Protecting the health and safety of residents and staff is our top priority.
The City’s municipal water supply remains safe, is tested regularly, and continues to meet all territorial and federal drinking water requirements.
The City of Yellowknife was issued a 15-year water licence in 2022 from the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board (MVLWB). A copy of the licence and other City of Yellowknife submissions can be found on the MVLWB site.
The City’s water licence requires the collection of water samples from a variety of locations throughout the City. These include:
- Water Treatment Facility
- Fiddler’s Lake Treatment System
- Solid Waste Facility (Surface and Groundwater)
- Stormwater System
All sample results are reported quarterly and annually to the MVLWB.
City Drinking Water Update: Lead Testing (July 2026)
The City continues to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories to ensure that all City facilities meet the levels within drinking water guidelines. At this time, the City has successfully remediated three locations with plans on addressing the remaining locations that originally exceeded the guidelines.
Please ensure you continue to follow all signage and updates.
Why the City Tested
While there are no regulatory requirements for lead testing in City facilities, the health and safety of residents and staff are our top priorities. Following reports of elevated lead levels in local schools, the City took a precautionary approach by testing water outlets in select facilities. This allows us to quickly identify any concerns and take action.
Select facilities were chosen based on building age and level of public use. City staff collected water samples between December 22–30, 2025, in accordance with standard sampling procedures. Samples were sent to an accredited laboratory for independent analysis.
What the City has Done
The City took immediate steps to protect residents and staff:
- Affected water locations have been taken out of service
- Signage was put in place to advise staff and visitors which ones are out of service
- Alternative drinking water was provided at all impacted locations
- The City installed new water fountains with filters at the YK Arena
- The City added filters to the existing water fountains at City Hall
- The City worked with external experts to:
- Review all test results
- Expand testing to all other City facilities (complete list found in the FAQ section)
- Assess infrastructure to identify potential lead sources
- Explore remediation possibilities, including short- and long-term solutions
Questions and Contacts
• For City Facilities Initial Testing-related details, you may email @email
• For health questions, contact your health care provider or call 811
• For information on municipal drinking water in the NWT, visit MACA’s drinking water page
• For workplace safety questions related to staff in schools, visit the Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC)
Water Treatment Facility
The Yellowknife Water Treatment Facility (WTF) supplies potable water to the City and the neighbouring Yellowknives Dene First Nation communities of N’Dilo and Dettah. The WTF is located on the east end of the City on the shore of the Upper Yellowknife Bay, Great Slave Lake.
Until 2003, gold mines had been operating to the north of the WTF site and near the mouth of the Yellowknife River. The Con and Giant mines were established in 1938 and 1948; until the 1950’s, these sites had generated airborne emissions containing arsenic. In 1968, the City transitioned the water supply from Yellowknife Bay to the current Yellowknife River source. Since then, an 8.5 km long, submerged supply main installed along the bed of Yellowknife Bay has been utilized to tie in the WTF to Pump House No. 2 located on the Yellowknife River.
Remediation of the Giant Mine site is ongoing, and efforts have been made to mitigate the release of arsenic trioxide waste to the environment. Both mines have since ceased production of gold. Although the risk is low, the potential release of arsenic from the containment at the Giant Mine remediation site remains a primary concern for the community’s drinking water quality.
The current water system was commissioned in May 2015 and was designed to source raw water from the Yellowknife River and Yellowknife Bay.
