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.
Snow-wise, it hasn't been a great year in the Rocky Mountains, says Canmore-based water expert John Pomeroy. "[The snowpack] is in the lowest quarter to lowest 10 per cent of all years measured over the last half century in the Kananaskis-Banff region," said Pomeroy, who is Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change at the University of Saskatchewan. "It's definitely a low snow year."
Water levels are beginning to rise in parts of New Brunswick, with two communities already under a water-level advisory and another one set to move to a watch by weekend, according to the province's River Watch website. An water-level advisory is two metres below flood stage, and a water-level watch is one metre below, according to the site.
Following some drier weather recently, City of Nanaimo officials are advising residents to be cautious with water consumption as spring progresses. Mike Squire, city water resources manager, said the Jump Creek reservoir is 91 per cent full currently, which is above average and trending upward. The snowpack is at about 2.4 metres, which is slightly below the median historical average, he said, and while there was a lot of snow in December, precipitation has been down in March.
After experiencing one of the snowiest winters to date in Manitoba, residents are facing a high risk of water damage this spring. According to CAA Manitoba’s Heather Mack, water damage is an issue every year in Manitoba, but this year there is “quite a large risk.” “This year, that extra snowfall put us in more of a vulnerable position for sure. Water damage is the leading cause for all property damage in Canada right now,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.
I’m staring out my window into a snow drift almost to the eaves. Near-record accumulation and continued freezing temperatures are raising fears of widespread spring flooding, something we haven’t experienced in several years. Rather, we’ve lately become more familiar with the unpredictable flooding caused by extreme rain events. That’s the bad news. But last summer’s widespread drought severely depleted soil moisture, which means there’s a very large capacity to absorb excess runoff; and another dry spring could have spelled disaster for farmers. The good news is, with a gradual thaw and not much spring rain, our farmers could be in good shape heading into the growing season.
After a winter that has seen snowfalls nearly double the average in some areas, officials in southern Manitoba say they're keeping a close eye on the weather heading into spring — and getting ready for possible flooding. The province's hydrologic forecast centre released its first flood outlook for the season last month. It is predicting major flows along the Red River and its tributaries, including the Roseau, Rat and Pembina Rivers.
The Municipality of Boissevain-Morton wants area residents to cut back on the amount of water they use each week. Due to high temperatures and low precipitation, water levels at Boissevain’s water source, the Boissevain Reservoir, are below normal. As a precautionary measure, the Municipality of Boissevain-Morton is asking residents and businesses to consider reducing all water usage. Specifically, they ask that residents reduce water usage for residential landscaping.
As conservation authorities in the Ottawa area warn of low water levels on area waterways this spring, Environment Canada's forecast suggests the lack of rain will continue. "It's almost forgotten how to rain in the Ottawa area," said David Phillips, Environment Canada's senior climatologist. Ottawa has received 16.7 mm of rain so far in June, after 13.5 mm of rain fell in May.
The threat of flooding along the St. John River caused by melting snow and ice is over for the season, says the provincial government. On Monday, the province announced it was ending its River Watch program, which offers daily forecasts of the water levels along the St. John River, which is prone to breaking its banks every spring. "A number of factors go into [ending River Watch] but the big one is really how much snow there is [on the ground] and this late in the season, if there is any ice left [in the St. John River]," said Geoffrey Downey, spokesperson for the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, which participates in the program.
The Manitoba government says it's prepared in case of a drought this summer, following a winter where some areas saw record-low snowfall. "While there are no current drought impacts, our government is closely monitoring conditions and increasing its drought readiness," Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said Tuesday. Although the province is heading into a period of dry weather, a bit of precipitation will go a long way, he says.
Fifty years ago, nations gathered to create the world’s first global agreement to conserve a habitat. This had long been undervalued, and as a result was rapidly disappearing. Fifty years ago, there was a global call to action to save our wetlands. On February 2, 1971, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was adopted in Ramsar, Iran. Often referred to as the Ramsar Convention, its purpose was to stop the worldwide loss of wetlands. Today, 171 countries, including Canada, are parties to the convention. The Ramsar Convention has helped many wetlands. More than 2,400 wetlands around the world have been designated as Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. Canada has 37 Ramsar sites, including two Nature Conservancy of Canada helps protect in B.C., the Columbia Wetlands and in Creston Valley. World Wetlands Day marks the signing of the Ramsar Convention and is a day to highlight the importance of wetland conservation Despite a global agreement and a special day of recognition, we have not been kind to wetlands over the last half century. Over the past 50-years, over one-third world’s remaining wetlands have been lost. They continue to disappear at a rate faster than forests, and the loss is accelerating.
Completed in 1973, the Army Corps of Engineers dam was designed to regulate how spring snow melt in the Kootenay River watershed (87% of which originates in Canada) enters the downstream watershed. It has done so effectively, but at a considerable price to local residents. The upper end of the reservoir in Canada bears the brunt of the storage draw down each spring, and in dry years, the reservoir’s moonscape does not always refill to a level that allows for much recreation. The control over these water levels is 100% vested in American operation of Libby dam.
The Alberta government wants to rewrite the rules on water use along the eastern slopes of the Rockies as part of its economic recovery plan, including a push for new coal developments in the area. Water use is highly restricted in southern Alberta due to concerns about supply, and new water licences cannot be issued, they have to be purchased from existing licence holders on the open market. The new plan put forward by the Alberta government would affect water pulled from the Oldman watershed above the dam.
