Boil Water Advisory for the Communities of Hay River, K’atl’odeeche First Nation, Enterprise and Kakisa

Press Release

YELLOWKNIFE – September 2, 2020 – The Chief Environmental Health Officer is advising all residents in Hay River, Enterprise, Kakisa, and K’atl’Odeeche Reserve to boil their drinking water for at least one minute.

This advisory is precautionary in nature, and is due to a reoccurrence of higher than normal turbidity (muddy water). There have been no illnesses associated with drinking water reported in the community.

The Chief Environmental Health Officer, in collaboration with the Town of Hay River, will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update when the advisory is lifted.

Please be advised that this advisory is issued for precautionary reasons only.

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.  Do not drink water from public drinking fountains. It is not necessary to boil water used for other household purposes. You may shower, bathe, or wash using tap water, but avoid swallowing the water.

Alternatives to boiling water include using bottled water or water that has been processed by one of the following methods is acceptable.

  • Distillation
  • Reverse osmosis
  • Filtered using a filter size of 1 micron absolute or less

Note: “Brita” type drinking water filters, which use activated carbon filters, are not a safe method for treating water during a Boil Water Advisory. They do not disinfect the water.

Answers to frequently asked Questions during a boil water advisory are available at:

For more information contact:

Damien Healy
Manager Communications
Health and Social Service
damien_healy@gov.nt.ca(link sends e-mail)

IHT5

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