Testing underway into possible contamination of water source in Quaqtaq, Que.
KRG says oil spilled from a water delivery truck into the lake the village draws water from
Officials are testing for possible contamination in Quaqtaq's drinking water source, after an oil spill two weeks ago.
The Nunavik, Que., community has been facing issues with water delivery, after a section of a critical pipeline froze over the winter.
The community has been driving to the lake directly to collect water. The spill occurred during one of those water runs, according to Kativik Regional Government (KRG) chairperson Hilda Snowball.
"One of the loaders got stuck on the lake, and there was an oil spill from that loader," she said.
The size of the spill is not yet known, but testing is now underway to determine if the water is safe to drink. Results from those are expected later this week, and Snowball said that will determine whether water trucks and tanks will require cleaning.
With those test results pending, KRG is sending bottled water to Quaqtaq as a precaution.
"After the situation in Puvirnituq, we had secured a lot of water bottles, so we will be sending water bottles to Quaqtaq."
Quaqtaq is one of three Nunavik communities that experienced frozen pipes this winter.
In Puvirnituq, the resulting water shortage triggered a state of emergency in May. A review is now underway in that community to determine what exactly triggered the crisis.
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