North Caribou Lake

Home to 948 people living on reserve, North Caribou Lake in Ontario is building a new water treatment plant to improve access to safe, clean drinking water in the community, with support from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).

There is 1 long-term drinking water advisory affecting 291 homes:

• a boil water advisory for the North Caribou Lake Public Water System was set in March 2020 and became long-term in March 2021

North Caribou Lake completed a feasibility study that examined options to meet their long-term water and wastewater needs. A new water treatment plant was recommended and construction is underway.

The community also installed a packaged treatment unit at the existing plant to improve access to clean drinking water while building the new water treatment plant. The package plant is a modular plug and play treatment system that has proven to provide potable water to meet the community's short-term needs.

Infrastructure is in place that can produce clean drinking water. A recommendation to lift the advisory was issued to chief and council by the Environmental Public Health Officer in April 2024, however more consistent operations are needed in order to re-affirm this lift recommendation. North Caribou Lake is receiving operations support from the Centralized Water and Wastewater Hub, delivered by Windigo First Nations Council and funded by ISC.

Explore the map of long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves.