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.
Water always contains some amount of dissolved solids (inorganic salts like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, for example), which influences its pH. According to Nicole M. Hancock, executive director of the Safe Drinking Water Foundation, the higher the total dissolved solids, the more alkaline the water tends to be. The pH of tap water is close to 7, while water with more alkaline compounds in it typically has a pH of 8 or 9.
