Digging into the water data for Melgund Township
Here in Northwestern Ontario, water isn’t just a resource; it is the lifeblood of our daily routine, from fishing near Dyment to drawing well water in Borups Corners. As we look at the proposed Revell Site for the Deep Geological Repository (DGR), the most critical question on many of our minds is: what is happening with the water, both on the surface and deep underground? The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has released their initial findings, and as your neighbours in Melgund Township, we are unpacking what this Impact Assessment actually says versus what we still need to know.
What We Are Learning
The NWMO has been busy drilling and testing. Their report focuses on two main worlds: the deep rock where the waste would go, and the surface water we see every day. Regarding the deep rock, they claim the granite is incredibly tight. They use a term called "transmissivity," which basically measures how easily water moves through rock. Their data suggests the rock at the repository depth is solid, with water that is salty, ancient (over a million years old), and barely moving. On the surface, they report that our local water bodies are generally healthy, though they did find some existing issues with bacteria and metals.
The Reality Check
While the summary sounds reassuring, a closer look at the technical data reveals some things we need to verify.
- What is being promised: The deep water is isolated and has been sitting there for a million years, meaning no radiation could easily travel up to us.
- What we need to verify: This conclusion is based on only six deep boreholes across the entire site. In a project of this magnitude, is checking six spots enough to guarantee the whole block of rock is crack-free?
- What is being promised: Surface water is normal for a northern environment.
- What we need to verify: The data actually shows exceedances for E. coli, mercury, and copper right now. The report notes these levels but doesn’t explain why they are there.
The Path Forward
To ensure safety for Melgund Township, we need to close the gaps between the current data and a complete safety picture.
The Gap: The assessment relies on a very small sample size (six boreholes) to characterize a massive area of rock. There is a risk that major fracture zones—pathways for water—were simply missed by the drill.
The Solution: We are calling for a denser network of boreholes. We need statistical confidence that the "tight rock" is the rule everywhere, not just where they happened to drill.
The Gap: High levels of mercury and E. coli were found in local water bodies, but the source is unknown.
The Solution: Before any construction begins, a detailed investigation is required to find the source of this contamination. If we don’t know where it’s coming from now, we won’t know if the DGR makes it worse later.
Why It Matters Here
For those of us hunting and fishing around the Revell Site, these details aren’t just academic. If the deep water isn’t as stagnant as predicted because they missed a fracture zone, it changes the safety calculation for thousands of years. Closer to home, if our creeks already have high mercury, adding a major industrial construction project could tip the balance, affecting the fish we eat and the water quality for our wildlife. Furthermore, the current data lacks input from local Indigenous Knowledge, which often holds the key to understanding how these water systems change over generations, not just during a few years of testing.
Have Your Say
This affects our future. Submit your feedback on this specific issue via our Engage page to ensure the Impact Assessment Agency hears from our community.
The Melgund Integrated Nuclear Impact Assessment Project
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is reviewing the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) proposed Deep Geological Repository (DGR) at the Revell Site, located near Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in Northwestern Ontario.
This major nuclear infrastructure project is undergoing a joint federal review by the IAAC and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to evaluate environmental, health, social, and Indigenous rights impacts over its projected 160-year lifecycle.
Public Feedback Open: Comments on the Initial Project Description are accepted until February 4, 2026. Submissions help shape the formal impact assessment guidelines.
This short article and summary is based on an initial analysis of a proponent’s initial project description. It does not represent, any community the NWMO or the Government of Canada. Learn more at the Melgund Integrated Nuclear Impact Assessment Project project page.
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