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.
While the outdoor watering restrictions implemented in Calgary on Aug. 15 have already saved an estimated 1.1 billion litres of water, they aren't going away any time soon, say city officials. In order to get through what climate models are predicting to be a dry winter, the City of Calgary is planning to keep outdoor water restrictions in place for the time being, to prevent water stores from dropping too low come spring.
Outdoor watering restrictions have been put in place for Mabel Lake Water customers. The Regional District of North Okanagan says it is concerned about water system capacity for the Thursday to Monday period as tourists and locals flock to vacation properties on the North Okanagan lake. The RDNO says it's putting the watering restriction in place to ensure water availability for essential use. “Historical water usage on the July long weekend is high, and the water system has had issues in the past keeping up to demand,” the RDNO says. “Customers must take action to reduce the risk that the reservoirs become depleted, resulting in loss of water to customers, and/or compromised water quality.”
