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.
Skipped showers and rainwater-powered toilets are among the methods an Arizona town has adopted as it battles to cope without water. Rio Verde Foothills, a suburb of Scottsdale, was cut off from the city's water supply on 1 January. The controversial move left hundreds without access to running water, prompting residents to file a lawsuit demanding that services be restored. Scottsdale argues that it bears no responsibility for Rio Verde.
Some 180,000 residents in Jackson, Mississippi have "indefinitely" lost access to reliable running water after excessive rainfall and flooding. Rising floodwaters over the weekend breached the city's main water treatment facility, bringing it to the brink of collapse. A state of emergency has been declared, and schools, restaurants and businesses have temporarily closed. The city had already been under a boil-water notice for a month. Problems at the OB Curtis Water Plant began after heavy rains caused the Pearl River to crest and spill over onto city streets over the weekend. City hall confirmed on Monday that river water had entered the facility, which treats more than 50 million US gallons (190 million litres) per day.
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.
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 excavation next door stopped 15 months ago but Wendy Richards is still digging out of the hole left behind. The Manotick woman has been fighting to have her property — and peace of mind — restored after unauthorized construction removed mature trees and a pile of earth within inches of her 1886 foundation. And, just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse, my, how they did. “I don’t even know what to do anymore.” Richards woke up Jan. 11 to discover there was no water in the taps — frozen pipes, which she is convinced are a side-effect of her foundation now broadly exposed to the winter elements.
Tips to avoid frozen water pipes in the home: Know where to find the main water shut-off valve and how it works (in case your pipes burst) and ensure areas that contain indoor water pipes are kept above eight (8) degrees Celsius, especially near the water meter. Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage. Outdoor faucets are the first to freeze. Unscrew any hoses, turn off the outdoor water supply and let the taps drain. Insulate pipes most prone to freezing, especially near outside walls and in crawl spaces, the attic and garage. This can be done with foam pipe covers available from building supply or home improvement stores.
The San Joaquin Valley farm town of Teviston has two wells. One went dry and the other is contaminated. The one functioning well failed just at the start of summer, depriving the hot and dusty hamlet of running water for weeks. With temperatures routinely soaring above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), farm workers bathed with buckets after laboring in the nearby vineyards and almond orchards.
