YELLOWKNIFE (September 9, 2026) - The Chief Environmental Health Officer is advising all residents in Sambaa K'e to boil their drinking water for at least one minute.

This advisory is being issued because the community’s water treatment plant has been temporarily shut down while the raw water reservoir is drained, cleaned and refilled.  During this time, untreated lake water will be used for domestic purposes.        

The Chief Environmental Health Officer, in collaboration with the community government, will continue to monitor the situation and provide formal notice when it is safe to lift the boil water advisory.

All water used for drinking, preparing food, hot and cold beverages, ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, and dental hygiene must be boiled. This is particularly important when preparing 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:

• 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: Drinking Water Advisories | Government of Northwest Territories

For more information, contact:
Andrew Wind
Manager Communications
Health and Social Services
HSSMedia@gov.nt.ca