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.
The city of Hamilton has resumed cleaning Chedoke Creek and, despite a request, won't consult the local Haudenosaunee community, on whose traditional lands the creek sits, before the dredging begins again. The dredging of the creek after a spill of 24 billion litres of sewage and stormwater into the water was planned to begin Aug. 22. It was paused to allow for consultation with the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) on how it may impact treaty rights and the environment.
The Hamilton Conservation Authority has declared a level one low water condition for the entire watershed and is urging people to reduce their water use by 10 per cent. The authority says rain levels for the past three months were well below normal with extended dry periods. The conditions are impacting Spencer Creek, Chedoke Creek, Redhill Creek, Battlefield Creek, and Stoney Creek, as well as numbered watercourses, tributaries and minor watercourses
"We ran into these clumps of algae everywhere. They're brown clumps with algae on it as opposed to algae in clumps," Wayne said. "Just the idea of what happened in [Chedoke Creek], we're out of here. I don't want to come back. It just feels gross, like I want to go home and shower." Andrew Grice, director of Hamilton Water, said the city was looking into concerns about the water raised late last week and earlier on Tuesday, but said this isn't a spill. He says it's dark, older algae that may have floated to the surface due to low lake levels and weather conditions.
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.
