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.
The Blue Mountains council wants more information before it will consider assuming ownership of a privately owned water system. At its committee of the whole meeting on May 16, council voted to get more information about the East Ridge water distribution system before it makes a decision about whether or not to assume ownership of the private water system.
Theft is one of the factors contributing to a spike in the amount of drinking water lost between The Blue Mountains water treatment plant and household water metres, according to town staff. TBM reported a 27.3-per-cent loss in its drinking water system in 2020, a sharp increase over the 16-per-cent loss posted in 2019. Leaking infrastructure, water theft, and meter issues are among the reasons for the loss, according to water and wastewater service staff. Incidents of water theft reported by TBM staff include the illegal operation of fire hydrants, bypassing water meters, and contractors accessing water mains via curb stops.
