Nova Scotians struggle with dried-up wells

Months of dry weather conditions have unsurprisingly resulted in dried up wells in Nova Scotia.

“This has never happened in the, I think it’s about 15 years that we’ve been on the property,” said Chelsea McKendrick, owner of Owls Ridge Farm, which is a boarding and lesson facility for horses.

“It sucks, really.”

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She estimates the waterline in her dug well is about 6 to 9 metres lower than normal. Subsequently, showers for horses at the farm have stopped, among other water-saving measures.

READ MORE: Dry Maritime weather prompts burn bans, creates challenge for farmers

McKendrick pays about $200 to have water trucked and pumped into the well to cover basic needs.

Dug wells are more susceptible to being dried out because they rely on rain water, according to Ralph Jacobs, president of Bluenose Well Drilling.

Drilled wells are filled by aquifers underground.

“We’re relieving the pressure and that water eventually makes its way to the surface,” Jacobs said.

The key for people struggling with dug wells is to conserve water as much as possible, including not using wells for watering lawns or filling pools, he added.

Ryan MacLean, CEO of P & R MacLean’s Water and Trucking, said people as far away as Antigonish and Yarmouth have called asking how far out his water tankers deliver.

He said that he hasn’t seen such dry conditions and the accompanying business boost in about 15 years, and that there are more customers than usual asking for wells to be filled as opposed to pools and the like.

Still, MacLean said he’d welcome some rain.

“We’d like to see the firefighters get a break down there at these forest fires they’ve been fighting, too.”

McKendrick said even at horse competitions people are feeling the water shortage; participants are being asked to bring their own water supplies.

“As far as there being a silver living… really, the only thing I can think of is, perhaps, it’s made everyone a little bit more conscious of their water use,” she said, adding that a drilled well is too costly at the moment.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As far as there being a silver living… really, the only thing I can think of is, perhaps, it's made everyone a little bit more conscious of their water use," she said, adding that a drilled well is too costly at the moment.

It should be noted that rain is expected in the region in coming days.