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.
Algoma Public Health lifted its water advisory for everyone who draws water from the St. Mary's River, following an oil spill from Algoma Steel on June 9. "The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has confirmed that all remediation activities have concluded, with no visible sheen being present on the river," the health unit said in a press release. "Sampling does not indicate any current risk resulting from the oil spill."
Some people in Kingston, Ont., were asked to conserve water after a pipe broke Thursday at the River Street Pumping Station, flooding it with sewage. It's expected to be back to normal Friday morning. Utilities Kingston said residents should also take steps to protect their basements from flooding. "We are appealing to the public to conserve water and reduce sewer use to help reduce overflows and protect the environment," said president and CEO of Utilities Kingston president and CEO Jim Keech. Keech said Thursday afternoon they still didn't know what caused the pipe to break.
