Council decision to close public spring upsets Colchester residents

Hannah Veinot · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 06, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

An unexpected determination to close a longtime assemblage outpouring successful the Truro, N.S., area has angered residents who regularly sojourn the tract for cleanable drinking water.

The Municipality of the County of Colchester announced successful a Facebook station past period that it would soon beryllium decommissioning the publicly accessible h2o source, known simply arsenic the Lower Truro spring, "due to health, information and liability concerns."

Marcia Myers, a nonmigratory who occasionally uses the outpouring disconnected Highway 236, said she's "frustrated" by the connection surrounding the closure.

"I don't cognize however the determination was made and that's portion of, I guess, wherefore it's hard to understand," Myers said successful an interview.

"Providing immoderate level of knowing is going to marque a immense quality to, I think, the bulk of radical who are upset and concerned."

The spring's h2o root and the capable tract are connected onshore that has been leased by the municipality for the past 2 decades. The municipality said past period those agreements were expiring.

The municipality told CBC News successful an email the determination to adjacent the outpouring was made Feb. 27 astatine an unfastened league of council and that no "formal assemblage engagement process" had been conducted connected the issue.

Staff has been directed to research different options for radical who usage the spring, it said.

Traffic issues, verbal altercations

The email gave several reasons for the closure, including "serious centrifugal conveyance accidents" astatine the often engaged tract and verbal altercations "due to radical becoming impatient with agelong lines and with those taking a longer clip to capable aggregate containers."

In its Facebook station connected March 17, the municipality also cited its "limited ability" to guarantee the information of water connected onshore it does not own.

"Closure has been determined to beryllium the astir liable people of action," the station read. 

"We recognize this whitethorn beryllium disappointing for those who usage the spring, and we admit your knowing arsenic we prioritize assemblage information and responsibility."

The station had much than 250 comments arsenic of Friday, with radical calling the determination "terrible," "discouraging," and "outrageous." 

Myers said determination are a fig of radical successful the mostly rural area who trust connected the outpouring due to the fact that they don't person entree to cleanable drinking h2o otherwise. 

"It's not due to the fact that they don't person a well, their well's nary bully oregon they've got plumbing successful their location that is outdated oregon has been recalled successful a sense, but they don't person the funds to hole it," said Myers. 

"It feels similar it's enactment a batch of radical successful a overmuch much unsure concern than they were before, which feels precise unfair."

She said she's been babelike connected the outpouring successful the aftermath of almighty storms that have left her without powerfulness and water. 

Supplying nationalist h2o a liability, says municipality

The municipality said assembly has since passed a unanimous question to person unit "investigate alternatives oregon caller accusation regarding the spring." The taxable is acceptable to beryllium discussed further astatine a assembly gathering aboriginal this month.

In its email to CBC News, the municipality said it's not amazed by the nationalist reaction, "given that the outpouring has been utilized by truthful galore for truthful long."

"The unfortunate portion is that astir respond and don't instrumentality clip to see oregon recognize the liability associated with supplying h2o to the public," it said.

No day has been acceptable for the outpouring to beryllium decommissioned. The municipality has said it volition springiness the nationalist astatine slightest 2 weeks' announcement earlier the closure.