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.
Using high-resolution satellite images and computer modelling, researchers from the University of Waterloo have documented the importance small wetlands play in water purification and conservation. “What our work showed is that they are actually really important,” said Nandita Basu, a professor at the University of Waterloo and Canada Research Chair in Global Water Sustainability and Ecohydrology.
