Dry conditions cause well and water level concerns in Nova Scotia
Geoff MacDonald lives in the Mahone Bay area and says near-drought conditions effecting water levels are a routine problem in these parts.
"25 years ago our well was going dry every year," said MacDonald who attempted to solve the problem by adding a well.
He now has two wells -- one dug and one drilled and the water from the drilled well is salty at times and needs a conditioner.
“But we have water all the time,” said MacDonald.
The district of Lunenburg has launched a Dry Well Relief Program to provide water for drinking and cooking to municipal residents with dry wells.
At various locations, the program will provide residents with four-litre jugs of bottled water per day with a maximum of four jugs per household. The program is done through a coupon system and in partnership with local retailers like the New Germany Freshmart and Nick’s Independent in Mahone Bay.
Coupons are valid for a one-week period and will expire each Sunday for as long as the program remains in place. After coupons expire, residents can pick up new ones on a daily, weekly or as-needed basis at the municipal office on Allée Champlain Drive between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Electronic coupons can be used as well and are available by emailing info@mdol.ca.
“Also the marina leaves their taps on a bit later and you can fill up at the marina as well,” said Blockhouse resident Liz Brideau-Clark. “Our 16 foot dug well as of yesterday has as of yesterday two and half working feet.”
In the HRM, Emergency Management is watching the situation closely.
"We are very concerned,” said Emergency Management Assistant Chief Erica Fleck.
Fleck said every Tuesday at eight fire stations located in rural areas of the HRM, people can receive free water to alleviate their dry well concerns.
“The HRM is almost 6000 square kilometres," said Fleck. "That’s a lot of area. Look at Eastern Shore on one side to Ecum Secum to Peggys Cove and all around the coast.”
Fleck said none of the HRM residents in those areas are on city water and many have dug wells that are in danger of going dry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.