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SACHS HARBOUR - Residents of Colville Lake are still being advised to boil their water, while people in another of the territory's smallest communities can once again drink from the tap.

A more than eight month boil water advisory for Sachs Harbour's was lifted March 27, said Duane Fleming, the NWT's chief environmental health officer.

One boil water advisory is lifted and one remains in place. After more than eight months, Sachs Harbour had its water declared safe on March 27. However, an advisory remains in Colville Lake after its water plant froze over Christmas damaging some pipes and leaving the water untreated. - Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo

"It's safe to drink," said Fleming, on Monday.

Raymond Kaslak, the community's senior administrative officer, said workers from the department of public works in Inuvik came to the community to fix the chlorinating system a couple weeks ago.

Fleming said daily chlorine and turbidity samples are taken by the hamlet to ensure the water is healthy for residents to consume. A weekly biological sample that tests for E. coli and total coliform, which detects fecal contamination, is also taken by the hamlet.

"Originally, way back in the summer, there was a positive result that just could have been dirt on the hose of a truck," he said.

"But at that time, we also discovered the plant wasn't operating fully. It wasn't chlorinating the water."

Fleming said a cautionary advisory was issued to make sure the right amount of sampling, testing and chlorination was being done to the water.

"I should stress, there were never any illnesses associated with drinking water," he said of the truckedd water delivered to Sachs Harbour's 130 residents.

A boil water advisory is still in effect for the community of Colville Lake, however.

Fleming said the plant, which is operated by the Behdzi Ahda First Nation band office, froze over Christmas and some pipes were damaged.

Band manager Joseph Kochon and chief Richard Kochon were unavailable for comment Monday. An employee at the office said both men were out of town.

Fleming said the advisory is precautionary because there hasn't been any illnesses from drinking the water to date. He added the "source water is very good, with little contamination."

"Every community needs to have water that is treated," he said.

"And that is not being done right now in Colville Lake."

Colville Lake resident Jerry Huculak said while the water he gets from the plant is raw from the lake, he hasn't been boiling. "If there is a lake that should be quite pure, it should be Colville Lake," he said.

Huculak said he's been in the community since 2002 and has never gotten sick from drinking water.

"I'm not aware of anyone who boils water, but I could be wrong," he said.

Residents still get their water at the plant, through a faucet.

Fleming said an environmental health officer was scheduled to travel to Colville Lake this week to perform tests on the water.

Each year, health officers travel to each community to test drinking water for 28 chemicals and factors.

Other than the two recent advisories, Flemming said there are no other communities with water quality issues at present, but said that could change with spring.

"Sometimes we get them in the spring because of the very muddy water from runoff," he said.

"We hope not to, but it has happened before."