Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

water main

Emergency water main repairs continues in Trenton

Emergency water main repairs continues in Trenton

Emergency repair work continues on the primary water main serving all Trenton Water Service customers west of the Trent River. On Monday, July 17, Quinte West Water/Wastewater staff discovered a significant water main break in the primary Trenton Water Service water main located under the Trent River beside the D. J. MacDonald Bridge in Trenton. On Tuesday, City staff engaged an underwater repair contractor to install a temporary repair clamp on the water main. Some customers experienced disruptions to water flow and pressure while the temporary repair work was completed. This repair work has stabilized the supply of water to customers in the affected service. However, the underwater location of the break may result in ongoing challenges until the water main is permanently repaired.

Atikokan, Ont., declares state of emergency following culvert failure

Atikokan, Ont., declares state of emergency following culvert failure

A state of emergency has been declared in the northwestern Ontario town of Atikokan following the failure of a culvert on a major roadway. The culvert failure led to a 15-metre section of Mercury Avenue being washed out, the town said in a news release late Thursday afternoon. The washout also disrupted a water main that runs along Mercury Avenue, which has led to a drop in water pressure across the town. A boil-water advisory has also been issued. "I did not take the decision to declare a state of emergency lightly, and after considerable deliberation with our Municipal Emergency Control Group, it became obvious that this is the correct decision," Atikokan Mayor Rob Ferguson said in a statement.

Emergency water repair in Halifax: Halifax Water

Emergency water repair in Halifax: Halifax Water

Halifax Water crews are working to repair a water main on Kaye and Sackville streets in Halifax. Water service will temporarily close the road between Belleshire drive but sidewalks will remain open. The utility says motorists should expect delays and use alternate routes. Halifax Water says customers in the area may experience discoloured water during, and or, after the repair. It is recommended that those customers run the cold water until the water runs clear.

Whitehorse residents asked to cut water usage during sewer line repair

Whitehorse residents asked to cut water usage during sewer line repair

The City of Whitehorse is asking residents to minimize water usage for the next couple of days as the city repairs a leak in the sewage line. Starting tonight at midnight, the Marwell Lift Station will be taken offline so crews can diagnose and repair the leaking pipe. Oshea Jephson, the city's communications manager, said in the meantime, bypass valves will discharge wastewater into the Yukon River.

Returning home to the rez was the best decision I ever made

Returning home to the rez was the best decision I ever made

For one thing, the majority of homes do not have drinkable running water at Six Nations. Yes, we did get a water treatment plant and yes, it's operational but hooking your house up if you're currently not on the system costs anywhere between $8,000-$10,000 depending on how far your house is from the water main. At the old farm house, we have a cistern that gets filled once a month as we do all the cleaning and bathing with trucked-in water. Rez connections are such that I text one of my cousins and he brings it on demand. Once a week, we fill two 22-litre water jugs for drinking water at a water supplier on Chiefswood Road (also another cousin).

Testing suggests 1 in 5 Winnipeg homes with lead pipes have unsafe levels of lead in drinking water

Testing suggests 1 in 5 Winnipeg homes with lead pipes have unsafe levels of lead in drinking water

One in five Winnipeg homeowners with lead pipes will get unacceptable levels of lead in their drinking water the moment they turn on the tap, according to the City of Winnipeg. Under the city's lead water quality testing program, samples were taken from 268 homes with lead pipes between Aug. 15 and Nov. 19. The testing was done to ensure water quality met new national guidelines for lead in drinking water, which cut the acceptable amount of contamination in half last March. "Overall, the results are as expected," Renee Grosselle, manager of environmental standards with the City of Winnipeg, told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

6 west Saint John neighbourhoods to switch to east side water system

6 west Saint John neighbourhoods to switch to east side water system

Less than two years after switching Saint John's west side to a new drinking water system, the city is now diverting many of those same neighbourhoods to a new water source. The areas affected include Saint John's lower west side, Milford, Randolph, Fundy Heights, Duck Cove and Sand Cove. They are to begin receiving surface water from the Loch Lomond Treatment plant on the city's east side by the end of the year. At the same time the city has cancelled its contract with the engineering firm that was instrumental in the creation of the west side well field water system and hired a law firm to pursue the company, BGC Engineering, for costs.

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