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.
Mike Voth, the city's director of corporate revenue said the unfortunate situation is a combination of yearslong unnoticed water leak and a lack of access to the property. For roughly four years, the property was on an automatic billing cycle based on estimated usage, not actual water usage during that time. Once the city worker plugged in the new numbers, the difference between the paid amounts and the actual usage was realized. The culprit seems to be an upstairs toilet that was leaking for potentially years. Nguyen called a plumber and had the small leak fixed in roughly 15 minutes. "It's quite amazing what a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week leak, how much water can be used or consumed in this case," Voth said."Over the course of several years, unfortunately, that's the gap between what was billed and paid for and what was actually passing through the meter and being used."
The City of Saskatoon has partnered with the University of Saskatchewan for a pilot project aimed at better understanding the debris and pollution that gets into the South Saskatchewan River. Litter and pollutants enter storm drains on city roads and streets, travelling underground and eventually ending up in the river. Saskatoon Water director Russ Munro said the project will use trash traps to apprehend the debris.
W5 investigated aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. We spent several months trying to get to the bottom of two things: Where are these pipes, and is there asbestos in Canada’s water? We reached out and asked over 100 towns, districts and municipalities what types of pipes were in use, and whether there were maps of these networks.
Levels of the COVID-19 virus in Saskatoon’s wastewater are back on the rise, according to the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security. Researcher Femi Oloye said in an email that in the most recent reporting period, the viral RNA load in Saskatoon and Prince Albert increased, while North Battleford saw a decrease. Up to Jan. 25, Saskatoon’s wastewater viral load increased by 97.6 per cent, sitting at a medium level and the 43rd highest concentration measured in the city. That increase comes after weeks of relative stability and most recently, a decrease of 59.4 per cent.
A designated location in Saskatoon for people to spread the ashes of loved ones along the river is one step closer to fruition. A city committee has recommended council move forward to plan and construct a dedicated scattering location, which could be at Meewasin Park near the north end of Spadina Crescent. Funding for the project would be part of the 2024-25 budget deliberations. If approved, construction on a new permanent site is tentatively set for 2025.
Saskatoon is experiencing a rise in COVID-19 levels according to the most recent results from a study that tracks the virus in the city's wastewater. The University of Saskatchewan's Global Water Futures Program has been tracking the virus in Prince Albert, North Battleford and Saskatoon via samples taken from wastewater since summer 2020. Saskatoon's viral load has increased by 85.8 per cent from last week's report and is the highest it has been in the past month, according to the study.
COVID-19 viral loads in wastewater are up in North Battleford, Sask., but down in Saskatoon, the most recent data from the University of Saskatchewan shows. Since the summer of 2020, a group of researchers from the U of S have analyzed wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert in search of traces of the COVID-19 virus. However, data is not available from Prince Albert this week because researchers only received one sample from the city's wastewater, which was delivered late, according to an email from wastewater project manager Femi Oloye.
COVID-19 levels in wastewater are dropping in three Saskatchewan cities, according to University of Saskatchewan researchers who have been tracking the viral load in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford. In Saskatoon, viral levels in wastewater have dipped 14.9 per cent from the previous week. This comes after a massive spike of 460 per cent the week before that.
The COVID-19 viral load in Saskatoon's wastewater spiked by more than 400 per cent in one week, according to research from the University of Saskatchewan. Researchers from the university's Global Water Futures program have been analyzing wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert for COVID-19 since summer 2020. The results can predict a rise or fall of COVID-19 diagnoses about a week in advance. Researchers say most people start shedding SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within 24 hours of being infected.
A high school student from a First Nation in northern Saskatchewan is representing Indigenous communities on the world stage. Sean Bernard, a Grade 12 student from Waterhen Lake First Nation, about 290 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, is in Egypt this week to attend COP27, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Bernard is a youth delegate, representing the youth of the world as well as Indigenous communities across North America.
COVID-19 levels are down in both Saskatoon and North Battleford, according to the latest data from the University of Saskatchewan's wastewater study. Researchers with the university's Global Water Futures program have been analyzing wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert for COVID-19 since summer 2020. The study's results can help predict a rise or fall of COVID-19 diagnoses about a week in advance. In the latest report, which covers the week ending in Nov. 2, Saskatoon saw its biggest weekly drop so far, with SARS-CoV-2 levels down 80 per cent.
After almost a month of declining numbers, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan say they have seen a jump in COVID-19 viral load in samples taken from wastewater treatment plants in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford. On Monday, researchers at Global Water Futures at the U of S said that evidence of COVID-19 had increased in Saskatoon by 51 per cent compared to the week before. Meanwhile, Prince Albert saw an increase of 86 per cent and North Battleford saw an increase of 58.7 per cent.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan say levels of COVID-19 have continued to decline in wastewater in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and North Battleford. On Monday, researchers with the university's Global Water Futures program released their weekly wastewater report. Sewage samples are taken from water treatment plants and tested for levels of COVID-19. The results can be used to determine whether case numbers are expected to rise or fall in the short term future.
An ongoing study of COVID-19 levels in wastewater conducted by the University of Saskatchewan has found there are less traces of the virus in some of the cities it is tracking. The University of Saskatchewan and Global Water Futures program have been examining wastewater samples from Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford since the summer of 2020. Their goal is to track the spread of COVID-19 in the community through wastewater, with their results usually dictating a rise or fall about a week in advance of changes in cases.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan say levels of COVID-19 were down in Prince Albert and Saskatoon in the latest tests of wastewater samples. Researchers with the university's Global Water Futures program have been analyzing wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert for COVID-19 since summer 2020. The study's results can help predict a rise or fall of COVID-19 diagnoses about a week in advance. The latest samples show the week-over-week SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA load in Saskatoon's wastewater decreased by 36.2 per cent.
COVID-19 viral loads are rising once again in the wastewater of several Saskatchewan cities, the most recent data from the University of Saskatchewan shows. Since the summer of 2020, a group of researchers from the U of S have analyzed wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert in search of traces of the COVID-19 virus. Prince Albert data from the latest reporting period, which goes up to Sept. 12, showed a 66.2 per cent week-over-week increase in SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA load in the city's wastewater.
The COVID-19 viral loads in some of Saskatchewan's major cities are the highest they've been in months, according to the latest weekly report from University of Saskatchewan researchers. Researchers with the university's Global Water Futures program have been analyzing wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert for COVID-19 since summer 2020. The study's results can help predict a rise or fall of COVID-19 diagnoses about a week in advance. In an email on Sunday, the team's lead researcher John Giesy said the viral load has "increased significantly" in all three cities, continuing a 10-week trend of upticks.
Saskatchewan researchers scanning sewers for COVID-19 may soon be on the lookout for other viruses. Wastewater epidemiology teams in Saskatoon and Regina are considering searching for monkeypox and polio, two viruses that are on the rise in North America. “Basically, we’re trying to translate what we’ve done for the SARS-CoV-2 methodology and see how well it works for these other viruses,” said University of Regina biology professor Tzu-Chiao Chao. Wastewater testing looks for traces of viruses or other contaminants in sewage.
Pius Gartner says he had to take off his shoes and pants so he could enter his home without getting them soaked last Monday. His corner-lot property became waterfront temporarily when parts of Saskatoon were pummelled by torrential rain. "Every time it rains heavy this corner floods, but this time it was 14 inches above my back door, so she was tough to hold back the water," he said, noting the water poured in through his basement windows and clothes-dryer vent.
