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In a town on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, whether residents are on a well or the municipality’s water reservoir, they are dealing with problems but the mayor says work is underway to address it.
Since the summer, Torbay residents connected to North Pond, the town’s main water supply, have been on and off water advisories, asked to conserve water where possible as well as follow a boil water advisory.
Resident Nikki Grouchy said poor water has been a long standing problem.
“[It’s] absolutely horrible … When you turn it on, there’s a big smell. It’s brown,” she told CBC News.
“We’ve been here two and a half years and it’s never been good.”
Grouchy added she distrust the water so much she won’t even give it to her cat to drink.
Some residents on wells have also had to worry about the possibility their water has been contaminated with toxic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
In response to those challenges, Mayor Craig Scott said the town is working on developing Great Pond into a new municipal water source.
“When we develop Great Pond now, we’re going to have the ability to double, at least double the number of homes that are on municipal water services,” said Scott.
Torbay Maor Craig Scott says the town has received a growing number of reports of PFAS water contamination. (Mark Cumby/CBC)
In March, St. John’s East MP Joanne Thompson announced the federal government would be providing $26.8 million to Torbay to develop Great Pond.
Scott said council passed a motion to accept that funding last month, but said there’s still about $9 million left for the town to pay for the development.
For comparison, Torbay’s 2026 budget totaled $12.2 million.
“One of the reasons we have to develop this new water supply is because our alternate water supply at South Pond was contaminated by PFAS,” Scott said.
For now, there is no timeline for the project but Scott said staff are working on putting together a request for proposals.
In addition to the Great Pond development, Scott said the town is also working on putting a water treatment plant at North Pond to improve water quality.
Dalton Tapper says water quality is a primary concern amongst residents. (Mark Cumby/CBC)
Dalton Tapper, a resident and unsuccessful council candidate in the recent municipal election, said the increased sediment in the water, which led to a boil water order, caused problems for residents.
“People were getting, you know, discolored water coming in through their taps in their bathtubs,” he said.
During his recent campaign, Tapper said he learned water is a top issue for residents because the once booming community is now seeing a decline in new development due to ongoing water issues.
“Torbay is at risk of kind of stagnating,” he said. “At a community level, there’s a lot of uncertainty.”
Tapper, who is one the town’s reservoir, said he chooses to buy bottled water because of the taste and concern about boil water orders.
WATCH | Torbay residents say poor water supply has long been a problem:
Torbay’s looking at new water supply while residents grow concerned about existing quality
After months of being on and off water advisories, the Town of Torbay is looking at developing a new water supply with Great Pond as residents say water quality has long been a problem.
Growing PFAS contamination fears
Besides issues with the town’s main water source, an uncertified class-action lawsuit has been filed against the federal government on behalf of affected residents alleging well water has been contaminated by PFAS found in firefighting foam used at the St. John’s International Airport from the early 1980s to 2004.
In a previous interview, Alex Templeton, the McInnis Cooper lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said the case currently involves around 700 households, which is about 2,000 to 2,500 people.
Scott said the number of people believed to be impacted by PFAS contamination is growing.
“We have noticed over the last number of months that we’ve had reports of PFAS showing up in wells in other areas besides where we initially thought,” said Scott.
Tapper said PFAS contamination is another reason why people may not want to move Torbay.
“People might be wondering if it’s safe to move into a home or buy a home in that particular area. Some people are worried if they’re going to be able to sell their home if they’re in an area,” he said.
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