The Region of Queens wants to offer residents with dug wells access to low-interest loans to convert to drilled wells. (Bluenose Well Drilling Facebook page)

Queens County homeowners who want a new drilled well will eventually have access to low-interest loans through the Region of Queens.

Councillors voted unanimously at their regular meeting last week to ask staff to draft a bylaw for a water supply and septic upgrade program.

Some Nova Scotia municipalities already offer low-interest loans for residents who want to switch from a dug well to a drilled well, sometimes at interest rates as low as two per cent.

Joanne Veinotte, the region’s director of finance, told councillors that municipal staff haven’t had calls looking for help with septic systems. But they have heard from people struggling with dry wells who want a loan or grant program to help drill a new one.

“Council will have to decide, are you satisfied with providing $10,000 of assistance, or would you like to provide $30,000 of assistance, or perhaps more?” Veinotte said. 

“Because all of those things depend on how much money you are willing to loan at a low-interest rate, are you going to cover the whole bill or part of the bill? That’s a council decision that will be made through the bylaw process.”

In her report to council, Veinotte said that Queens County has received less than 40 per cent of its annual precipitation in 2025. The area is classified as having severe to extreme drought conditions.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg and the Municipality of the District of Barrington are two municipalities on the South Shore that offer low-interest loans for homeowners.

Lunenburg provides up to $20,000 for either well or septic upgrades at a rate of two per cent a year for a term of up to 15 years. Barrington offers a three per cent rate on loans of up to 10 years for well upgrades only. Some municipalities, like Halifax, offer help for both water and septic at prime plus two per cent.

Residents repay the loans through their tax bills.

Initially, staff recommended a program only for drilled wells. But some councillors, like Jack Fancy and Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton, said they’d like to see septic upgrades included in the program.

“I think of in Milton in particular, there’s so many septics that are going straight into the river,” Fancy said. 

‘And that’s part of the environmental issue of it we need to clean up. And if we’re going to do this, I think we need to make this all part of it.”

District 6 Coun. Stewart Jenkins said he’d like to see the cost of a water pump and water tank included in the program.

Veinotte said councillors have the ultimate authority to draft the bylaw the way they want and to hash out the details, including how much to set aside each year for the loan program.

“You guys would talk all of those things through and decide what works best for our residents,” she said. “But absolutely, you as council have the discretion to determine what goes into what pot and how much everyone can take out.”

This is just the first step toward a low-interest loan program for wells and septic systems in Queens County.

Staff will draft a bylaw for councillors to review at a future meeting. Once councillors introduce a proposed bylaw, residents will have a chance to have their say at a public hearing before anything is adopted.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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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.

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The Region of Queens is asking people to restrict their water usage. (Pixabay)

As drought conditions continue throughout Nova Scotia, the Region of Queens is taking its own measures to save water.

The municipality announced Thursday on Facebook that it will no longer be offering bulk water services to fill dry wells or water tanks.

Local fire departments who carried this out have been notified.

The region said the public Cowie Well at 733 Main St. in Liverpool is still open for potable water. And Queens Place Emera Centre has shower facilities available by appointment.

Coastal Queens Place and the West Queens Recreation Centre in Port Mouton also offer potable water and shower facilities.

The municipality is also into its second week of voluntary water restrictions to deal with dropping levels in the Town Lake Reservoir. It has asked its water customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn to limit their usage.

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.

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The Region of Queens released this graphic on Friday morning to illustrate water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir (Credit: Region of Queens Municipality)

UPDATED Nov. 22 at 10:15 a.m.

The Region of Queens is asking its municipal water users to cut their consumption in half.

The municipality first sounded the alarm on Nov. 1 about dropping water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir. 

Since then, the situation has only worsened. Officials say people have not reduced their water use enough to deal with the lack of rainfall.

The area has received only about 45 millimetres of rain since the first of October. CAO Cody Joudry told QCCR last week that the region would need at least 50 mm of rain a week to improve things.

For the past few weeks, the region has appealed to the 1,400 residential and commercial water utility customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn to conserve water. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the region issued its strongest advisory yet, asking customers to cut their usage by 50 per cent.

The advisory does not apply to the Cowie Well.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR on Thursday that the newest advisory was necessary because water levels continue to drop.

“We’ve just continued on the same trajectory towards a situation we don’t want to find ourselves in. The updated (communications) strategy is around giving people a target to work toward to manage their own consumption or water conservation efforts.”

The region released more information on Friday morning, explaining the current water levels in more detail, including a graphic to illustrate.

“At full capacity, the Town Lake Reservoir has a maximum depth of nine feet above the water intake pipe,” according to the release. “Currently, the water level stands at six 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.”

Some people who commented on the region’s latest post on Facebook said they’re frustrated with the region’s efforts to put the word out.

Christian said he understands people’s discontent. He said council plans to discuss the region’s long-term water plans and better communication with residents at their meeting on Monday evening.

“I think those are all good and fair questions to be asking right now. … It’s something that members of the council definitely take seriously. The things that we need to right now right now, is we need to conserve water right now.”

People also wondered why the municipality is flushing some fire hydrants in certain areas. Christian said he appreciates people pointing that out, but said they need to do that to avoid contaminating the water supply. Still, he said officials will look at ways to limit the flow of water from those hydrants.

The region also responded on Friday morning to concerns about the hydrant flushing.

“These ‘flusher locations’ are essential to maintain water quality throughout the system,” the release said. “The municipality has reduced flushing rates from 40 to under 5 gallons per minute to conserve water while ensuring safe potable water distribution.”

Christian told QCCR on Thursday that the best thing to do is for all users to cut their consumption as much as possible.

“But what’s most important urgently right now is to try our best as a community to conserve water as much as possible.” 

Municipal water users have dealt with frustration before. Controversy over an eight-week boil water order in the summer of 2023 forced the Queens water utility to give customers a one-time break on their bills.

Other water utilities across the province are also struggling with dwindling water supply. The Halifax region issued water conservation notices last week.

The Region of Queens is asking people to take shorter showers and take baths less often. Flush toilets only when necessary, reduce the number of times you do laundry or dishes, fix leaky pipes and report any suspected leaks in water lines to the municipality at 902-354-7170.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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