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 state Court of Appeals on Monday found that members of the Swartzentruber Amish community in southeastern Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of “gray water,” which is dirty water left from dishwashing, laundry, bathing, and other tasks not involving toilet waste. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed court rulings that had required the group to install septic tanks.
The ban on non-essential water use in Canmore and the surrounding area has been lifted, allowing residents to resume normal water use. On Wednesday afternoon, the Town of Canmore and Epcor thanked residents for complying with the ban that had been in place since Friday. Residents and businesses in Canmore, Harvie Heights and Deadman’s Flats were asked to refrain from using water for things like laundry, watering lawns, washing cars, washing driveways or sidewalks, or from filling hot tubs or pools. That reduced usage helped restore water levels in the Grassi Reservoir, which is now up to “appropriate” water levels.
Fun Fact: Because of advances in soap and detergent, there is no difference between using hot water and cold water when washing clothes. The only difference is you’re spending more money using all that hot water because approximately 75 per cent of energy used in a load of laundry is to warm the water.
Residents of Old East Village are teaming up to help an 80-year-old woman who was left without running water after thieves broke into the basement of the house she rents and ripped out the copper plumbing. Shirly Roberts lives in the neighbourhood in a rental house. She lives alone, and recently underwent a double knee replacement. Originally from Grenada, she has no family in Canada.
Anyone who has stood fully dressed in the shower, scrubbing away annoying calcium build up, knows Calgary has hard water. The high concentration of minerals in the water is also responsible for spotty dishes, stiff laundry, icky soap scum and eroded tea kettles, not to mention dry skin and limp hair. Luckily, hard water isn’t unhealthy, but it can be a drain on the pocketbook.
Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director with the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, says cisterns can pose health risks to those who rely on them. She says the structures can have cracked lids, which allows all sorts of debris to get into them — including rats, mice, drowned puppies and garbage — and they’re often not cleaned properly. On top of that, she says the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association is concerned that there is no certification program for water truck drivers. The group wants to create such a program where drivers would have to be trained in how to keep the water safe and be held accountable if things go wrong. “Because right now there’s no accountability,” she says.
The NDP MPP for the region with the longest-running boil water advisories of any First Nations in Canada is demanding the Ontario government become part of the solution. Sol Mamakwa, who represents the riding of Kiiwetinoong in northwestern Ontario, said the provincial government could do more to help alleviate the suffering of communities on long-term drinking water advisories.
