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.
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.
The issue of dredging in Hay River’s harbour has been on the table for years. Various branches of government have said the issue is not their responsibility, or they have no money to fund it. In the meantime, barges are dragged through silt, boats are damaged, and fishers say the shallow water is hard to safely navigate. In August last year, two barges became stuck in the channel leading to Great Slave Lake.
Some residents of Regina's Lakeview neighbourhood woke up to the sound of car alarms and a flooded street. A water main broke at Hill Avenue and Argyle Road around 4:30 a.m. CST Monday. Ted Deller, a former CBC Saskatchewan newsreader who lives in the neighbourhood, found about 10 vehicles that were flooded. "Flooding started at 4:30 a.m. and was flowing by our house. I tried walking toward the end of the street but the water was up to the top of my firefighter boots threatening to go in," he said. "Car alarms were going off. Their electrical systems had shorted out, headlights were on, the windshield wipers were running and the trunk popped open."
Pauzé says she started noticing changes in her well water when a nearby quarry, now operated by the Dufferin Aggregates division of CRH Canada, started drawing millions of litres of groundwater most days to wash gravel in 2009. The quarry is located on the northern edge of French's Hill, a groundwater recharge area where rainfall enters the ground and replenishes the regional water flow system. Owners of at least a dozen wells situated downgradient of the Teedon Pit and its aggregate washing operations have complained of changes in their water, and they suspect wash water is leaking into the underlying groundwater flow system.
The Town of Hay River is awaiting a GNWT report – expected at any moment – that might offer guidance on how the community’s water treatment plant could be upgraded to handle turbidity in Great Slave Lake. Turbidity – better known as muddiness – has resulted in three boil-water advisories since spring break-up, and the latest was still in effect as of late last week.
