PSA: City of Iqaluit confirms that drinking water is safe and meets health and safety standards Nov. 16 2011

Public Service Announcement

November 16, 2011 (Iqaluit, Nunavut)

The City of Iqaluit wishes to confirm with residents that the community’s drinking water is completely safe to drink. A report recently released by Eco Justice, a nationwide organization with an interest in public health, gave Nunavut’s water protection systems a “D” grade. While the report did not specifically mention Iqaluit, the City would like to note the following with regards to its drinking water:Water from Lake Geraldine is treated at the water treatment plant with UV light for disinfection, filtered through slow sand filters, chlorinated, and held for 24 hours before being released to the public as safe drinking water.

Iqaluit is one of the few communities in the north that has a fully operational treatment plant.

Drinking water is tested for bacteria and other contaminants on a daily basis. Monthly samples are also submitted to the Territorial Public Health agency for testing.

The Lake Geraldine watershed is protected from any development that would affect the quality of water in the reservoir.

The water treatment plant passed a 2011 inspection by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the federal department responsible for inspecting the City’s water license requirements.

The City will continue to work with Territorial and Federal partners to further evolve Nunavut’s water management practices but for now, residents can have confidence that their drinking water is safe.

For more information, please contact:

Eva Michael, Communications Officer
City of Iqaluit,
P.O. Box 460
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0
Tel: (867) 975-8525
Fax: (867) 979-5922
Cell: (867) 222-5728
email: e.michael@city.iqaluit.nu.ca
website: www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca