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.
Every home and business connected to the City of Winnipeg water supply could get a new water meter over the next few years, if the city approves a program to install more advanced metering systems. There are more than 200,000 existing meters in the city, 60 per cent of which are past or nearing the end of their service life, according to a new report to the water and waste committee.
Two North Battleford residents hope to see some clarity in their water-sewer bills from the City. Jane Nielsen and Darryl Williams spoke at this week’s council meeting about their concerns with high rates, and questioned why the bills aren’t broken down for water and sewer separately. “It is my opinion, that they should be treated as separate entities, since water consumption and use of the sewer are two distinctly different services,” Nielsen said.
Mississippi’s capital is collecting only a little more than half of the money it bills for water use, far below the rate at which most American cities obtain such fees, Jackson’s federally appointed water manager said Monday. Ted Henifin, appointed in November by a federal court to help improve Jackson’s troubled water system, told reporters the city is collecting about 56% of the water fees it issues. That compares to an industry-standard above 95%, he said. The uncollected bills equate to about $50 million a year in lost revenue for the city, where roughly a quarter of residents live in poverty. The revenue losses sharpen the financial strain of the hefty debt burden Jackson faces for its water system.
Rebecca Zagozewski is the executive director of the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, a non-profit organization that works to build First Nations’ capacity to take care and control of their own water services. She says recruitment and retention of water treatment plant operators is a “real problem” on Saskatchewan First Nations, largely because they often can’t pay operators competitive wages.
