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.
Before the 2023 water season, contractors hired by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation made repairs to Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID) canal’s lining that had be leaking for several years. But after the repairs were made and the water turned on in April, it was discovered more leaks had been created by the repair work.
Before the 2023 water season, the Main Headworks Canal, located in the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID), was shut off so Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation could repair a liner that had been leaking for a few years. The district said when it was turned on in late-April, construction-related leaks were discovered extending the shutdown indefinitely, leaving farmers with just a fraction of their normal irrigation. They are now being told that the Keho Reservoir is also running low.
The Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID), is facing hurdles at getting water to its users across the district for the second year in a row. The LNID, which serves approximately 200,000 acres of irrigated cropland and provides water for much of Alberta’s “feedlot alley,” the largest concentration of cattle in Canada, has been shut off due to a break at the main canal.
Water issues continued to plague southern Alberta farmers into Tuesday as few details were available as to why or what was happening, but officials later said a resolution had been reached. Those who rely on the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID) to water their crops and animals were worried this blockage, and standoff between the government and the Piikani Nation, could cause detrimental results.
