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.
Increased runoff is expected to continue due to warmer temperatures, melting snow, and forecasted rainfall. The increased water levels and flows resulting from last weeks warmer temperatures are expected to continue across the SNC jurisdiction. Ice breakup has also begun throughout the jurisdiction and is expected to continue.
Overall, drinkable water in Tay is reportedly much better than it was thirty years ago, but there are still areas of concern. Aisha Chiandet, water scientist at Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA), provided Tay council with a presentation about the organization’s monitoring and stewardship activities that included a look at compounds that affect water quality. “It's critical that we continue to monitor environmental conditions, maintain improvements that have been made, and continue to invest in environmental protection in order to prevent regressing to conditions encountered when Severn Sound was listed as an area of concern,” Chiandet began.
