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.
A New Brunswick tourist destination is getting some help fixing its water supply. Fundy Albert, which includes Alma next to Fundy National Park, is getting $12 million to upgrade its aging water infrastructure. This comes after years of boil-water advisories in the community, including one that lasted from July to October.
“Watering is an ongoing activity,” said Chris Reid, executive gardener with Community Garden Builders. “Some gardeners post signs that say ‘please water me’ to invite neighbours to help.” With much of B.C. in the grip of drought, Metro Vancouver reservoirs, which supply the region’s tap water, were at their lowest level for September in a decade. Rain at the end of the month and into October has since increased levels to about the same as 2021.
Wheatley's water treatment plant might not to be return to normal operations for a year or more, but a boil-water advisory isn't expected to last that long, officials said Wednesday. The communities of Wheatley and Tilbury in Chatham-Kent have been under a boil-water advisory for a week after fire caused damage to the water treatment facility.
Experts say the NWT’s wildfire season could affect water sources by altering water quantity and quality, potentially straining treatment systems. The territory’s extreme 2023 wildfire season has already taken a heavy toll on residents and fouled air quality for months. But fires can affect water too – sometimes in substantial ways.Experts say the NWT’s wildfire season could affect water sources by altering water quantity and quality, potentially straining treatment systems. The territory’s extreme 2023 wildfire season has already taken a heavy toll on residents and fouled air quality for months. But fires can affect water too – sometimes in substantial ways.
A University of Alberta researcher is receiving $1.4 million over seven years to support the creation of a circular water system. "Eventually we're going to have to be very careful with our water," Mohamed Gamal El-Din told CBC's Radio Active, after being named Canada Research Chair in sustainable and resilient wastewater treatment for reuse. He is one of 12 scholars at the U of A receiving the academic honour to advance their work for a greener future.
A trailer park resident in northeast B.C. says her landlord and the regional health authority have failed to address high levels of manganese in the water supply for more than three years — and the problem still hasn't been fixed. Cassandra Ross says she didn't even learn of the issues with the drinking water at Shady Acres Mobile Home Park until a boil water advisory was put in place for high bacteria levels more than two years after the manganese issue was found.
Edmonton's utility company, Epcor, plans to start building a concrete wall and berms around parts of its water treatment plants at Rossdale and E.L. Smith — both in the North Saskatchewan River floodplain — to help protect the region's water supply. Construction on the flood mitigation project is slated to start next year with a budget of $65 million, with about $22 million coming from the federal and provincial governments.
The Bolduc family has been farming and ranching near Stavely, Alta., for generations and this year will be remembered for its scorching heat, lack of rain, parched fields, reduced yields and water restrictions. It's something their family and many others have seen before, but it doesn't make it any easier as they look to harvest whatever they can from their barley, alfalfa and corn fields.
This is a reminder to Rural Water Districts 8 & 9 that a boil water advisory exists for the properties highlighted below. If you received a letter from the Town of Osoyoos in April 2023, it is still in effect. Any changes to this status will be communicated by letter to users when it is lifted. The agricultural irrigation district receives its water supply directly from the lake with limited treatment during this time. This advisory is to mitigate the risk of potential bacteria. Any questions can be directed to Operational Services at (250) 495.6213.
It's part of the city's monitoring for cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, in the water supply for the province's largest metro area. The photosynthetic bacteria can be found in many waterways and isn't necessarily harmful, but some types can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. The discovery of cyanobacteria in the reservoir six years ago triggered a multimillion-dollar research and upgrade effort that's ongoing.
Her protection plan made a number of recommendations, including creating a gated emergency road to Wright Lake Run, installing dry fire hydrants since there are none, and creating a community buffer of thinned trees around the subdivision. Dry hydrants are connected to a water supply such as a lake where there is no municipal system available.
Some researchers thought her team wouldn't even be able to detect an impact from the fires because the Athabasca River was already looking like tea before the fires. Heavy rains tend to send hot fudge-looking runoff from the land into the river, making it look like chocolate milk, she said. Arriving after the fires, Emelko said she could see that hot fudge-looking flow enter the Athabasca's waters as ash, likely carrying nutrients like phosphorous and carbon, made the water supply challenging for treatment processes. "Those [workers] were living in the water treatment plant, working hard to make sure that people could return to their homes and at least have safe water to drink," Emelko told Day 6 host Brent Bambury.
The beginning of June in Calgary has been hot and dry, and that could have an affect on the city’s water supply through summer. Environment Canada and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says Calgary has come into the summer season with dryer than normal conditions — spring 2023 ended as the fifth driest spring on record.
Using water from a rain barrel, watering can or other non-municipal sources does not fall under this restriction. The water conservation bylaw is in effect every year from May 31 to Sept. 30. Before it was enacted, water use spiked by 50 per cent during the summer months, putting a strain on the region’s water supply.
"Public Health issued the drinking water advisory because of a temporary loss of pressure in the municipal water system. The water has been tested to ensure its safety," the health unit said in a news release Monday. "The bacteriological quality of the water supply has been tested with no adverse results being reported. Residents in the affected areas may notice chlorine odours and discoloured water," Burgess Hawkins, a manager with the health protection division, is quoted as saying in the news release.
According to a Capital Regional District official, finding free-living nematodes, even deceased ones, at a drinking water tap in the Greater Victoria Drinking Water System is highly unlikely. “While Greater Victoria’s drinking water is unfiltered, it receives multiple stages of disinfection treatment that would kill any aquatic organism before the water reaches the consumer’s taps,” said Andy Orr.
Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. Gov. Katie Hobbs recently announced the restrictions that could affect some of the fastest-growing suburbs of the nation’s fifth-largest city. Officials said developers could still build in the affected areas but would need to find alternative water sources to do so – such as surface or recycled water.
