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 ducks and Canada geese are back on Moore's Pond in Stratford, P.E.I., now that the pond is again filling up with water after dredging removed sediment that's been collecting there for years. The town applied in 2019 for funding for the project, which also includes restoration work at nearby Kelly's Pond, part of the same watershed.
Marilyn Roberts lost everything in her basement on Saturday when water from a nearby pond came rushing in. The Sally's Cove resident said it took less than 30 minutes for five feet of water to fill up her basement, leaving her with a massive mess and questions about the future of her home. "It's heartbreaking," she said. "I don't know how I'm going to pull through it down the road. It's going to be hard for me."
This waterborne parasite, which is the most common intestinal parasite in Canada, can lead to some pretty nasty symptoms, including gas, diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal cramps, and nausea or vomiting. It is especially important to keep children away from the pond or to thoroughly wash their hands if they do come in contact with the water since children up to nine years old are most at risk of developing giardia symptoms, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
David Price hates when it rains. "It's just anxiety and stress," said the Orléans man, who for the past eight years has seen his Harvest Crescent backyard fill up with water whenever there's a downpour. The issue has to do with a city-owned culvert behind Price's home that he says is spilling water into his yard. When he bought the house in 2014, it wasn't a huge problem — but Price said it's been getting worse each year since then.
An environmental conservation group says goldfish, a provincially-designated invasive species, are now thriving in a popular pond in Kelowna, B.C. Lisa Scott, executive director of the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society based in Summerland, B.C., says local residents have spotted glints of gold under the ice at Munson Pond, an ecological area, with endangered status, located south of downtown Kelowna.
We are losing wetlands three times faster than forests, according to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. When it comes to restoring them to their natural state there is one hero with remarkable powers - the beaver. Wetlands store water, act as a carbon sink, and are a source of food. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands says they do more for humanity than all other terrestrial ecosystems - and yet they are disappearing at an alarming rate. The main problems are agricultural and urban expansion, as well as droughts and higher temperatures brought about by climate change. But if you have a river and a beaver it may be possible to halt this process.
Some Conception Bay South residents were hopping mad in the fall after a popular neighbourhood pond on Frog Pond Road in Topsail — home to ice skating and hockey in the winter, and exploring in the summer — was left dry after water and sewer work was completed. But water has found its way back to Frog Pond, although the mild fall and winter has not yet frozen the water enough to make the ice safe for skating. The issue was discussed at the Dec. 6 Conception Bay South council meeting.
In late October the largest pond at Miner's Marsh, along the Cornwallis River, was mostly dry after a year of dropping water levels, with the bottom sunbaked. While dozens of ducks and geese would normally have spent time there in the fall on their way south for the winter, only a handful of birds were walking through the water, most of it too shallow for swimming. The summertime population of ducks also seemed lower.
The P.E.I. Potato Board made its pitch to Island MLAs on the importance of water to growing potatoes. The board appeared before a legislative standing committee looking for a sustainable irrigation strategy. Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, says the industry is competitive and irrigation ensures producers can consistently meet customers' demands. He said irrigation also ensures potato producers can survive, especially as the province sees more drought conditions.
