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.
Lower Trent Conservation (LTC) says a “flood watch” remains in effect through to Wednesday, April 19 for areas including the municipalities of Brighton and Trent Hills. A flood watch is issued when there is a potential for flooding to occur in low-lying areas. Nuisance or minor flooding of access roads, backyards, basements, et cetera, is anticipated. LTC said buildings and people are not at risk. The flood watch involves the Trent River from Hastings to Trenton.
On the heels of the precipitation numbers for May, a local conservation authority is announcing a Low Water Condition. CFB Trenton is reporting that for the month of May, just 18.8 mm’s of precipitation came in, or less than one quarter the normal level. Noyes says the longer forecasted 18 month tracking hows 89% of normal water levels in the LTC system. Noyes says people who use municipal water do not have as much to worry about right now, however many are not.
