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.
Water usage in the District of Port Hardy has shot up since water conservation restrictions came into effect, according to Mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt. Last Wednesday, Port Hardy was placed under Stage 3 water restrictions. But since then, water usage has increased by 20 per cent. It comes as much of B.C. faces drought.
Swimming pools, flower gardens, indoor fountains — and the urbanites who can afford them — are big factors behind the increasingly dire water crises plaguing cities, an international research team says. Published in the journal Nature Sustainability, a new study found socioeconomic disparity to be just as influential as climate change and population growth when it comes to explaining why the water supply in so many cities is shrinking.
The city is to take another look at portions of Utilities Kingston’s 2023 budget. Councillors unanimously approved a motion to defer implementation of a new set of rates. Contained within those rates were increases to bulk water charges and wastewater disposal charges that would translate to big price hikes for some Utilities Kingston customers, particularly in rural areas of the city.
In a blistering third year of drought, Californians have been asked to limit their indoor water usage to 55 gallons (208 litres) per person per day. It takes about 30 gallons to fill a bathtub, so forget about a deep Jacuzzi experience. Yet in the gated communities of Calabasas and Hidden Hills - exclusive enclaves in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu - lush lawns and filled swimming pools and koi ponds make it clear that some are ignoring the rules.
