Rural communities relying on river water to flush toilets

Flushing a toilet is something most of us don’t think twice about, but some people in rural communities have been struggling to do this “split-second” action for weeks.

“I’m just pouring river water into the toilet so the gravity flushes itself,” Alex Whynacht, a high school student from Whites Lake said, as she dumps the bucket she keeps having to fill.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm just pouring river water into the toilet so the gravity flushes itself," Alex Whynacht, a high school student from Whites Lake said, as she dumps the bucket she keeps having to fill.

Her part-time job now includes trotting down to the river behind the farmers market where she works to fetch water.

“We actually haven’t had any water for three or four weeks and any running water at all because our well is dry.”

The South Shore isn’t the only rural community that’s been struggling with water.

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People throughout the Eastern Shore have been scrambling to find clean drinking water.

“It’s fairly bad around here. There’s a lot of people whose wells are empty or so low they’re going to Porters Lake Park to have showers,” Chezzetcook Fire Department Chief Joseph Mannette said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's fairly bad around here. There's a lot of people whose wells are empty or so low they're going to Porters Lake Park to have showers," Chezzetcook Fire Department Chief Joseph Mannette said.

Volunteers at the department spent their Sunday afternoon handing out flats of spring water to community members in need.

“Hopefully this at least helps them get some drinking water,” Mannette said.

Watersheds throughout the province have reached historically low levels and water usage restrictions still remain in effect for communities on the Lake Major watershed.

READ MORE: ‘It’s in my blood’: Volunteer firefighters on the front lines

Environmental advocates, like those at the ‘Clean Foundation,’ have been helping people out with water conservation tips for weeks.

“We take clean water for granted until we don’t have it and this drought was obviously something we haven’t had in a long time and it really got people thinking about water,” Sean Kelly, a Clean Foundation employee, said.

Kelly said he hopes people will use this drought as an opportunity to continue practicing water conservation.

READ MORE: Water restrictions in place for Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, surrounding communities

“So much of our water is used in waste in kitchens and bathrooms. There’s little things we can do like use a toilet dam, take shorter showers, insert low-flow shower heads, put a faucet aerator in the kitchen, turning your taps off when you brush your teeth. Things like that will add up drop by drop, bucket by bucket,” Kelly said.

The Department of Natural Resources said while Sunday’s rainfall is great, the province needs much more of it to lift burn and water usage restrictions.