MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • September 24, 2020
On windy days, the water that comes out of the taps on the Passamaquoddy reservation at Pleasant Point runs greenish brown. On a particularly bad day, it can be nearly black. “It’s been a long time that we haven’t been able to drink our water here on the reservation,” said Denise Altavater, a Passamaquoddy tribal council member. Now, a group of Passamaquoddy leaders have renewed efforts to work with local, state and federal officials to resolve some of the problems that have denied them clean water: from the rural district’s lack of funds to jurisdictional restrictions tied to limitations on tribal sovereignty.