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.
Officials with the Pembina Valley Water Co-op (PVWC) are cautiously optimistic this winter's snowfall will replenish the region's water supply after the summer drought. Persistently dry and hot conditions this past summer led the PVWC and its 14 member municipalities to declare a State of Drought Emergency due to low water levels on the Red River.. The state of emergency was in effect from July 28th until the end of October.
A spell of dry, mild weather is giving the Great Lakes a break after two years of high water that has shattered records and heavily damaged shoreline roads and homes, officials said Monday. Although still above normal, the lakes have dropped steadily since last fall and are expected to remain below 2020 levels for most of this year, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers forecast.
