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.
Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change
If it seems like the water level on the Bow River is lower than normal this winter, you're right, and the possible implications could be serious, says a top water scientist. The Bow River's flow level is in the lowest quarter of all observations in the 125 years that the Water Survey of Canada has measured the river, according to researcher John Pomeroy, who is based in Canmore, Alta. He is the Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change at the University of Saskatchewan.
A new University of Saskatchewan smartphone app will help farmers and communities identify hotspots of nutrient contamination in freshwaters and possibly predict where algae blooms — slimy, plant-like green organisms that hinder water quality — are likely to grow. “Tracking how and where agricultural nutrients, which help crops grow, may be washed away with rainfalls and snowmelt is a major concern for both researchers and the public, and that’s where our app comes in,” said Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Diogo Costa.
