Published 1:38 pm Wednesday, August 5, 2026 By William Koblensky Varela Local Journalism Initiative Northern News Service Gjoa Haven’s seven month-long boil water advisory came to an end on Aug. 4. Transportation and Infrastructure Nunavut said the water filtration plant was cleaned, disinfected and given back to the hamlet for operation on July 28. The Department of Health conducted tests on the water quality before lifting the advisory. “The boil water advisory was lifted only after the Department of Health received the required laboratory results confirming that the water produced by the water treatment plant met established public health criteria for safe drinking water,” said Charmaine Deogracias, manager of communications for the department. The community of 1,400 people was without a functioning water filtration plant since Jan. 15, when a pipe, connecting the plant to a nearby lake, burst. Two weeks later, the location of the burst pipe was located, but repairs continued for months. Lake water with added chlorine was trucked to homes in the community. Residents were instructed to boil their water before consuming it. A seven-day long state of local emergency was declared by the hamlet in April when a total power outage compounded the community’s utility woes. Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet are still under a boil water advisory, while Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet recently had their advisories lifted. Sanikiluaq has been under a do not consume water order since 2016.
Gjoa Haven boil water advisory lifted; filtration plant back online
