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.
The Eastern Ontario Health Unit says the water meets drinking water standards, but the advisory recommends residents use bottled water or another source of water for preparing baby formula for infants and food or drinks for young people. "I’m not bathing my grandchildren when they come over and I have to have bottled water," Casselman resident Jocelyn Butler-Rohland said on Sunday.
The Charlottetown water and sewer utility is starting its four-to-six-week spring maintenance beginning April 11. The program includes checks and biannual hydrant flushing. The hydrant flushing is done to keep water quality high and ensure the city has safe and clean drinking water. During flushing, hydrants will be operated at full capacity for around three to five minutes each until the water runs clear.
The water was drinkable, but not palatable to people in Melbourne last October. Yellow water in Southwest Middlesex had many concerned about its safety. Average daily water flow out of the Melbourne standpipe was down 94 percent in October. Mayor Alan Mayhew brought up the issue during a presentation by Sam Smith with the Ontario Clean Water Agency at the March 23 council meeting. The Tri-County Water board is doing a study to see if the discolouration could be avoided.
Walking around Regina's Wascana Creek can be a tranquil, meditative experience — until an offensive odour wafts into your nostrils. For several weeks a potent smell has been coming from parts of the creek — which runs out of Wascana Lake — and the water has been discoloured. The smell and colour are being caused by a buildup of organic matter, according to Kurtis Doney, director of water, waste and environment for the City of Regina.
Many government agencies knew about the suspicious well water in Ramsay Meadows, a small subdivision halfway between Almonte and Carleton Place. But none of those agencies told the residents. The 49 homes stand across the street from the National Research Council’s national fire lab, which does research on firefighting. In late 2013, the lab bosses learned that their firefighting chemicals had contaminated their property’s groundwater, probably in the late 1900s.
The brown water flowing from the taps in the Murrayville neighbourhood of Langley Township has some of the residents worried for their health and safety. Photos posted to the community Facebook page show drinking glasses, a sink and a hot tub full of foul-looking water. "None of us trust it and no one in their right mind would want to drink water that looks like that," said Krystal Woodward in a message to CBC News.
An independent audit is to be conducted into a mental-health hospital in northwestern Saskatchewan following water tests that showed higher than normal levels of copper and lead, says a government official. Mike Carr, deputy minister of central services, says the province learned Oct. 17 that there were some questions about water quality at the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford. Water testing at the mental-health facility “showed irregularities and inconsistency in the results that indicate levels of copper or lead may be higher than desirable levels,” Carr said Friday. “It’s been preliminary testing,” he added. “We felt, out of an abundance of caution, we should take steps to ensure that all users of that facility have access to good drinking water.”
