HAY RIVER (June 16, 2026) - The Chief Environmental Health Officer is advising users of the Hay River drinking water system (Hay River, Kátł’odeeche, Enterprise, Kakisa) that the precautionary Boil Water Advisory issued on May 24, 2026 has been lifted.
Residents who use water from the Hay River drinking water system (Hay River, Kátł’odeeche, Enterprise, Kakisa) were asked to boil their water due to higher than normal turbidity (muddy water).
There have been no illnesses associated with drinking water reported in the community.
The operators of the Hay River Drinking Water treatment system and the Chief Environmental Health Officer have observed that the turbidity levels have dropped to acceptable levels in water from the water treatment plant (WTP). Furthermore, the WTP and Water Delivery trucks have been adequately sanitized to remove potential microbial contamination. The precautionary Boil Water Advisory is now lifted. Normal use of drinking water may resume.
The Department of Health and Social Services recommends that residents and businesses flush their water supply by doing the following:
- Drain and clean water-holding tanks.
- Run all cold water faucets and drinking fountains for 1 minute before use;
- Flush and clean all water-using equipment, such as soda fountains, coffee makers and ice-making machines, for at least 1 minute;
- Change all point of use filters (tap mounted carbon filters, Brita filters, etc.);
- Flush and clean all coffee machines;
- Drain and flush all ice-making machines;
- Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle;
- Drain and refill hot water heaters; and
Information and a video on how to drain and clean water-holding tanks are available at https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/drinking-water-quality.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Wind
Manager Communications
Health and Social Services
HSSMedia@gov.nt.ca