This Nunavik village has boiled its 'fishy' water for 9 months straight. A new reservoir could fix that

Every day, leaders in Nunavik's smallest village go on the radio to tell the community's roughly 230 residents whether their water is safe to drink straight from the tap.

Aupaluk, Que., has been under a boil water advisory continually for nine months, and counting.

Residents believe their water woes stem from a fishy water source. 

"When you boil the water… or when you use the washer or shower, we smell the fish," Mayor Maggie Akpahatak said.

The village does have a clean source of water in a nearby river in the summer and fall. During that time, they pump what they can into a water reservoir, before the river freezes in winter. 

That's intended to tide them over the winter and spring. 

When that water is used up though, they draw water from a lake that can be tapped into during the winter. That's where residents say they see fish swimming in.

But a possible solution is on the horizon. The Kativik Regional Government (KRG) is investing $2.9 million to build a new water reservoir by the summer. 

Hossein Shafeghati, KRG's director of the municipal public works department, said there isn't a water quality issue in Aupaluk, rather a water quantity issue. 

"The current water source is sufficient and no alternative source is required or feasible, based on our studies and evaluations," he said in written responses to CBC News. 

The boil water notices, he said, are precautionary and there is "no indication of a water quality issue." 

That's because the village's chlorination process is operated manually.

"Since a manual process is subject to human error, when a critical part of a treatment system that's designed to be operated automatically defers, it is prudent to notice to boil as a precautionary measure," he said. 

Increased demand for limited water

A second water reservoir would help Aupaluk store more clean water from the river before it freezes up. 

"It's bigger than what we have [right now]," Akpahatak said. 

A growing population over the years, and the effects of climate change, have also imposed challenges on their water supply.

This year, the mayor says there are more people in town. Many of them are working on housing projects and the new power plant, which is set to be commissioned in 2027. 

"There are a lot of people working there and they have to have water all the time … so we have to be concerned about the water and how we use it," she said. 

Even when they switch to the water from the lake, there are problems with accessing that. It's situated 69 kilometres from town, and Akpahatak said snowstorms — typical in spring — can make it impossible to get there. 

Boiling pots of water

Before they installed a water filtration system earlier this year, the local school had to boil all water for consumption. 

"We used to boil the water in huge pots," Nuna Akpahatak, interim principal of Tarsakallak school, said. 

Some students have gotten sick in the past from the water. Since August, the school has had to close twice due to water and sewage issues.

But Nunavik's problems with clean water aren't just limited to Aupaluk. 

The regional school board says education centres must close when there are issues with drinking water, sewage, and wastewater that last more than two hours. 

"This situation impacts the education sector directly, in terms of our capacity to maintain the continuity of our services, in addition to having a negative effect on employee retention," said Harriet Keleutak, director general of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq. 

During the 2023-2024 academic year, schools in Akulivik, Inukjuak and Puvirnituq, Que., have also closed due to water problems.