After a summer of low rainfall and high temperatures, many communities across Newfoundland and Labrador experienced plummeting water levels.
Now, residents and community leaders are worried about the years to come.
Parts of the province experienced drought conditions, and 40 water monitoring stations showed below normal levels, with 10 reporting all-time lows. Communities have reported their own low water levels and brought in water conservation measures to mitigate the issue.
Torbay has been struggling for months at its North Pond reservoir, and is looking into pumping water from a nearby river to help.
“It’s kind of scary, really, when you think about it,” Mayor Craig Scott told CBC Radio’s The Signal on Monday.
He said a mild winter meant the spring runoff wasn’t there to boost the water level.
And while many residents don’t rely on the pond for their water, they will be impacted if it gets too low, as three schools and an old age home are on the system.
‘Continually a challenge’
Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador president and Grand Falls-Windsor Coun. Amy Coady said there were some “touch and go moments” over the summer when it came to her town’s water supply.
Residents were asked to conserve water usage, she said, but people have different water consumption habits that include maintaining pools or lawns.
“It’s continually a challenge, right across the province,” said Coady. “Climate change is real. I mean we’re constantly working with the province on climate change information and mitigation.”
Municipalities N.L. president Amy Coady says low water levels can lead to unexpected costs. (Nathan Wells/CBC)
Coady said communities also have a role to play, which includes collecting data and passing it along to the provincial government. If communities are looking at alternate water sources, she said, that requires additional infrastructure and that costs money.
Low water levels can also lead to increased sediment buildup in pipes, she said, which requires water to flush it and chemicals to treat water.
CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler said she’s seen how the province’s climate has changed in recent years, pointing to record heat waves and severe weather events like post-tropical storm Fiona, January 2020’s Snowmageddon and this summer’s wildfires.
“You can see the wildfire season shaping up. We saw that kind of through the winter, right. Because we did see snow but it didn’t melt as much as it evaporated. So the water levels were already low coming into the spring,” said Brauweiler.
Solutions needed
Scott said municipalities have limited financial resources, and they need to have an open mind for new solutions and technology to make a limited resource go further.
“I don’t anticipate that the climate is going to go backwards and back to the way it used to be,” he said.
Scott said he’d like to see a portion of collected income tax go toward municipalities for stable, long-term funding for front-line services.
Alexis Foster, director of advocacy and communications with Municipalities N.L., said they need to ensure more funding for water infrastructure is available.
“We do need to ensure that our communities have the resources available to them to ensure the residents get clean, safe drinking water,” said Foster.
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