Northern Health issued a boil water advisory and a do not drink notice on Thursday for the new Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa.
A routine test from a water sample taken from somewhere in the hospital and long-term care facility produced a negative result, but it's not known what the contaminant is or even if the water is contaminated at all.
A spokesman for Northern Health stressed the agency is taking precautionary measures by issuing the orders and is awaiting further test results.
Bottled water is being made available for patients and staff until the situation is resolved. In the meantime, procedures for sterilizing equipment and surgical scrubbing in have been modified to include either boiled water or alcohol-based cleaners.
The new Fort St. John hospital opened in June.
