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.
Yukon mine inspectors found a series of problems at the Hecla Mining Company's Keno Hill property, according to a recent report. Inspectors raised a number of concerns, including sediment runoff from tailings facilities, poor storage of hazardous materials, hydrocarbon stains on the ground, and discharged water that was toxic to fish.
The latest ice breakup forecast for Yukon suggests there may be some flooding in the Dawson City area this spring, though not likely in town. "We assess the flood risk as low for Dawson City proper, the town itself, because it is protected by the dike," said Anthony Bier, the Yukon government's acting senior hydrologist. It's been a cool spring so far in the Dawson area, and a lot of snow fell over the winter. The amount of snow on the ground — called the snowpack — is higher than it usually is, meaning more water hitting the rivers once things start melting.
Sewage Lagoons for Dawson? It appears the Yukon government is pushing forward with building sewage lagoons to replace the failed sewage treatment plant they built not too long ago. I believe they chose sewage lagoons as they are typically cost effective to build and operate and do work in Canada’s far north. What I don’t believe is that they have put much in the way of thought into this decision and have not done all the appropriate “due diligence” that should be done when determining “best options”.
Frigid weather that has played havoc with seasonal travel plans in many other parts of Canada is now causing problems in Yukon. A portion of a wastewater treatment facility in the Village of Carmacks, about 200 kilometres north of Whitehorse, has failed as extreme cold warnings remain in place for much of the territory. A boil water advisory has been issued for residents of the village and Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation who use private wells.
The Yukon’s allocation of federal ‘gas tax’ funding has grown to $18 million this year, with nearly $1 million already slotted for projects, according to the Yukon government. Unincorporated communities will receive about $1 million of the fund. “These funds are allocated to projects based on need,” said Bonnie Venton Ross, spokesperson for Community Services, in an email.
The Yukon government is mapping areas that were hit hard by record-setting floods last year, according to officials. "We're doing flood mapping in every Yukon community," Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said in the Legislative Assembly yesterday. "That's not something that we've done before, and we're going to continue to work to ensure our communities are safe, just like we did last year." Last summer, rapid snowmelt caused serious flooding, eventually spurring the territorial government to declare a state of emergency for the Southern Lakes and Lake Laberge areas. Some Yukoners were forced from their homes and the Canadian military was posted in the territory for months to help shore up lakefront properties.
Florian Lemphers is unpacking his moving boxes at the same time as his Christmas gifts this year. Lemphers, his wife Andrea and their two dogs, canoed out of their front yard in Shallow Bay, Yukon, on July 13, after water from the usually-distant bay breached the berm set up to protect their home. Volunteers came from all over the territory to set up sandbags to try to keep the water at bay — but still, they were forced to leave and stay out for months.
Water levels in Yukon are approaching a high-water mark, according to a Yukon government hydrologist. "We're going to start seeing those water levels decline within the next couple of weeks and we don't expect them to exceed the previous highs," said Anthony Bier. But there's a caveat: water bodies, namely those in the Southern Lakes region and Lake Laberge, are still hovering around levels gauged in 2007, a year that caused widespread damages in the territory.
Some property owners along South McClintock Road in Yukon have cleared out as Marsh Lake continues to rise. "It's up fairly high and, you know, it's a west wind so the waves pound those sandbags," said John Small, a Whitehorse resident who owns a recreational property on South McClintock Road. Small and some of his neighbours say they were told by emergency officials to vacate their Marsh Lake properties on Sunday.
Residents in Yukon's Southern Lakes region are bracing for the worst as water levels continue to creep dangerously high. Thousands of sandbags have been filled, and other measures are being taken to minimize any potential damage. In Bennett Lake, Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake water levels rose about 10 centimetres or more in the last 24 hours, according to a Yukon government flood warning issued for the area on Tuesday.
An independent panel is urging the Yukon government to develop a wetlands policy to protect unique streams, bogs, fens and peatland from mining because there are no known ways to fully restore these sensitive ecosystems once disturbed. Wetlands filter water, provide habitat to species and sequester carbon but are quickly being lost to development worldwide — an issue drawing attention on World Wetlands Day Feb. 2.
The Yukon government is suing a construction company for $1.5 million over what it claims was a botched upgrade to the Mayo water treatment plant. The Department of Community Services, in a statement of claim filed in the Yukon Supreme Court on Nov. 16, alleges that the work done by Wildstone Construction and Engineering Ltd. had a number of "deficiencies," including tanks with "visible leaks and are not watertight." The government is also seeking more than $1 million from Intact Insurance, an insurance company that served as a surety for the construction contract.
