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.
This cool and innovative fountain debuted just last year as a solo act and the reviews were so good it came back this summer as a group of six, with more dates available for Ottawa fans to enjoy. These mobile, seasonal fountains attach to local fire hydrants, are completely accessible and dispense the same reliable drinking water found in Ottawa homes.
In the summer, an electric fence is what makes rotational grazing work, especially when trying to devise a water system, which he considers crucial year-round. “And so you’re gonna have to make an investment in some water pipes, getting the water line in pasture, and then come up with some water points where you can move those animals around your farm. “You don’t want an animal to walk much more than 1,000 feet to get water.”
“We tested in 2015 and had 53 milligrams per litre result. Over 20 mg/l needs to be reported to health unit — they advise that a notice should be posted to advise users who may have a medical reason to manage sodium intake — which we did. When we did a test this spring, it came back 120 mg/l. Again, we advised the health unit and posted.”
This year, for the first time in its more than 50-year history, the beloved Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa didn't open. Since its inaugural season in 1971, the famous canal-turned-rink has welcomed Ottawans and other visitors every year, offering a skating route of nearly eight kilometres through the heart of the capital. But this year, temperatures were higher than average, making the world's largest natural outdoor rink unsafe for skating.
A watershed group in eastern P.E.I. is experimenting with a new mini-wetland that will filter pollutants, fertilizer and pesticides from water trickling out of the neighbouring farm field. The new vegetated ditch will also absorb carbon and create wildlife habitat. "The idea is that it'll hold water, and encourage it to stagnate, and any of the nutrients contained in the water will help feed what should turn into, hopefully, a blossoming wetland site. "It should help to filter any kind of runoff coming off the agricultural field nearby, as well as creating a lot of habitat for birds and vertebrates, and amphibians."
The Chinese owner of the Tanco mine in eastern Manitoba has revived talk of partly draining a lake in order to extract more cesium from one of the world's few deposits of the critical mineral. Sinomine Resource Group is musing about a long-term redevelopment of the mine it purchased in 2019 along the shore of Bernic Lake, a small Canadian Shield body of water located between Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks. The goal is to reach cesium that cannot be mined right now, because it's embedded in vertical columns that hold up the roof of the underground mine.
Imagine a world without access to safe drinking water. You go to the sink, but it’s not working. The fridge, and the water cooler aren’t an option either. Where would you go if the stores can’t sell you water? How would your community respond? Every person, big or small, needs water every day to stay healthy, yet over 2 billion people worldwide don’t have access to safe drinking water. The water crisis impacts health and sanitation, our environment, climate, and our economies. Texas Water Mission works with communities to provide potable water and hygiene solutions. In this blog post we explain the global water crisis, why it’s happening, and what we can do about it.
Keeping aquatic invasive species out of Jasper National Park is easy as long as every person cleans, drains and dries their watercraft after every outing. To drive home that message, Parks Canada is offering new summertime services including having staff rotating around several high-use water bodies to educate visitors on the risks and about what they can do.
The Town of Mattawa is moving the August water bill to September. Revenue Services Clerk Amy Leclerc noted that without the change, the current by-law could “put undue hardship on the ratepayers,” and “we feel that it’s important to change the final water billing to September.” This past February, council adopted the 2023 water rates with a new by-law, and within that law, the water and wastewater bills for both flat rate bills and metered bills, both share the same deadline – August 31.
Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Local news coverage of the opening has been sparse, mostly touting that the plant will bring economic benefits, including up to 35 new jobs to a town with an unemployment rate more than double the national average. Less has been said publicly about the company’s plans to manufacture — or perhaps just use, depending which Industrial Plastics employee is speaking — polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a Teflon-like product that falls into a larger group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
What better way to stay cool this summer than by plunging into Canada’s largest outdoor freshwater pool? You’re in luck because St. Mary’s Quarry in Ontario is exactly that. This swimming hole used to be a limestone quarry way back in the 1920s. It has since been converted into a massive outdoor swimming area that stays popular all summer long for its refreshing waters and aquatic activities.
A troubled water utility company in the United Kingdom that counts two of Canada’s biggest public pensions as large shareholders is facing regulatory scrutiny and fines for sewage leaks and could require a financial bailout. The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) own 31.8 per cent and and 8.7 per cent of Thames Water, respectively. Analysts at DBRS Morningstar said in a July 5 report that OMERS and BCI are expected to weather the storm with minimal financial damage given their size, diversification and long-term performance — even if Thames Water were to collapse — but there is reputational risk for the Canadian pensions, which could affect future investment opportunities.
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.
Two Cape Breton community organizations and people with wells provincewide will benefit from new provincial funding that supports energy efficiency and groundwater research. Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman announced $1.3 million for three projects today, July 6, in Sydney: energy efficiency upgrades for the New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation in Sydney, heat pumps and removal of oil heating for Cape Breton Community Housing Association homes, and research in Cape Breton Regional Municipality and other communities on the impact of climate change on groundwater.
Wildfires can alter landscapes in a few ways; they remove vegetation that would otherwise provide stabilization and absorption to the ground, and they can alter the soil composition itself. If a fire burns hot enough, or is persistent enough, it can change some compounds in the soil to make the soil hydrophobic. Meaning any heavy rainfall that occurs in the affected area will simply pool on the ground surface, as the soil will repel the water.
Authorities in a Western Japan city are investigating to determine how the water of a river that runs through the town has turned lime green. It’s caused great concern among citizens, but officials have run a test on the water and said it’s non-toxic. However, farmers have still been asked to avoid using it for agricultural purposes until safety is confirmed.
In the framework of the 10th World Water Forum (WWF), the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) and the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club (JFCC) jointly organized a panel discussion titled "Road to the 10th World Water Forum: Policy, Technology, and Investment Opportunity in Water Resources Management" on (04/07). During his opening speech, Special Advisor to the Minister of Public Works and Housing of the Republic of Indonesia on Technology, Industry & the Environment Endra Saleh Atmawidjaja said, "It is an honor for Indonesia to host the 10th World Water Forum and to be a leader in assessing global water issues. We aim to promote peace, independence and prosperity in terms of the availability of water resources."
The head of the UN atomic agency toured Japan's tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Wednesday and said he is satisfied with still-contentious plans to release treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi observed where the treated water will be sent through a pipeline to a coastal facility, where it will be highly diluted with seawater and receive a final test sampling. It will then be released 1 kilometre (1,000 yards) offshore through an undersea tunnel.
