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.
Students at McMaster University's downtown residence are hoping a chlorination treatment of the building's water system will help them feel more comfortable to drink their tap water. McMaster said consultants had recommended using chlorine to sanitize the water after it tested positive for total coliforms bacteria. Students had complained of the murkiness of the water, among other issues at the residence.
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.
A boil-water notice has been issued for the entire city of Prince Rupert, B.C., after its aging water system suffered multiple breaks on Tuesday night. Mayor Herb Pond described the situation in the city of 12,000 people as "armageddon-like," with water gushing out of the ground, washing out streets and flooding people's basements.
People in Sanirajak, Nunavut, are asked to keep their water at a rolling boil for at least one minute before using it. That's because total coliform bacteria has been found in the water system, and people could get sick from drinking tap water, according to the territory's Department of Health. People should boil any water used for drinking; preparing infant formulas, ice, juice, or meals; brushing teeth; and washing fruit and vegetables.
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.”
With Canada Day on the way, expect changes to your lawn sprinkling as the Comox Valley Water System is moving to Stage 2 restrictions. The change comes as a response to current drought conditions, high demand for water, and strain on the regional water infrastructure. They apply to Courtenay, Comox, and the Comox Valley Water Local service area. Senior manager of Water and Wastewater Services Kris La Rose says the past couple of weeks have seen a near record use of water from the community.
At Esterhazy's town council meeting on June 14, Jon Zapski, the engineer on site for the town’s Water Treatment Plant upgrade, informed council about Phase 2 of the project almost being completed, and discussed the next steps for the project. Phase 2 of the system included building the structure of the water treatment plant building. Council passed a motion to approve construction for Phase 3 of the water treatment plant which will include installing the floor inside the building. After the flooring is done, all of the mechanics for the water system itself will be put in place. “In regards to where the project is moving from here, obviously contract three is going to be out now, but we’re working feverishly on the finalization of the process of equipment selection, and into the process of mechanical tendering and final design drawings. This will be one of the largest contracts for this project and obviously the heart of the entire operation in itself,” Zapski told council members.
North Dundas council voted to sole source engineering of a new well for its water system to avoid up to 12 months of delay. North Dundas has been slowly moving through the environmental assessment process to add a new well on Lafleur Road to increase water capacity to the water system. Water supply issues have limited development in areas where users must connect to the water system in North Dundas.
Wellington North council voted in favour of rehabilitating the Mount Forest water tower. Dayson Industrial Services Inc. will be doing the work at a cost of $1,545,727. “I think it’s a good news story to start with,” Coun. Sherry Burke said at a meeting earlier this week. The township will be getting $826,796 to help pay for it from the federal and provincial governments through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, ICIP. “We’re going to get some funding. So that is great. This project has been on the budget for a little bit,” Burke said. Burke explained why she feels the project is so important.
Kush Sharma, director of municipal modernization and partnerships for the Municipal Information Security Association of Ontario, reported that 92 per cent of respondents to a recent poll of members said municipalities should first focus on critical infrastructure — such as the water system, public transit, solid waste and the voting system — before what they called traditional IT. “What you don’t want is the water system to be breached. If Microsoft Office 365 and your documents go down, or maybe you can’t process some financial statements, that can be fixed. But if your water system goes down there are life-safety issues. If we can try to balance the resources we have as municipalities and focus on the critical infrastructure components …. that would be a good start.”
Another crash has occurred on Highway 5 north of Kamloops involving a commercial truck. The latest incident on Saturday, Feb. 18, led to an undetermined amount of diesel spilling into the North Thompson River north of Avola. Fortunately, the spilled diesel was contained near the site of the crash, with the Vavenby water system back to normal operations after having its water intake closed earlier in the day as a precaution.
The province supports the need for dire infrastructure repairs in Prince Rupert and called on the federal government to help pay for the replacement of the city’s aging water infrastructure in a letter dated Jan. 9. The letter detailed the critical need for infrastructure repairs after the recent state of emergency declared in Prince Rupert and main breaks more than doubling in 2022 over 2021. The correspondence further explained since Dec. 16, the city had experienced five water main breaks and 21 service breaks throughout the municipality due to aged pipes.
The water system in Jackson, Mississippi, which partially collapsed in late August, was experiencing “fluctuating” pressure impacting residents on Saturday amid frigid temperatures, officials said. Some neighborhoods in Jackson had low water pressure and residents said they had no water pressure on Christmas Eve. As the temperature remained below freezing, production slowed at one of the city’s water treatment plants while officials worked to correct the pressure drop they believed was caused by leaks and water line breaks.
The City of Gatineau has issued a preventative boil-water advisory for parts of the Aylmer sector after a mechanical malfunction at the drinking water plant caused the water system to depressurize. The advisory affects around 35,000 users in the area south of boulevard des Allumetières, west of rue Atholl-Doune, east of rue de la Lobo and north of the Ottawa River.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Tuesday that the agency is still working on a plan to bring long-term improvements to the water system in Mississippi’s capital city, which came perilously close to collapsing more than two months ago. “I am here for the fourth time in one year because I want to hear directly from you,” Regan told dozens of business people, elected officials, pastors and others during a meeting at Jackson State University.
Leaky pipes, a water source that's depleting, and climate change threatening the whole fragile system. The town of Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam's Cove has unique challenges with its water system, but the big picture looks all too familiar in small towns throughout the province. Most mornings, longtime municipal worker Mike Hurley starts his day by checking the wells. The town's water system is composed of a series of wells, bringing water from deep underground to nearby houses through plastic pipes. Hurley has his hands full battling leaks and mechanical breakdowns, but there are some problems he can't fix.
The provincial government has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for Georgetown. The Department of Health said Georgetown is reactivating its water system Monday. As a precautionary measure, residents are asked to bring their water to a rolling boil for two minutes before drinking or cooking. Residents are advised there may be some water discoloration. If that is the case, they should let the water run for a few minutes before using it.
The City of Abbotsford is getting funding help from the B.C. government to bolster its drinking water system against floods, wildfires and other climate-related disasters. Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen said Wednesday the $62 million in government funds will support a new well and water-treatment system to serve more than 165,000 people in Abbotsford, Mission and the Matsqui First Nation.
Winnipeg mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari says she will start testing the city’s water for asbestos if elected mayor this fall. Bokhari would also lobby the federal government to include Winnipeg’s water pipe system in their upcoming infrastructure review. “We have not tested Winnipeg’s water for asbestos fibres since 1995,” Bokhari said in a Monday news release. “As research into the issue of asbestos in water pipes and the possibly detrimental effect on human health has continued for the past 30 years, it’s become increasingly obvious that we are ignoring a major potential health hazard in our water system.”
