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 City of Calgary says it is lifting its outdoor water restrictions, but it's still asking residents to use water wisely. Officials say the restrictions, which have been in effect for two months, will be removed Tuesday. They were implemented in mid-August due to record low flows in the Bow and Elbow rivers that supply the city and other downstream communities across the Prairies.
The Sainte-Dorothée district in Laval, Que., is currently under a notice of non-use of water due to water quality concerns. Citizens are permitted to use their toilets and flush, but other water use is restricted until further notice. The notice of non-use of water is issued when water consumption poses a health risk, and the water system contains contaminants that cannot be removed by boiling, the city says on its website.
Nearly two months after drought Level 5 was declared on Vancouver Island, steps are underway in the Comox Valley to conserve water and aid returning salmon. Drought Level 5, declared when "adverse impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values are almost certain," is the highest level on British Columbia's drought scale.
Calgarians’ outdoor water use is being limited to two hours per week as the city faces continued drought conditions, officials announced Tuesday. It’s the first time the city has imposed such restrictions due to dry conditions, with water flows in the Bow River at their lowest level since 1911 and the Elbow River since 2000, said Nicole Newton, the city’s manager of natural environment and adaptation.
The mayor of Fundy Albert says the community of Alma, N.B., is asking for some public washrooms to close in an effort to conserve water. Alma, near Fundy National Park, fills with tourists when the summer months arrive. That often leads to a request to conserve water. "Surprisingly, the use of washrooms is what is significantly contributing to the amount of water that is being used in Alma," Robert Rochon said.
Seasonal water restrictions are in place until Sept. 30 in Charlottetown. The mandatory restrictions allow for outdoor watering only in the early morning from 5-10 a.m. or in the evening between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., to a maximum of two hours per day. Hosing off driveways and other hard surfaces is also prohibited while the restrictions are in effect. Restrictions are required to ensure usage does not exceed the city’s capacity to supply water.
Watering your lawn is a big no-no in Grindrod right now. A temporary outdoor watering ban has been issued by the Regional District of North Okanagan. Spring runoff is causing a slow down at the Grindrod water treatment plant, resulting in restrictions on non-essential water use. Melting snow has caused water entering the plant to contain increased clay and silt particles.
Regional district staff detailed 2023 Chapman water system scenarios based on repeats of 2021 or 2022 weather conditions at an April 6 committee meeting. Both revealed Church Road well supply, to be added when Stage 2 restrictions come into force, should allow the time at Stage 3 restrictions (if called) to be extended, with less time at Stage 4 (if needed).
France's 100 departmental prefects should not hesitate to enact quick decrees restricting local water use given alarmingly low groundwater levels, French Environment Minister Christophe Béchu said on Monday. "We are sounding the alarm given the situation we now find ourselves in, as we near the end of what is usually the recharge period for (underground) water tables," Béchu said.
France is preparing to introduce restrictions on water use in parts of the country from March, in an unprecedented move for the time of year following the driest winter in 64 years, environment minister Christophe Bechu said on Wednesday. France has recorded 32 days without rain, weather forecaster Meteo-France said. Watering and irrigation is already restricted in 87 municipalities in the south, which usually happens in summer, not winter, and meetings with officials on Friday and Monday will look at extending this, Bechu said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed restrictions that would block plans for a copper and gold mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region that is home to the world's largest sockeye salmon run. A statement from the regional EPA office said discharges of dredged or fill material into the waters of the U.S. within the proposed Pebble Mine footprint in southwest Alaska would "result in unacceptable adverse effects on salmon fishery areas."
A state of local emergency in response to drought along British Columbia's Sunshine Coast has been lifted with water flow returning to a key water source. A statement from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), the District of Sechelt and shíshálh Nation says levels in the watershed have risen slightly because of snowmelt with warmer-than-expected temperatures. Leonard Lee, the regional district board chair, says staff have worked hard to ensure residents have had access to water through a 100-day summer drought and an unprecedented transition to freezing.
Lawn watering across Metro Vancouver will be limited to once a week when restrictions come into effect May 1, down from twice a week last year. Water use can increase by up to 50 per cent in the summer months according to the regional district, and lawn watering is a major reason why. The Phase 1 restrictions will remain in effect until Oct. 15. "The region-wide watering regulations are an effective way to help us use our drinking water wisely," Metro Vancouver's website reminds residents.
As temperatures across Canada continue to rise, few things do a better job of keeping us cool than going for a swim. But with the closure of public swimming pools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many may be left wondering how safe it will be to return to these spaces once they reopen. According to Matthew Miller, a biochemistry professor at McMaster University in Hamilton who is studying the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 is highly unlikely to be transmitted through water.
Edmonton and other municipalities across the country may soon be part of a pilot program to determine whether wastewater is a helpful tool when it comes to COVID-19 surveillance. The Canadian Water Network recently set up the Canadian Coalition on Wastewater-Related COVID-19 Research to help provide data that can then inform public health decisions.
