Raw Water Supply Upgrade Project Open House

Since 1969, the City’s primary water source is the Yellowknife River. The City draws its municipal drinking water from the Yellowknife River. Water is transported by an underwater line to the City’s Water Treatment Plant (WTP) on the shore of Yellowknife Bay. Water is treated and tested before making its way to residents of Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah via underground water mains, water trucks, or summer aboveground water lines.

The water treatment process uses a series of membranes that trap particles and contaminants as the water moves through them. After this filtration, the water is chlorinated to neutralize remaining impurities, and fluoride is added.

The City’s current municipal water licence allows for use of up to 4,000,000 cubic metres of raw water annually, equivalent to an average raw water use of 10.96 ML/day (127 L/s). 

The City is growing and so are its water demands. We reviewed water use, population growth and projected municipal growth, and established that more water is required annually. The City is requesting an amendment to withdraw up to 8,000,000 cubic metres of raw water annually; this will ensure the City can meet current demand while planning for future growth. While the City may not use this 8 million m³ allocation every year, securing this allocation ensures sufficient capacity to manage future growth without constraining development or service levels.

The City of Yellowknife is moving ahead with the Raw Water Supply Upgrade Project to ensure safe, reliable drinking water source for decades to come. The project includes improvements to the City’s existing pumphouses, new lake intake infrastructure, and updates to key components of the City’s water system.

What permits and approvals does the City need for the upgrade?

The City is required to complete seven regulatory permits or approvals to complete the upgrade. These applications ensure that the project meets all environmental, safety, and land‑use requirements. The applications are beginning in 2026, and final construction will be completed in 2030.

Below is a brief overview of each permit or approval required:

MVLWB Water Licence Amendment Application

• This will be submitted to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board (MVLWB), this amendment allows the City to draw drinking water from both Yellowknife Bay and the Yellowknife River, and is requesting to increase the annual water withdrawal limits from 4,000,000 cubic metres of raw water to 8,000,000 cubic metres of raw water a year.  The application also includes engineering plans for the new intake infrastructure and updates to several operational management plans.

MVLWB Type A Land Use Permit

• This permit covers all on‑land construction activities, including the upgrades and expansion of Pumphouse No. 1 and Pumphouse No. 2, site grading, access improvements, and installation of new utilities.

Preliminary Environmental Screening

• Before the Water Licence Amendment and Land Use Permit can be approved, the City must undergo an environmental screening. This process identifies potential environmental impacts from the project and outlines how they will be avoided or minimized.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

• This project includes in-water work and new fish-protection intake screens, the City must submit a Request for Review under the Fisheries Act. This ensures fish and fish habitat are protected throughout both design and construction.

Transportation Canada

• This application ensures that new in‑water structures, such as the upgraded intake screens, will not interfere with navigation or recreational use of Yellowknife Bay.

GNWT Lands – Land Tenure

• The project requires the City to update existing land leases and secure new easements to support the pumphouse expansions and the water intake right‑of‑way.

Additional Permits

Where will our drinking water come from?

The City will continue to draw drinking water from the mouth of the Yellowknife River. When needed, the City will also draw water from Yellowknife Bay.  This dual‑source approach will increase reliability, improve system resilience and capacity, and ensure safe drinking water for the community into the future.

Will water from Yellowknife Bay be used?

Yes. The City is seeking permission to draw water from either the Bay or the River. This ensures a safe, reliable drinking water is always available to residents.

Currently water from Yellowknife Bay is used for maintenance and emergencies. Maintenance includes regular start-up and inspection of the intake pump at Pumphouse No.1. Emergency scenarios include things like a leak in the existing pipeline that would force it to be shut down for repairs, or a major fire that would need a large volume of water to put out.

Is the water from Yellowknife Bay safe to drink?

Yes. The City is very fortunate to have two viable, high-quality sources of drinking water. The water in Yellowknife Bay is tested on a monthly basis and is safe to treat and drink. Since 2005, testing of Yellowknife Bay water at the intake of Pumphouse No.1 has indicated that it meets the standards outlined in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

The Chief Environmental Health Officer and Chief Public Health Officer are satisfied that water drawn from Yellowknife Bay is safe to use for drinking water purposes. The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer confirmed this in the City’s application to draw water from Yellowknife Bay in March 2018.

What is the status of the Giant Mine contamination area?

The risk of contamination from Giant Mine continues to decline. A new water treatment plant at the site is nearing completion and the surface storage of major contaminated water at Giant Mine is scheduled for decommissioning by 2030. This ongoing remediation work continues to improve confidence in the long-term safety of Bay water.

What changes will be made to the Pumphouses?

Pumphouse No. 1 will undergo extensive upgrades. It will require a complete replacement of the structure (the existing building includes portions from 1948), new pumps and raw water piping, new heating, ventilation, and cooling systems and new generator.  It will also include a new second‑floor office space, site grading and parking upgrades and installation of a second water intake for redundancy.

Upgrades to Pumphouse No. 2 are less extensive. They will include new pumps (existing pumps are near end of life), improved ventilation, heating, and cooling, a new backup generator, an electrical system upgrade within an external “E-House”, and minor site layout changes with minor building improvements, but no l building expansion or in-river work.

What will happen to the old pipeline?

Will work at Pumphouse 1 disturb the sediment in Yellowknife Bay?

Limited construction activity along the shore of the Bay may create localized, short-term disturbance to lakebed sediment. This will be short term, and not impact drinking water quality. Construction mitigation methods will be used to limit sediment disruption. Ongoing sediment sampling and water quality monitoring will be conducted during construction.

How will the project affect traditional hunting, fishing, gathering or other traditional activities?

The City does not anticipate disturbance to traditional hunting, fishing, gathering or other activities. Throughout the project, we will engage rights holders to share news about the project, gather feedback about potential impacts, and updates on how input was considered.

Yellowknife Bay (Wıìlıìcheh) is a sacred harvesting area for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, critical for traditional land use, gathering, and spiritual practices. For centuries, the YKDFN have used the Bay to travel and access other areas.* The mouth of the Yellowknife River (Wıìlıìdeh), has long been a dwelling place and where Treaty was often taken, and continues today to be an active cultural gathering site.

Throughout the project planning and construction, the City will work closely with the YKDFN to identify and minimize disturbance to sacred areas and places of historical significance, as the route is planned and construction begun.

*Trailmark & DownNorth (October 2020). Summary of Research on the Establishment, Administration and Oversight of the Giant Mine and its Impacts on the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Who is paying for the raw water upgrades?

On March 13, 2019, the Government of Canada announced that Yellowknife was a successful applicant to the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) program and would receive funding of $25,862,218, which represented 75% of the estimated total project costs at the time. The City received a letter from the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stating approval-in-principle for the project. 

The current cost estimate for the project is approximately $37,000,000.