Nunavut government seeks outside help to fix Sanikiluaq’s water – Nunatsiaq.com
May 28, 2018
Sanikiluaq has had high levels of sodium in its drinking water for two years
The Government of Nunavut says it plans to hire outside help to study abnormally high levels of sodium in Sanikiluaq’s water, a problem that’s persisted for almost two years.
The issue was first discovered in mid-2016, when the hamlet tested the community’s fresh-water source, a nearby lake.
That summer, the GN installed over 200 reverse osmosis units in the community’s homes, which filter the salt out of the water, though that was only meant to be a short-term solution.
Over time, high sodium intake can have adverse effects on people with weakened immune systems, like infants or elders, or people with high blood pressure.
The community’s MLA, Allan Rumbolt, pressed the GN this week to find a longer-term solution to ensure Sanikiluaq has a safe supply of drinking water.
