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.