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.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Engineering graduate student Hayley Popick and her research team are investigating how contaminants generated from the City of Saskatoon may be affecting the water supply and ecosystems of the South Saskatchewan River. “Stormwater can be as polluted as untreated wastewater or sewage when it enters our natural water bodies,” said Popick.
