Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

stormwater

Have Your Say On Water, Wastewater, Traffic And Stormwater At Upcoming Lakeshore Public Information Centres

Have Your Say On Water, Wastewater, Traffic And Stormwater At Upcoming Lakeshore Public Information Centres

Stormwater Master Plan (Phase 2) Public Information Centre #2 Wednesday, June 14th, 2023 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Libro Community Centre, Woodslee Water and Wastewater Master Plan Public Information Centre Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm Atlas Tube Recreation Centre (Renaud Room) These events will also feature a Flood Aware education booth featuring staff who can answer flooding questions and share resources on Lakeshore’s Flood Mitigation and Protection Framework (FMPF) and subsidy programs.

WTTW News Explains: What Happens After You Flush?

WTTW News Explains: What Happens After You Flush?

Every time you flush, the waste disappears in a swirly whirl, never to be seen again. It’s magic! Actually, it’s science and engineering. And the flush is just the start. Let’s follow that flush! First stop: The sewer pipe. This is where your business mingles with all the other household wastewater. You know, the scummy stuff that gets rinsed off your dishes and clothes and body. In older cities like Chicago, stormwater and runoff joins the party, too. That’s because Chicago has what’s called a combined sewer system.

Local water quality projects get Lake Huron Forever funding

Local water quality projects get Lake Huron Forever funding

An initiative aiming to advance water quality protection and healthy sustainable communities around Lake Huron has awarded funding to a handful of local projects. Lake Huron Forever, which was developed in 2019 by shoreline community foundations and conservation partners from the United States and Canada, has awarded $5,000 grants to four projects in Ontario with ties to the local area, including Bruce County and Manitoulin Island. Grants were also handed out to four projects in Michigan. Those receiving funding in Ontario are a schoolyard stormwater bioswale project at Peninsula Shores District School in Wiarton, a coastal stewardship and education program by the Goderich-based Lake Huron Coastal Centre, the cover crop initiative of the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, and the Kagawong River Stream Restoration on Manitoulin Island.

Canada, NS Invest in Water Infrastructure

Canada, NS Invest in Water Infrastructure

Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, Larry Harrison, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, and His Worship George Lloy, Mayor of the Town of Stewiacke, announced more than $6.2 million in joint funding to improve the Town’s water and wastewater infrastructure.

Two water projects targeted for Canning, Nova Scotia

Two water projects targeted for Canning, Nova Scotia

Various levels of government have announced $10.5 million in joint funding for two wastewater and stormwater projects in the Canning region of Nova Scotia. The first project will support wastewater treatment and collection system upgrades in the Municipality of the County of Kings where the wastewater treatment facility will be improved to increase capacity and accommodate future growth, a Dec. 22 release explained.

Canada plans to welcome millions of immigrants. Can our aging infrastructure keep up?

Canada plans to welcome millions of immigrants. Can our aging infrastructure keep up?

The Canadian population just blew past 39 million, and the country is only going to get bigger: Ottawa announced in November it wants to bring in a half-million more immigrants each year. The population grows apace, our infrastructure — governmental and private — is struggling to keep up. And it’s a story playing out across Canada. Few young people can afford a home, we’re all stuck on gridlocked roads or jammed into buses and subways, and our hospitals are overcrowded. Climate change will only further weaken infrastructure that is crumbling in many parts of the country. And Canada isn’t particularly known for getting stuff done quickly anymore.

Water Infrastructure Repair Technologies Global Markets Report 2022 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Water Infrastructure Repair Technologies Global Markets Report 2022 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

With the dramatic temperature increases and climate change over the past years, water consumption has risen dramatically across the globe. Despite being a critical asset, water is undervalued across many parts of the world, and its use is largely unsustainable. The rise in water demand coupled with limited supply and uneven distribution are leading to water stress across the various region around the globe. Water losses are often caused by inadequate maintenance of the distribution network. With a 75- to 100-year lifespan, much of America's underground pipes are due for replacement. Based on an analysis by the American Water Works Association, approximately one-third of water mains nationwide will require replacement by 2040.

Halifax wastewater operations return to normal after repeated pump failures

Halifax wastewater operations return to normal after repeated pump failures

Halifax Water says emergency repairs have been completed on a Duffus Street wastewater pump station in Halifax. In a release Thursday, the utility says operations have returned to normal after three pump failures in two months. The pump started operating Wednesday evening and was monitored overnight. Wastewater and stormwater are now being pumped from the Duffus Street station to a wastewater treatment facility on Upper Water Street rather than flowing into Halifax harbour.

Why some Halifax-area beaches keep closing — and what's being done to keep them open

Why some Halifax-area beaches keep closing — and what's being done to keep them open

A Dartmouth, N.S., councillor says work is underway to keep city beaches safe for swimming, including discouraging pigeons from roosting nearby and collecting storm water so it doesn't run into the lakes. But Coun. Sam Austin admits the amount of development around some lakes, such as Lake Banook in Dartmouth, poses significant challenges to water quality this time of year.

Mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari pledges more money to replace Winnipeg's combined sewers

Mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari pledges more money to replace Winnipeg's combined sewers

Mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari promises to spend more money replacing combined sewers in Winnipeg. Bokhari pledged Monday to increase annual spending on replacing combined sewers with dedicated pipes for sewage and stormwater from $45 million every year to $60 million. Combined sewers, which lie below older parts of Winnipeg, carry both runoff from the surface and sewage from homes and businesses. This mixture is pumped to one of the city's three wastewater treatment plants. When heavy rains exceed the capacity of city pumps, rainwater-diluted sewage overflows into the city's rivers. That, in turn, results in more nutrients — primarily phosphorus and nitrogen — flowing through Red River into Lake Winnipeg, where they promote the growth of algae and alter the ecology of the lake.

UBC experts on flooding and extreme weather

UBC experts on flooding and extreme weather

UBC experts are available to comment on flooding and extreme weather, in light of a state of emergency in Kelowna and other parts of western Canada. Climate science and natural disasters Dr. Susan Day Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management Email: susan.day@ubc.ca Phone: 604-822-6652 Interview Language(s): English: Urban forests, Urban soils, stormwater, water relations, plant response to climate stress to climate stress

Why 'unwanted water' in London, Ont. sewers is a pricey problem and a big flood factor

Why 'unwanted water' in London, Ont. sewers is a pricey problem and a big flood factor

It's a problem that's costing the City of London about $1.4-million a year while adding to the risk of basement flooding. The engineering term is "inflow infiltration," but a report coming to the city's Civic Works committee on Tuesday uses a simpler one: Unwanted water. Essentially, it's water that ends up in the city's sewer system that shouldn't be there.

6 Ways Nature-Based Climate Solutions are Tackling Climate Change in Canada

6 Ways Nature-Based Climate Solutions are Tackling Climate Change in Canada

Due to climate change, rising sea levels combined with high tidal cycles and storm surges have led to an increased risk of flooding. To combat this, Moncton partnered with the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance to implement rain gardens throughout the city. Rain gardens not only help remove pollutants from stormwater but also help increase stormwater capacity and reduce the overall flood risk. These kinds of solutions are extremely beneficial for Atlantic Canada where the risk of flooding is higher than the rest of the country.

Blue roofs could help reduce the flooding effects of big storms

Blue roofs could help reduce the flooding effects of big storms

You've probably heard of a green roof, which sits on top of a building and is covered with vegetation. But what about a blue roof? You might have guessed that it has something to do with water. Indeed, a blue roof collects stormwater through a pond system, temporarily stores it and gradually releases it afterward — offering a way to conserve water and prevent water damage. During a storm, rainwater can overwhelm urban sewer systems and send contaminated, untreated water into lakes and rivers. A blue roof could help solve this problem.

Nipissing First Nation one of 37 clean water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure improvement projects for First Nations

Nipissing First Nation one of 37 clean water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure improvement projects for First Nations

37 First Nations across Ontario are receiving funding for clean water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure improvements, including Nipissing First Nation who is receiving $2,187,878 for a VLA Water Plant Replacement. “Nipissing First Nation is grateful for the funding provided by this program, which will help us address significant issues with the pump house and water quality in our Veterans’ Lane community,” says Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod.

Cities urge federal leaders to wade into wastewater debate

Cities urge federal leaders to wade into wastewater debate

In Canada's largest city, raw sewage flows into Lake Ontario so often, Toronto tells people they should never swim off the city's beaches for least two days after it rains. Across the country in Mission, B.C., a three-decade-old pipe that carries sewage under the Fraser River to a treatment plant in Abbotsford is so loaded operators can't even slip a camera inside it to look for damage. If that pipe bursts, it will dump 11 million litres of putrid water from area homes and businesses into a critical salmon habitat every day it isn't fixed.

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