Residents of Rankin Inlet have been asked to avoid the waterfront Nuvuk lift station after a sewage spill

Residents of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut are asked to avoid the waterfront and the area around the Nuvuk lift station across from the health center after a sewage spill.

« Sewage and sewage can contain bacteria, fungi and viruses that can cause many illnesses, » read a press release from the territory’s Departments of Health and Community and Government Services (CGS). .

« Coming into contact with or inhaling sewage odors can expose a person to bacteria, viruses and parasites that are harmful to health and can cause illness. »

Darren Flynn, the Hamlet’s senior administrative officer, said the Hamlet had little information about the spill other than what he learned during a courtesy call from the CGS.

The blockage happened around 5 or 6 p.m. Monday, Flynn said, « and they managed to clean it up. »

But construction work was underway at the site and a higher than normal tide may have contributed to the spill, Flynn suggested.

CGS did not tell him the volume of the small spill, but a city worker said there was « no evidence of toilet paper or anything from dishes. »

The area is not used for mussel harvesting, Flynn said.

Rankin Inlet relies on an « almost 100 percent » above-ground sewer utilization system, Flynn said.