The Region of Queens is considering using Nickersons Pond and the Herring Cove Lake watershed area as a source for non-potable water. (Rick Conrad)

Despite recent rain showers, the Region of Queens is still struggling with low water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir.

On Wednesday, it continued voluntary water conservation measures that have been in place for a month.

The region is asking its 1,200 customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn to use less water.

In an update on its Facebook page on Thursday, the region said water levels continue to drop.

Almost 47 millimetres of rain has fallen in the area in the past week, according to Environment Canada.

“At full capacity, the Town Lake Reservoir has a maximum depth of nine feet above the water intake pipe,” the region wrote in a Facebook post. 

“At present, the water level is at six and a half feet. If levels reach five feet, it triggers the Warning Level, where reduced water pressure could impact the entire system. While the system is operating at lower pressure, it remains functional.”

Mayor Scott Christian said that the region is investigating alternative water sources to deal with future shortages because of climate change. 

“If that means accessing the Herring Cove watershed and drawing water down from Nickersons Pond, that potentially could be something for the future. But you’re talking a multi-multi-million-dollar investment to stand up a secondary source for the water utility.”

The Nickersons Pond area (Rick Conrad)

That watershed used to supply water to the old Bowater Mersey mill and some residents in Brooklyn.

He said municipal officials are considering that as a source for non-potable water for people with dry wells.

“There’s no draw on it and there’s a dam on it. There’s a significant amount of water there. My understanding is that when it was in full operation, it was drawing in excess of 6 million gallons of water a day.”

Christian said that at their meeting next week, councillors will be considering a proposal for low-interest or no-interest loans for people to switch to drilled wells.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has a program like that. And Christian said it’s been so popular that there’s a backlog of about 60 properties on a waitlist.

“We know that there are pain points there and it also adds to the overall debt load as a property owner, so it’s not a magic bullet, but we’re exploring that channel.”

In the meantime, though, he said the municipality needs to fix the leaks and water loss in its system due to old infrastructure. 

In documents filed with the region’s application for water rate increases at the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, it was revealed that the Region of Queens Water Utility lost 69.1 per cent of its water in 2024 through leaks.

The $21-million project to extend and upgrade water and wastewater services to the Mount Pleasant area of Liverpool will help address that, Christian said.

“We know that we need to stop losing so much water, ensuring that the water utility is viable and sustainable is making the upgrade to the existing infrastructure so that we’re not losing so much water.”

Christian said Town Lake Reservoir is reliable, despite the challenges with water levels in the past two years.

“We’re really fortunate with the watershed that we have. We actually (issued) a conservation order on our water utility quite a bit later coming than it was in a lot of our adjacent municipalities and that’s reflective of the fact that is a very strong watershed.”

Christian said the municipality will work with the provincial and federal governments to create a more reliable water supply, especially if droughts continue due to climate change.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Region of Queens councillors want to try to find a way to resurrect the Coastal Protection Act. (File photo by Talla Corkum)

Region of Queens councillors want to work with other neighbouring municipalities to pressure the province to resurrect the Coastal Protection Act and possibly to come up with their own version.

The Nova Scotia government under Tim Houston killed the long-dormant Coastal Protection Act in February. Supporters of that legislation said it would beef up safeguards for coastal areas around Nova Scotia.

Instead, the province said it would pass that responsibility onto municipalities to come up with their own bylaws to protect the coast from development, climate change and other threats. It offered to create sample bylaws that municipalities could adapt.

But many municipalities say they don’t have the resources to enforce such wide-ranging rules.

District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell said he heard from a lot of residents during the municipal election campaign who were concerned about coastal protection. And he said it was clear from the recent provincial election that the province has no interest in taking it on.

He said he wants the Region of Queens to discuss banding together with other regions like the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg to come up with a common set of rules.

“Some of you might have witnessed the leadership debates where the government is not backing down on coastal protection, they’re leaving it to municipalities,” Wentzell said.

“The answers that I heard was that there is going to be assistance in the form of money or manpower to help municipalities create their own (bylaws). I think that’s the reality we’re dealing with. And I do think coastal protection is a big, big item with us. We all heard it on the campaign trail.”

The issue came up at a recent meeting of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities.

NSFM President Pam Mood, who is also the mayor of Yarmouth, called on the re-elected Houston government to institute provincewide rules and enforcement.

Mayor Scott Christian said working with the federation to pressure the province is a good first step.

“The NSFM is an augmented voice, so it’s a lot stronger. If we join forces with the NSFM and say we need resources and support to enact an effective approach to the Coastal Protection Act. It’s an avenue we can explore to be supported throughout it. It’s not the entirety of the picture, but it’s an important first step.”

Queens councillors decided to write a letter of support to the federation, and to meet with other municipal politicians to come up with ways to enhance coastal protections.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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The Region of Queens has lifted voluntary water conservation measures for residents in Liverpool and parts of Brooklyn. (0xCoffe via Pixabay)

Municipal water customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn don’t have to worry about tightening their taps.

The Region of Queens announced Wednesday afternoon that it has lifted voluntary water conservation measures that residents and businesses were under since early November.

The region said in a news release that recent rainfall has restored the Town Lake Reservoir to appropriate levels. 

The reservoir is still not at full capacity, the region says, but there is enough water so that people don’t have to worry about watching their consumption.

Earlier in the day, Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR that the region has been working with officials in the provincial Emergency Management Office to look for ways to replenish the reservoir if needed.

“There are alternatives and secondary water sources that we could access water from if push came to shove, but they’re not potable.”

Christian says using those sources would only be a last resort if they needed to feed the system.

But people who rely on the region’s water utility don’t have to worry about that for now.

If water levels drop again, the region says it will notify users through ads on local radio stations, including QCCR, posts on the region’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and on its website.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Photo Ed Halverson

The province has just released a climate action plan with lofty goals but notable gaps as to how they will be met.

A new 68-point plan is one of 28 directives contained in legislation to address climate change adopted in 2021.

The plan relies heavily on phasing-out Nova Scotia’s dependence on coal to generate electricity by 2030 and to reach a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 but puts forth no map on how or when to decommission the provinces coal-fired generating stations.

It also calls for a ban on the installation of any oil-fired heating systems in new construction after 2025.

Nova Scotia will need to find alternate sources to generate power and heat in the coming years.

The government has already introduced legislation to pave the way for green hydrogen projects in Nova Scotia, using existing light natural gas pipelines to transport the fuel and offshore wind turbines to power the burners.

The province has also made strides to work with neighbouring provinces to transfer more electricity across Atlantic Canada and Québec through projects like the Atlantic Loop, Muskrat Falls, and by forming stronger connections with New Brunswick.

Annual progress and impact reports of the actions in the climate change plan will be filed and the plan will be reviewed and renewed within five years of its release.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Photo Ed Halverson

Nova Scotians got a look at how climate change will impact the province into the year 2100 as government released the latest projections and risk assessment Tuesday.

The report, titled Weathering What’s Ahead: Climate Change Risk and Nova Scotia’s Well-being, shows that Nova Scotia is getting warmer and precipitation patterns are changing and if further action is not taken Nova Scotians will experience more frequent and intense storms, sea level rise and changing oceans.

It says if global greenhouse gas emissions are not cut significantly projections indicate by 2100 Nova Scotia can expect:
— an increase of 4.8 degrees Celsius in the average annual temperature
— many more nights that are warmer than 18 C – in the range of 45, compared with about three currently
— a 10 per cent increase in annual precipitation
— higher peak wind speeds by 3.7 to seven kilometres per hour
— sea level rise by up to one metre
— an increase in the sea surface temperature by 5.1 degrees.

In a release, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Timothy Halman says “It’s important to understand where and how we are vulnerable so we can all take action.”

In addition to identifying areas of concern, the climate change risk assessment established priorities for action in Nova Scotia including:
— building capacity to prepare for multiple hazards that interact and evolve over time
— acting on flooding and increased heat-related hazards
— protecting people’s well-being and recognizing the links between people and the environment
— regularly updating the risk to the province.

The climate change risk assessment helped inform the province’s climate plan, which will be released Wednesday, December 7.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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