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.
Two New Brunswick cities are considering opposite approaches when it comes to residential water meters. Bathurst in the northeast has meters but is considering switching to a flat-rate model based on the cost to update its system. Dieppe in the southeast charges a flat rate but will test meters in several hundred homes next year. Meters measure water usage, billing customers at a rate set by the community.
Four communities in New Brunswick will get a combined $22 million from the federal, provincial and municipal governments to support water infrastructure projects. Tracadie and Rivere-du-Nord will receive $13.2 million, with $8.8 million going to Bathurst and Belle-Baie. Tracadie will use the funding to support the second phase of its multi-phased project to renew aging sanitary sewer, water and storm sewer mains on Principale Street.
This investment will enable the improvement, relocation and rebuilding of two lift stations in Belle-Baie, as well as improvements to sanitary sewer lines. These upgrades will decrease the risk of flooding for the two lift stations, which are currently located in an area that is vulnerable to rising sea levels. In addition, residents of Bathurst will benefit from the renewal of all drinking water lines, sanitary sewer lines and storm sewers along Chaleur and Sainte-Anne streets. This investment will also enable drainage improvements and the installation of sidewalks. The installation of curbs and a storm system will reduce the storm water infiltration and reduce sanitary sewer overflows at Bathurst’s wastewater treatment facility.
It confirmed this week that legionella had been detected in three cooling towers at the building, and the air-conditioning system was shut down Wednesday. Tests came back negative after the system was shock-cleaned with chlorine, said a followup note to staff Friday, also obtained by Radio-Canada. The temperatures on the three days when the air conditioning was off ranged from about 27 C to 32 C in Bathurst, according to Environment Canada. Drinking water at the hospital also tested negative, according to the second message to hospital staff.
"Private contractors will be hired to maintain essential site operations with the majority of their work being water treatment and ongoing monitoring." Chaleur Shotcrete Inc. and Stantec are the primary contractors, the province said Thursday. Brown said ongoing water treatment is required at the Caribou and Restigouche mine sites because water that contacts rock at the locations becomes acidic, something that poses environmental risks if untreated.
The New Brunswick government could face an annual bill of around $1 million to keep water treatment going if a buyer doesn't scoop up Caribou zinc mine near Bathurst. Tom MacFarlane, the deputy minister at the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, offered the estimate to MLAs during a committee meeting recently in Fredericton.
One of the primary concerns the province expressed in recent court filings about Trevali going bankrupt or into receivership was the need to treat acidic water at the mine and to pump water out of the underground portion of the mine. The filings say that without security, there was a risk thieves could interrupt the mine's power supply and halt water treatment, which could cause environmental damage.
The federal, provincial and municipal governments announced more than $12 million in funding today to support improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure in Bathurst, Beresford and Pointe-Verte. “We are committed to investing in projects that help build vibrant and sustainable communities,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Gary Crossman who is also minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation. “These communities should be commended for working to ensure their infrastructure is upgraded to help protect their natural environment for future generations.”
The water flowing from Joel Pickard's faucet looked clear at first. But after pouring a glass — he could tell something was wrong. "I could just smell the dirt, so I took a drink and it tasted like dirt," he said. The Bathurst resident noticed what appeared to be sediment in his drinking water, so he reported it to the city in June. They told him it was safe, so his family continued using it until the taste became too strong to swallow.
