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.
People in Blind Bay are being asked to conserve water due to possible contamination from a partially submerged houseboat. The CSRD said the incident with the houseboat occurred Sunday, July 23, and, “out of an abundance of caution,” the Cedar Heights Water System intake would be shut down until water testing could be done Monday.
City officials ordered two Downtown public water fountains be disconnected ahead of a heat wave last weekend because of complaints from the police and library staff, shedding light on how Edmonton navigates conflicts around impoverished people’s basic needs and demands by others to tackle social disorder and safety concerns. Epcor cut off the water supply from the fire hydrants at the city’s request last Thursday. The weekend after the bottle filling stations at 96 Street near Bissell Centre West and 100 Street outside Stanley A. Milner Library were removed, temperatures were so hot Environment Canada warned the public to take precautions because of the heat.
I put seven of Canada's bottled water brands to the test to uncover the real composition of their contents. Although it's generally safe to consume bottled water in our nation, I wanted to dig deeper. The question is not just about safety, but about which brands offer the best quality, and which ones you might be better off avoiding. I opted for some of the most popular brands including Flow, Nestlé Pure Life, Smartwater, Aquafina, Naya, Dasani and Eska.
Washington state officials and farmers are calling on the British Columbia government to act on water quality reports that show large amounts of bacteria are flowing from north of the border into the Nooksack River watershed. They say high levels of fecal coliform — of which E. coli is a subgroup — are flowing from a Fraser Valley creek into Pepin Creek in Washington before entering the Nooksack, which empties into the sea near shellfish beds owned by the Lummi Nation.
Flood-impacted Manitobans with private wells and cisterns can test their water supply for free, as the province pushes to waive off fees temporarily. The move will subsidize costs related to water testing. In an announcement on May 8, the province said the push aims to lift some of the financial burdens caused by flooding. It comes into effect Monday and ends on Aug. 31.
Alberta's government House leader is accusing federal officials of trespassing on private property, but the provincial justice department said there's no evidence of that occurring. "We are seeing federal employees trespass onto private land in Alberta and, as a result of that, we don't think that that's appropriate," Joseph Schow, government house leader and MLA for Cardston-Siksika, told reporters Wednesday.
Living in NYC, it’s from the faucet or bottled water. And on Manitoulin, I know certain rules, such as not drinking from a Manitoulin stream or untested lake or river water, but what about other sources? Not knowing much about water and wanting to learn more, I was delighted to talk to Jeff Wahl of Wahl Water on Manitoulin Island. Jeff has specialized in all kinds of water treatment for more than 20 years.
Water testing in the village of Roche Percee has revealed E. coli contamination, and a boil-water order has been initiated, the provincial Ministry of Health said Friday The order is applicable for the entire community and other individuals who access water from Roche Percee, about 20 kilometres southeast of Estevan. "It's been an ongoing crisis here for a while," Mayor Jay Riedel said. "We've gone through a flood in 2011 when six to seven feet of water was here, which compromised a lot of stuff in this area. "Our water levels in wells are low and without the rain, when we need to keep them full, we're usually down at the bottom all the time."
It’s about the reaction to a photograph taken of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) inspectors taking water samples near Pense — the workers said they thought they were working on public land next to the highway, while a landowner claimed the work was being done on private land. It should have stopped right there — as a misunderstanding about whether the land was public or private, with efforts to do better in the future. Instead, it became the latest federal/provincial football. Some people have got in touch with me after I wrote about this issue last week to point out that I haven’t lived here long enough to understand the way Saskatchewan residents feel about private land.
The Friends of Chippewa Park are hopeful for a surge in visitors to the south-side attraction now that water testing has shown bacteria levels at the Thunder Bay, Ont., park's beaches have dropped. A memo presented to city council Monday night says the two beaches at Chippewa — the main beach and Sandy Beach — as well one at Boulevard Lake have seen major improvements to water quality in recent years.
Beach season is upon us — and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is once again checking the waters to make sure they are safe for recreation. After taking water samples this week for the first time this year at nine beaches across the region, public health inspectors are giving the go-ahead for swimmers and waders to enter the water at all of them: Sand Point Beach, Belle River Beach, Seacliff Park, Colchester Beach, Holiday Beach, Cedar Beach, Cedar Island Beach, Mettawas Beach, and North West Beach at Point Pelee.
Concerns about groundwater near a proposed site for a nuclear waste repository are top of mind for many who have worries about the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's (NWMO) plan near Ignace, Ont. The NWMO wrapped up the drilling of its sixth borehole earlier this month, but work on figuring out how water flows to and from the area will continue. CBC News recently travelled to Ignace and Dryden, to hear about the public's perception of the project. One theme emerged, with many people concerned about water.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is working on mitigation efforts for drinking water in municipal facilities—while continuing to work on longer-term solutions for the entire community—after testing done late last year found elevated levels of lead and copper on first samplings. A report by Kerr Wood Leidal consulting engineers dated Dec. 10, 2020 shows the results for 11 RMOW-owned buildings: The Point Artist-Run Centre; the Maury Young Arts Centre; the Spruce Grove Fieldhouse (home of the Waldorf School); the Public Works Yard; Municipal Hall; the Public Safety Building (which houses the Whistler RCMP); the main firehall; Spring Creek Community School; the Whistler Museum and Archives; the Whistler Public Library; and a house at 7235 Fitzsimmons Road North.
Homeowners looking for a new water source after blue-green algae was confirmed in Grand Lake, N.S., should not expect the provincial government to help foot the bill. "Homeowners are responsible for the cost of getting safe drinkable water to their home, whether they hook up to a municipal system or dig a well," provincial Environment Minister Keith Irving said Thursday. Irving said the province's role is to investigate and provide information to the public so they can make informed decisions.
Thorold councillors unanimously supported writing a letter to their Niagara Region counterparts to show they’re ready to resume water testing in the city. “In 2002, the United Nations stated that water is a human right, clean water is a human right, and we’re in 2021 and this is an issue now in Thorold,” said Thorold councillor Carmen DeRose. At the meeting on May 4, DeRose brought the issue to the council’s attention after residents had reached out to him.
Dry conditions in southeastern Saskatchewan have experts concerned about what this might mean for farmers and producers. This winter Saskatchewan received an average 68.8 mm by the start of May. According to Environment Canada, southeast Saskatchewan has recieved 36.5 mm in 2021 so far. Agriculture and Agri-food Canada said that the snowfall in central Saskatchewan over the last two weeks is not enough to turn things around.
The Liberal government will miss a target it set during the 2015 federal election campaign to lift all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations by March 2021 — in some cases by several years — according to a survey of communities by CBC News. More than a dozen First Nations said projects to end long-term drinking water advisories won't be completed by the promised deadline.
Evacuees from Neskantaga First Nation started returning home Monday after recent water testing showed chlorine and microbiological levels were at acceptable levels after a new pump was installed in the local water system. The previous piece of equipment malfunctioned earlier in September, triggering a state of emergency. About 220 residents were in Thunder Bay for more than a week after the pump went down on Sept. 14. Chief Chris Moonias called for the evacuation himself, concerned about symptoms he said were showing up in community members, including skin rashes, stomach problems and headaches.
Testing has found Deer Lake's drinking water is safe, after barrels were found in the canal that supplies the town's water.
"It showed that the drinking water was safe during the whole period and [there was] no detrimental effect to the drinking water," said Darren Pelley, general manager of Kruger-owned Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.
"We're pleased that that's the conclusion, the report was fairly extensive."
A handheld ‘tricorder’ that can test for biological contamination in real-time has been the dream of science fiction fans for decades. And UBC Okanagan engineers say the technology is closer to science fact than ever before. Using a small and inexpensive biosensor, researchers in the School of Engineering have developed a novel low-cost technique that quickly and accurately detects cryptosporidium contamination in water samples.
