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.
Halifax Water says it has diverted untreated and unscreened sewage from entering the Northwest Arm, but it's still advising people to not swim or participate in activities that require contact with the water. In an update after 6 p.m., the water utility said the water is now being treated but that repair work is still underway.
Swimming and other water activities are expected to resume in Charlottetown Harbour on Wednesday, three days after 6,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage was discharged into the water. The leak began Sunday when construction crews on Water Street hit a sewer pipe by mistake, sending enough sewage to fill 2½ Olympic sized swimming pools into the harbour.
Emergency repairs in one of Quebec City's two wastewater treatment plants have succeeded in stopping the release of untreated sewage into the St. Lawrence River. Some 21,000 cubic metres of raw sewage had been flowing untreated into the river every hour since Saturday night because of a broken valve. Late yesterday, an underwater diver working in the tunnel filled with wastewater managed to make repairs, allowing the treatment plant to resume operating at about 60 per cent capacity. It's expected to be back at full capacity today.
Most Saint Johners likely never give Marsh Creek a second thought. The stream winds its way across much of the east side of the city, starting at the far eastern end of city limits, and emptying into Courtenay Bay, a linear distance of about seven kilometres. The creek is a nearly invisible refuge for local wildlife, and few people have ever visited its banks on the marshlands that make up a good portion of east Saint John.
Untreated Hamilton wastewater was discharged into the harbour Sunday night after an equipment failure at the city's Woodward Avenue wastewater treatment plant. That day's heavy rains, which continued into Monday morning, led the plant to be overwhelmed with water. In those cases, the plant enters "bypass mode," during which some of the excess water is released into the harbour.
