Fire stations deliver water to Barrington homes as wells run low and dry
Fire services co-ordinator says the community is hoping heavy rain in the forecast will bring some relief
Three fire stations in the Municipality of Barrington, N.S., are offering free water delivery to residents after a hot, dry summer with little rain.
David Kendrick, the fire services co-ordinator for the area, said there are an estimated 40 to 60 households with low or dry wells.
"The fire departments really stepped up for this," Kendrick told CBC Radio's Mainstreet Tuesday.
How to get water
If a household needs water, they can contact the fire station through a number on its website and leave a voicemail or text message. A fire truck will show up and pump the water, which is non-potable, into an insulated plastic box.
Kendrick said residents are buying their own drinking water. To bathe, residents are able to shower at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena.
Heavy rain was expected for parts of Nova Scotia on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Kendrick said he's hoping the community gets doused with enough water to relieve the well situation.
'Hoping for a lot' of rain
He said the last time there was a significant amount of rain was back in June.
"We're hoping for a lot, but whether we get rain or not — I don't know," Kendrick said.
The dry summer has also put the community at risk for fires.
Increased fire risks
During the interview with Mainstreet, Kendrick said fire stations responded to two separate brush fires. One of the fires was happening near the fire station where he was calling from, which is close to homes.
"Things are not good. And one of the big problems we're having is a lot of our water holes — where we get water when we don't have hydrants — a lot of our water holes have run dry," he said.
In 2016, parts of Nova Scotia suffered a severe drought. Kendrick said there were between 300 and 400 dry wells at that time.
With files from CBC Radio's Mainstreet