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.
Two New Brunswick cities are considering opposite approaches when it comes to residential water meters. Bathurst in the northeast has meters but is considering switching to a flat-rate model based on the cost to update its system. Dieppe in the southeast charges a flat rate but will test meters in several hundred homes next year. Meters measure water usage, billing customers at a rate set by the community.
Cochrane has declared a state of local emergency after water line breaks drained the town’s water supply — alongside sewage — into the Bow River, and town officials are pleading with residents to cut back on water use. At a news conference Tuesday, town officials said the effects of the break in water and wastewater lines Saturday have depleted water reservoirs to “critical levels.”
The City of Fredericton is looking to raise water and sewer rates for residents next year following this year's freeze in rates. The increase, if ultimately approved by councillors, would see the monthly bill for the average Fredericton household go from $73.47 to $78.17 per month, said Alicia Keating, the city's treasurer. "Not everyone is going to see the same rate change based on your bill — what you consume and what you don't — but when we look at the total average customer base of what we have, they'll see an average increase of four and a half dollars to their monthly sewer rate," said Keating, speaking during a council-in-committee open budget meeting on Tuesday.
As the city of Montreal looks for solutions for its aging, leaky water infrastructure, Mayor Valérie Plante has made it clear that residential water meters are not an option. In theory, meters could be used to charge each household for consumption, thus encouraging people to use less and reduce the strain on a system that is essentially hemorrhaging drinking water.
Two North Battleford residents hope to see some clarity in their water-sewer bills from the City. Jane Nielsen and Darryl Williams spoke at this week’s council meeting about their concerns with high rates, and questioned why the bills aren’t broken down for water and sewer separately. “It is my opinion, that they should be treated as separate entities, since water consumption and use of the sewer are two distinctly different services,” Nielsen said.
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.
It provides sustainability benefits by tracking user traffic against consumption, identifying trends and patterns through data analysis, detecting amenities or water consumption abnormalities such as leaks or clogs, and tasking technicians to promptly resolve issues, which reduces the waste of resources. RigelIoT greatly lowers operational costs overall. It reduces labor expenses with its on-demand task scheduling system as well as employee performance tracking and maximizes amenities savings through consumption tracking, enabling accurate utility purchases and reduced waste. It provides the operator with greater cost control with the ability to leverage multiple reports and analytics on water consumption and traffic patterns.
Once a week, municipal workers in the town of Saint-Lazare, west of Montreal, adjust the arrow on signs indicating the level of water consumption. For most of this summer, it's been pointed at "elevated." The goal of the signs posted around the municipality is to encourage residents to use less water. "In the last few years, we had to go into a full watering ban mainly caused by the droughts that we've had and also because of the COVID, where a lot of people were home and using more water than usual," said Mayor Geneviève Lachance.
The Grand River Conservation Authority is urging people and businesses along the watershed to drop their water usage by 20 per cent. This week, the low water response team placed the entire watershed at level two. It means the authority is asking all water users — municipalities, aggregate operations, golf courses, water bottlers, farms for irrigation and private users — to decrease the amount of water they use. The last time a level two was declared for the entire watershed was 2016.
Saskatoon's per capita water consumption is just over half what it was in 1980 — but there is still a risk that the water treatment plant's capacity will need to be expanded sooner if the city doesn't cut water use, according to an administration report. The City of Saskatoon's environment committee was to consider a new Water Conservation Strategy at Monday's meeting. It attributes the per capita decline to several factors including the use of water-efficient fixtures and appliances, the growing awareness of the need for conservation, and the rising cost of water.
Last summer’s drought shrivelled crops in Western Canada. Vast swaths of prairie — typically bright with golden stalks of wheat and yellow canola flowers in bloom — faded to brown. The worst in 60 years , it shrunk national wheat production by 38.5 per cent ; canola by 35.4 per cent. Almost all of the agricultural land on the Prairies (99 per cent) was still abnormally dry or in moderate to exceptional drought as of Nov. 30, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor . And Canada isn’t alone in experiencing a prolonged 2021 dry spell. Brazil faced the worst drought in nearly a century, causing coffee crops to fail and power costs to soar. Antarctica was the only continent unaffected by an otherwise worldwide drought .
Hot and dry weather this summer in Thunder Bay, Ont., meant the Bare Point Water Treatment Plant pumped a bit more of Lake Superior though the city than normal. Based on the past two summers, the plant produced, on average, 42.3 million litres of water per day. The summer of 2021 saw that figure increase by 13 percent, to 47.9 million litres per day, said Erin Marcella-Fui, the plant superintendent. "It's certainly an increase in demand, so our production goes up. We are prepared for that production level, so it didn't impact us that way, she said, noting the plant's maximum production is 113 million litres of water per day.
The B.C. government is asking people in the Thompson-Okanagan region to reduce their water use by 30 per cent during ongoing drought conditions in many parts of the southern and central Interior. The province said Thursday in a written statement very low spring rainfall and extreme heat conditions in June and July have caused water scarcity and low flows.
A low-flow shower like the Grohe Rainshower 310 SmartConnect head, for example, reduces water and energy use. WaterSense certified with a flow of 6.6 litres-per-minute, its good looks prove that efficient resource consumption and high design can get along. It’s also a DIY-install—simply replace the shower-head and attach the remote control to the wall.
Low water levels around Ottawa have some conservationists worried about what might happen if the region doesn't get significant rain soon. Ottawa experienced one of the driest months of May on record this year, and the lack of rainfall — combined with a number of other factors — are leading to levels below "what we would normally see in the lowest levels in the summertime," said Brian Stratton, engineering manager for the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.
There is little doubt the Okanagan is on the front lines of climate change, living between drought and extreme fire seasons. The town of Oliver only received 2.5 millimetres of rain in May compared to the average of 34.7 mm over the past 30 years in that month. There is less water available per person in the Okanagan than anywhere else in Canada. The Okanagan also has one of the highest rates of water use per person in Canada.
The Hamilton Conservation Authority has declared a level one low water condition for the entire watershed and is urging people to reduce their water use by 10 per cent. The authority says rain levels for the past three months were well below normal with extended dry periods. The conditions are impacting Spencer Creek, Chedoke Creek, Redhill Creek, Battlefield Creek, and Stoney Creek, as well as numbered watercourses, tributaries and minor watercourses
Twenty million litres of water is filtered at Corner Brook's treatment plant every day — above average for the community's size, say city staff, who are urging residents to conserve. Don Burden, the City of Corner Brook's director of public works, would like it if people ran their taps less often. "Lets keep consumption to the absolute minimum," Burden said in an interview with CBC News. Burden said the average resident of Corner Brook, which has a population of about 23,000 people, consumes more water than an average resident of Newfoundland and Labrador. "Let's keep the watering of lawns to a minimum," he said. "Let's keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap to get cold water. Run your washer full instead of half-loads. Try not wash your car more than once a week. Try and not wash down your driveway more than once a week. Every little bit helps."
