Fort Providence, N.W.T., trucking water from Hay River after some residents report diesel smell

The mayor of Fort Providence, N.W.T., says the community is trucking in water from Hay River after some residents reported a diesel smell in their water on Friday. 

Danny Beaulieu said the hamlet was also using water trucks to haul water to the treatment plant last week after the river's levels fell too low for the plant to operate.

"The river was too low and the intake started to freeze up and we weren't getting water in the plant," Beaulieu said. "We got it all caught up a few days ago and everything was going good."

Beaulieu then saw Facebook posts about people smelling diesel in their water. 

He said the water trucks were shut down "right away" and cleaned, and the water treatment plant was drained. 

Beaulieu said samples were also sent to Yellowknife for testing and he expects the results to come back Monday. The hamlet's water is regularly sent to Yellowknife for testing, he said.

While they wait for tests to come back, the community is trucking in water from Hay River, Beaulieu said. He estimated that the round trip drive takes about four hours.

'It smelled like diesel fumes'

Cara Gordon said she decided to check her water after she saw a Facebook post on Friday from another Fort Providence resident warning against drinking the water because of a strong diesel smell.

"So I put some in the kettle and I smelled it. And right away I could smell it," Gordon said. "It smelled like diesel fumes. That's how I can explain it. So of course, I stopped using it right there."

Gordon said she's been using bottled water since then. 

"Some people are saying they can smell really strong, like diesel smell, and then it tastes funny. Other people are saying that smells a lot of like chlorine," she said. 

Gordon said she wants to see someone brought in to do testing. 

"I would really like it if there was some kind of outside body that could come in, like some a government official or even an independent lab that could come in and sample water from people's homes," she said.

Beaulieu said if residents notice a diesel smell in their water, they should contact the hamlet for testing. 

"If anyone is smelling the water and it's not up to par, please let us know," he said.