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 problem, which the city has said is because of aging pipes, has led to complaints from people living on dozens of streets in various parts of the city. Some took their concerns to city council earlier this year, saying they tested their water and found unsafe amounts of iron. Danis went to speak to council last month. "I would love for something to happen, but when is it going to happen?" she asked. "We have no idea."
The City of Gatineau has issued a preventative boil-water advisory for parts of the Aylmer sector after a mechanical malfunction at the drinking water plant caused the water system to depressurize. The advisory affects around 35,000 users in the area south of boulevard des Allumetières, west of rue Atholl-Doune, east of rue de la Lobo and north of the Ottawa River.
A popular Gatineau, Que. beach is closed as temperatures begin to warm up. The National Capital Commission says Leamy Lake Park beach is closed for swimming until further notice due to the "class D water quality results." The NCC's website notes the water quality at Leamy Lake is "polluted." Beaches in Gatineau Park at La Peche Lake. Blanchet and O'Brien beaches on Meech Lake and Breton, Parent and Smith beaches on Philippe Lake are open.
A boil water advisory has been issued for part of Gatineau, Que., and will affect approximately 8,000 users. The advisory is due to a water main break, according to Gatineau officials, and is in effect until further notice. Those living south of Highway 50, east of avenue Gatineau, north of boulevard La Vérendrye and west of rue Main should boil water for one minute before drinking it.
Officials say they're still monitoring water levels along the Gatineau River but don't believe it will flood in the immediate Gatineau, Que., area in the short term. Many of the city's residents were bracing for water levels to surpass the area's flooding threshold, but on Friday officials downgraded the emergency alert level, saying they were now simply monitoring the situation.
Officials are once again preparing for flooding in Gatineau, Que., with several parts of the city now at risk. The city was notified about rapidly rising water levels in the Baskatong Reservoir by civil security officials the day prior, Mayor France Bélisle said at a press conference Monday. "We received 130 millimetres of water in 10 days. Usually, over the same period, we only receive 80 millimetres," she told reporters in French.
The city of Gatineau says approximately 15,000 residents will be under a boil water advisory starting Tuesday night. The boil water advisory is due to water main work in the city. It comes into effect at 11 p.m. and will remain in effect until it is lifted. The homes affected by the advisory are located between Montée Paiement and Avenue du Cheval-Blanc, Highway 50 and the Ottawa River.
A preventative boil water advisory is now over for 1,200 residences in Gatineau. The city of Gatineau issued the boil water advisory for homes located north of Highway 50, between Labrosse and Lorrain boulevards, on Friday following a drop in water pressure. On Sunday, the city said tests confirm the water is safe to consume. Residents are asked to let the water run for one minute or until it runs cold before using it.
The City of Gatineau issued a boil water advisory Wednesday for about 900 homes in the Hull sector. The advisory is in effect until further notice. It encompasses an area north of Boulevard des Hautes-Plaines between Boulevard de la Techologie and Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes, south of Galene Street. Residents are advised to boil their tap water for at least one minute before consuming it. Once the advisory is lifted cold water taps must be opened and left running for one minute or it gets cold. Any ice made from tap water during the boil water advisory should be discarded.
The Montreal Island city of Côte Saint-Luc has some of the worst tap water in the province, according to testing results for lead released through access to information legislation. The test results, compiled by Quebec’s Environment Ministry, show that 46 tap water samples from the Montreal Island city of 30,000 people had more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of lead over a four-year period from 2015 to 2018.
Thousands of Quebecers could be getting misleading information about lead contamination in the water coming out of their taps because the province uses a sampling method that underestimates the true level of exposure, Global News has found through surveys and 84 tests of residential drinking water conducted in five cities across the province. The revelations are based on a collaborative investigation by a team of two dozen journalists from Concordia University’s Institute for Investigative Journalism, Global News and Le Devoir. The journalists fanned out across the province to knock on hundreds of doors, taking water samples for testing that revealed lead levels often higher than city workers had told residents.
An undetermined amount of heating oil has ended up in the Ottawa River after a spill in downtown Gatineau, Que., near the offices of the provincial environment ministry. The spill happened at 170 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville during a delivery Friday, according to an email from ministry spokesperson Alexandre Ouellet, the regional director of the Outaouais Environmental Control Center.
