Businesses, schools set to reopen in Newfoundland town after state of emergency lifted

Mayor of Conception Bay South, N.L. Darrin Bent explains how a leak in a major concrete pipe sapped water levels, causing the town’s state of emergency.

Businesses and schools are set to reopen in Conception Bay South, N.L., Thursday after a state of emergency that shut down much of the town was lifted Wednesday afternoon.

Restrictions on using tap water in the community have also been repealed, according to town officials, as the town’s water tanks returned to safe levels on Wednesday evening.

A water line break led to the declaration of a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, which shut down schools and businesses. Officials feared taps would run dry in the 27,000-person community, and there wouldn’t be adequate supply to ensure firefighting capacity.

Repairs to a broken cement water main took place overnight by staff from neighbouring St. John’s. With water levels returned to adequate amounts, businesses are now allowed to reopen.

“They had an amazing number of crew on site very quickly yesterday,” Conception Bay South Mayor Derrin Bent told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “We were a little surprised to be honest with you, because the fear was that this thing may not get capped off until sometime even later.”

The town of Conception Bay South declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after discovering that its water supply was severely depleted. With only a few hours of water left for the town of about 27,000 people, crews soon discovered a leak in the 50-year-old cement water main that supplies the community from a treatment plant in neighbouring St. John’s.

Bent told CTV News Channel on Tuesday that, at the time the leak was discovered, there may have been only a few hours worth of water supply left in the town.

To conserve water, schools and businesses were ordered to remain closed, with exceptions for pharmacies and gas stations.

Businesswoman Krista Neville, who operates Volcano Bakery in the community, said the closure was frustrating but ultimately understandable.

“We had to get rid of a lot of product that we had on the shelves,” she said. “Telling our staff to go home, and we don’t know if you’re going to get back here tomorrow to work.”

Although progress is being made refilling the town’s water tanks, Neville said she can’t yet predict when her store will open, because it will take some time to fill her empty shelves with bread and other products.

Despite the annoyances, she said she’s ultimately able to put the business “on hold for a little bit.”

“People having water to drink is more important,” Neville said.

Conception Bay South, also known as C.B.S., spent much of August facing emergency alerts and evacuation orders as wildfires raged in nearby communities.

“Residents are reminded that it is always wise to use water responsibly,” the town wrote in an update Wednesday afternoon. Residents were told there may be some discolouration in the water as the system restoration continues.

With files from The Canadian Press