Army halts Iqaluit water treatment

The Canadian military says it has temporarily stopped its water treatment operations in Iqaluit after high winds knocked down a tent covering holding tanks filled with purified water from a nearby river Monday night.

Iqaluit residents haven’t been able to consume their tap water for more than 40 days after it was found to contain fuel.

Ottawa sent the military to Iqaluit on Oct. 23 to help with the water emergency, including using a reverse-osmosis system to pump and treat water from the Sylvia Grinnell River.

All treated water in the tanks had to be released to prevent it from freezing. A second tent holding the water treatment system itself is still intact, but equipment needs inspecting before operations can restart.