Rural residents calling on City of Ottawa to do more as wells dry up

With a lack of rain all summer, rural residents say their wells are running dry and they need help. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson reports.

Rural residents across Ottawa say they’ve been living with little to no water for weeks and are now calling on the city to step in and provide relief.

“It’s getting very expensive,” said Marathon Village resident Juliann Dickie.

“We’re ordering jugs of water every two weeks, that’s over $100, and the laundromat is $50 to $60 per week.”

At Dickie’s house, water is a rare commodity. Every flush takes a bucket, every meal means hauling water jugs and every load of laundry is a 20-minute drive away.

After a summer of little rain, her well ran dry and she’s not alone. Across rural Ottawa shallow wells are running dry, forcing many to truck in water just to keep the taps flowing.

“I call friends, and I go for a shower at a friend’s place in Orleans twice a week, I did my laundry there yesterday,” said Cumberland resident Colleen Loken.

“My neighbours are all in the same boat, so they can’t really help out at this time.”

In Cumberland, Loken’s well ran dry more than a week ago and she says the wait to drill deeper could be six months or longer.

“They were getting about 40 requests a week because of dried wells so I’m on a wait list,” she said. “You don’t realize how important water is until you really lose it.”

Conservation authorities have declared level 3 low water advisories across the region, urging rural residents to avoid non-essential use as ground water levels hit record lows.

Although private wells fall to the homeowner, the city is offering showers and water filling at its facilities.

In a statement to CTV Ottawa, Susan Johns, director, asset management wrote, “To help residents affected by the low water conditions, the City has made additional services available to support residents in accessing clean water supplies. Residents can fill containers with water for drinking and emergency use at municipal recreation facilities, and showers are available at various recreation facilities and municipal pools during operating hours.”

The city advises residents to check the City of Ottawa website for a list of facilities and their hours. The city says residents should check with facilities in advance to confirm their availability.

The city also suggests residents visit the dry conditions webpage as well as the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ Wells Help Desk.

Still, Loken says she would like to see the city to do more.

“I think they should help us with getting some water delivery out here for us. We shouldn’t have to be paying for it,” said Loken.

As for Dickie, she says it’s not just her well that’s drying up but her wallet as well.

“They’ve assisted in emergency situations like the floods and the tornadoes, and my community has never asked for help and right now we’re asking for help,” she said.

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