Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

Water agency task force pitching in the flow

Water agency task force pitching in the flow

Sault Ste. Marie City Council held a vote approving the establishment of the Canada Water Agency Task Force on June 28. This organization is building a pitch to the federal government to have the anticipated country-wide agency located in the Sault. The task force is led by Natural Environment Coordinator Sault College Ryan Namespetra. One year ago, the federal government announced its plans to establish an agency to serve as a central hub for the management of water in Canada. This includes research, dealing with the effects of climate change, water scarcity, Indigenous/government relations and following international law.

This BC spot tops the list of the 10 wettest cities in Canada

This BC spot tops the list of the 10 wettest cities in Canada

Vancouverites like to pride themselves on their ability to thrive under a constant cloud cover, but they’re not the wettest place in Canada by a long shot. According to a new report, Canada’s rainiest city gets 50 more rainy days on average than even Seattle. Budget Direct’s new World Rain Index report collected climate data to gather the number of rainy days – with at least one millimetre or precipitation – for 64,429 global cities. They found that the rainiest city in Canada is actually Prince Rupert. It has an average of 166 rainy days per year.

Calls for Columbia Basin watershed monitoring

Calls for Columbia Basin watershed monitoring

This is the first of four articles submitted by Living Lakes Canada (LLC), the respected Columbia Basin-based water stewardship group that works to monitor and protect Canada’s lakes, rivers, wetlands, and watersheds. After a record-breaking summer of heat, drought, and fires, experts in the Columbia Basin are stressing the importance of water monitoring and watershed management to secure our water supplies.

'Lynn Marie' completes tunnelling journey

'Lynn Marie' completes tunnelling journey

A historic tunnel excavation has been completed on the Second Narrows Water Supply Tunnel in Vancouver. The infrastructure project aims to make the region’s drinking water system more earthquake resilient and help meet growing demand for safe drinking water. “The tunnel underneath the Burrard Inlet was excavated with the first slurry tunnel boring machine to be used in Canada, and the work was being done up to 100 metres underground,” said Sav Dhaliwal, chair of Metro Vancouver’s board of directors, in a statement. “Completing this tunnel is an important milestone in this project and a remarkable testament to the innovation that is being used in Metro Vancouver to bring clean drinking water from the North Shore to the rest of the region.”

Karma debuts CBD water distributed by Constellation Brands

Karma debuts CBD water distributed by Constellation Brands

Enhanced water maker Karma Culture LLC is launching Karma CBD Water, created in partnership with cannabis and hemp supplier Canopy Growth Corp. Each beverage contains 25 milligrams of Canopy Growth's broad-spectrum CBD distillate sourced from hemp biomass, as well as adaptogens and essential vitamins. The bottle has a patented push cap said to preserve the ingredients' potency.

H2O Innovation Wins a Water Reuse Project and Two First Nations Projects

H2O Innovation Wins a Water Reuse Project and Two First Nations Projects

H2O Innovation Inc. (“H2O Innovation” or the “Corporation”) is pleased to announce that it has recently won a water reuse project in California, two First Nations projects in Canada and another small-scale one. These contracts, with a total value of $9.9 M, bring the Water Technologies & Services (“WTS”) backlog to $41.2 M. H2O Innovation will be supplying a water reuse system for a major client located in Escondido, California. This project will incorporate ultrafiltration (“UF”) system followed by reverse osmosis (“RO”). The UF will be designed to have a net filtrate production capacity of 2.5 MGD (9,460 m3/day), while the RO has a permeate capacity of 2.0 MGD (7,570 m3/day). The system will treat tertiary effluent from the existing recycled water system to produce high purity recycled water that will be blended with the existing recycled water supply and used for agricultural irrigation.

Drinking Water News Roundup: US Steel spill, lead pipes, First Nations boil water advisories, Ohio wetlands

Drinking Water News Roundup: US Steel spill, lead pipes, First Nations boil water advisories, Ohio wetlands

From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle. Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area. A US Steel Plant recently spilled iron into Lake Michigan, forcing the Indiana Dunes National Park to shut down all of its beaches. Just three weeks prior, the corporation was placed under a federal consent decree, meaning it needed to enhance its environmental influence. Studies have proven that high iron levels in drinking water can cause iron poisoning and ultimately damage both the brain and the liver.

Northwestern Health Unit warns of blue-green algae in Kenora area

Northwestern Health Unit warns of blue-green algae in Kenora area

The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) is warning of blue-green algae blooms in the Kenora area. Blooms have been reported in the northern sections of Lake of the Woods, as well as in the Winnipeg River and Muriel Lake, the NWHU said. The Muriel Lake bloom is being tested, but the NWHU said water samples will not be taken from Lake of the Woods or the Winnipeg River at this time.

Wastewater studies show COVID-19 decrease in Saskatoon, increases in Regina, Prince Albert

Wastewater studies show COVID-19 decrease in Saskatoon, increases in Regina, Prince Albert

The latest study of Saskatoon's wastewater has noted a drop in coronavirus particles, which could mean a reduction in new cases. Meanwhile similar studies in other cities in the province saw increases. On Monday, the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan released its weekly report on wastewater taken from three cities: Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert. In Saskatoon, researchers found a 16 per cent week-over-week decrease in viral RNA taken from sewage samples from the city's wastewater plant for the period ending Sept. 29.

Taps turned off at TOH's General campus after legionella bacteria detected

Taps turned off at TOH's General campus after legionella bacteria detected

The Ottawa Hospital has temporarily turned off the water in certain units at its General campus after confirming a case of legionellosis. As a precautionary measure, water service was suspended the morning of Sept. 21 after a patient was diagnosed with legionellosis — the broad term for a number of diseases, including legionnaire's disease, caused by the water-borne legionella bacteria. Service was suspended Monday on floors four through eight as the water system at the campus underwent a "hyperchlorination process," the hospital said.

Pipeline in California oil spill split open, dragged along ocean floor, authorities say

Pipeline in California oil spill split open, dragged along ocean floor, authorities say

The underwater pipeline that leaked more than 550,000 litres of oil into the water off Southern California was split open and apparently dragged more than 30 metres along the ocean floor, possibly by a ship's anchor, officials said Tuesday. The segment of the pipe that was dragged was 1.2 kilometres long, and had a gash that was more than 30 centimetres wide, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Unknown quantity of untreated sewage released into Hamilton harbour

Unknown quantity of untreated sewage released into Hamilton harbour

Untreated Hamilton wastewater was discharged into the harbour Sunday night after an equipment failure at the city's Woodward Avenue wastewater treatment plant. That day's heavy rains, which continued into Monday morning, led the plant to be overwhelmed with water. In those cases, the plant enters "bypass mode," during which some of the excess water is released into the harbour.

Prince Rupert business refuses to pay taxes until water fixed

Prince Rupert business refuses to pay taxes until water fixed

A Prince Rupert business is refusing to pay taxes until the city’s tap water is “safe”, and placed a sign in the front window publically stating the declaration on Sept. 28. At Hasami Hair Studio, some customers have said they do not want their hair washed because of the boil water advisory the municipality issued on Sept. 21, Jason Eleuterio, co-owner of the hair studio, told The Northern View. “If you notice, it’s kind of ‘slicky’, like greasy to touch,” Eleuterio said.

‘This is ridiculous’: BC Hydro questioned after mass stranding of salmon on Cheakamus River

‘This is ridiculous’: BC Hydro questioned after mass stranding of salmon on Cheakamus River

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.”

Barrie council news: City may aid Indigenous water source improvements, Sunnidale bridge to be replaced soon

Barrie council news: City may aid Indigenous water source improvements, Sunnidale bridge to be replaced soon

The City of Barrie could soon let some funding flow into Indigenous communities in need of safe, clean water. Council passed a motion Oct. 4 that will start the ball rolling on a plan to dedicate 0.2 per cent of the municipality’s 2022 water and wastewater revenue to Water First. The organization works to improve water services in Indigenous communities across Canada. Under the proposal, the city will consult with the Barrie Native Friendship Centre and Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle before taking further action.

Canadian scientist receives University of Oklahoma International Water Prize

Canadian scientist receives University of Oklahoma International Water Prize

Cultural anthropologist Dawn Martin-Hill, Ph.D., has been named the 2022 University of Oklahoma International Water Prize recipient for her commitment to improving water security for the people of the Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest Native reserve in Canada. Martin-Hill, an associate professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, was recognized at the OU International WaTER Symposium for her contributions to understanding how water quality and security are linked to Indigenous community culture, livelihood and health.

Metro Vancouver’s 1.1-km tunnel under Burrard Inlet now complete

Metro Vancouver’s 1.1-km tunnel under Burrard Inlet now complete

A massive new piece of the Metro Vancouver’s water infrastructure network deep below Burrard Inlet is now complete. Metro Vancouver issued a release Monday morning confirming a 1.1-kilometre tunnel linking North Vancouver to Burnaby is now finished. “Completing this tunnel is an important milestone in this project and a remarkable testament to the innovation that is being used in Metro Vancouver to bring clean drinking water from the North Shore to the rest of the region,” said Sav Dhaliwal, chair of Metro Vancouver’s board of directors.

Group's walk along length of Grand River a chance to honour the water, spark conversations

Group's walk along length of Grand River a chance to honour the water, spark conversations

Mary Anne Caibaiosai completed her four year commitment to walk the length of the Grand River from its source near Dundalk, to the mouth of the river in the Dunnville and Port Maitland area at Lake Erie and then back. The All Nations Grand River Walk started out in 2018. Caibaiosai started out leading a core group of people that grew to a larger group for the two week journey that September. Each year, more people have joined the walk where they've met people in various communities who wanted to know more about what the group was doing.

Elusive tiger salamanders live in Edmonton-area wetlands — and environmental DNA proves it

Elusive tiger salamanders live in Edmonton-area wetlands — and environmental DNA proves it

Crime-fighting C.S.I.-type technology is being applied to wetlands in the Edmonton area, and turning up some surprising results. In September, scientists with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) and InnoTech Alberta identified evidence of tiger salamanders in two wetlands. Sydney Toni, a knowledge translations specialist with ABMI, says scientists know that boreal chorus frogs, wood frogs and tiger salamanders have been visiting wetlands in the Edmonton area.

'Bad year for the glaciers': Climate change threatens glacier behind Edmonton's water source

'Bad year for the glaciers': Climate change threatens glacier behind Edmonton's water source

The province is long past the oppressive “heat dome” that caused cities to swelter last summer, but warmer temperatures this year had a lasting effect on the glacier that feeds Edmonton’s water supply. The Saskatchewan Glacier terminus saw 10 metres of thinning this year, said Brian Menounos, an earth sciences professor at the University of Northern British Columbia and Canada Research Chair in glacier change. It’s also the glacier that feeds the North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton’s sole source of drinking water.

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