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.
Manganese levels were at a historic high earlier this week, reaching 0.45 mg/L, according to Mayor Geneviève Lajoie. They subsequently decreased to 0.35 mg/L on Thursday, still well above Health Canada's "maximum acceptable concentration" of 0.12 mg/L. That guideline is based on the possible risks for infants, who may be particularly sensitive to neurological effects.
A small test well drilled in 2021 has Wellington North’s water department talking about the potential for a new drinking water source following a recent report on test findings. Located on township land at the unopened roads of Wells Street and McCauley Road, less than a kilometre north of Domville Street, the well yielded a high flow rate of 27 litres of water per second under a six-day stress test.
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.
Ucluelet residents are being asked to approve borrowing up to $13 million for a new water-treatment system for the community of slightly more than 2,000 on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The goal is to put an end to what’s known locally as “Ukee brown water days.” Council will be permitted to borrow the money unless 10 per cent of electors fill out a form in opposition.
Kelsey Mantla is still afraid to drink her tap water in Edzo, N.W.T., where water and sewer failures have been plaguing residents for weeks. Brown water has poured from the taps and underground pipes have burst, forcing some community members to rely on neighbours and family for basic sanitation. "We couldn't use the bathroom or anything. My kids would cry and the house stunk," said Mantla, whose house was flooded by a backed-up sewer. On Jan. 21, a water pump failed in the 200-person Tłı̨chǫ community of Edzo and many buried lines burst, taking out some residents' water for a month. Mantla lives in one of about 50 homes that had no water, or brown water, as a result.
Residents in Edzo, N.W.T., have been struggling with disruptions to their piped water delivery after aging equipment broke down last month, and Tłı̨chǫ leaders say the community government can't pay for sustainable repairs alone. "Our communities are showing the wear and tear of the old infrastructure," said Behchokǫ̀ Chief Clifford Daniels. Behchokǫ̀ includes the communities of Rae and Edzo.
A problem with aging infrastructure at the water treatment plant in Edzo, N.W.T. over the weekend has led to brown water — and in some cases, no water — flowing from people's taps, according to Behchokǫ̀ Chief Clifford Daniels. People using Edzo's piped water system were told to start conserving water as of Friday, according to a post on the Tłı̨chǫ Government's website, because the plant was experiencing "technical difficulties."
The water flowing from Joel Pickard's faucet looked clear at first. But after pouring a glass — he could tell something was wrong. "I could just smell the dirt, so I took a drink and it tasted like dirt," he said. The Bathurst resident noticed what appeared to be sediment in his drinking water, so he reported it to the city in June. They told him it was safe, so his family continued using it until the taste became too strong to swallow.
There’s hope at the end of a long water pipe for Verner residents who have endured ‘brown water’ issues for decades. The culprit is high levels of manganese, a naturally occurring mineral in the Veuve River. And it’s been a problem ever since the water plant was built in the 1970s. On Tuesday, West Nipissing council received a report that recommends connecting the community of 1,100 people to municipal water services as the best solution.
West Nipissing municipal staff are flushing hydrants in Verner today as they investigate a mysterious winter appearance of ‘brown water’ during the past couple of weeks. Some residents, but not all, are reporting water issues that have a long history in the area due to manganese found in the Veuve River, the source for Verner’s drinking water. While the mineral is considered safe to ingest, it’s actually required in small amounts in the human diet, it smells and tastes bad and is hard on laundry.
When Steven and Diane Hayes look back at the eight years they spent questioning the quality of their drinking water, battling bouts of diarrhea and other stomach troubles, they tell CBC News they still have a hard time believing the people they called friends and whom they trusted — their landlords — were responsible. It's an accusation the Hayes are now trying to prove in a civil lawsuit.
