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.
Unquestionably, dumping more than 300 million litres of sewage-tinged water into the Ottawa River stinks. But it’s hard to imagine what that much sewage overflow actually does to a waterway. So, we asked the experts about the impact of the city’s decision to release that volume of water following the massive Aug. 10 storm—and what can be done to prevent this in the future.
When Kristen Villebrun heard the City of Hamilton recently discovered sewage has been flowing into the harbour for the past 26 years, she was upset. Villebrun said she and other Indigenous water walkers have complained about sewage in the water there for years. "I'm sick of talking and it falling on deaf ears,"said Villebrun, an Anishinaabe woman who is also known as Wassode nibi kwe (Shining Water Woman).
After a weekend of heavy rain, Manitobans have been busy cleaning up flooded basements and leaky roofs. That's meant tons of calls for service to local restoration companies. At Paul Davis Restoration in Winnipeg, general manager Ken Cruzat says they usually get four or five calls for service after a storm. But in the last two days, he says they've received 50 calls about water coming through everything from foundation cracks to windows.
The village of Alma continues to be under a boil-water order first instated Friday. Early Friday morning, a lighting storm took out the electronics that control the village water pump. Restaurants closed that morning, and by Saturday the pump was back up and running. But residents were asked to continue to conserve water and to boil it before ingesting it. Alma Mayor Andrew Casey said the village needs three consecutive good water tests taken 24 hours apart to lift the advisory. Until then, residents must bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before ingesting it, brushing their teeth or washing food.
A University of Saskatchewan researcher says a form of oil extraction being encouraged by the Saskatchewan government needs more research and monitoring to avoid potential long-term contamination of drinking water in the province.
Grant Ferguson said his research suggests "waterflooding," a conventional form of oil extraction, could become a bigger problem for Saskatchewan than the more controversial practice known as fracking.
