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.
Thousands of property owners in Sudbury will receive letter in the mail this week regarding insurance for water service or sewer septic line. The City of Greater Sudbury has partnered with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to offer insurance. Many homeowners don't realize, depending on where a leak or damage in a line occurs, repair costs could be coming out of resident's pocket if it’s not covered by property insurance.
A water main break south of Capreol has caused a service interruption for approximately 1,300 customers. Crews are onsite and making repairs. Residents who are currently under a drinking water advisory in Capreol, will have access to safe drinking water via the City of Greater Sudbury’s Water Buggy. The Water Buggy will be located at the Suez Bulk Water Filling Station located north of 5081 Capreol Rd. (Regional Rd. 84), Hanmer, until the advisory has been lifted. Water is also available at City water filling stations. Please bring your own containers.
Once salt permeates a drinking water system, it tends to remain there unless treated by a cost-prohibitively expensive system which also robs drinking water of healthy minerals. So describes City of Greater Sudbury water treatment manager Julie Friel while reflecting on the city’s latest annual water quality report, released earlier this week.
More than a decade after Sudbury's Flour Mill neighbourhood was flooded, the city is confident it has found a solution. But instead of building a system of channels and flood walls, the city bought the houses of the people most affected. A once-in-a-century storm filled the streets of the Flour Mill with water in 2009. But many came to blame a newly built hilltop subdivision called Sunrise Ridge for changing drainage patterns in the area and claimed there was now threat of flooding every spring.
A new program is underway in Greater Sudbury, encouraging people to be aware of where fire hydrants are in their neighbourhoods and whether they can be accessed. The Hydrant Hero program asks volunteers to make sure hydrants are free from snow and ice in their neighbourhood. Participants can send a photo to the city, suggest a name for a new city mascot and potentially win a prize. Public safety officer with Greater Sudbury Fire Services, Jimmy Kolar, said city crews work to keep the more than 5,800 hydrants clear during the winter.
In an effort to remove financial barriers that prevent some people from getting lead water pipes replaced, the City of Greater Sudbury is poised to look at opportunities to help get the lead out. Earlier this week, the city’s operations committee resolved to request a business case from city staff for the creation of a subsidy and loan program to replace private-side lead pipes. Their unanimous approval means it’s likely city council will ratify the decision at an upcoming meeting and a business case will be drafted for future consideration. The proposed program would include a grant of up to $3,000, an interest-free loan of up to $10,000 to be paid back over 10 years and provisions for water filters for homes built in 1960 and prior with confirmed lead water service.
