ADVISORIES PUBLISHED ON JUNE 24 - UPDATED 10:30 PM

Wrap-up: There are 23 advisories to report since yesterday: 1 in AB, 3 in MB, 4 in NB, 1 NS, 14 in SK

ALBERTA

ISSUED

REDWOOD MEADOWS Public Water Supply – BWA issued June 22 out of an abundance of caution due to increased turbidity in the Elbow River. In a notice to residents, officials said the town’s water treatment plant is keeping up with demand and water quality remains within Health Canada guidelines.

LIFTED

QUEEN ELIZABETH PROVINCIAL PARK – DNC was in effect from May 16.

MANITOBA

ISSUED

HALBSTADT-MARAIS Water Coop (Red River Regional) – BWA issued June 23, short-term.

SHOAL LAKE Public Water System – BWA issued June 24, localized.

STEPHENFIELD PROVINCIAL PARK – BWA issued June 23, short-term.

LIFTED

CAMPERVILLE Public Water System – BWA was in effect from June 17.

RM STANLEY (Dunston Water System) – BWA was in effect June 20 to 23 for service works.

WEKUSKO FALLS PROVINCIAL PARK – BWA was in effect from June 12 due to park closure/evacuation from wildfires.

NEW BRUNSWICK

ISSUED

BATHURST Municipal WS – BWO issued June 24 due to a power outage, localized.

BERESFORD Community WS – BWO issued June 24 due to a water main break.

PARLEE BEACH PROVINCIAL PARK – BWO issued June 23 due to a power outage.

SHEDIAC (Ocean Surf RV Park Camping) – BWO issue June 23 due to a power outage.

LIFTED

SAINT-ANDRÉ Water System – BWO was in effect June 17 to 23 for system depressurization.

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

UPDATE

Miawpukek First Nation – BWA has been extended to July 25. The advisory was put in place May 20 due to localized upgrades to the waterline distribution system with an anticipated end date of June 20.

NOVA SCOTIA

ISSUED

NYANZA (The Big Red Barn) – BWA issued June 24.

LIFTED

CAPE NORTH (Angie’s Family Restaurant) – BWA was in effect May 27 to June 24.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

JACKFISH LAKE (Yellowknife) – June 19 Residents are reminded that the Lake remains unsafe for swimming, fishing or other recreational use due to elevated levels of arsenic and harmful algae.

Since 2013, cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, has been monitored in Jackfish Lake; Cyanobacteria is present in Jackfish Lake at all times of the year. The high concentrations of cyanobacteria have been attributed to the combination of physical characteristics of the lake and historical environmental impacts of nearby land uses.

Historical evidence has shown that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation’s (NTPC) operation of the Jackfish Lake Power Generation Facility (power plant) is not solely responsible for the proliferation of cyanobacteria in Jackfish Lake. Surrounding land use, including the Yellowknife landfill site, road networks, and cemetery, are also likely contributing nutrients to the lake.

In the Yellowknife area, arsenic levels are naturally higher than in other places, due to the local geology. However, historical gold mining activities, particularly in the Yellowknife area, have released large amounts of additional arsenic into the environment.

Spring 2016 N.W.T. health official to release advisory on arsenic levels in Yellowknife lakes following a recent study, released by the University of Ottawa, that found arsenic concentrations higher than the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines in lakes within 15 km of the shuttered Giant Mine. During the 50 years the Giant Gold Mine operated, it is estimated that 20,000 tonnes of highly toxic dust (arsenic trioxide) spewed from the stack and settled on the ground and lakes around Yellowknife; this area is referred to as the Area of Concern.

Under the Public Health Advisory issued for the Area of Concern and surround, residents and visitors are instructed to:

• Do not consume the water.
• Do not swim or wade.
• Do not fish.
• Do not pick berries, harvest garden vegetables or other edible plants within the Area of Concern (the approximate footprint of settled arsenic dust).
• Do not consume mushrooms picked within 10 km radius of Giant Mine.
• Mushrooms harvested within 10 km to 25 km pose a very low risk from arsenic exposure if consumed; however, mushrooms from the Tricholomataceae family (e.g. Tricholoma, Clitocybe, White Matsutake) should not be consumed if picked within 25 km radius of Giant Mine.

The following list of lakes, noted with their Dissolved Arsenic Concentration, are located within 10 km radius of Giant Mine and have been deemed unsafe for consumption, swimming and fishing:

David Lake            213.0 μg/L

Fox Lake               241.0 μg/L

Frame Lake           212.5 μg/L

Gar Lake                 97.7 μg/L

Handle Lake          140.0 μg/L

Jackfish Lake          91.7 μg/L

Kam Lake              238.0 μg/L

Peg Lake               638.0 μg/L

Pocket Lake       2,240.0 μg/L

Meg Lake                67.0 μg/L

Rat Lake               197.0 μg/L

The existing Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) for Arsenic in Canadian Drinking Water is 10 micrograms per litre (μg/L), based on the Guideline Technical Document developed in 2006.

A new Guideline Technical Document for Arsenic has been drafted and published March 7, 2025 for public comment only; The comment period closed May 6, 2025. This document proposes a revised MAC of 5 micrograms per litre (μg/L).

References

High arsenic levels found in some Yellowknife-area lakes, CBC Nov 28, 2014

Study finds arsenic levels high in Yellowknife-area lakes near Giant Mine, CBC April 7, 2016

N.W.T. health official to release advisory on arsenic levels in Yellowknife lakes, CBC April 8, 2016

Yellowknife’s Jackfish Lake remains unsafe for swimming, fishing or other recreational use, Gov’t NT June 19, 2025

Map of Arsenic Concentrations Measured in Water Bodies in the Yellowknife Area, Updated July 5, 2019 – pdf format

Arsenic Concentrations Measured in Water Bodies – Interactive Map

NWT Community-Based Water Monitoring 10-Year Summary Report, May 21, 2025

SASKATCHEWAN

ISSUED

CARON/MORTLACH Regional Public Utility – PDWA issued June 24 due to a line repair/subsequent repair.

DODSLAND Village Water System – PDWA issued June 25 due to a line repair/subsequent repair.

DUFFERIN Water Association Waterworks Pipeline – PDWA issued June 25 due to capital upgrades at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.

HUDSON BAY REGIONAL PARK – PDWA in effect from June 10 for repairs.

KAYVILLE Waterworks – EBWO issued June 24 due to E.coli.

LEROY Water Distribution System – PDWA issued June 25 due to a line repair/subsequent repair.

RM of MARQUIS No 191 (Eight Mile Pipeline Association) – PDWA issued June 25 due to capital upgrades at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.

RM of MARQUIS No 191 (Marquis Rural Water Users Waterworks Pipeline) – PDWA issued June 25 due to capital upgrades at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.

RM of MARQUIS No 191 (Parkview Water Users Inc) – PDWA issued June 25 due to capital upgrades at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.

RM of MARQUIS No 191 (Wood River Utility Board Gravelbourg NW Pipeline) – PDWA issued June 25 due to capital upgrades at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.

PONTEIX Water Distribution System – PDWA issued June 25 due to a localized line repair/subsequent repair.

SaskWater (Buffalo Pound Potable Water Supply System) – PDWA issued June 25 due to capital upgrades. Service will be interrupted followed by a boil water advisory affecting Customers on the North and West pipelines; Villages of Marquis, Tuxford, Bethune, Disley and the Qu’Appelle Valley Water Users are exempt from this PDWA advisory due to their offline storage and re-chlorination capabilities.

TOBIN LAKE Lakeside Resort & Marina Waterworks – PDWA issued June 23 due to seasonal start-up.

WATERHEN LAKE Resort (Miywasin Ota) – PDWA issued June 19 due to insufficient disinfection and monitoring.

LIFTED

QU’APPELLE Water Distribution System – PDWA was in effect from June 19 for a line repair.

SANDY BAY Waterworks – PDWA was in effect from May 9 following significant deterioration of source water quality.

June 23, 2025 wrap-up