Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

Alberta Health Services

Two advisories for Lac La Biche lake water quality leading to Canada Day weekend

Two advisories for Lac La Biche lake water quality leading to Canada Day weekend

Two advisories, one for blue-green algae and another for fecal bacteria levels, have now been issued for the waters of Lac La Biche lake in the days leading up to the Canada Day weekend. Alberta Health Services (AHS)  officials issued a blue-green algae advisory on Thursday, warning that areas of the lake were affected by an outbreak of the naturally-occurring bacteria that can appear on the surface as a green, blue, pink or brown-tinged  "scum" or "glob".  Human contact with blue-green algae can cause irritation to skin and the eyes. It can also cause nausea and diarrhea. The symptoms are more prominent in children, and can appear within a few hours of water contact. Ingestion of water with the bacteria can be fatal to pets.

Watermain break prompts boil water advisory for 3 Calgary communities

Watermain break prompts boil water advisory for 3 Calgary communities

Alberta Health Services has ordered Calgary to issue a boil water advisory for three communities, effective immediately. The advisory applies to Silverado, Yorkville and Belmont until further notice. A watermain break Thursday afternoon disrupted water supply to a large portion of those communities at the far southwest corner of the city, and while water has been restored to most homes, the city says the advisory has been issued out of an abundance of caution.

Boil water advisory in effect for 3 Calgary communities

Boil water advisory in effect for 3 Calgary communities

Three southwest Calgary communities are under a boil water advisory due to a watermain break Thursday afternoon at a nearby construction site. It appears as though an excavator ruptured a pipe, resulting in a large pool of water flooding a portion of the site. Alberta Health Services (AHS) says residents in Silverado, Yorkville, and Belmont are advised to bring tap water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before consumption.

Here's how a Calgary lab monitors wastewater for respiratory diseases

Here's how a Calgary lab monitors wastewater for respiratory diseases

Inside the Pine Creek wastewater treatment plant in the south of Calgary, a lab run by the University of Calgary is busy processing wastewater samples from municipalities across the province. This lab, along with one operated by the University of Alberta, started tracing levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater in early 2020 — providing Alberta Health Services with infection trends in different communities. Now the project has expanded to check for influenza A and B, as well as RSV — respiratory viruses that are all currently putting a strain on Alberta's health care system.

Cleansing stations to be added at Lac Ste. Anne to deal with blue-green algae

Cleansing stations to be added at Lac Ste. Anne to deal with blue-green algae

Organizers of the Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage say cleansing stations are to be provided for anyone who wants to enter the lake next week. Alberta Health Services issued a blue-green algae bloom advisory for the lake Thursday afternoon. It comes just days before the Pope is set to visit the lake and kick off the pilgrimage at the site west of Edmonton. Each July, thousands of people go to the shores of Lac Ste. Anne in search of healing and spiritual renewal. But those who come into contact with visible blue-green algae or drink water containing it may get a rash, sore throat, nausea or diarrhea.

Fecal bacteria in Chestermere Lake prompts advisory to stay out of the water

Fecal bacteria in Chestermere Lake prompts advisory to stay out of the water

Alberta Health Services issued a water quality advisory on Friday for Chestermere Lake because of elevated levels of fecal bacteria. AHS says people should not swim or wade in the water at Anniversary Park Beach, Cove Park Beach or Sunset Park Beach, effective immediately. Contact with the water could result in gastrointestinal illness. Skin, ear and eye infections are also possible. Water-borne organisms, including fecal bacteria, can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

EPCOR adjusting water chemistry to mitigate lead

EPCOR adjusting water chemistry to mitigate lead

Starting in December 2022, EPCOR will add orthophosphate to its treated water to reduce lead. As EPCOR is Leduc’s water provider, this includes our community’s water supply. Orthophosphate is an odorless, tasteless substance that creates a protective barrier on plumbing surfaces to reduce the release of lead in drinking water from all sources, including lead service lines and plumbing. Many municipalities across North America use orthophosphate. It has no negative health effects, and is endorsed by Alberta Health Services and Alberta Environment and Parks.

100 homes in Fort McKay under boil-water advisory after pipe leak

100 homes in Fort McKay under boil-water advisory after pipe leak

About 100 homes in Fort McKay, Alta., are under a boil-water advisory after a water-line break caused the northern community's water distribution system to lose pressure. Residents didn't have access to water for part of Sunday. Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Indigenous Services Canada issued boil-water advisories, with AHS describing the issue as a water-line break.

Is your well doing well? Water well, that is.

Is your well doing well? Water well, that is.

With many residents of Woodlands County utilizing well water, the municipality hosted a virtual workshop on October 21 on managing wells. The event streamed live and enabled attendees to ask questions in real-time. Multiple specialists were on hand, including Jeff Hammer, a Public Health Inspector for Alberta Health Services. Hammer discussed the importance of testing water and why it’s essential to do so. “We have two types of tests available at the health units. One is a bacteriological bottle which we test for total Coliform and E. coli. Total Coliform is an indicator of bacteria, and E. coli is basically fecal matter which you never want to see. The other type of test we have is a chemical water sample. It does a bunch of minerals and metals and has some more health parameters associated with it.” Hammer said that some of the minerals and metals tested for include manganese, lead, arsenic, and the pH value of the water.

AHS endorses water fluoridation in Calgary

AHS endorses water fluoridation in Calgary

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is picking a side when it comes to water fluoridation in the city. The question will be on municipal ballots come Monday, and in a release, AHS says to vote yes. Dr. Rafael Figueiredo, the Provincial Dental Public Health Officer and Dr. Nick Etches, the Acting Zone Lead Medical Officer of Health for the Calgary Zone put out a release indicating AHS’ support. “AHS endorses community water fluoridation as a foundational public health measure to prevent tooth decay, improve oral health and reduce inequities within communities,” AHS said.

Airdrie to go with the flow regarding Calgary fluoride plebiscite

Airdrie to go with the flow regarding Calgary fluoride plebiscite

The City of Calgary’s upcoming plebiscite on whether or not residents support re-introducing fluoride into the municipality’s drinking water will also have implications in Airdrie. In conjunction with the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 18, voters in Calgary will also answer a plebiscite on whether or not they support the addition of fluoride into their city’s water supply. As Airdrie gets its drinking water from Calgary, the result of the plebiscite will also determine if Airdrie’s water in the future will contain fluoride, according to the City of Airdrie’s manager of community infrastructure, Lorne Stevens. “I know the topic of fluoridation can be quite contentious,” he said. “At the end of the day, we don’t have a team of fluoride researchers or public health experts employed by the City of Airdrie. We rely on the guidance of Health Canada and Alberta Health Services, and both of those entities do recommend fluoridation as a public health measure, focusing on dental health – there’s a whole back story of why that is.”

Boil water advisory issued for northern parts of Okotoks, Alta.

Boil water advisory issued for northern parts of Okotoks, Alta.

People living in Okotoks, a town of 30,000 just south of Calgary, are being told to stop watering their lawns and gardens, while residents in the northern part of the community are being advised to boil their drinking water because of low supply in the reservoirs. The boil water advisory from Alberta Health Services and Alberta Environment and Parks affects several neighbourhoods: D'Arcy Ranch, Crystal Shores, Crystal Green, Air Ranch, Suntree and some parts of Crystal Ridge and Sandstone.

Elevated levels of fecal bacteria in Pigeon Lake prompts health warning

Elevated levels of fecal bacteria in Pigeon Lake prompts health warning

Alberta Health Services is warning the public of fecal bacteria in a lake southwest of Edmonton. Elevated levels of fecal bacteria were detected through testing lake water at Zeiner Park Beach at Pigeon Lake, located about 100 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, and AHS is advising people not to swim or wade in the water there. The current levels of bacteria could lead to gastrointestinal illness if someone swallows the water. Contact with the water could lead to skin, ear and eye infections, AHS says.

Northern Alberta hamlet evacuating residents after water plant shut down

Northern Alberta hamlet evacuating residents after water plant shut down

Leadership in a northern Alberta hamlet will be evacuating about 150 people after a chemical mix-up at the community's water plant. Vern Janvier, chief of the Prairie Chipewyan First Nation, said the First Nation decided on Monday to offer residents who rely on piped water the option of leaving their homes.  There are 107 houses on the system, and Janvier said from one to six people live in each house. He anticipates there will be between 150 and 200 evacuees. 

Tenants sue former landlords for allegedly putting irrigation water into their drinking source

Tenants sue former landlords for allegedly putting irrigation water into their drinking source

When Steven and Diane Hayes look back at the eight years they spent questioning the quality of their drinking water, battling bouts of diarrhea and other stomach troubles, they tell CBC News they still have a hard time believing the people they called friends and whom they trusted — their landlords — were responsible. It's an accusation the Hayes are now trying to prove in a civil lawsuit.

Follow us