People in Sambaa K’e should stop drinking the community’s tap water after tests this week found a type of toxin associated with blue-green algae.
The Thursday warning from the NWT’s chief environmental health officer upgrades an earlier boil-water advisory.
The toxin present, microcystin, “cannot be boiled out of the water” and boiling might make things worse, the advisory stated.
The GNWT said the initial boil-water advisory was triggered on September 9 when Sambaa K’e’s reservoir went into maintenance. The new do-not-consume order came after the community switched to lake water with the reservoir out of action, only to discover “unexpected cyanobacteria.”
Microcystin is a toxin produced by cyanobacteria, sometimes known as blue-green algae.
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Don’t drink the tap water, don’t boil it, take short showers, avoid baths and use bottled water for drinking, infant formula and preparing food, the GNWT advised.
“Wear rubber gloves to avoid direct contact with the water when washing dishes or doing laundry,” the notice continued.
Don’t let the water get into your eyes, nose or mouth, or into any open wounds or skin breaks.
