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.
While Cochrane remains under a state of emergency, town officials announced water reservoir levels have been partially restored after a major pipeline break over the weekend. Speaking to the media Wednesday, emergency management deputy director Shawn Polley said that thanks to voluntary conservation efforts from residents and business, as well as water hauling from nearby communities, reservoir levels had "stabilized."
The Town of Cochrane has declared a local state of emergency as it copes with the aftermath of a major pipeline break over the weekend that has left its water reservoirs at critical levels. During a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Jeff Genung said he signed off on the declaration because it gives the town legal authority to take "extraordinary actions" to deal with what he called the crisis at hand.
While the outdoor watering restrictions implemented in Calgary on Aug. 15 have already saved an estimated 1.1 billion litres of water, they aren't going away any time soon, say city officials. In order to get through what climate models are predicting to be a dry winter, the City of Calgary is planning to keep outdoor water restrictions in place for the time being, to prevent water stores from dropping too low come spring.
As the province deals with a dire drought, ICBC has launched a contest to try to incentivize people to conserve water by foregoing car washing. Announced on social media Friday, the auto insurer is inviting people to submit photos of their dirty cars in order to be eligible to win prizes. "Is your car dirty? Leaving it to the rain to 'wash' it? Keep it that way for your chance to win!" an Instagram post announcing the contest says.
A community consulting firm is asking, ‘Water you doing, Spall?’ The Township of Spallumcheen is looking to get the word out about the critical importance of water conservation. According to Spall reports, the Okanagan has one of the highest rates of water use per person in Canada, meaning there is less water available per person in the Okanagan than anywhere else in the country.
The City of Nelson has reminded residents that the city is still under Stage 1 water restrictions. Here are the rules, according to a news release Tuesday. If you live at an even-number address, you can only water your lawn using a sprinkler or irrigation system on Wednesday and Saturday between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. If you live at an odd-number address, you may only water your lawn using a sprinkler or irrigation system on Thursday and Sunday between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Regardless of your address, you may water vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs using a sprinkler between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on any day. You can water these items using a hose with a shut-off nozzle or a drip irrigation system at any time. All hoses must have an automatic hand-held shut-off device/nozzle. “Conservation is a community effort to reduce strain on the city’s drinking water supply and fire protection,” the news release states. “Working together, we can offset further restrictions.”
The mayor of Fundy Albert says the community of Alma, N.B., is asking for some public washrooms to close in an effort to conserve water. Alma, near Fundy National Park, fills with tourists when the summer months arrive. That often leads to a request to conserve water. "Surprisingly, the use of washrooms is what is significantly contributing to the amount of water that is being used in Alma," Robert Rochon said.
Seasonal water restrictions are in place until Sept. 30 in Charlottetown. The mandatory restrictions allow for outdoor watering only in the early morning from 5-10 a.m. or in the evening between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., to a maximum of two hours per day. Hosing off driveways and other hard surfaces is also prohibited while the restrictions are in effect. Restrictions are required to ensure usage does not exceed the city’s capacity to supply water.
The Province is declaring a state of emergency for the unincorporated Stikine region in response to the ongoing wildfire situation and is expanding campfire bans throughout the province. An evacuation order is in place for specific areas in the region affected by the Little Blue River wildfire. The Stikine region is B.C.’s only unincorporated region. The Province is responsible for implementing evacuation orders for the region, which requires the Province to issue a state of emergency for the region.
As the prospect of having a green lawn becomes increasingly unattainable during bone-dry summers with water restrictions in place, a growing number of people are ditching their grass altogether. Kristen Miskelly, owner and operator of Satinflower Nurseries in Vancouver Island's Capital Regional District, says she's seen increased interest and general awareness for her "meadow-making" workshops over the years.
It also doesn't include any mention of a new water pricing structure that the strategy unveiled last November and said the province should consider. Klein wouldn't entertain questions on why the province abandoned the idea, saying instead that the action plan released Wednesday is the result of discussions with stakeholders. In the area of conservation, the plan calls on Manitoba to look at ways to reduce water use through improved food processing practices.
A boil water advisory has been issued for the village of Alma, about 79 kilometres south of Moncton, because of high levels of turbidity in the reservoir. "These levels exceed the New Brunswick maximum acceptable concentrations," a notice issued by the local government on Wednesday morning says. Recent heavy rainfall caused the problem, according to chief administrative officer Hanna Downey — a drastic change from last weekend when the village almost ran out of water and had to urge residents to conserve as much as possible.
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.
A water shortage has caused the City of Brooks and surrounding area to be put under water rationing. The Eastern Irrigation District (EID) has reported a significant drop in river levels, six to eight weeks earlier than usual due to low snowpack and early snowmelt in the region. In turn, the EID has initiated Stage 3 of their Drought Plan, limiting water usage to two-thirds of normal for residents and businesses in Brooks.
“Upgrading our water metering system will help our community conserve water, manage our infrastructure responsibly, and ensure that residents are being billed fairly for their water use,” Mayor Christine Fraser said in a press release. “Throughout the upgrade process, the township will work with property owners to make sure the meter installation is completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
“I think it is time for Indigenous leaders and communities to take a look at how much participation in resource extraction is too much and how to mitigate some of these things and push towards water conservation and other things we know will help to curb forest fires,” said Houle. A hot and dry spring has meant that there has been little precipitation to help firefighters battle the blazes.
The city of St. Albert, Alta., is returning to regular water consumption after its reservoirs were replenished Tuesday. The city had originally asked residents and business owners to conserve water Monday, saying that the reservoirs were at “near critical” levels, but they are now at “normal levels.” “The city is now returning to all essential and non-essential water use including activities such as street sweeping, washing city vehicles, filling pools, hydrant flushing and firefighter training, as needed,” said the city.
Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a plan to significantly reduce their water use from the drought-stricken Colorado River over the next three years, a potential breakthrough in a year-long stalemate over how to deal with a rising problem that pitted Western states against one another. The plan would conserve an additional 3 million acre-feet of water from the 1,450-mile river that provides water to 40 million people in seven U.S. states, parts of Mexico and more than two dozen Native American tribes.
The recommendations in the policy brief included updating the current water-audit form to suit 2023 conditions and more widely using it as a tool to educate citizens about water consumption. They also suggested The City recommend Alberta’s Ministry of Education amend elementary and secondary curriculums to include age-appropriate water-literacy programs.
Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and Minister responsible for CanNor, and Don Wiebe, Reeve for the Municipality of Rhineland, announced a federal investment of $798,000 to support the energy-efficient renovation of Rhineland's Gretna arena. The replacement of old, outdated fixtures with new low-flow fixtures will also improve water conservation.
