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 boil-water advisory for part of Cornwall, P.E.I., has been lifted, officials say. The order was put in place for dozens of homes in Chateau Estates and houses on Lakeview Drive this week. In a statement, Doug Longmoore, Cornwall's infrastructure manager, said water samples taken by the province on Friday came back clear. Residents may now use tap water as usual.
Strolling along the shore of his home on Ault Island, about 30 minutes west of Cornwall, Ont., Cliff Steinburg points to the end of his dock. He says this summer there was less than a foot of water there, making it impossible to launch a boat. While the river has since stabilized, Steinburg worries what next year will bring to a region known for its fishing, beaches, and boating. "This area cannot go through another season like we did," Steinburg said. "It's going to have a major effect on tourism. It's going to have a major effect on all of us living here."
Funding will support the installation of 2,100 metres of new watermains, 18 new fire hydrants and new property services along Main Street. Several hundred metres of the new watermains will be used to expand the water distribution system and provide new services to 13 existing properties over a hundred acres of land within Cornwall. This will provide residents with increased access to potable water, improved water pressure and provide greater fire protection to the commercial areas of Main Street.
Unusually high levels of rainfall in the autumn led to the third wettest fall on record which created higher levels in Lake Ontario water levels, said joint U.S.-Canada regulators governing water levels. The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board said in a statement, “Lake Ontario is currently 34 cm (13.4 inches) above the long-term average (1918-2020) and 34 cm (13.4 inches) below the record high set in 1945 for this time of the year. “In terms of total water supply to Lake Ontario, September through November 2021 was the third wettest fall on record. As a result, Lake Ontario experienced the third largest rise in water levels in October. The lake rose 8 cm (3.1 inches) as opposed to decreasing an average of 11 cm (4.3 inches) typically experienced that time of year.”
Some rivers in the Cornwall, P.E.I., area have some new features this fall, designed to attract more wild Atlantic salmon. The fish is in the process of being listed as a species of special concern on P.E.I., under the Species at Risk Act, because of damage that has been done to its habitat. "The natural habitat would have been cobble, and it would have been rocky," said Karalee McAskill, co-ordinator for the Cornwall and Area Watershed Group.
The mood at Cornwall city council was somber during a special meeting on Monday evening. Council received two presentations — by EVB Engineering and Jacobs Engineering Group —regarding the environmental assessment study associated with the development of a second raw water intake for Cornwall’s municipal water system. Currently, the city’s only source of water is from a 65-year-old underwater intake to the west of the Moses-Saunders Dam. From there, the water is gravity-fed from Riverdale all the way to the water purification plant at 861 Second St. W.
Cornwall City Council received a report from EVB Engineering at a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 1 about a potential vulnerability to the city’s water supply and solutions on how to address the problem. The water received at the City of Cornwall’s Water Purification Plant (WPP), located on Second St. W., is taken from the St. Lawrence River through an intake pipe located west of the R.H. Saunders Dam in the city’s west end. That pipe is roughly 65-years-old and is reaching the end of its service life. Even if it were not so old, the fact that the water plant has only one intake pipe was identified as a vulnerability in the system.
The City of Cornwall is set to implement a water-meter program, which will come into effect in 2025. Cornwall city council narrowly voted 5-4 in favour of approving the implementation of the program during a special meeting on Tuesday. Couns. Elaine MacDonald, Justin Towndale, Carilyne Hébert, Dean Hollingsworth and Mayor Glen Grant voted in favour, whereas Couns. Syd Gardiner, Claude McIntosh, Eric Bergeron and Denis Carr voted against it. Couns. Todd Bennett and Maurice Dupelle were absent from the meeting.
