A number of municipal buildings in Fort Smith show elevated levels of lead in water, according to initial testing results announced on Friday. It is unclear how many buildings are affected, but officials said more information would be made public in the coming days. In February, testing showed that two Fort Smith school buildings had elevated levels of lead in water.
“We would like to inform residents that recent water testing at Town facilities has found lead levels that require follow-up and action,” read a message posted by officials on the town’s site.
The results are not yet confirmed, but precautionary measures are being taken in the meantime, said officials.
“Additional testing is underway to confirm the initial results, and steps have already been taken to reduce any risk. The Town has also sent samples to a laboratory in Yellowknife for detailed testing to confirm the presence and levels of lead in each building.”
According to the announcement, crews are anticipated to begin remediation at town facilities in the coming days, including the flushing of water systems, installing filters and the replacement of fixtures. Officials said that alternative drinking water would be made available at these sites.
Officials said that water tested at the town’s water plant does not contain elevated lead.
“The Town can confirm that there are no issues at the Water Plant, and the water leaving the plant does not show lead levels.”
North Now has reached out to town officials for more details.
In February, the territorial government announced that testing showed elevated levels of lead at two school sites in Fort Smith. Remediation work began in February and continues. ‘Do Not Consume’ orders remain in place on a total of 10 fixtures and flushing orders for the remaining fixtures affected.
In 2025, the GNWT began a comprehensive testing protocol after it was revealed that two Yellowknife area schools showed elevated levels of lead in drinking water. This week, four more school sites in the territory showed elevated levels of lead in drinking water after testing earlier this month. With 32 tested school site results announced to date, 26 have tested positive for elevated levels of lead in some of their drinking water fixtures.
The detection of elevated levels of lead in water has also been an issue at other municipal building sites in the N.W.T. In January, testing at a number of city building sites in Yellowknife found elevated lead levels in water, including at city hall.
Robin Ferguson, acting assistant deputy minister at the Department of Infrastructure, has said the GNWT plans to test more public buildings once school testing is completed.
While no timeline has been set, Ferguson said the territorial government is planning to review the need for lead testing of other public facilities. The testing would include hospitals and health care centres along with other public facilities, which have not been tested to date, said Ferguson.
“The GNWT will determine the requirement for testing in other GNWT‑owned or occupied facilities, such as health centres, after high-priority school testing is complete.”
“Prioritization testing efforts will continue to be based on factors such as typical age of occupants and use type, the age of the facility, and the potential exposure risk if elevated concentrations of lead are detected,” added Ferguson.
In January, Chief Environmental Health Officer Chirag Rohit reported that the growing list of active water advisories in the N.W.T. are caused by a host of issues, including aging infrastructure and climate change.
“These are not related to one single issue or one single situation.”
Dr. Rohit said that while the water advisory calls for community governments to work together and respond, GNWT’s current policy at this time, alots responsibility on the shoulders of private homeowners and businesses.
