Colville Lake has been under a boil water advisory since 2004, but chief doesn’t care – CBC

Wilbert Kochon drinks straight from the lake, says community has some of the cleanest water in the world

Mar 26, 2018

For the past 14 years, Colville Lake, N.W.T. has been under a boil water advisory.

The reason isn’t due to lack of access to a water treatment plant or proper training to operate it — the community doesn’t bother to send water samples to the territorial government for sampling because residents believe their water is clean enough to drink straight from the lake.

“We don’t need it,” said Colville Lake Chief Wilbert Kochon, who says he hauls his own snow, ice and water straight from Colville Lake to drink.

“The water is clean, it’s good, it’s cleaner than anywhere else … I don’t get a stomach ache or anything.”

Colville Lake has been under a boil water advisory since 2004, but chief doesn’t care – CBC

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