A boil-water advisory has been issued in Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., as chlorination equipment at the hamlet's water treatment plant is not working properly.
It could take several weeks for the treatment equipment to be repaired, said Duane Fleming, the Northwest Territories' chief environmental health officer.
"When the water is pumped from the reservoir into the water truck which delivers the water, chlorine is added to the water to disinfect it, And so that part is not working right now. There's no disinfectant being added," Fleming told CBC News on Thursday afternoon, when the advisory was issued.
Residents in the community of 122 are ordered to boil their tap drinking water for at least one minute, including water being used for making juices and infant formulas, making ice, washing produce and brushing teeth.
"If they're going to be drinking water out of their water storage tanks in their homes, then they should boil the water first to ensure that it doesn't have any bacteria micro-organisms in it," he said.
People can drink bottled water as an alternative to boiling their water, he added.
Tap water can be used for bathing and washing without boiling, as long as the water isn't being swallowed, according to the advisory.
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