The Town of Yarmouth Water Utility is pleased to announce the opening of its modern, safe, and centrally located filling station to serve residents of Yarmouth County
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020 - Yarmouth, N.S. – Two months after making the decision to construct a new bulk
water filling station, the Town of Yarmouth Water Utility is pleased to announce the opening of its modern, safe, and
centrally located facility to serve residents of Yarmouth County. Located at the corner of Forest Street and Industry
Avenue, the self-serve station is now open to provide easy access to potable water for those in need, 24/7.
The station will be open on Thursday and Friday from 9am to 4pm. This initial, “soft opening” will allow a trial run of
the station with staff closely monitoring as water is dispensed to customers for the first time. During this two-day test
period, key adjustments can be made leading to a full, 24/7 opening on Monday September 28th.
The state-of-the-art, self-contained dispensary offers easy access for both residential and commercial customers.
Customers with tankers or large containers can now quickly dispense large volumes, reducing wait times and lineups.
An important upgrade over the now closed Brenton filling station includes a backflow preventer as a safety feature to
protect the Town’s water supply.
Mayor Pam Mood believes the new station offers a good blend of much-needed safety upgrades and convenience.
“This station is safer both in terms of its location and in the controlled manner in which it dispenses water,” said
Mood. “It’s centrally located, more convenient and better equipped to serve all customers.
Mood adds that while the Town is happy to help people that are not connected to the Town’s water system, there is
a real need for everyone to take notice of the increasingly dry summers. The station will be there to serve when
people need it most, but people need to take action and ensure they can access water where they live.
We feel the moral obligation to help supply our neighbors with water, and we are happy to do so,” said Mood.
“However, these dry summers are becoming the norm and people on wells need to take a serious look at what they
can do in the future to secure their own water. For example, the Municipalities of Yarmouth and Argyle offer funding
assistance for residents to dig new, deeper wells that can supply more water during times of drought.”
Mood added “We have thousands of connected customers which we need to be responsible to first and foremost.
People need to plan for the future. There may come a time when access for non-connected customers will have to be
more limited. Our water supply is not endless.”
"The Yarmouth Water Utility recognized the need to safely supply surplus water from its Lake George supply for a
number of years,” said Town Councillor and Chair of the Yarmouth Water Utility, Cliff Hood. “The need arose because
there was no properly regulated and dispensed supply of treated water being provided by other levels of government
in the area. Add to that the fact that we’ve been enduring several years of unprecedented drought conditions, it
became clear that our facility in Brenton could no longer supplement the need for our non-connected customers in a
safe manner. A proper facility had to be built.”
The station is being financed by the Town of Yarmouth Water Utility to the tune of $180,000. Rates for the sale of
water are set by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. Users will pay $3.47 per 1,000 litres.
“The Utility and Review Board approved a rate for us to sell water in accordance with their rules that govern our
operations,” Hood adds. "The cost to the Utility for this station is substantial. With the set rate we have been given, it
will take several years to recover our investment. However, Lake George is a valuable resource not only for the town
and its municipal customers, but for the entire region. A unified municipal government could offer a better and fairer
way to operate a facility like this, as well as other ventures that affect the well-being of the entire county.”
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