Boil water advisory back on for Hay River, K'atl'odeeche First Nation, Enterprise and Kakisa

A boil water alert has been issued for some Northwest Territories communities, after it was lifted earlier this week.

People in Hay River, Enterprise, Kakisa and K'atl'odeeche First Nation are advised to boil drinking water from local sources for at least one minute as a precautionary measure, according to the chief environmental health officer in a news release Friday.

A boil water advisory was lifted earlier this week for those communities, after it was initially implemented on May 13 for similar reasons.

The advisory is "precautionary in nature," and is due to a recurrence of higher than normal turbidity (muddy water), the release states. There have been no illnesses associated with drinking water reported in the community.

The environmental health officer, in collaboration with the town of Hay River, will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update when the advisory is lifted.

The release says all water used for drinking, preparing food, hot and cold beverages and ice cubes, as well as for washing fruits and vegetables, and dental hygiene must be boiled.

It's particularly important to boil water used to prepare infant formulas, the release says. Do not drink from public drinking fountains. It is not necessary to boil water used for other household purposes. It's also OK to 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

The release also says that "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. For more information, visit the government's website.