‘It’s for protecting the resource’: Springhill residents under mandatory water restrictions

Residents of Springhill, N.S., have been under mandatory water restrictions for a week.

Residents of Springhill, N.S., are being asked to conserve water after the municipality of Cumberland County imposed mandatory water restrictions on Aug. 30.

The move comes as water levels in the town’s primary water source, the Leamington Brook, has dropped to concerning levels.

“Under normal operating conditions, the staff gauge is around 6.5... right now it’s 4.6, 4.7,” explains Justin Waugh-Cress, public works officer for Cumberland County.

“We’ve been monitoring daily the brook levels throughout the month of August and up to today and we’ve seen that the brook levels continue to decline.”

The reason for the drop? A prolonged dry spell.

“Prolonged periods without rainfall,” Waugh-Cress says.

“Leaving the brook supplied by surface water features, there’s some lakes and swamps and tributaries as well as springs… And without rain coming, those don’t get refilled."

The Leamington Brook feeds the Springhill water treatment facility, serving approximately 3,500 residents, including the population of the federal penitentiary in town.

According to Cumberland County Mayor Rod Gilroy, voluntary measures weren’t enough.

“We put a voluntary water restriction on, interestingly enough, water consumption went up. So now we’ve had to go to a mandatory restriction. Again, it’s for protecting the resource for everyone,” said Gilroy.

Residents are being urged to cut back on water usage by limiting car washes, reducing garden watering, and taking shorter showers. The county has already closed splash parks and removed flower baskets early as a visual reminder of the situation.

While some residents are disappointed, there seems to be an understanding of the need for restrictions.

“Yeah, the splash park kind of sucks, especially the hot days. It’s nice to have it, but I think everybody gets it around here,” says Springhill resident Nick Gogan.

Officials are hoping to avoid activating a backup well, which could trigger a boil water advisory.

“It’s been a tough go all the way around with the drought, rain across the province and certainly across the municipality the last few weeks,” Gilroy says. “I think overall, people understand the situation and we’re hopeful they’re going to do their best to help us out.”

Authorities are emphasizing the importance of cooperation and say the weather will ultimately decide when things return to normal.

“I’ll go back to 2020, and it was the middle of November when we lifted the restrictions in 2020,” says Waugh-Cress.

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