Nova Scotia·NewCouncillor Scott Beaver says the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s has distributed more than 20,000 litres of water so far and is letting people use the showers at the community centre. But with only six people on staff and a small budget, the response has strained the municipality. Councillor says small budget has already taken a hit from a dry summerListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesAmy Simmons says her well went dry in the summer. Since then, she’s relied on water from the river and from the municipality. (Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC)A new mom in Aspen, N.S., has been driving 40 minutes to Sherbrooke to pick up drinkable water the municipality is providing.It’s a common refrain in the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s, where resources are strained due to prolonged drought.Amy Simmons’s well went dry in the summer. She is using river water to do chores, but doesn’t trust it as a source of drinking water with seven-month-old Austin at home. She relies on municipal water to make baby formula.“We are lucky that the municipality was able to do that for us,” she said. “I know there’s a lot of people depending heavily on the water from them.”Simmons worries about winter now. Her house is close to the St. Mary’s River, but the hike down is rough.She doesn’t think she’ll be able to pump river water herself when ice and snow arrive, and is unsure what she’ll do if the drought continues.“We’re all sort of trying to figure out what the winter plan is,” Simmons said. “Now, it’s an inconvenience and it’s not pleasant. But you add -10 C and snow and ice to it, it’s a whole game changer.”Coun. Scott Beaver says the municipality has distributed more than 20,000 litres of water and is letting people use showers in Sherbrooke. But with only six people on staff, the response has put a strain on municipal resources.WATCH | Why people are worried about drought this winter: Rural N.S. community bracing for potential winter droughtMany people living in the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore are travelling great distances to refill their dry wells. They worry about what may happen if the drought continues into the winter months. Giuliana Grillo reports.Most residents in the rural district use wells, but many have gone dry, Beaver says. He adds that it has been a challenge for a municipality with limited finances to keep the water program running. The municipality has a budget of just over four million dollars, which had already been assigned to specific expenditures at the beginning of the fiscal year. “We’re paying for a lot of it ourselves,” he said.Beaver says the services being offered will remain as long as necessary, but he hopes the province and federal government will assist rural municipalities.He acknowledged the practical burdens of the current system. He knows it is difficult for residents to travel long distances to obtain water.“Now you’re stressed out because you need to provide,” he said. “You have to do what’s necessary to get the water back to your house, and back to the family members that you have.”Scott Beaver and his dog, Anakin, also pump water from the river. (Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC)In another part of Guysborough County, James Dyck says his well went dry in early October. He’s been using municipal pickups and pond water to manage daily chores. He lives in Lower Caledonia and the nearest laundromat is over an hour away in New Glasgow. He has washed his clothes in an outdoor washing machine using pond water.“The most important thing that we’ve been doing during this drought is to pray,” he said. James Dyck says him and his family have been praying for some rainfall. (Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC)Beaver says the recent rain has also given him some hope, as the river levels have risen, though more precipitation is needed for the wells.CBC’s meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says that once the ground freezes it’s much harder for moisture to seep in, so rain before the winter freeze is especially important. He said parts of Guysborough County have been helped by some recent rain.“The two recent rainfall events have only brought totals to near or just above what we would see in the month of October,” said Snoddon.”That still leaves a huge deficit for the water table, which is still missing the rainfall we should have received throughout the summer.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORGiuliana is a journalist originally from Lima, Peru. She is interested in stories about rural Nova Scotia, science, the environment and more. If you have any story tips, you can reach her at giuliana.grillo.de.lambarri@cbc.ca.
N.S. municipality faces tough winter as drought strains limited resources
