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.
Unfortunately, sticking close to home doesn’t exempt you from the challenges of winter weather. Water damage has been an issue in B.C.’s Okanagan region this week as temperatures plummeted. Splatsin First Nation, near Enderby, had a crack form in its water reservoir due to the cold weather. Residents were told Thursday to fill and store water in case the crack led to water service being cut off.
Officials with the City of Enderby are asking residents to reduce their water consumption on the morning of Aug. 11. That includes no irrigation or pressure washing, although hand-watering is fine. The request comes in an effort to reduce non-essential water use to allow the city to take the water treatment plant offline temporarily and still ensure enough water supply.
