The Town of Torbay is warning a state of emergency could be declared because of low water levels at North Pond. (Town of Torbay/Facebook)
Water levels in a town on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula are running low, and the mayor is urging residents to keep an eye on how they use it.
In a post on its website, the Town of Torbay warned water levels at North Pond are “critically low,” and if further depleted a state of emergency could be declared. As a result, the town is keeping a mandatory water usage ban in place.
Mayor Craig Scott said the water level is about 40 inches above the pond’s intake pipe, “which is tremendously low.” Moreover, he said every day it’s dropping an additional inch.
WATCH | How low can water levels go before a State of Emergency is declared? 
Torbay facing complete water shut off as municipal reservoir gets lower each day
The water shortage in Torbay has reached critical levels, and the town says a complete shut off of municipal water is a possibility. Mayor Craig Scott says the water level in the town’s water reservoir is down to 40 inches and declining as much as an inch a day.
Declaring a state of emergency will depend on the water supply and how far it drops, he said.
“That’s not too many days where we’ll be down to that pipe,” he told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.
In June, he said the town acted on concerns about its water level and implemented water conservation orders. In July, he said they then brought in water bans.
“It seems to have helped. We are noticing a reduction in the amount of water coming out of the supply through our flow meters,” Scott said. “We ask residents to please do more.”
He said approximately one-third of the town uses the pond as its source of water.
“It’s really [a] stressful situation,” said Scott.
‘Praying for rain’
Scott said the town has spoken with an engineering consultant on contingency plans.
“We’re not sure of at what level it’s going to start to cause problems. So this is the reason why we’re really stressing the fact that people need to conserve, conserve, conserve, and hopefully keep us out of that situation where we have to do that.”
Scott said they’re trying to avoid having to declare a state of emergency.
He said Torbay didn’t have much snowfall over the winter, which meant less runoff and the pond wasn’t replenished, which is contributing to the problem. On top of that, he said, it was a hot summer with a lack of rainfall.
Other communities across the province have faced similar struggles.
In July, the Town of Bonavista announced a water restriction notice. In August, it brought in a mandatory water ban to conserve water for drinking, sanitation and emergency services.
In Sunnyside, near Come By Chance, the taps temporarily ran dry over the summer because reservoir levels were so low. It also prompted the town to declare a state of emergency.
Scott said what Torbay really needs now is rainfall.
“I’m praying for rain and hopefully we’re going to get some.”
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