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.
"You have a layer of sand that is specifically sifted so that it's the right size and the right mix," Meyers said. "Then, you pour your water in and the water that goes in it actually creates a microbiological layer and that's the part that's special about it. This microbiological layer, it consumes all the bad organisms that would make you sick."
The Blue Flag is one of the world’s most well-recognized eco-labels, and to qualify, a beach must meet and continue to maintain a series of environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria. Regular spot checks of water quality are conducted throughout the season. The Blue Flag program in Canada is administered by Swim Drink Fish. Theodore TOO Tugboat, a reproduction of the original TV character Theodore Tugboat from the beloved CBC series “Theodore Tugboat,” collaborates with Swim Drink Fish to help collect water samples during its journey across Ontario.
The United States Supreme Court has curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s authority to protect wetlands from pollution, a ruling that some experts and justices say goes too far by positioning the court as “the national decision-maker on environmental policy.” On May 25, the court ruled that only wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to larger streams, lakes, and rivers fall under federal protection. This is the second major legal blow to the federal government’s powers for environmental protection, after last year’s SCOTUS decision that the Clean Air Act does not grant the EPA broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.
The local health unit will begin its beach water quality testing starting June 12. Samples from the local area beaches will be taken every Monday by public health inspectors and result will be made public on Wednesday afternoons. Some extra quick tips to stay safe at the beach...to keep in mind are to read and obey the signs posted, don't go swimming if the water is rough, cloudy, or green, and if you think you may have become ill from beach water, consult your health care provider.
New data shows most of the world’s lakes are shrinking. The study was published by the journal Science, done by University of Virginia hydrologist, Fangfang Yao. It suggests climate change and human consumption are causing big water bodies to dry up, even in humid climates with more precipitation. According to Environment Canada, lakes in Southwestern Ontario are slowly rising — contradicting that trend.
Chief administrative officer Rob Armstrong said they sent water to be tested Saturday to determine if it was contaminated. “We do not believe it’s contaminated. This is to ensure the safety of the residents is in place,” Armstrong told Global News. “The municipality become concerned about water to fight the fire being mixed with burnt materials onsite being mixed with Georgian Bay being (nearby) and then, in turn, being close to our municipal water intake.”
“It’s really important to stay hydrated and the water helps you stay cool, so that’s what we’re hoping to provide,” said Lisa Gilmour, emergency management coordinator with the City of Winnipeg. The locations were selected based on need and past experiences. They’re connected to fire hydrants to provide a continuous supply of clean drinking water, similar to what Winnipeggers would get from their home taps.
Venetian authorities are investigating after a patch of fluorescent green water appeared in the famed Grand Canal on Sunday morning. “This morning a patch of phosphorescent green liquid appeared in the Grand Canal of Venice, reported by some residents near the Rialto Bridge. The prefect has called an urgent meeting with the police to investigate the origin of the liquid,” Veneto regional president Luca Zaia wrote on Twitter.
Scientists are taking a close look at a bright orange algae bloom found in the ocean off Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Svetlana Esenkulova, a biologist with Pacific Salmon Foundation, is trying to determine if the phytoplankton bloom is negatively impacting salmon. “Noctiluca blooms can disrupt the overall balance of marine ecosystems as they ‘steal’ food from zooplankton,” she said. Under a microscope, the organisms "look like giant watermelons with pigtails and they wave those pigtails," said Esenkulova, who has a sample of the orange ocean water in her kitchen. When the water is cold, she can see the organisms trying to catch food.
“While we all hoped and prayed that water levels would have dropped to more manageable levels by now, after nearly three weeks, they have not. In fact, the level has continued to rise.” Major concerns include containing sewage due to flooded septic systems on Nellie Lake, the threat to potable water due to contamination and concerns for the safety and well-being of volunteers assisting with the flooding.
In Whistler, this investment will support the construction of a new water treatment plant in the south. It will also enable the replacement of an existing well pump, the decommissioning of one well and two chlorine dosing systems, and the construction of approximately 600 metres of new water main. This work will ensure wastewater is properly treated and improve the connection with the Whistler Main system.
The US Supreme Court curtailed the federal government's authority to protect its wetlands from pollution in a decision on Thursday. The court voted only those wetlands with a continuous surface connection to larger streams, lakes and rivers would come under federal protections. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressed its disappointment. It is the second case in two years where the court limited the EPA's ability to regulate pollution.
As the spring season brings higher flood risk to Canadians, as seen in British Columbia recently, experts say many homeowners remain without adequate insurance to cover extreme weather's damage to their homes. "I would say that Canadians in general are not truly aware of the risks that their homes are exposed to, and the exposure they have to extreme weather events and the potential losses they could experience," said Michelle Laidlaw, associate vice-president of The Co-operators Group Ltd.'s national product portfolio.
Canada's provinces and territories are on board to help the federal government in its goal to halt land and water loss across the country. Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault met with his counterparts in Ottawa today and said they're all on the same page about conservation targets. The Liberal government is leading a biodiversity strategy to protect 30 per cent of Canadian land and water by 2030. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the target in 2020 and Canada was among the countries which pushed successfully for more than 190 other countries to follow suit at a UN biodiversity conference in Montreal last December.
The MP brandished a container of gray and opaque water in front of the journalists, demanding a Parliamentary commission concerning the alleged toxic discharges into a watercourse adjacent to the G&R Recycling site at the northwest end of Kanesatake. “If that’s water that we find on the ground in Kanesatake because of an illegal dump that is contaminated, no one wants to live in an environment like that,” the MP said.
For the second year in a row Niagara's tap water has been named the best in the province. As part of the Ontario Water Works Association's Annual General Meeting Niagara entered the Taste Test Competition for tap water. The competition allows delegates to sample water from across the province and cast their vote. Niagara's sample taken from the Rosehill Water Treatment Plant in Fort Erie helped the region capture the top spot for the second consecutive year. Joe Tonellato, Director, Water-Wastewater Services says "Congratulations to the Water and Wastewater team at Niagara Region, and those at the Rosehill Water Treatment Plant for being selected as Best Tasting Tap Water. It validates the tremendous work being done by our staff at Niagara Region." The Region will now be compete at the American Water Works Association Best of the Best Test in Toronto in June.
The Department of Water Resources significantly overestimated the state water supply in 2021 because of an error to take into account severe drought due to climate change, the California State Auditor said in a report Thursday. The agency has relied on historical climate data when developing its forecasts, instead of taking into account new methods that better account for extreme conditions, the report said.
Peter Croft, a director of the Gaspereau Squarenet Fishermen’s Association, said that the low water levels are caused by a combination of Nova Scotia Power’s operation of a hydroelectric dam upstream and a combination of low snowfall during the winter and little spring rain. “In the fall and winter (Nova Scotia Power) actually drains the lakes fairly low, generating power,” said Croft. “What they hope for is to recoup water by snowmelt or heavy rains before we fish in the spring. They did all the draining this year but then we didn’t get enough water back (from rain and snowmelt).”
Operating intermittently as determined by site water levels, the plant treats a mix of tailings seepage and mine contact water to produce treated effluent fully compliant with site requirements. This includes selenium below 2 ppb and sulphate below 950 ppm to ensure that conditions for passing bioassays are met. By-products of treatment are a solid gypsum and stable non-hazardous iron oxide-selenium residue suitable for onsite disposal.
