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.
Some people are frustrated that a now months-long non-consumption advisory has yet to be lifted at the natural water spring in Wakefield, Que. Kristine Schwartz, a resident in Low, Que., has relied heavily on the water source since her township — about 20 kilometres from Wakefield — has faced boil water advisories on and off for the last two years.
A community consulting firm is asking, ‘Water you doing, Spall?’ The Township of Spallumcheen is looking to get the word out about the critical importance of water conservation. According to Spall reports, the Okanagan has one of the highest rates of water use per person in Canada, meaning there is less water available per person in the Okanagan than anywhere else in the country.
People in Blind Bay are being asked to conserve water due to possible contamination from a partially submerged houseboat. The CSRD said the incident with the houseboat occurred Sunday, July 23, and, “out of an abundance of caution,” the Cedar Heights Water System intake would be shut down until water testing could be done Monday.
MARK RUFFALO: It's basically what they call forever chemicals. They’re long chain fluorocarbons designed to withstand any kind of breakdown. TAMARA KHANDAKER: That's actor and activist Mark Ruffalo talking about PFAS chemicals, also known as forever chemicals. They've been around since the 1940s and used in everything from non-stick pans to takeout containers to cosmetics and fire retardant. But flash forward to today, and the long lasting manmade chemicals have been found inside Canadian blood samples brought in through the air and dust we breathe and even in our drinking water.
A family of five in Howie Centre, N.S., has gone for months without clean water in their Cape Breton home after their well was contaminated by heating oil. They say officials from Nova Scotia's Environment Department confirmed a spill occurred on a neighbour's property earlier this year, but so far, little is being done about it and there are fears the oil has now spread to the nearby Sydney River.
Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Local news coverage of the opening has been sparse, mostly touting that the plant will bring economic benefits, including up to 35 new jobs to a town with an unemployment rate more than double the national average. Less has been said publicly about the company’s plans to manufacture — or perhaps just use, depending which Industrial Plastics employee is speaking — polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a Teflon-like product that falls into a larger group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
"It concerns us. The water, the land, the medicine on it will be destroyed. The caribou that are roaming in that area and all the mushrooms and wild rice there. All of it would be contaminated," said Elder Eileen Linklater, one of the eight grandmothers who organized the protest. "Mines usually have spills. Yes, they build reservoirs, but they overflow and it would go into water streams. Also, they will release a lot of gasses into the air." Asked to comment on the concerns being expressed by the protesters, Foran said some of the information the concerns are based on is "misleading and untrue."
The federal government says some new cruise ship pollution measures are now mandatory, but environmental groups say the move still doesn't plug gaps that permit the ongoing contamination of some of Canada's most sensitive coastlines. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced Friday that voluntary measures established last April on the discharge and treatment guidelines for sewage (black water) and grey water - which includes kitchen water, laundry detergent, cleaning products, food waste, cooking oils and grease as well as hazardous carcinogens and other pollutants - will be mandatory immediately under an interim order.
"The Dene people are committed to good relations with our land, water, plants, and animals," N'dilo Yellowknives Dene First Nation Chief Fred Sangris said in a statement. "The participation of Yellowknives Dene businesses in remediating the former Giant Mine site fits within these values. It offers increased opportunities for skills-building to our young people that they can take with them as they build their careers."
The free well water testing kits given out by the province to residents impacted by the recent wildfires do not detect hydrocarbons, but there are options if anyone suspects that type of contamination. Hydrocarbons are a large group of compounds that include fossil fuels such as natural gas and petroleum. It can also include home heating oil. Signs of hydrocarbon contamination include odours or an oily sheen on water or soil. If this is detected, the province recommends that people contact an environmental consulting company and ask to speak to an environmental site professional.
The callous exploitation of natural resources underlines the context that has created a mash-up of toxins – in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we ingest. Consider the state of water. Data published by UN Water show that over 2 billion people, or roughly a quarter of the world population, lack “safely managed” drinking water and 2.3 billion live in water-stressed countries. Groundwater accounts for a major share of human consumption and is threatened by contamination by fertilisers, pesticides, industrial and mining wastes, petroleum products and solid waste landfills. A Lancet report reveals that water pollution was responsible for 1.4 million premature deaths in 2019. The World Bank has observed that shallow groundwater in every populated region should be considered at risk of pollution.
A northern Washington farmer advocacy group is calling on Gov. Jay Inslee to act swiftly to address poor water quality in their region due to what they claim is contamination flowing from rivers originating in Canada. In their June 6 letter to Inslee, Whatcom Family Farmers Executive Director Fred Likkel and Northern Lynden Water Improvement District President Larry Stap described the Nooksack River Basin as contaminated with "extremely high levels of bacteria" coming from the other side of the Canadian border. "Given the current issues surrounding international flooding, as well as issues surrounding water rights and an impending adjudication of water rights in Whatcom County, immediate action is imperative on this subject," the letter states.
“While we all hoped and prayed that water levels would have dropped to more manageable levels by now, after nearly three weeks, they have not. In fact, the level has continued to rise.” Major concerns include containing sewage due to flooded septic systems on Nellie Lake, the threat to potable water due to contamination and concerns for the safety and well-being of volunteers assisting with the flooding.
A group that claims to speak on behalf of citizens of Kanesatake is calling for an independent commission of inquiry with the participation of the United Nations on the crisis in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake. NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice participated in a demonstration that brought together about 25 people in front of the office of the Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller Tuesday in Montreal. The MP brandished a container of gray and opaque water in front of the journalists, demanding a parliamentary commission concerning the alleged toxic discharges into a watercourse adjacent to the G&R Recycling site at the northwest end of Kanesatake.
A group in Glace Bay, N.S., says the water in a local lake is contaminated and is asking the provincial government to clean it up before stocking the pond with more trout. The No. 20 Dam Sport Fishing Association paid to have the water tested at the John Bernard Croak Memorial Park on Beacon Street in September and president Donald McNeil said the results show levels of E. coli and total coliform that exceed Health Canada guidelines.
Now the Haughians say they're living a "nightmare" where the landfill has contaminated the water, forcing them to sell the home to the township. Mayor Arie Hoogenboom said the couple might have to leave once the sale is complete because it is a "liability" to the township if they stay and puts their health and safety at risk. The Haughians argue they're fine where they are, citing a filtration system and bottled water provided by the township. If they have to leave, they at least want to have a say on when.
Here are five things we suggest residents living in flood zones should keep in mind while we all wait and see what happens next on the Ottawa River, 1. If flood waters have reached the level of your well head, or covered it, do not drink water from that well until the well water has been tested and you can’t test the water until the river has receded a significant amount more. 2. Ottawa Public Health has outlined clear steps that need to be taken before well water is safe again for drinking.
Some Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah residents are skeptical about the Giant Mine site being successfully remediated. That's according to a recent survey from the Giant Mine Oversight Board (GMOB). About one-third of respondents said they were either "not very confident" or "not at all confident" that the site would be successfully remediated.
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks confirmed that perfluorooctane sulfonate is still leaching from the Hamilton International Airport above the threshold numbers. Gary Wheeler, spokesperson for the ministry, stated in a series of email responses to questions that PFOS, a synthetic chemical part of a class called PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that the “contamination continues to migrate” from the airport “at levels above the agreed upon threshold.”
