HRM giving out water as some wells dry up
If you like it hot and dry, then this has been a near perfect summer. But the lack of rain is starting to take its toll on wells in some parts of rural Halifax.
“Right now it’s dozens,” says Halifax’s executive chief of community risk reduction, Erica Fleck, when talking about how many residents are affected by dry wells. “We’re going by 311 calls so we are basing all of our data on that and then of course from information from local counsellors so it’s always hard to tell how bad the situation is.“
Most of the problems right now are on the Eastern Shore, Peggy’s Cove and the Tantallon areas of Halifax.
“Our Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency staff have stepped up to put potable water at fire stations throughout the rural areas,“ says HRM Deputy Mayor, Pamela Lovelace.
Station 65 in Upper Tantallon is one of six locations that have been set up to give out water to residents whose wells are dry. Some will have water available every day, others will only have a supply once a week.
Deputy Mayor Lovelace says this is not usually a problem at this point in the season.
“Obviously, each August and September as it gets drier every fall, we have to help our residents prepare better and ensure that we can supply them with water,” Lovelace says.
City officials say they will continue the program until the wells can be filled naturally.
“We would need at minimum, 3 to 4 days of good, solid rain, and then the problem comes, if their wells are completely dry, then it’s not safe to use after they’ve gone dry. They need to be shocked and they need to be treated,“ says Fleck.
That’s something that can only happen when the clouds bring rain.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.