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.
COVID-19 levels in the wastewater of some Saskatchewan cities are plateauing or even dropping, but the level is spiking in Saskatoon, according to the latest study. The Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan tests the wastewater in Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert each week to determine how much COVID-19 is circulating in those centres.
Two of the three cities being monitored by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have shown a drop in the amount of the virus that causes COVID-19 in sewage samples taken during the latest testing period. On Monday, the Global Institute for Water Security's report show a decrease of 79 per cent in viral RNA in North Battleford's wastewater when compared to the previous reporting period. The amount of delta variant found in the wastewater has also decreased by 47 per cent from the previous reporting period.
Evidence of COVID-19 continues to show up in the wastewater of Saskatchewan cities being studied by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan. On Tuesday, the Global Institute for Water Security said it had found a spike in viral RNA in samples taken from Saskatoon and North Battleford's wastewater treatment plants. The study showed a 127 per cent increase in viral load in Saskatoon week over week and a 560 per cent increase in North Battleford. Meanwhile, Prince Albert's showed a 50 per cent week-over-week decrease in viral load in its samples.
