level for THMs. Following the installation of the GAC filtration system, THM levels have been much lower, except for during a December 2024 incident. In March 2025, all 12 water samples that were taken at Sipayik were well below the maximum contaminant level, with the highest being 30.5 ppb.

While the drinking water at Sipayik, which is supplied to homes through water lines maintained by the tribe, has sometimes exceeded the THM maximum allowable limit, the last time that the water the PWD has tested exceeded the limit was in November 2020, when it was 81.6 ppb, just over the 80 ppb limit.

Longfellow says he believes in giving people the option for what water source they want to use. A community presentation on the drinking water quality will be held later this year, and he says he will also be speaking about the well water and the bottled water deliveries, noting that bottled water can contain microplastics. "We want to look at all drinking water sources," he says.

Two community meetings to discuss the water issues were held in recent years, with the most recent one in May 2024. "We want to listen to their stories," Longfellow says of concerns community members have about the water quality. "People need to be respected. That's their reality, how they viewed it." He notes that some individual homes may have poorer water quality than others.

Along with other measures that have been taken, a Sipayik Drinking Water Program has been formed, with a mission of "ensuring that the water out community and tribal members depend on is safe, trusted and protected for future generations. We listen first, act with respect and uphold our responsibility to care for our people through decisions rooted in Passamaquoddy values." Among the values anchoring the program are: water is sacred; a responsibility to future generations; the importance of collective well-being over individual convenience; a respect for elders and lived experience; careful listening before action; self-determination and sovereignty; and honesty and transparency.

While Longfellow believes the water discoloration issue has improved, heavy rainstorms can still cause the water to be discolored. In December 2024 runoff from heavy rains may have been the cause of higher THM levels at Sipayik, and Longfellow says, "That's why we want to be vigilant and keep an eye on the system, as there can be human error or mechanical failures. We're trying to be more proactive with these events."

Grant funding is being sought to install an early warning detection system in the water impoundment at the treatment plant that would alert people when there could be issues with the water quality. Homeowners could view the data that would show if there is turbidity or not, which Longfellow says would help with public relations and empower the water consumers, the PWD and the tribe. "We want the community to have the data and to build trust off of that," he says. If THM levels are high, "we want the tribe to be informed" so that good decisions can be made.

Longfellow hopes that he can investigate issues at individual homes, which may be because they are located on dead-end water lines, so the water becomes stagnant, which can lead to the formation of THMs, or because of issues with the water lines or plumbing. The installation of bleeder valves has been proposed to reduce water stagnation on dead-end lines, and Chuck Applebee, superintendent of the Sipayik wastewater treatment plant, says they are discussing bleeder valves with their engineering firm, although a final decision has not yet been made. The PWD does have bleeder valves on some lines in Eastport.

Other steps that have been taken in recent years to improve the water quality include the replacement of water lines and the addition of a mixer in the standpipe at Sipayik. "We need to offer solutions, not just find problems," Longfellow notes.

He says that the relationship between the tribe and the PWD has improved since 2018 and he's been happy with the communication that's taking place. Ann Bellefleur, the PWD business manager, has previously stated that the relaying of information between the water district and the tribe has improved, in both directions.

As for the water levels in Boyden's Lake, Longfellow says if there's not enough water going down the stream to the treatment plant, there could be more sediments that could affect water quality. He also believes that if the water level in the lake is too low or too warm, harmful algal blooms could occur that also could impact the drinking water. Bellefleur says the PWD board will be discussing at its meeting on April 6 whether to take any measures at the lake's outlet, such as placing sand bags to help keep the lake's water level higher.

Looking to the future

While the GAC system and infrastructure work at Sipayik appear to be resolving 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 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, previously stated that providing drinking water from wells on lands the tribe owns in Perry "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."

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, also has previously stated, "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."

According to Applebee, more testing of possible well sites is needed, and a decision on how to proceed is expected to be made by tribal leaders within the next year.