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The NWT government says work has begun to investigate the presence of long-lasting man-made contaminants at Hay River’s airport.
In a Monday press release, the territorial government said work has been planned to assess the presence and extent of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at six NWT airports.
Stantec is conducting the first environmental assessment at the Hay River airport. The NWT government said results are expected sometime in 2026 and will be made public.
Assessments of airports in Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Inuvik, Norman Wells and Yellowknife will take place over the next four years. The NWT government said those sites were selected for testing due to prior results and the historic use of agents containing PFAS during fire training.
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PFAS are a group of chemicals found in a wide range of products including non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, cosmetics, and firefighting foams. They are often found at higher levels near airports, industrial sites and landfills.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally in the environment and can remain in the environment, animals and the human body for years.
The NWT government said all community water treatment plants were tested for PFAS following the 2023 wildfire season.
Results from that testing indicate PFAS were not detected at any water treatment plants in 2023. In 2024, PFAS were detected at 0.068 micrograms per litre in Norman Wells, 0.02 ug/l in Fort Good Hope and 0.005 ug/l in Whatì. Health Canada has established a drinking water objective of 30 nanograms per litre or 0.03 ug/l for 25 PFAS compounds.
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The NWT government said it has since conducted quarterly testing in Norman Wells and that monitoring will continue until at least 2026. It said results from August to October 2025 did not detect PFAS in the community’s drinking water.
The NWT government said it does not plan to conduct PFAS testing in every community as part of annual drinking water testing across the territory.
Research has suggested that levels of perfluorononanoic acid – one type of PFAS – among people living in northern Canada are twice as high compared to Canada’s general population. The 2021 study of adults living in Old Crown, Yukon, and the NWT’s Dehcho region found levels of other forever chemicals were similar or lower in northerners than other Canadians.
