Water woes greet new Spaniard’s Bay council

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Add Spaniard’s Bay to the list of towns grappling with water shortages.
At the first meeting of the new council on October 21, a letter from a resident of North Cove Pond Road concerning a low water supply was among the items in the inbox to be dealt with.
Mayor Tammy Oliver, who served as deputy mayor last term, told the new councillors that letters from residents about water shortages were not new. She said there are several places around town that are struggling with low water supplies. Last year, residents inside the Tilton overpass asked council for help with their problem. Oliver said the issue can be attributed to climate change.
“People’s wells are drying up,” said Oliver. “So, this council is going to have to look deeper at how we’re going to move forward and solve some of these issues in areas that don’t currently have water and sewer infrastructure.”
Oliver noted an additional water line was implemented on a trial basis to try to rectify the issue with Tilton’s water supply, but that it will have to be taken up before the cold weather sets in.
“Over the winter, we’re going to have to take some serious thought and decide how we could rectify these areas, because obviously we can’t lay lines in ditches everywhere around town,” said the mayor. “So council has to do some brainstorming and see what we can come up with to help our residents out with this. I can’t imagine running out of water. It’s a necessity, so it’s quite urgent.”
Oliver suggested that, for now, council accept the letter and defer it to the public works committee for a deeper discussion. The motion to do so was made by councillor Ann Marie Singleton and seconded by councillor Terry Sheppard. The motion passed unanimously.