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.
A state of local emergency has been declared in the Village of Harrison Hot Springs, east of Vancouver, as two of three pumps at the community's water treatment plant have failed. A statement from Mayor Ed Wood says the availability of water for drinking and firefighting could be at risk. He says the water treatment plant is operating normally on a single pump and a backup external pump has been rented, in case the third one fails.
Five days after a contractor damaged water and sewer lines that forced a community near Calgary to declare a state of emergency, repairs are underway. On Oct. 21, the City of Cochrane revealed that an unnamed contractor, doing work to twin the town’s sewer line, “impacted” sewage and water lines while preparing to drill. The two ruptures sent sewage and water into the Bow River, Cochrane and Calgary’s water source. The significant loss of water reduced the town’s water availability.
Some Charlottetown businesses say they didn't get enough warning their water would be shut off for much of the day Tuesday. On Monday, the city issued a notice saying the Water and Sewer Utility would be conducting repairs to a leaking water valve near Grafton and Rochford streets. The notice stated customers in the area would be without water from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. AT on Tuesday. The outage was later extended to 5:30 p.m.
Two of the four people missing after floods ripped through the Canadian Atlantic province of Nova Scotia over the weekend are dead, Premier Tim Houston said on Monday. Police earlier confirmed the death of a 52-year-old man who was reported missing after his car became submerged and said they had found a second body most likely to be one of the four people who disappeared as waters rose. "I extend my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the two people who passed away following floods," Houston said in a statement confirming the second body was one of the four people who went missing in the region of Halifax, the province's largest city.
A water main break south of Capreol has caused a service interruption for approximately 1,300 customers. Crews are onsite and making repairs. Residents who are currently under a drinking water advisory in Capreol, will have access to safe drinking water via the City of Greater Sudbury’s Water Buggy. The Water Buggy will be located at the Suez Bulk Water Filling Station located north of 5081 Capreol Rd. (Regional Rd. 84), Hanmer, until the advisory has been lifted. Water is also available at City water filling stations. Please bring your own containers.
“On Wednesday, June 7, during a routine water source inspection on Meares Island in the Haahuulthii of the Tla-o-qui-aht Ha’wiih, crews identified a leak,” the statement reads. “In order to isolate and repair the leak, water distribution will be impacted, and a partial shutdown of our water system is required between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 8. We are asking residents and businesses to restrict their use of water during this period.”
The City of Iqaluit says its water treatment plant is to return to service Tuesday morning, more than a year after it was shut down due to contamination. The plant was initially shut down in October 2021 after fuel was detected in the city's water supply. A do-not-consume order was lifted in December of that year, but less than a week later it was discovered the water was contaminated by a tar-like substance.
Health Minister Michelle Thompson says work will begin next week to improve the water quality at the Victoria General Hospital so people can take showers at the ailing Halifax site that was supposed to be demolished this year. Repairs will start on the fifth floor of the Centennial Building, which houses cancer patients and others requiring hospitalization. A localized water treatment and hot water on-demand system that is safe for immunocompromised patients will be installed.
The city of Port Colborne is partnering with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to help resident homeowners protect themselves from those expected costs. Through the partnership, homeowners in Port Colborne now have access to optional service plans that assist with the cost and management of common plumbing repairs. Specifically, the service plans provide protection for the water and sewer service lines that connect a resident’s home to the cities system.
Abbotsford’s dikes are in a better position than last year when atmospheric rivers deluged the Lower Mainland-U.S. border area, flooding Abbotsford’s Sumas Prairie, said Mayor Henry Braun, but the area is still highly vulnerable. It needs both a short-term fix and long-term $800 million pumping station to be built as soon as possible. The city wants to see the proposed pumping station uncoupled from its $2.8 billion approved multi-phase flood mitigation plan that will enable more water to be pumped away from valued agricultural land that was flooded when the U.S. based Nooksack River overflowed.
Abbotsford’s dikes are in a better position than last year when atmospheric rivers deluged the Lower Mainland-U.S. border area, flooding Abbotsford’s Sumas Prairie, said Mayor Henry Braun, but the area is still highly vulnerable. It needs both a short-term fix and long-term $800 million pumping station to be built as soon as possible. The city wants to see the proposed pumping station uncoupled from its $2.8 billion approved multi-phase flood mitigation plan that will enable more water to be pumped away from valued agricultural land that was flooded when the U.S. based Nooksack River overflowed.
Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities can't stop the impact of climate change, but two climate action consultants say more can be done prepare for extreme weather events. St. John's city crews scrambled this week to repair flood and erosion damage after three days of record-breaking rainfall from post-tropical storm Earl. As of Wednesday, four roads were still closed for repairs. Jess Puddister, a scientist and climate action consultant, said watching the damage play out was "frustrating."
Halifax Water is asking people in certain parts of the municipality to flush less often as repairs are underway to a pump that's causing wastewater to flow into Halifax harbour. A map provided by the utility Wednesday afternoon highlights the Larry Uteck area, Park West, Clayton Park, Fairview, parts of the west end and parts of north-end Halifax. "This will help minimize the amount of wastewater released into the environment," the utility stated in a news release.
Ontario is one of the few provinces in Canada where millions of residents rent rather then own their water heaters. While renting may come with peace of mind if you have a break down or require servicing, over time, the rental costs can add up and they are generally a reliable appliance that typically lasts 15 years or longer without many issues. “The thing about a rental is they just keep going and going and going.” said Gary Burger of New Lowell, west of Barrie, Ont.
The devastation from the wettest Manitoba spring in over a century is still being catalogued, but officials say there are thousands of sites that need repairs, with a repair tab that is already into the tens of millions of dollars. "It will be a significant recovery program," Sarah Thiele, deputy minister of transportation and infrastructure, said during a news conference in Manitoba's Interlake region Thursday morning. She addressed media as a torrent of water rushed in the background, where a section of Highway 222 collapsed near Lakeside Road, north of Gimli.
Utility crews responded to a water main break that caused a sinkhole in the Garneau area Friday evening. EPCOR told CTV News Edmonton that crews were notified of the sinkhole after 6 p.m. at 107 Street and 85 Avenue. Officials shut off the water in the area at 7 p.m. as they started to make repairs, affecting five apartment buildings and one home. In the meantime, EPCOR says a water tank has been made available to residents. The utility provider asks residents and motorists to stay away from the area as crews continue to make repairs and restore water service.
Three children in Esquimalt, B.C., were wheeling totes full of water from a neighbouring condo building to their own home Monday morning. It was not how these three expected to begin their spring break. "We woke up on Saturday morning to rushing water, a basement full of water," said Hollie Johnson, owner of a condo at 877 Ellery St. in Esquimalt on Monday.
Iqaluit is under a city-wide boil water advisory again, and will likely remain so for several days, according to the municipal government. The advisory stems from repairs city workers were doing Tuesday to a water valve, which led to a water line losing pressure. Though precautionary, this is the latest in a series of water issues in the Nunavut capital over the past six months. A previous city-wide advisory in January lasted for more than a week; residents also spent nearly two months in 2021 under a do-not-consume order due to concerns about fuel contamination in the city's water supply.
A water main break flooded multiple downtown Regina streets on Friday afternoon. The area affected by the “large” main break spans from Broad Street and 11th Avenue, to Halifax Street and Saskatchewan Drive, according to a tweet from the Regina Police Service. The Regina Police Service said police and city crews were on the scene dealing with flooded streets around 2 p.m. Friday.
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.
