Water conservation measures that have been in place in Lunenburg, N.S., following a dam breach Wednesday afternoon can be eased Friday evening. “It will still take a little longer to get to a point where the Water Conservation Directive can be fully lifted, but work is definitely headed in the right direction,” said the Town of Lunenburg in an update Friday afternoon. Emergency officials, engineers and contractors first responded to the Dares Lake Dam, which serves as Lunenburg’s drinking water source, around 4 p.m. Wednesday. The town says the breach affected the ability to pump water through the pumping station, resulting in a reduction in the available water supply. That prompted Lunenburg to issue a water conservation order, urging residents to limit non-essential water use. An update Friday afternoon says the breach has been contained and secured, and water levels are improving. As a result, the water conservation measures will be eased at 6 p.m. Friday. “Please note though, it is still important to exercise a level of conservation as outlined in the updated directive to ensure this easing of measures doesn’t jeopardize the Utility’s ability to provide reliable continuous water service to its customers,” said Lunenburg in the update. With the breach secured, crews are now focused on getting all three pumps in the pumping station fully operational. Two pumps are working at less than full capacity while the third pump remains offline. Until then, people are still being asked to limit their non-essential water use. Drinking, cooking and sanitation are considered essential uses. The following uses of municipal water are still prohibited: The town is also urging residents to: People are also being asked to stay away from the Dares Lake area while emergency personnel, contractors and heavy equipment operations work at the site. Restaurants forced to close Restaurants in the busy tourism town were closed Friday due to the water conservation measures. Business owner Adam Bower says restaurants were told to close Thursday afternoon and remain closed Friday to help with water levels. “There were a lot of people walking around town yesterday, pulling on doors and reading signs and realizing there wasn’t going to be anywhere to eat,” said Bower, who owns The Grand Banker Bar and Grill, The Old Fish Factory, and the Shipwright Brewing Company. “Most people were very understanding … people are still able to enjoy the beauty of our community, just not dine in our restaurants, unfortunately.” A UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the iconic Bluenose II, Lunenburg is also known for its colourful waterfront and restaurants that serve up fresh seafood. The directive to close comes during the town’s peak tourism season, heading into the Labour Day weekend. “It’s a pretty big impact financially and for our staff, but we knew we had to do what we needed to do for the community and do our part in watching the consumption to get the water levels up,” said Bower. “It’s never great timing when you’re in your peak season and you have to close your doors when the town would otherwise be full and busy, but again, we’re part of this community like everyone else and we’re all in it together and we’ll do what we have to do to get through it, like we always do.” At least one bakery that makes its goods off-site was offering pastry takeout only on Friday. “While the past couple of days have been a challenge, Lunenburg’s residents and businesses have been incredibly cooperative during this process,” said the town in its update Friday afternoon. “Thank you for your patience and understanding while crews worked to ensure the town’s water supply continued safely.” Mayor Jamie Myra said restaurants and other businesses would be able to open their doors at 6 p.m. Friday. “Industry can reopen with a little bit more strict rules in place for water usage because they can monitor that,” Myra said. “But if we get all excited tonight, everyone goes crazy with water, we could be back to square one or worse.” Mayor says dam that collapsed was new Myra said the dam was newly installed, and it looks like the entre thing collapsed. “It was installed over the last nine months and basically what happened yesterday from the pictures I’ve seen… is that the dam basically cracked down through the middle, one section basically fell into the lake almost immediately, and then a couple hours later the right side fell into the lake, so we actually have no dam,” he told CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith on Thursday. Myra said he’s disappointed and frustrated by the breach. “We don’t know exactly what happened, so at this point there’s no sense in laying blame – I know there will have to be answers given, there will be lots of questions to ask when this is done. Right now, our number one priority is fixing the problem.” With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Natalie Lombard, Callum Smith and Sean Mott For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
