Municipal units draft water shortage response proposal

Units want meeting with minister to discuss possible funding support

Four municipal units in Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens counties are hoping to bend the ear of provincial Municipal Affairs Minister Chuck Porter to discuss possible funding support for proposed projects that will better equip them to handle summertime drought conditions should they keep reoccurring.

“Residents of south west and south shore Nova Scotia suffered significantly during the water shortage periods during the summer and fall of 2016 and 2018. This unprecedented situation caused residents to look for assistance both with potable and non-potable water,” reads a letter sent to the Minister from the municipalities of Argyle, Barrington and Yarmouth and the Region of Queens. “It was a strain on volunteer capacity, especially the volunteer fire departments and Ground Search and Rescue that assisted many residents with water shortage issues.”

“The ability to access non-potable water was the major difficulty during this time. It was often a matter of finding and bringing large water tanks to people’s homes and then dropping off water into these tanks. Many residents purchased trailers or carried these tanks in their trucks to bring home. The major difficulty was finding places to even get the water and many people travelled long distances to do this,” the letter reads. “Another situation which arose during this period was that the local volunteer fire departments were experiencing a shortage of water in their usual water sources like dry-hydrants, fire ponds and lakes. This could have resulted in the lack of water to fight structure fires and support DNR in the event of a forest fire.”

Strategically placed water stations and comfort centers where people could access non-potable water sources as well as laundry and shower facilities and improved access to water sources are among the projects proposed.

“Given the significant value of upgrades and projects proposed… the Municipalities are requesting a dialogue with the Minister around possible funding support to see these projects come to fruition,” says the letter.

Project recommendations

for Municipalities of Argyle & Yarmouth

• A regional storage facility.

• Non-Potable Water stations and showers at eight existing community facilities in “locations which are designated as having the most value for residents if water stations were installed or built there.” Some of these locations would also benefit from having shower facilities installed, including:

Village of Wedgeport – A water station built on property owned by the Wedgeport & District Volunteer Department. There are showers at the fire station. The fire department has existing storage facilities for potable water. This would serve a population of approximately 1,920 residents in the community of Wedgeport and surrounding areas.

The Villages of East and West Pubnico – Install a permanent housing unit, pump, electrical hookup and outside access to the water on an existing well in West Pubnico. The population that this water station would serve is over 2,579. Residents here also have access to showers at another location.

The Village of Quinan – Community Centre. This location serves as a comfort centre for the area. What would be needed here would be a drilled well and shower facilities in anticipation of another dry season. The existing dug well does not provide enough water for people to access non-potable water. This community is long distance from the Town of Yarmouth. There are no schools or other facilities in the area. The population of approximately 439 is not large but is spread out and isolated.

Ste Anne du Ruisseau – There is a new fire station being built by the Ste Anne du Ruisseau Fire Department which serves a population of 1,460. Their plan is to build shower facilities in the building. However, they are currently planning to service the building with a dug well. A drilled well and outside access to the water would be timely additions to the scope of the project.

Tusket area – Hubbards Point Community Centre. What is proposed here would be to install a water station with a drilled well and installation of shower facilities. The population served is approximately 1,265 and this facility would serve a number of communities along highway 308.

Hebron Recreational Centre – This is the secondary EOC for the joint EMO. Accessing water at this location is already problematic due to decommissioned service to the Town of Yarmouth water system and poor water availability in drilled wells. A project to re-connect this location to the municipal water system, water storage, exterior water station and shower upgrades are all appropriate improvements at this site. This would serve a highly populated area of approximately 4,107 residents in Yarmouth County.

Carleton Fire Department – Water storage facility needed, drilled well for a water depot and shower facilities at this location would meet the needs of remote communities. This would serve the communities of Forest Glen, Carleton and Kempt with a population over 1,503 residents.

Mariner’s Centre – Existing Water source. Adding a token system to the exterior water access would alleviate the demand on staff and volunteers at the centre. As well, it would provide a means of getting accurate data on water distribution. In addition, commercial haulers could be identified and dealt with differently than private residents who are hauling water for themselves.

Municipality of Barrington

recommendations

In Barrington Passage and West Head, Cape Sable Island, one small building in each location approximately 20’ by 30’ that would include electricity and plumbing, four washing machines, two showers, two wash rooms, and an exterior water supply to fill boxes or containers with water. A large exterior storage tank for bulk water is also proposed for the Barrington Passage site.

In Barrington Passage, bury an eight-inch pipeline 800 ft. from quarry to road, install suction box on end of pipe in quarry, install fire hydrant on end of pipe at the road. This will give the Volunteer Fire Department access to millions of gallons of water where residents can fill boxes or containers with water.

Region of Queens recommendations

Modifying at least three of the existing comfort centers with the addition of shower facilities that would be used by people requiring them during periods of water shortage. West Queens Recreation Centre in Port Mouton, North Queens Fire Hall in Caledonia and the Mill Village Fire Hall are the three proposed centers. The 2 sites in East and West Queens will require an assessment to determine if their septic systems can currently handle the additional water capacity.

The Region of Queens is also asking for financial assistance to establish a second external tap on its central water system in Liverpool for access by the public 24 hours a day and reduce the demand on its current public well tap.