Twenty-two homes in Jean Marie River have been damaged by water and contaminated with fuel after the Mackenzie River flooded the N.W.T. community on both Friday and Saturday nights, according to the community's chief. Chief Stanley Sanguez told CBC News the band office and the school — in the lower lying downtown area — were also affected. The community of fewer than 100 people only has 26 homes in it, he said. "The water went so high that it uprooted all the fuel tanks, you could literally smell diesel all over," he explained. "The fuel that got into the houses is going to embed right in the lumber. It [doesn't] matter how you wash it, you'll still have that smell." When the water came Friday night, it came quickly.
Environment Canada resuming water monitoring in Mackenzie River Basin, still no consultation with Northern leaders
Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya said that the issue of water safety, especially flowing from the oil sands, has been a concern for as long as he has been Chief. In a tele-press conference Yakeleya told media that he is “befuddled as to why an essential service, such as monitoring the quality of the water coming from the oil sands production fields, was suspended.” He said that water is essential for drinking, for fish, for the animals, and “for the sake of all people in the Northwest Territories.”