The GNWT Department of Health and Social Services is advising that Hay River and surrounding communities should boil water due to recent flooding.
In a news release issued on May 12, Chief Environmental Health Officer Peter Workman said that anyone in Hay River, Enterprise, Kakisa and K’atl’Odeeche Reserve should boil their drinking water for at least a minute before consuming.
“Power outages and other operational issues may prevent drinking water from being disinfected prior to distribution,” Workman said in the release.
The GNWT and the municipality are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates as to when the advisory will be lifted.
The advisory is not tied to anyone getting sick to date from drinking water, he added.
“There have been no illnesses associated with drinking water reported in the community,” the news release stated.
“All water used for drinking, preparing food, hot and cold beverages and ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, and dental hygiene must be boiled. This is of particular importance in the case of the preparation of infant formulas.”
Residents should avoid drinking from public sources like drinking fountains.
Boiling water is not necessary for household use or for showering, bathing or washing.
Bottled water is acceptable for an alternative as are other treatments like distillation, reverse osmosis, and filtering with a one-micron absolute or less.
Brita or other activated carbon filters are not acceptable for proper filtering for drinking as those methods do not properly disinfect the water.