The NWT’s chief environmental health officer has issued another boil-water advisory for residents in Hay River, the Kátł’odeeche First Nation, Enterprise, and Kakisa.
In a press release Friday, the Department of Health said the advisory is a precautionary measure due to a recurrence of higher than normal turbidity –or muddy water – in the region.
Residents are advised to boil all water used for drinking, preparing food, making ice, or brushing teeth, for at least one minute. Residents do not have to boil water for other household purposes, including bathing.
Alternatives to boiling water include distillation, reverse osmosis, and filters with a filter size of one micron absolute or less. The press release says that does not include water filters which use active carbon filters, like Brita brand filters, as they do not disinfect the water.
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The new advisory comes just three days after a previous advisory, which had been issued in May, was lifted for the communities.
Boil-water advisories are common in the region during or after breakup of the Hay River, however, they normally only last for a few days.
The health department noted there have been no reported illnesses associated with drinking water in the communities.
The press release says the chief environmental health officer and the Town of Hay River are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide an update when the advisory is lifted.
