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.
Some residents of B.C.'s West Kootenay region say they're worried about water levels in the Arrow Lakes amid a historic drought and high temperatures that triggered an early snowpack melt. They're calling on B.C. Hydro, which uses the Arrow Lakes as a reservoir to generate power, to do more to preserve valuable salmon habitats and recreation spots.
Living Lakes says these meetings will be interactive sessions where participants can provide feedback on local water concerns and monitoring priorities and ask questions about the project. “Through this project we are collaborating with local groups to expand our water monitoring network so we can work with communities and all levels of government to protect our watersheds,” said co-ordinator Bill Coedy in a news release.
