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.
The next atmospheric river of the season is forecast to bring heavy rain to coastal British Columbia by late Thursday and this one could drench drought-stricken areas that have been bypassed by recent storms. Rain is predicted to be heaviest on the west coast of Vancouver Island, where about 80 millimetres could fall in less than 36 hours, while Environment Canada models show some Metro Vancouver communities could receive 60 millimetres or more.
Environment Canada has issued another weather warning for the South Coast of British Columbia. An atmospheric river event is expected to melt weeks' worth of snow at a rapid rate which could trigger localized flooding. However, weeks worth of built up snow and ice is expected to melt aggressively which could cause washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts. “The rainfall itself you know this would probably show up as being a fairly run-of-the-mill moderate storm event that we’ve seen a half dozen times or more this season,” said Dave Campbell, of the River Forecast Centre. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads, so drivers are being urged to slow down and drive for the conditions.
The third in a series of storms that have increased in intensity is bearing down on B.C., causing major concerns for communities dealing with the consequences of previous storms over the past two weeks. CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says 10 to 15 millimetres could fall within a mere three hours on parts of the South Coast on Tuesday, and freezing levels will rise rapidly in altitude — which means more snowmelt.
Atmospheric rivers are like rivers in the sky, which transport large amounts of water vapour from the equator northward. CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe said the weather system will be bringing a long episode of heavy rain to the South Coast. "The atmospheric river is hitting the South Coast through Friday and into the weekend, basically a plume of moisture, bringing all of that rain from the western Pacific and it will feel like we are at the end of a fire hose aimed right at the South Coast," explained Wagstaffe.
The death of potentially thousands of pink salmon in the Cheakamus River has prompted questions about how BC Hydro manages water levels in some of its reservoirs. It happened Thursday night and into Friday morning, when the Crown corporation reduced the spill release from the Daisy Lake Reservoir into the river, stranding fish who had moved closer to the banks. “I was taken aback, I couldn’t believe what I saw,” professional angling guide Clint Goyette told Global News. “The amount of dead and dying fish was something I’d never seen before in the adult phase of life of these pink salmon.”
A small Indigenous community based in the South Coast community of Kingcome Inlet, B.C., has been evacuated after blue-green algae was found in its well water. Chief Willie Moon of the Dzawada'enuxw First Nation says the decision was made last Thursday, Feb. 13, to evacuate around 60 people after tests from the First Nations Health Authority confirmed the presence of cyanobacteria. "Last summer people were complaining about the smell of the water," said Moon. "We don't know how long we've been exposed to this bacteria."
