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.
Nunavut's Health Department has lifted a precautionary boil-water advisory for the city of Iqaluit. The capital's 8,000 people had been under the advisory since Jan. 19 when the city started using a bypass system to pump water to residents. The city shut down its treatment plant the same day after drinking water coming from taps was found to contain traces of fuel. The water was also contaminated with fuel late last year and residents were under a do-not-consume order for two months.
The small city of Iqaluit is facing a water challenge again after traces of fuel were found in the Nunavut capital’s drinking water last week. A precautionary boil water advisory issued Wednesday is in place and the city has shut down its water treatment plant because a breach in the system is suspected to have caused Iqaluit residents to smell fuel in their water.
City of Iqaluit officials won’t venture any guesses as to when the water treatment plant will be back online. “I can’t even estimate at this point in time,” Coun. Kyle Sheppard said. The plant was shut down Wednesday to allow staff to inspect the facility to find the source of recurring fuel contamination of the city’s water supply. Nunavut’s Health Department put a boil water advisory into effect shortly afterwards. The city is currently pumping water from the Lake Geraldine reservoir through a bypass pipe that avoids contact with the tanks at the treatment plant. City spokesperson Stephanie Clark similarly said she couldn’t offer a timeline for when the water treatment plant will be working again.
The Nunavut government has confirmed that traces of fuel have been found in Iqaluit's water supply, again. Danarae Sommerville, a spokesperson for the territory's Department of Health, stated in a media release that there "were levels of fuel oil that entered the system." However, the release adds that levels are below Health Canada's drinking water values. Even so, a do-not-consume order has not been issued.
