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.
An oily container confused for a clean one is what left half of Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., without usable tap water for a month this past spring, according to government emails obtained by CBC. On March 23, a do not consume advisory was issued from the territory's chief environmental health officer after the smell of fuel and an oily sheen was found in water deliveries, according to a news release at the time.
A do-not-consume advisory for drinking water in Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., has been lifted in a handful of locations in the community of about 100. Meanwhile, tap water remains unsafe to drink for many, and there's still no explanation of what happened. The do-not-consume order first went into effect four weeks ago, on March 23, after the territory's chief public health officer reported a fuel smell and an oily sheen in water deliveries.
Some people in Sachs Harbour, N.W.T are still being told not to drink the water that comes out of their taps — until a water sample for each affected home or building shows it is safe to drink. The entire community was advised, on March 23, not to drink delivered water because it smelled of fuel and had an oily sheen. Since then, Jeremy Bird, a spokesperson for the territory's department of health, told CBC News the community had been cleared to distribute water using an alternative water truck two days later.
The boil water advisory in Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., has been lifted, according to a Monday news release. The boil water advisory had been put into effect in early June due to higher than normal turbidity levels (muddy water). The levels have since dropped to "acceptable levels" in treated water from the water plant and "all issues" have been corrected. There have been no illnesses associated with drinking water reported in the community, the release says. The normal use of drinking water can resume.
