From source to sink
Where Whitehorse water comes from
A plain-language tour of the lakes, rivers, or wells that feed Whitehorse, the plants that clean the water, and how it reaches kitchen taps. Lab grades for hardness, lead, and pH live on the water quality page.
On the map
Where Whitehorse water lives
Source waters and treatment plants pinned from published utility names. Open a pin below for the full OpenStreetMap view.
- CityWhitehorse
Municipal service area
- Treatment plantSelkirk Pumphouse
Approximate pin near Whitehorse (exact plant coordinates pending)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins are approximate for orientation, not legal survey points.
Deep dive for households
Whitehorse drinking water starts as groundwater from wells. The named sources on the utility record are Riverdale / Selkirk Aquifer (Yukon River-recharged groundwater), Schwatka Lake (historic primary source; potential future backup after treatment upgrades). That is the water that eventually reaches kitchen taps after treatment, not a separate bottled brand.
Water is cleaned at Selkirk Pumphouse before it enters city pipes. Central Riverdale facility where production-well water receives sodium hypochlorite disinfection before distribution; currently the sole municipal treatment step.
After treatment, water moves through pumps, storage, and underground mains to reach streets and buildings. Municipal piped system is supplied from roughly seven Riverdale Aquifer production wells. Water is chlorinated at Selkirk Pumphouse and monitored continuously there plus weekly at many distribution sites. Some residents use private wells or trucked tank water outside the piped system.
One detail that makes Whitehorse water feel local: City switched from Schwatka Lake surface water to exclusive groundwater by 2010. Recent GUDI (groundwater under direct influence of surface water) findings are driving multi-barrier treatment upgrades that could again allow Schwatka Lake use as a redundant source. Lab grades for hardness, lead, and pH sit on the city water quality page; this overview is about the route the water travels.
Where it starts
Groundwater
Wells and aquifers under the ground.
Research confidence: high
Named source waters
- Riverdale / Selkirk Aquifer (Yukon River-recharged groundwater)
- Schwatka Lake (historic primary source; potential future backup after treatment upgrades)
Treatment plants
These are the buildings that filter and disinfect water before it enters city pipes.
Selkirk Pumphouse
Central Riverdale facility where production-well water receives sodium hypochlorite disinfection before distribution; currently the sole municipal treatment step.
How it reaches your street
Municipal piped system is supplied from roughly seven Riverdale Aquifer production wells. Water is chlorinated at Selkirk Pumphouse and monitored continuously there plus weekly at many distribution sites. Some residents use private wells or trucked tank water outside the piped system.