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.
The effort to replace the nearly century-old Hensall water tower is moving ahead, though the project is coming with a higher price tag than originally anticipated. Councillors with the Municipality of Bluewater in Huron County this week awarded the project contract to Landmark Municipal Services and increased the budget to more than $6.4 million – roughly $1 million more than initially expected to replace the 88-year-old tower.
Prescott is one step closer to getting a new water tower. Town council voted on Monday night to proceed with a request for proposals (RFP) involving the $7-million replacement project slated for the north side of Churchill Road West just west of the town’s new multi-use recreational facility that is nearing completion. The existing water tower located on the south side of Wood Street West between Mayfield Retirement Residence dates back to the 1970s, is nearing the end of its natural life and does not meet the current needs of the town, according to Prescott Director of Operations Nathan Richard.
Wellington North council voted in favour of rehabilitating the Mount Forest water tower. Dayson Industrial Services Inc. will be doing the work at a cost of $1,545,727. “I think it’s a good news story to start with,” Coun. Sherry Burke said at a meeting earlier this week. The township will be getting $826,796 to help pay for it from the federal and provincial governments through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, ICIP. “We’re going to get some funding. So that is great. This project has been on the budget for a little bit,” Burke said. Burke explained why she feels the project is so important.
An investment by the Province will help improve and ensure access to clean water for people in Port Hawkesbury. The $1.1 million in funding to upgrade the water supply and distribution system will provide a new above ground building and associated equipment, replacing the Pitt Street water tower and the existing pressure reducing valve vault on MacDonald Street.
Leaders of an Indigenous community near London, Ont., are calling for the federal government to work with them to help solve chronic water supply problems after a state of emergency was issued Tuesday due to low water levels. Residents of Oneida Nation of the Thames are under an order to conserve water and limit its use with the community's water tower at an all-time low. The tower is the primary source of water for the 546 homes and 22 buildings in the territory.
The Town of The Blue Mountains has selected CIMA Canada Inc. to provide engineering services for the rehabilitation of the Victoria Street water tower. The town is planning for rehabilitation of the tower after an environmental assessment identified the best option was to reconstruct the tower. The work will include stripping the existing coating from the exterior and interior of the structure, exterior and interior steel repairs, interior lining upgrades and exterior coating upgrades.
The Town of Prescott will receive $5.08 million in federal and provincial money to build a new water tower and tear down the old one. The money – about $2.7 million from Ottawa and $2.3 million from Ontario – will pay most of the estimated $6.9 million cost to replace the town’s aging water tower. The money was the largest share of $6.7 million in funds from the federal-provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Fund that will go toward three local municipalities for drinking-water projects. Edwardsburgh Cardinal will get $1.54 million toward replacement of a watermain and three fire hydrants to service 27 properties in Cardinal, including an apartment complex along Country Road 2. The Village of Westport will get $80,956 for a new propane generator for its water system.
An organization that will take over the responsibility of water supplies in First Nations communities in Mi’kma’ki from the federal government is optimistic the spring budget will bring good news for the chronically underfunded utility. The Atlantic First Nation Water Authority signed a framework agreement with Indigenous Services Canada in 2020 to transition the control and oversight of drinking water and wastewater services in 15 Mi'kmaw and Wolastoqey communities to the First Nations-led organization.
Residents of Hitac̓u, the heart of the Ucluelet First Nation, have been told not to drink, bathe in, or even clean with the water coming out of their taps. Water in the community goes on a return journey to become drinkable — it travels from Hitac̓u across the Ucluelet Inlet to the District of Ucluelet, where it is processed and then flows back to Hitac̓u as potable water. But the submerged water line it travels in is was hit and damaged by a barge on Monday.
The Village of Big Valley council heard a report from their new chief administrative officer (CAO) that repairs to the municipal water tower will likely be in the $270,000 range. The report was made at the Feb. 24 regular meeting of council, held one day earlier than normal. The meeting was streamed via Zoom and Coun. Art Tizzard was absent from the meeting.
