Hay River, Enterprise and Kakisa asked to boil water before drinking as precaution

Residents in Hay River, Enterprise and Kakisa, N.W.T., are being asked to boil their water for at least one minute before drinking as a precaution.

This also applies to those living inthe K'atl'odeeche First Nationreserve, said the N.W.T. Health Department in a news release Wednesday.

The news release states that the boil-water advisory is"due to higher than normal turbidity(muddy water)."

This includes boiling water that is used to drink, prepare food, for ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables and for brushing ones teeth, states the news release. It continues to state that people take extra precaution when preparing baby formulas.

The department states that water used for bathing doesn't have to boiled, but for residents to make sure to not swallow that water.

Distillation, reverse osmosis and filtered water "using a filter size of one micron absolute, or less" are other acceptable alternative ways; however, the news release warns against using Brita-type water filters that use activated carbon filters as a way to disinfect drinking water.

Residents on the community's Vale Island and West Channel were on an evacuation order earlier this month due to rising water levels. The order was lifted a few days later.

The department says there are no current illnesses associated with drinking the water at this time.

It says the government's chief environmental health officer and community leaders will continue to monitor the water situation, and update its residents.