Alberta Health Services has issued a water advisory for the hamlet of Fawcett, about 140 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants under six months were advised as of Wednesday to stop drinking tap water immediately because the water has high levels of nitrate, officials said.

People in the community were instead given bottled water to drink, and told boiling water would not remove the levels of nitrate.

Water with high levels of nitrate — a chemical commonly found in fertilizer — can cause a severe illness called blue baby syndrome if ingested by infants.

The Alberta government hasn't said when the advisory will be lifted or what's causing the higher nitrate levels.

Fawcett resident Cheryl Stoddart said she isn't surprised there is a water advisory.

The water smells like a sewer, and hasn't been safe to drink in years, she said.

"[The advisory] scared the hell out of me. We have talked to the county before about our water, and they said it was our water lines, and now it turns out that there's nitrates in our water," Stoddart said.

"Everybody is choked about what's happening right now."

Bottled water is available at the Fawcett fire hall as of Thursday.