In 2009, the Government of the Northwest Territories adopted the Canada Drinking Water Guidelines as legislation, thus requiring the City of Yellowknife to comply with the new guidelines. The facility was commissioned in 2015 during a high turbidity event, and immediately demonstrated its benefit to the community and the boil water order was lifted. The City of Yellowknife also supplies safe drinking water to neighbouring Yellowknives Dene First Nations communities of N’Dilo and Dettah.
The treatment process is membrane filtration which includes sodium hypochlorite generation for disinfection. This eliminates the need for chlorine gas making it a much safer facility for both City employees and the general public. Future population growth was considered in the design for the treatment plant and is expected to provide safe drinking water for the next 50 years.
The Yellowknife Water Treatment Plant is also the largest and most complex in the north, so it serves as a teaching facility and includes a meeting boardroom used to provide Water Treatment Plant Operator training for communities throughout the NWT.
