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.
Roads were flooded and basements were soaked in towns across Saskatchewan on Monday. Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the Battlefords area was hit hardest. "They came in with a whopping 100 millimetres. And that was in about six or seven hours," Lang said. Other areas also saw heavy rain. Lang says Rosetown got about 46 mm, but based on models she believes the rainfall totals east of Rosetown could have been much higher.
Though this week's storm has already led to widespread power outages, fallen trees and water pooling on city streets, city officials say they believe they're well-equipped to handle whatever the next few days bring. The city remains under a state of local emergency called on Monday. While the Environment Canada rainfall warning for Calgary ended on Wednesday, the weather alerts remain in place for a swath of southern and central Alberta north, east and south of Calgary.
COVID-19 levels in the wastewater of some Saskatchewan cities are plateauing or even dropping, but the level is spiking in Saskatoon, according to the latest study. The Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan tests the wastewater in Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert each week to determine how much COVID-19 is circulating in those centres.
Clean drinking water is a readily accessible resource for most Canadians yet beyond the reach of those in our community living on the streets, leaving them vulnerable to dehydration and ultimately death. On average, a person living in a temperate climate requires 3 liters (13 cups) of fluid intake a day to maintain adequate hydration for proper bodily function. Access to life-saving water remains a challenge for relief agencies and outreach programs that provide aid to those living in shelters and on our city streets. The problem is growing – the aftershock of COVID, the lack of affordable housing, the opioid crisis, poor hygiene, and a steady increase in refugees mean that the mortality rate among this high-risk group could surpass critical numbers.
The municipality of North Norfolk has declared a state of emergency after it was pounded by rain overnight Monday into Tuesday, causing flooding in the community of Austin. The municipality said in a Tuesday morning news release the local state of emergency was being declared after what it called an "unprecedented" amount of rain fell Tuesday morning. Austin was hit especially hard, said Theresa Bergen, chief administrative officer for the North Norfolk municipality, which is between Brandon and Winnipeg.
UBC experts are available to comment on flooding and extreme weather, in light of a state of emergency in Kelowna and other parts of western Canada. Climate science and natural disasters Dr. Susan Day Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management Email: susan.day@ubc.ca Phone: 604-822-6652 Interview Language(s): English: Urban forests, Urban soils, stormwater, water relations, plant response to climate stress to climate stress
A flood warning was issued for Teslin Lake early Monday afternoon by the Yukon government's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) as low-lying areas around the lake are flooding. "I've seen flooding before, but not [water] this high," said Kayne Geddes, a contractor who lives in Teslin. "Everybody's worried, they don't know what to expect." Geddes estimates there are about 100 people in the village who are helping protect low-lying areas by filling and placing sandbags.
The Canadian government has offered up to $100 million to help global Australian mining giant BHP create the "world's most sustainable potash mine" in rural Saskatchewan. BHP's Jansen mine project, located about 140 kilometres east of Saskatoon, is currently in development and is expected to be operational by 2027. It's planned to be the largest potash producing mine in the world,. Canadian officials are putting the money forward to help the company reduce the mine's carbon footprint and invest in more environmentally friendly technology.
Earlier this week, I thought about the amount of water it takes to wash one’s glasses. The same amount of water is required for an entire day by a family of four in some parts of Africa. In Canada, we are lucky to have the greatest supply of water per square foot than anywhere else in the world. It is also the cleanest. It amazes and amuses me that we still buy bottled water from suppliers who use our water to sell back to us. Do we waste any of our precious water? Yes, we do, in countless ways. Do we give away our water to the U.S.? Yes, we do, and often we fail to collect, due to Chapter 11 bankruptcies that frequently occur south of the border.
After a late May heat wave when only 60 per cent of Toronto's public water fountains were operational, Mayor John Tory says he plans to introduce a council motion next week to see park amenities up and running sooner after winter. Tory said in a news release his motion will make sure "existing seasonal facilities are accessible as soon as possible to park users following the winter." But why aren't all these amenities operational now?
Algoma Public Health is warning people who draw water directly from the St. Mary's River or who have a well near the shore not to drink the water due to an oil spill. The spill does not affect the Sault Ste. Marie municipal drinking water system. The health unit says if your drinking water intake is located east (or downstream) of the Algoma steel mill and the Great Lakes Power plant, there is a risk of contamination.
A boil water advisory has been issued for part of Gatineau, Que., and will affect approximately 8,000 users. The advisory is due to a water main break, according to Gatineau officials, and is in effect until further notice. Those living south of Highway 50, east of avenue Gatineau, north of boulevard La Vérendrye and west of rue Main should boil water for one minute before drinking it.
While praising the goals of P.E.I.'s recently released water strategy, some water protection groups have some concerns about how exactly it is going to be implemented. The province announced regulations on its new Water Act would come into effect June 11, which would, among other things, end the moratorium on high-capacity wells for irrigation. Permits for irrigation wells would be tied to the creation of a soil conservation plan, and the province will create an open web site where the public can monitor water extraction from high-capacity wells.
If problems around water quality and wastewater in remote and poorly served communities are to be solved, they’ll need funding, local involvement and technical know-how. Caetano Dorea, a University of Victoria professor in civil engineering at UVic, is leading a team that has been awarded a $1.65-million Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant to train emerging engineers to work on water and sanitation projects in low-resource contexts in Canada and abroad.
A natural phenomenon at Peche Island has created a buildup of sediment that is disrupting water flow — affecting some wildlife and frequent users of the city-owned park. Low water levels and sediment in the area, which is likely the result of erosion, have created a "barrier beach" and cut off the channel that pushes water into the island's canals, according to Dan Krutsch. This barrier has caused the water in the island to become more still than usual, he said.
Rising floodwaters in the Fort Frances, Ont., area are leaving people living there with feelings of helplessness, one resident says. Water levels on Rainy Lake set a record last week, surpassing one set in 1950. "I had a feeling that there was going to be a lot of water when spring did roll around," Nathan Calder said Tuesday. "Ice on the lake held on for a lot longer than it usually does.
Located on the edge of southern Alberta's foothills and close to Calgary, the community of Okotoks has been a popular destination for people seeking a small-town feel not far from the big city. But the town, located roughly 47 kilometres south of Calgary, now estimates it only has nine years of development left before continued issues around getting a new water source force developers to put down their shovels.
The communities of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte should be on high alert for possible flooding in the coming days, warns the Northwest Territories government. In a news release Wednesday, the territory said warm weather means the snowmelt from mountains in BC, Yukon and the N.W.T. is starting to make its way into the water system. That will contribute to high water levels and flow in the Liard and South Nahanni rivers.
After a record-setting Midwestern rainstorm that damaged thousands of homes and businesses, Stefanie Johnson’s farmhouse in Blandinsville, Illinois, didn’t have safe drinking water for nearly two months. Flood water poured into her well, turning the water a muddy brown and forcing Johnson, her husband and their two young children to use store-bought supplies. Even after sediment cleared, testing found bacteria — including E. coli, which can cause diarrhea. The family boiled water for drinking and cooking. The YMCA was a refuge for showers.
Trout Lake in East Vancouver is often among the first places in the city to be closed to swimmers each year because of poor water quality — namely E. coli. It's a scenic, small lake in John Hendry Park that's popular with locals, as well as ducks and geese. On Monday, the Vancouver Park Board launched a floating island into the lake with the goal of increasing biodiversity and helping with water quality.
