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.
One project is set to receive an immediate boost if the debt limit increase is increased. On Wednesday, council raised the budget of the eastern pressure solution, or EPS, project by $53 million, for a new total of $162 million. That project is meant to accommodate growth by providing a long-term plan for the city's water distribution network, a report to city council says
Areas of southern Saskatchewan were inundated with rainfall Monday night. The City of Regina said Tuesday that that 40 to 60 mm of precipitation fell in a "significant rainstorm event." The rainfall had major impacts on underpasses and intersections, causing flooding and road closures. Kurtis Doney, the city's director of water, waste, and environment, said that despite some difficulty motorists had in getting around the city after the rain, the city's infrastructure was holding up. "The flooding will clear as the system allows it to," said Doney. "There may still be some localized areas that need to be addressed because of what storm drains. But in general, 24 hours is what the storm system typically takes to recover."
Regina City Council has successfully passed a motion to develop a water utility rebate program and a high-efficiency water retrofits program for low-income senior citizens and people living with disabilities. The purpose of the programs is to improve property tax and water utility affordability for low-income households with senior citizens and low-income households with people living with disabilities.
The city has made headway on its commitment to improve communication and education on lead service connections (LSC) in Regina with updates to its website and annual mail-out. “It’s very important that we share information with residents and make it as clear as possible and … as easy as possible to get filters, to get lead service connections replaced,” Kurtis Doney, director of water, waste and environment for the City of Regina, said in an interview Tuesday.
A group of concerned residents is hoping a newly-launched petition helps motivate the City of Regina to speed up its lead service connection replacement program. The program currently has a 15-year timeline for completion, while the petition’s organizers would like to see that reduced down to five. “Fifteen years is appalling,” said Regina resident and Get the Lead Out member Florence Stratton, adding the petition already has about 170 signatures.
City council gave the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant the go-ahead to borrow $60 million to fund its plant renewal project. The plant hasn’t had a major renewal in over 30 years. The project is expected to cost $252.8 million. Recently, the water treatment plant received $163.4 million from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and $29.4 million will come from existing funds that Buffalo Pound has in reserves. The loan principle and interest is expected to be repaid by Buffalo Pound through water rate charges to the cities of Moose Jaw and Regina. Moose Jaw uses about 15 per cent of the water supply.
The City of Regina is seeking input from residents on how to improve affordability for low-income property taxpayers and water utility customers in a new online survey. “Regina strives to be an inclusive, attractive and sustainable community where residents of all income levels can thrive,” said Mayor Sandra Masters in a recent news release. “We want to address affordability in a meaningful way, and we encourage all Regina residents to share their feedback on program options and their level of support for affordability programs by taking the survey.”
The City of Regina has submitted its proposal to be home to the new Canada Water Agency. The bid has support from government, academic, business, and environmental organizations from around the province. Mayor Sandra Masters says she’s excited about the proposal. “Regina has a compelling story to tell, and I’m very pleased at the regional Economic Development cooperation from all over Saskatchewan, with Saskatoon playing a significant role in this bid,” said Masters. “We have the history, partnerships, commitment and unique advantages to seize this generational opportunity and serve all of Canada in this vital role.” The CWA will work with jurisdictions across the country to find the best ways to keep Canada’s water resources safe and clean.
Several Regina community associations are pushing the City of Regina to replace lead pipes in the city as soon as possible instead of spreading the project over 15 years. City council will consider approving administration’s recommendation to go with a 15-year lead service connection replacement program during Wednesday’s council meeting. This follows city council’s unanimous decision in 2019 to commit to replacing all lead service lines within five years.
The City of Regina and File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council want the Queen City to be the home of the Canada Water Agency (CWA) headquarters. The announcement was made on Monday morning that the City of Regina and the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council will be putting in a bid for the headquarters of the Federally-owned CWA to be in Regina.
New research by scientists at the University of Regina’s Institute of Environmental Change and Society shows that global warming is increasing levels of toxic algae detrimental to human health. The study was published online, in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters. “Our decade-long project establishes that global warming is increasing toxin levels in Prairie lakes,” says Dr. Peter Leavitt, a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change and Society and a co-author of the study. “What is particularly worrying is that the chance of exceeding toxin levels that cause acute human health effects has increased to one in four in several lakes in southern Saskatchewan.”
