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 Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) and the Municipality of Thames Centre have announced levels of haloacetic acids (HAA) in the town's water supply that exceed the province's maximum acceptable concentration. HAAs are a group of byproducts that can form in drinking water systems when chlorine compounds used as disinfectants react with organic materials in the water. There is no immediate health risk to people using the water for showering, drinking, and other purposes, officials say.
