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.
A new American study has confirmed southeastern British Columbia coal mines are contaminating waters shared by Canada and the U.S., adding the miner’s attempts to remove selenium from wastewater aren’t making much difference to the amount flowing south. “It’s making a small dent,” said Meryl Storb of the United States Geological Survey, lead author of the newly published study.
Rising global temperatures are causing harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes which can lead to the emergence of three toxins in the water, according to the past president of the International Ozone Association. Saad Jasim, an adjunct professor at the University of Windsor, is preparing for a new research project to prevent these toxins from entering the drinking water supply.
Mooney's Bay beach has been closed as the city investigates a potentially harmful blue-green algae bloom on the water. Blue-green algae are a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that can form large blooms on water, said Emily Morrison, program manager of the healthy environments team at Ottawa Public Health (OPH).
A veterinary hospital in Halifax says a dog's recent death was connected to exposure to blue-green algae at Long Lake in Hammonds Plains. Halifax Veterinary Hospital said in a statement Wednesday that a dog suddenly died after spending about five minutes in the water at the lake on June 16. The vet hospital said the dog quickly lost the ability to stand, was non-responsive and showed "seizure-like" activity.
It happens every summer: blue-green algae bloom into vast blankets of colourful scum in lakes, disrupting ecosystems and potentially exposing people to toxins. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, act as single-celled microscopic plants fuelled by high temperatures and nutrients often found in chemical runoff.
The health unit is warning swimmers: if in doubt, stay out. With the onset of the hot weather, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit encourages local residents to exercise caution around slow-moving waterways. The first blue-green algae bloom of 2023 was recently confirmed in Little Lake in Midland.
Harmful algal blooms work by disrupting food webs, Dr Caron said. Creatures such as shellfish, anchovies and sardines consume the toxins before then being eaten by larger marine mammals. "They eat a meal of those highly toxic fish and then they become toxified themselves, and if they get enough of that material, it of course can kill them, which is happening now," he said.
The Nova Scotia government has detected blue-green algae in Oat Hill Lake in Dartmouth, Armstrong Lake and Lake Torment in Kings County, and Covey Lake in Lunenburg County. The algae produces toxins that can cause illness in humans and can be fatal to pets. Blue-green algae occurs in all parts of Nova Scotia and once it appears in a body of water, it will bloom again when the conditions are right.
The treatment was designed by researchers at the University of British Columbia, and it utilizes a silica-based material that can absorb up to 99 percent of the forever chemicals found in water. The PFAS are then removed from the material, which can be used again to remove even more toxins. The potential here is exceptional, allowing us to remove these dangerous chemicals from water completely.
Our most valuable resource is water, which we frequently take for granted. World Water Day is observed on March 22, and this year’s message is about change; it encourages us to change how we use, consume and manage water in our daily lives. There are several steps that homeowners can take to ensure their water is safe for their homes and consumption. I always recommend homeowners get their water tested, no matter where they live, but particularly outside urban centres or if they rely on a well source.
Alberta's energy regulator may have ignored provincial law by not publicly disclosing that waste from a large oilsands tailings pond was escaping containment and seeping into groundwater, says a lawyer. Drew Yewchuk of the University of Calgary's Public Interest Law Clinic is asking the province's information and privacy commissioner to investigate how and why the Alberta Energy Regulator chose not to release information on the leak at Imperial Oil's Kearl mine, despite direction in provincial law to do so.
An analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data by Texas A&M University has found elevated levels of nine chemicals that “may be of health concern” to residents of East Palestine, Ohio. The small town of 5,000 played host to a nightmarish scenario early this month when a train carrying hazardous materials crashed, leaking toxins into the soil, water and air.
Advanced and varied sensing and monitoring technologies protect the environment from harmful infections and toxins, according to Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis of emerging sensor technologies for environmental monitoring. Green sensors assess the chemical composition of the soil, purity of the water, and air quality. The small size, low power, signal processing, and communications capabilities of sensors will be the primary factors driving growth opportunities across industries.
Phragmites, Phragmites australis, also known as European common reed, is an invasive perennial grass that spreads quickly and out-competes native species for water, sunlight and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to further hinder the growth of and kill surrounding plants, leading to a decrease in biodiversity and habitat. There is no single method that is a ‘quick fix’ to manage phragmites. Instead, a continuous, multi-method approach is required for success and long-term results. Current removal methods include herbicides, prescribed fire, cutting underwater, flooding and physical removal.
A B.C. company testing deepsea mining in the Pacific Ocean says the release of discharge directly into the sea was an accident and was quickly resolved. On Wednesday, The Metals Company said that video footage showing fouled water going directly from the company’s mining ship into the ocean, which was released by Greenpeace, was a “minor and temporary event.”
With more than 8,000 of its market-leading water Refill Stations in place across the US and with premiere brands such as Red Bull, Apple, Marriott, Peloton, United Airlines, Warby Parker and Google as customers, FloWater is now expanding into Canada for the first time. FloWater and Servomax, today announced a partnership for the distribution across Canada of FloWater's Refill Stations. This agreement adds a great-tasting, plastic-free drinking water solution to the Servomax product lineup, reflecting growing consumer demand for healthier, more sustainable choices.
We take it for granted. We turn on the kitchen or bathroom faucets in our homes and offices with every expectation that the water we receive is uncontaminated and not dangerous to our health. Unfortunately, pure water has become extinct. In this day and age, we cannot assume that water is pollutant-free—regardless of the source. Just because it comes out of our kitchen faucet, its purity is not guaranteed. Newspapers and television newscasts report almost daily how water pollution is increasing from the sewage and industrial waste being dumped directly into our drinking water sources.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday released new warnings for synthetic pollutants in drinking water known as "forever chemicals" saying the toxins can still be harmful even at levels so low they are not detectable. The family of toxic chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been used for decades in household products such as non-stick cookware, stain- and water-resistant textiles and in firefighting foam and industrial products.
The provincial government has issued an alert for blue-green algae, the first of the season for Nova Scotia. Environment and Climate Change reported in a news release Saturday that a blue-green algae bloom was reported in a stream between Shubenacadie-Grand Lake and Fish Lake. The algae produces toxins that can cause illness in humans and be fatal to pets, according to Elizabeth Kennedy, director of the water branch.
A Canada water agency could solve clumsy and ad hoc solutions to climate change, invasive species, polluted beaches and recreational waters, increasing nutrient levels, harmful algal blooms and exposure to toxins on the Great Lakes, says Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey. “This disjointed approach has stymied positive outcomes, delayed meaningful actions, and permitted infrastructure deficits to grow, new invasive species to become established, and water quality to diminish. A divided governance approach has diluted results in ways that threaten the long-term health and sustainability of the multi-billion-dollar resource that is the Great Lakes,” said Badawey in a report to his federal Liberal colleagues.
