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.
For the seventh time since 2008, the community of Clearbrook in Abbotsford, B.C., has been awarded an international gold medal for the quality of its tap water. Clearbrook claimed top spot in the municipal water category at the 33rd annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, held on Saturday in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. The event bills itself as the "Academy Awards of water."
Minnesota regulators have ordered Enbridge to pay more than $3 million US for allegedly violating state environmental law by piercing a groundwater aquifer during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement. The state Department of Natural Resources said Enbridge, while working near Clearbrook in January, dug too deeply into the ground and pierced an artesian aquifer, which resulted in a 90-million litres groundwater leak. "Enbridge's actions are a clear violation of state law, and also of the public trust," said Barb Naramore, DNR deputy commissioner. "That is why we are using all of the tools in our authority to address the situation."
