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.
Students at McMaster University's downtown residence are hoping a chlorination treatment of the building's water system will help them feel more comfortable to drink their tap water. McMaster said consultants had recommended using chlorine to sanitize the water after it tested positive for total coliforms bacteria. Students had complained of the murkiness of the water, among other issues at the residence.
Thousands of residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., who have been without running water since Monday after a major water-main break, were beginning to get it back on Friday morning. The city warned residents to boil the water for one minute before consuming it and to delay running appliances that use lots of water to avoid overloading the newly repaired pipe.
The N.W.T.'s chief public health officer has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for the community of Délı̨nę. The measure is being taken because water in the community has more mud in it than usual, the Department of Health and Social Services said in the notice Friday afternoon. Residents are being urged to boil water used for drinking, preparing food, and dental hygiene for at least one minute. The department said boiling water is especially important while preparing infant formulas.
Prince Rupert declared a local state of emergency Saturday, as city officials said in a new release that there were three breaks in local water mains and multiple service interruptions that started early that morning. Herb Pond, the city's mayor, says six of the city's major water pipes have burst in the past week. "We have a very old water system," he said in an interview. "Much of the pipes are well over 100 years old." Pond says the ground in the area is mostly rock and muskeg with very little soil,causing the pipes to shift and be more susceptible to damage, especially as they get older.
The City of Gatineau has issued a preventative boil-water advisory for parts of the Aylmer sector after a mechanical malfunction at the drinking water plant caused the water system to depressurize. The advisory affects around 35,000 users in the area south of boulevard des Allumetières, west of rue Atholl-Doune, east of rue de la Lobo and north of the Ottawa River.
Islanders in rural areas using wells are being asked to test their water following power outages due to Fiona. Bacteria like coliform, which can make people sick, can form in pipes if there is no water filling them. Amy Carver lives in Long Creek and says she found out her water should be tested through a family friend. "We went and got tested as soon as we could and came back positive for coliform bacteria in a number that's not a safe number to have in your drinking water. And now we have a whole new set of adjustments to make," she said. "The lab that does the testing gave us an outline of precautions we needed to take and different ways to manage some household activities such as dishes. You can use the water to wash them, but you have to sanitize them in a bleach solution and air dry them."
Jennifer Bauer was doing her dishes when she noticed something was wrong with the water coming out of her tap. It was brown. "I was like, 'what the heck?'" she said. "I can't even describe it. It was so disgusting." That's when the mother of six found out that her town of Assiniboia had been placed on a precautionary drinking water advisory the day before.
Marshall lives in west Jackson, in the US state of Mississippi - a predominantly black and poor part of the city. He has no choice but to drink the tap water that Jackson residents have been told to avoid. When he turns the tap on - the water runs brown. He says it's been like this for about eight months and he has no choice but to drink it. "Yes ma'am. I been drinking it." He smiles when we ask whether it worries him. "I turn 70 later this month," he says.
A number of drinking water advisories have been put in place throughout parts of Saskatchewan. At least six separate warnings have been issued as of Sunday afternoon, impacting the communities of Elbow, Srongfield, Loreburn, Danielson Provincial Park, Douglas Provincial Park and Pleasantdale. The province has told residents to boil water for at least one minute prior to any usage, including drinking, baking purposes, washing of fruits and vegetables and brushing teeth.
It’s Tuesday, January 5, and Canada is spending billions on clean drinking water for First Nations communities. Tens of thousands of Indigenous people in Canada have spent decades without reliable access to clean drinking water. Now, the Canadian government has plans to put it right. A court-approved settlement released late last month commits Canada to spending more than $4 billion on improvements to drinking water infrastructure at hundreds of Indigenous reserves throughout the country. Another $1.18 billion will be provided in damages to some 140,000 First Nations people who have lived under drinking water advisories for longer than a year, often under orders to boil water to avoid potential contamination from bacteria like E. coli.
Residents downstream from Peterborough may want to boil their water, after heavy rainfall has led to a discharge of partially-treated sewage into the Otonabee River. On Thursday, Sept. 23, around 1 p.m., the city’s Twitter account posted a notice saying that due to current water conditions, the city water treatment plant had to “start a temporary, partial bypass.” "This means that some partially treated sewage is being discharged to the Otonabee River," reads the Tweet.
The village of Alma continues to be under a boil-water order first instated Friday. Early Friday morning, a lighting storm took out the electronics that control the village water pump. Restaurants closed that morning, and by Saturday the pump was back up and running. But residents were asked to continue to conserve water and to boil it before ingesting it. Alma Mayor Andrew Casey said the village needs three consecutive good water tests taken 24 hours apart to lift the advisory. Until then, residents must bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before ingesting it, brushing their teeth or washing food.
The Town of Annapolis Royal, N.S., issued a boil water advisory Friday, citing "apparent contamination" at the water utility and the possibility of unsafe water. People are being told to boil water for at least one minute before drinking or using it for any activity involving human consumption. The order started at 3 p.m. AT and remains in effect until further notice. On June 29, residents of the town had been asked to conserve water because of a failure in a section of the Granville Ferry water storage system.
Where would we be without water to drink, to wash and cook with, and to keep us healthy and alive? Water is essential. But as we mark another World Water Day, many First Nations communities in Canada still don’t have access to safe water. Five years ago today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a commitment of $1.8 billion over five years to address the water crisis so First Nations wouldn’t need to boil water to make it drinkable, rely on bottled water, or evacuate their communities because their water is unsafe to use.
Canada is one of the wealthiest and most water-rich countries in the world. Yet many of its First Nations communities continue to lack safe drinking water — a basic human right. As of February, 61 Indigenous reserves were under long-term drinking water advisories, half of which remain unresolved after more than a decade. These water advisories warn people to either boil water before use, not to consume it, or avoid it altogether because of toxicity levels.
