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.
A late spring heat wave is prompting the Region of Waterloo to remind residents of the need to conserve water when possible as the annual water conservation bylaw takes effect. On Friday, the region said during these heatwaves it is important for residents to adhere to using outdoor water only when needed and only on their designated watering day.
Wastewater testing in the Region of Waterloo shows the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has pushed infection levels to more than 10 times higher than ever before but there are early indications that infections may be starting to level off. Thursday's data published by the Region of Waterloo contains the first sign of hope for a slowing down of infection during the latest wave of the pandemic.
It's that time of year to limit your outdoor water usage. May 31 marks the first day of the conservation water bylaw for our region to conserve the water supply. Dan Meagher is the supervisor for water programs with the Region of Waterloo, and said they have already seen a spike in usage which is why they are promoting the bylaw. "It limits everyone to watering their lawns once a week and other watering activities like cleaning your cars and trees every other day and that is just for us to monitor watering demands and make sure there is enough water for everything that it is needed for." It gets put into effect every year around this time to reduce peak water use and limit the risk of an outdoor watering ban. Meagher says with the pandemic and residents staying home, they have seen an increase in water consumption.
