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.
Meanwhile, attendees at Kingston Music Festival in North York, Ont., posted videos over the weekend of concertgoers rushing toward the stage after pushing down the fence separating general admission and VIP sections. Some attendees complained of a lack of water at the venue in the midst of a heat wave. Representatives for Kingston Music Festival did not respond to requests for comment.
A First Nation is working alongside a B.C. tech company to learn more about how climate change is affecting the waters it harvests food from. In an effort to preserve and even build up capacity for seafood harvesting, the T'Sou-ke First Nation on southern Vancouver Island turned to Victoria-based MarineLabs, which collects real-time data about the ocean, about 18 months ago to better understand what's going on in the Sooke Basin and other areas it uses.
Researchers out of Europe say global levels of man-made "forever chemicals" have made rainwater unsafe to drink around the world — even in the most remote areas. The study, published in peer-review journal Environmental Science and Technology on Tuesday from researchers at Stockholm University and ETH Zurich, argues that guideline values – amounts considered acceptable – for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, surface water and soil have fallen "dramatically" over the last 20 years "due to new insights into their toxicity."
The advance of the climate crisis, marked by its extremes — droughts or deluges, fires or floods — makes abundantly clear the human habit of trying to contain and control water isn’t working. For her new book, Water Always Wins, National Geographic Explorer Erica Gies criss-crossed the globe, witnessing some of the unanticipated results of modern society’s preference for engineered solutions.
A severe water shortage has prompted a boil water advisory in the village of Alma. In a news release, Mayor Andrew Casey said the water reservoir is at a critically low level, and the village on the edge of Fundy National Park is using its backup well. The village of recommended boiling water for one minute prior to consumption — including water used for mixing juice, dental hygiene, washing vegetables, making ice or any other activity requiring human consumption.
Some residents of Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., say they've spotted surface contaminants on the Mackenzie River after Imperial Oil reported a spill last week from a produced water line at its Norman Wells, N.W.T., operation. "We're all concerned since I know I saw something in the water," said Jim Tobac, a resident of Fort Good Hope. "And somebody went by it with a boat and it looked like oil or something." Fort Good Hope is located downstream from Norman Wells. Tobac said that when the community heard that there was potentially a spill in the Mackenzie River, people started pulling their fishing nets from the water. Additionally, he said it's alarming for the community because their drinking water is from the river.
An unknown amount of petrochemicals spilled into the St. Clair River from a refinery in Canada during heavy rainfall Wednesday night. An overflow in Suncor’s Sarnia refinery’s internal sewer system left a sheen on the river that caused officials on both sides of the international border to close off drinking water intakes. But Canadian authorities cleared water plants to return to normal activity Thursday morning.
A popular Gatineau, Que. beach is closed as temperatures begin to warm up. The National Capital Commission says Leamy Lake Park beach is closed for swimming until further notice due to the "class D water quality results." The NCC's website notes the water quality at Leamy Lake is "polluted." Beaches in Gatineau Park at La Peche Lake. Blanchet and O'Brien beaches on Meech Lake and Breton, Parent and Smith beaches on Philippe Lake are open.
Halifax Water says emergency repairs have been completed on a Duffus Street wastewater pump station in Halifax. In a release Thursday, the utility says operations have returned to normal after three pump failures in two months. The pump started operating Wednesday evening and was monitored overnight. Wastewater and stormwater are now being pumped from the Duffus Street station to a wastewater treatment facility on Upper Water Street rather than flowing into Halifax harbour.
Researchers at the University of Ottawa are using the wastewater testing strategy that has helped track the ebbs and flows of coronavirus and applying it to influenza. Patrick D'Aoust, a PhD candidate in the faculty of engineering, said the idea came from one his colleagues, Elisabeth Mercier, and the success of the wastewater testing used to track levels of coronavirus in Ottawa. "She said, 'You know we're looking [for] COVID-19. It's an RNA virus. Why don't we just start looking at other RNA viruses?" D'Aoust said.
Not many homes in Halifax have a secret staircase that tunnels down four storeys to a vast concrete cavern. But stepping inside the modest brown house on Duffus Street, it's clear this isn't a normal home. The building is owned by Halifax Water, and is used to conceal the entrance to a tunnel that descends into a pumping station hidden beneath Barrington Street. "It was designed to fit into the neighbourhood so it wouldn't be as intrusive or ugly," said Jake Fulton, a spokesperson for Halifax Water.
SCG Process, a leading provider of industrial pumps, packaged water treatment plants, and chemical feed packages, announced the launch of mobile Emergency Water Distribution Units™ (EWDU) to support municipal emergency response and risk management planning for natural disasters including earthquakes, forest fires, tornados and hurricanes.
Heritage places reflect the rich and varied stories of Canada and provide an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about our diverse history. Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and the Honourable Whitney Issik, Alberta Minister of Environment and Parks, announced the official endorsement of the nomination of the North Saskatchewan River as a Canadian Heritage River.
The city of Pointe-Claire issued a statement to local residents Wednesday, saying the “earthy” taste and unusual odour emitted by their tap water is due to the increased presence of algae in the St. Lawrence River and does not represent a danger to the public’s health. Noting that “a slightly different odour and taste might be noticed in the drinking water coming from the city of Montreal’s Pointe-Claire water production plant,” the municipality explained that such situations occur “during summer and fall and are due to algae in the river.”
Vice President Kamala Harris called climate change an “immediate” and “urgent” crisis Monday as she detailed more than $1 billion in federal spending to respond to disasters such as deadly flooding in Kentucky and wildfires ravaging her home state of California. On a visit to Miami, Harris announced a series of grants being made available to states to help communities across the nation prepare for and respond to climate−related disasters.
Now being constructed by Chandos Construction on the edge of Calgary, the $18-million Taza Water Reservoir won’t be the typical standard reservoir the public largely ignores. With a decorative curvature, although still protective, cedar pole fence, it will be the gateway feature for Taza Park East, just one phase of Taza Park, an environmentally sustainable community being developed by the Tsuut’ina Nation with Canderel.
The water level on Lake of the Woods continues to recede following major flooding in spring and early summer. In its latest update, the Lake of the Woods Secretariat states the lake level declined by six centimetres over the past week, and is expected to drop another eight to 10 centimetres in the coming week. Still, water levels remain high, with the lake above its 2014 peak of 323.78 metres. However, the lake remains below the record set in July 1950, when water levels reached 324.31 metres. High water levels, caused by heavy rainfall and thick snowpack leftover from the winter months, in the region led to major flooding in some areas in spring and early summer, including Sioux Lookout, Kenora, Fort Frances, Red Lake, and Marten Falls First Nation.
It's been 50 years since Canada and the U.S. signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, meant to restore and protect the Great Lakes, and a new report is showing what's changed over that time and what challenges are ahead. According the the annual report, the Great Lakes overall assessment is "fair" with an "unchanging" trend, which is due to the "tremendous progress to restore and protect the Great Lakes" over the last few decades. The evaluation is based on a set of indicators officials watch.
The Halifax Regional Municipality is warning of a blue-green algae bloom at Penhorn Beach in Dartmouth. The city is warning people not to swim in the lake and to keep pets out as well. Lake users are urged to take the following precautions: Avoid water contact. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible. Do not swim or wade (or allow your pets to swim or wade) in the water. Avoid consuming water from the lake. Avoid consuming fish from the lake.
Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs weren't surrounded by the towering pine trees and snow-capped mountains found in northern B.C., but they still found a feeling of familiarity while standing outside a traditional longhouse on Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario on Tuesday. The traditional chiefs met with Haudenosaunee Hereditary Chiefs to discuss common ground and spread awareness about their battle for land sovereignty back in B.C.
