At a personal level, I feel connected to the Churchill River at Muskrat Falls because learning about it changed how I understand water and sustainability. Before studying this waterbody, I mostly viewed hydroelectric dams as positive solutions to climate change. But hearing real testimonies from Innu community members made me realize that water is also tied to identity, mental health, and daily life. One community member shared, “For my mental state it helps me a lot when I’m out on the land” (McKenzie-Sutter, 2018). This showed me that the Churchill River is not just a technical site; it is a source of peace, memory, and connection. This changed the way I thought and helped me see that protecting water means protecting the people who rely on it.

At a community level, the Churchill River at Muskrat Falls is located in Labrador, within the unceded traditional territory of the Innu Nation, which includes the Mushau Innu First Nation and Sheshatiu Innu First Nation. It is not on Treaty land because the Innu were never part of Canada's numbered treaty. Instead, the region is recognized through modern land claim negotiations. (Innu Nation, n.d.). The community's biggest challenge is currently the risk of methylmercury contamination from the hydroelectric project. Innu leaders describe the importance of the river by saying that “Lake Melville downstream is our highway essential for food travel and survival” (McKenzie-Sutter, 2018). Another Innut hunter said, “Ninety-five percent of my food is what I eat off of the land” (Amnesty International, 2016). This shows how the contamination of methylmercury causes multiple issues that complicate the culture, safety, and food security for their community.

On a regional and systematic level, there are warnings that methylmercury in the river will rise. From a Harvard study, “methylmercury concentrations in locally caught fish, birds and seals … likely will increase up to 10-fold” once the reservoir is fully flooded (The Canadian Press, 2016). This is an incredibly serious issue because Indigenous communities rely on this water and the food for nutrition, for living, and for culture. The provincial government introduced mitigation plans, but many Indigenous leaders argue the problem is not fully addressed. For example, the NunatuKavut Community Council expressed that they were “extremely disappointed … that the wetland capping … did not proceed” and that there has been “little or no movement” on follow-up mitigation and monitoring efforts, indicating ongoing inaction. (NunatuKavut Community Council, 2021). Overall, learning about the Church Hill River at Muskrat Falls showed that water is one of the most important aspects in everybody's life. To see how the simplest change can affect a
whole community that impacts food, culture, and health. The more you zoom in on this issue, the more you realize how impactful it is in harming the environment. From a broader view, you only see a little issue and don't think it's a major problem, but the more you get closer to it and start to gain appreciation for it and researching, you see more and more of the damage and problems that aren't being shown from a farther viewpoint.