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.
"We are also working closely with public health and environmental experts to determine next steps to remediate the issue as soon as possible," wrote Schreiter in her email. Legionellosis is the broad term for a number of diseases, including legionnaire's disease and Pontiac fever, that are caused by the water-borne legionella bacteria.
A lack of communication between a private water testing firm for Wellington on the Lake and Prince Edward County has caused confusion for residents of a Wellington housing development. Thursday afternoon the county issued a warning that someone was going door to door telling people in the Wellington on the Lake housing development that a boil water advisory was in effect and the county issued a press release saying the advisory was a scam. However, Thursday evening before 9 o’clock, the county issued another release saying that a boil water advisory was in fact in effect. Wellington on the Lake is a separate drinking water system that receives water from the Wellington Drinking Water System.
Beginning this week, water testing undertaken by Southwestern Public Health will help the community stay more informed on the swimming status of beaches in the area. If a beach is found to have high levels of E.coli bacteria in the water, a warning sign will be posted at the beach indicating swimming is not recommended.
Epcor began adding orthophosphate at its two local water treatment plants last week, two years later than initially planned, the utility confirmed with Postmedia. This treatment will create protective coatings inside pipes to prevent lead from leaching into drinking water, both for Epcor’s pipes and those of private property owners, in hopes of making sure lead concentration in water citywide meets Health Canada’s standards. It’s expected to take up to six months to take full effect.
H2O Innovation (“H2O Innovation” or the “Corporation”) has collaborated with National Bank of Canada to develop a sustainable financing solution to fund the Corporation’s continued growth in water technology manufacturing and services by structuring its first Blue Loan. In addition, the Corporation increased its revolving credit facility by $10 M. The credit facility now stands at $65 M.
But even if the technology was deployed successfully, several critics say the projects would pose threats to the public health of communities long plagued by air and water pollution… That's concerning for Nayamin Martinez, who lives in the valley and is the director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network. “That worries us a lot,” she said. “What does that mean in terms of risk for contamination of drinking water?”
In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, a public health debate rages. It’s not about vaccines, masks or where people can smoke, though — it’s about fluoride. It’s in our toothpaste and mouthwash, and a common word around dental offices. But in Calgary, it holds a spot in the public consciousness due to decades of advocates on both sides slogging through six plebiscites on whether the city should put fluoride — a mineral found in rocks and dirt — into the water supply to fight tooth decay.
A $1 device developed at Dalhousie University in Halifax that can help detect COVID-19 in wastewater has been shipped across Canada and around the world to help researchers and public health in the battle against the deadly respiratory illness. The device is a small, spherical cage that contains an absorbent pad to collect samples from sewer systems. The specimens are then analyzed using lab equipment to determine whether COVID-19 is present in the wastewater.
The Ottawa Hospital has temporarily turned off the water in certain units at its General campus after confirming a case of legionellosis. As a precautionary measure, water service was suspended the morning of Sept. 21 after a patient was diagnosed with legionellosis — the broad term for a number of diseases, including legionnaire's disease, caused by the water-borne legionella bacteria. Service was suspended Monday on floors four through eight as the water system at the campus underwent a "hyperchlorination process," the hospital said.
Stephan Gurgurewicz, a self-described army brat who grew up at the Canadian Forces Valcartier Base, says he's glad to have some form of closure. His father was stationed at the base near Quebec City from 1976 until his retirement in 1980, when the family moved to the neighbouring town of Shannon. Both his parents died of cancer, his father in 2004, and his mother last January.
Grand Falls-Windsor will see the construction of a new ultraviolet disinfection building. This new infrastructure will benefit the community by increasing its capacity to treat and manage wastewater while meeting the provincial effluent quality requirements. Residents of 9 other municipalities will also benefit from upgrades to their wastewater infrastructure including new and improved lift stations, and water and sewer main replacements. In addition, 12 municipalities will see improvements to their drinking water systems which include the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply mains and connections, new hydrants for improved fire safety, a new pump house building in the Town of Jackson's Cove-Langdon's Cove-Silverdale, and a new chlorination system in the Town of La Scie.
The spring break up has prompted a boil water advisory in Hay River, Enterprise, Kakisa and K'atl'odeeche First Nation. Public health is asking residents in these communities to boil their water for at least one minute before drinking it, because of an increase of muddy water caused by the spring breakup. "This advisory is precautionary in nature, and is due to a reoccurrence of higher than normal turbidity," said a statement from the Chief Environmental Health Officer late Sunday afternoon.
The chief of the First Nation in Northern Ontario that has suffered through the country’s longest continuous boil water advisory is hopeful that water coming out of the taps in the homes of Neskantaga will be safe to drink sometime in early 2021. The question now is: Even if public health and First Nation officials pronounce the water safe to drink, will anyone trust in the purity of what comes out of their taps?
Leona Peterson doesn’t drink the water from her tap anymore. The single mother says she was warned about lead in the water by a neighbour as soon as she moved into the subsidized Indigenous housing complex where she lives in Prince Rupert, a city of almost 12,000 people in northwestern B.C. “She said, ‘There is lead in our water,’” Peterson said. “‘Don’t doubt it, just start flushing.’”
Changes are coming to the way the City of Regina manages the lead pipes that carry drinking water after changes to the Health Canada guidelines. According to a report presented to Regina's public works committee, in the coming year the city plans to increase lead pipe replacements, improve construction best-practices and improve record-keeping for city and privately owned lead pipe connections. The city will also explore the feasibility and implications of corrosion control and continue to educate the public about lead pipes.
