As summer draws closer, some Nova Scotia municipalities are preparing for dry wells and drought conditions, which are becoming annual events in many areas.
But there is a patchwork approach across the province, with some municipalities taking action and others yet to start conversations about long-term plans.
Warden Paul Long of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough said last year’s lengthy drought, which was considered a one-in-50-year event for some areas of the province, woke up many people to “the reality of the world” and effects of climate change.
“Maybe it’s a one-off. I hope it was, but I don’t think in reality that it is,” Long said.
“I don’t think it’s going to catch anybody by surprise anymore. And if it does, then they’re not doing due diligence to be ready.”
Long said Guysborough was among the 18 municipalities that got about $1 million from the provincial government last year to cover bottled water programs for residents with dry wells.
They budgeted for bottled water again this year, Long said, and have started talking about long-term solutions like public water stations, or community wells where people can fill up their own containers.
The province has said it won’t reimburse municipalities for bottled water this year.
Emergency Management Minister Kim Masland said it is important for the province to shift from emergency mode to long-term planning.
“We know that drought — it’s beyond just a one-time measure … it’s predictable, it’s reoccurring,” Masland told reporters last Thursday.
But Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg said many areas are still in that emergency response mode, and do not have the finances or staff expertise to make changes yet.
She said her municipality is among many, including the County of Kings, District of Barrington, Halifax, and East Hants, offering loans for residents to upgrade their water systems into a drilled well or cistern. They are also creating a new water station at the municipal office just outside Bridgewater this year.
The district has budgeted $30,000 for the bottled water program if needed this summer, but McLean-Wile said their bill last year was about $55,000, which would be a big gap to fill without provincial help.
“The province needs to recognize they do need to help us in the short run as we move to thinking longer term,” McLean-Wile said.
“I still think we’re in an emergency situation if we have another drought this summer.”
Trevor Hadwen, an agroclimate specialist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is part of the team that runs the Canadian Drought Monitor.
He said the province got enough snow and rain over the winter to be in a better position compared to this time last year.
But Hadwen said warmer than normal temperatures are expected this summer, which could dry out the ground. He said it is difficult to predict how much rain Nova Scotia might get over the next few months.
“The region has started to recover, but is certainly vulnerable to another dry season,” Hadwen said.
“We don’t have that bank that we used to have, and we typically have, to try to get us through those dry periods right now. So we’re relying on those spring rains, and the continuous rain throughout the summer.”
Municipal Affairs Minister John MacDonald said his department is leading a provincial drought committee examining the issue.
He said he expects to have more details on the issue early in June.
“I expect once the framework’s done and it’s going, it’s gonna have to go very quickly,” MacDonald told reporters last Thursday.
But with that timeline, it is unclear whether any actions from the provincial group will translate into municipal support for this summer season.
Warden Allen Webber of the District of Chester said they always welcome provincial help, but in a municipality with all 11,000 residents on wells, they needed to make changes now.
The district has been tracking where dry wells occur in the municipality for the past decade, and spent $135,000 on bottled water last year which was covered by the province.
Webber said in the past six years, the number of dry wells has been steadily climbing, and their council realized it did not make economic sense to keep paying for bottled water.
This year Chester will bring four drilled community wells online before the midst of summer, Webber said. The hope is to have seven wells, one for each district, in place by next year.
“Because I don’t think the public can afford to wait for the province … and you know, something has to be done to address the situation,” Webber said.
“So we’ve taken the action that we thought was most logical to do, just so that there would be a source for people.”
Halifax working on drought strategy
Some areas, including the Municipality of East Hants and the Halifax Regional Municipality which saw dry wells last year, have not budgeted for bottled water this year.
A municipal spokesperson said Halifax had about $350,000 covered by the province for its water program, which ran from mid-August until Dec. 14, 2025.
The Halifax municipality’s budget for this year said the community safety department will take part in provincial working groups to develop a drought resiliency strategy for the municipality. That work is expected to be done by next March.
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